The Kingdom of God: Commandments Keepers

The Kingdom of God

(Mark 1:15) "And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

It's a shame and a dishonor to our Lord Jesus that the majority of Christians today believe, that the Kingdom of God is a physical, earthly kingdom and that it is to come in the future.

The Pharisees wondered when the Kingdom would come and Jesus, the King of the Kingdom, plainly told them. (Luke 17:20-21) "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Matthew 12:28) "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." Jesus' words "...is come unto you" clearly means has arrived.

The kingdom of God cometh not with observation means it can't be seen with our eyes. And people aren't saying, the kingdom is over here or over there, because it cannot be seen. The kingdom of God is within, inside you and me. We are born again, into the kingdom. (John 3:5) "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Jesus says one must be baptized (by immersion) and receive the Holy Spirit of God to enter into the Kingdom of God.

A woman of Samaria, at Jacob's well, also asked about where to worship God. (John 4:20-21) "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father." (John 4:23) "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him."

A kingdom is a domain, ruled by a king. The kingdom which Jesus announced as "good news" is the rule of Gods' laws, set up within the hearts of His people, the citizens of the kingdom. (Ephesians 2:19) "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;" (Hebrews 10:16-17) "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." HE says: this is the covenant. A covenant is an agreement between God and His people in which God makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return.

This is the "good news" which Jesus preached. (Colossians 1:13) "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:" Delivered-past tense, translated-past tense, has already happened. Jesus has delivered or set us free from the power of satan. We can now live our lives, sin free through the power of the Holy Spirit, with our past sins forgiven through the sacred blood of Jesus, the Son of God. (Matthew 5:48) "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." We are already translated into the Kingdom. (1 John 3:2) "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

To carry out fully this great law of love would lift man to the Divine standard of perfection. This must be the aim of every Christian in this life, on earth, today. As the Lords' prayer states, (Matthew 6:9-13) "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen." Jesus was speaking to his twelve disciples, how they should pray. Their prayers where answered, his kingdom has been established

(Matthew 16:28) "Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." This statement is not to his final coming to judge the world, but to his rising from the dead to establish his kingdom with power and authority, and by the giving of the Holy Spirit. This was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, (the Feast of First Fruits).

Jesus also gave to his disciples the keys to the Kingdom. (Matthew 16:19) "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 18:18) "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Jesus disciples asked him just before he ascended into heaven, if he would at this time restore the kingdom to Israel. (Acts 1:6) "When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" Jesus answered, (Acts 1:7) "And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." The disciples thought Jesus would restore the kingdom to Israel, that is, that he would make the nation of the Jews as great and considerable among the nations as it was in the days of King David and King Solomon. Christ came to set up his own kingdom, and that a kingdom of heaven, not to restore the kingdom to Israel, an earthly kingdom.

After they had received the promise of the Holy Spirit, the question of the "kingdom of Israel" is not mentioned again. All instances to a kingdom in the Holy Scriptures after Acts 1:6 are to, either, the Kingdom of Heaven, Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Christ and of God. That is because the Holy Spirit of God was, in part, sent to the disciples to teach them. (John 14:26) "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." The disciples of Jesus now understood that the kingdom that Jesus referred to was the Kingdom of God, a spiritual Kingdom. (1 Corinthians 15:50) "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption."

The earthly kingdom of Israel was first and it failed miserable because they choose a man to be their king. (1 Samuel 8:5) "And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." God never wanted his people to have a king like other nations, he wanted them to choose Him as their God and King. (1 Samuel 10:18-19) "And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us."

In the Book of Acts after receiving the Holy Spirit, Peter explains to those in Israel during the Feast of First Fruits. (Acts 2:14) "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:" (Acts 2:36) "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Both Lord and Christ means both God and Anointed King. (John 1:49) "Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel."

The Kingdom of God has arrived. Give honor to the King by obeying His commandments, now, today, for tomorrow may be too late. (Mark 1:15) "And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."