When John and Jesus begain proclaiming that the time for the kingdom of God to appear on earth had come, it must have been like a shock wave hit Israel. Their prophets had painted this wonderful picture of peace, equality, and the end of oppression to the poor. Could this be the time for their long awaited Messiah? While Jesus could demonstrate by many miracles that He was from God, many, including His own disciples, did not understand His purpose. It certainly did not appear that by His methods He could overthrow Rome. This must have disappointed many. Nicodemis was one of their leaders who did believe Jesus was from God, yet even he could not understand what was happening. Jesus explained to him that a person must be reborn of the water and the Spirit in order to see and enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:3-5)
Two thousand years have passed since Jesus made this announcement, and to most eyes, little has changed. In our impatience most of us cannot see the reality of the kingdom today. We still pray, as Jesus taught us, “thy kingdom come, your will be done in earth as it is in heaven,” and yet often we end up thinking more about leaving this earth and going to heaven. This earth has not become more like heaven in every way. Was Jesus wrong? When He told Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world, had He given up on His original mission? Was it now a plan to escape the earth instead of changing it?
Please don’t misunderstand me. As believers in Christ we have the promise of eternal life. Even when these physical bodies die and decay, we continue to exist in the presence of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:21-24) Jesus told one thief on the cross near Him that he would be with Him in Paradise that very day! (Luke 23:43). We need not fear death! What a comfort and source of peace! And yet, Paul consoled the church in Thessalonica concerning those among them who had died by describing their Resurrecton! Those who remain on the earth are to be reunited with those who are in heaven as they return to earth with Jesus! (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) At this time all of us receive new incorruptible bodies like that of Jesus Himself! (Philippians 3:20-21, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
If we take into consideration all the scriptures with the help of the Holy Spirit to enlighten and renew our minds, He will help us reconcile many of the passages that seem to disagree here. When we consider God’s original plan to fill the earth with individuals that reflect His nature, when we watch the plan of redemption from the fall unfold, when we see how Jesus came to fulfill all the promises of God to His creation, things can begin to make sense.
Often we are like children trying to put together a 1,000 piece picture puzzle without the lid of box which illustrates the full image. When we only know a small part of the grand, sweeping epic story that the bible presents to us, we tend to focus only on the individual pieces instead. Jesus does rule in a kingdom that is “not of this world” (cosmos, system). Yet He came to bring the will, the nature, the principles of heaven to earth, by transforming hearts and minds! Even now we can move from this earthly plane of existence and into a heavenly, spiritual mindset! (Colossians 3:1-2, Romans 8:5-6)
By this new birth from God, through His sacrifice for us on the Cross, He established the New Covenant that was promised to Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 31:31). Later this new covenant was extended and offerred to all nations. (Acts 13:47-49, Ephesians 3:1-7). It is a powerful work of God in softening hearts and transforming minds, enabling us to love God and His ways. His laws become written upon our hearts and minds. Believe it or not, this work, this message of Good News did bring an end to many terrible practices in the world from the time of Jesus and His apostles. That transformation continues to the present time.
Much of the power of this good news has been lost today. Instead of the expectation that Abraham’s descendants would bless all the families of the world, and that all the nations would be discipled by Christ, our hope has been reduced to an escape from the earth to live as disembodied spirits. Do be fair, many include the expectation that eventually believers in heaven will return with Christ, join with those still alive on earth, and will rule with Him for 1,000 literal years — after Jesus has destroyed all of His enemies. Up until that time, they expect evil to continue to grow. In my opinion this general view leaves little motivation, expectation or hope for the advancement of the Kingdom of God today. Our job then is often seen as getting tickets to heaven into the hands of as many as possible.
Of course we hope to convince as many as possible to avoid hell. My thought is that the Gospel of the Kingdom would be more effective to this end than the watered-down message that most people hear. What if we were to become convinced, and could convince others that Jesus began the process of cleansing the earth two thousand years ago? Not only that, but that He has been calling His followers to join in that process with Him by embracing His message, allowing it to change us radically, and in the process demonstrate the essence of the Kingdom to the unbelieving, uninitiated world! Would outsiders possibly want to hear this positive, hopeful message? Would some even possibly want to participate in such a radically optimistic idea?
What about the average church goer? Could these individuals be more inspired to participate in the work to which God has called each of them? Could they see themselves as having more meaning and purpose than to warm the church pew and to drop some coin into the offering plate? Obviously the latter concept might really appeal to some. However, I suspect that even a minority who welcome the thought of joining with Christ in bringing heaven to earth could ignite a fire in the hearts many others! May that minority awaken to Christ’s plan for them today!
To be realistic, for the early believers, this was a battle. It is no less a battle for us today. The path of least resistance is to surrender to the downward trends of our time. “Evil is winning over the population.” “God will have His chosen few.” I will not attempt to argue the theology of these views. I do not have all the answers to many theological questions. I only know that I have been apprehended by Christ for a purpose from which I cannot and do not want to escape. After the revelation of Him through the scriptures and through personal experience, it has become inconceivable to me that He could ever surrender His creation to the enemy, and that He would want His people to surrender either.
Those who possess this vision have been accused of pride and arrogance, and that their claim is that they can accomplish everything without Christ. This may be true of some. For others of us, it is actually all about our confidence in Christ Jesus. He empowers us to believe in His continuing triumph in every age, right up until the total triumph over every enemy!” For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.” (1 Corinthians 15:25 NASB)
Who are we to deny Him of His full glory? Who are we to challenge His proclamation that the Kingdom of God has already exploded upon the scene? Who are we to reject His mysterious plan to plant this message into the earth as a seed, or to infuse the culture as does yeast in a measure of flour?
While the secular and religious media boost their ratings by pointing out all the evil things that are going on in the world, those born of the water and the Spirit can see the working of the Kingdom of God, as heaven is coming to earth in the lives of many and in many ways. With the eyes of faith they can see the glory of the Lord covering the earth as the waters cover the sea, They can rejoice today for the time when:
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD,
And all the families of the nations will worship before You.
For the kingdom is the LORD’S
And He rules over the nations.
(Psalm 22:27-28 NASB)
Yet seeing it is not enough. There is a walking in the light of what we can see. This is the exiting part. We get to participate in His plan! Everyone of us, not just the leaders, have an important function in this New Creation Man, the Body of Christ! Make no mistake. This Gospel of the Kingdom will not appeal to your greed, your desire for power, pleasure and comfort. There is a counterfeit Kingdom teaching that promises these things. But God’s Word will inspire you to greater dedication, courage and even heroism! The real rewards of His Kingdom are His love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self control. When we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness we are pursuing Him, His nature and His values. These are the things that prove who we really are in Christ! These are the things that bring new life to this world! Our service to others through His gifts within us become demonstrations of His Kingdom coming and His will being revealed on earth as it is in heaven!
How long will it take for all this to come to pass? Who knows! Does it really matter? Ours is to enjoy the journey, and to proceed towards the conclusion through faith in Christ. For when Christ, Who is our life shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory! (Colossians 3:4) Amen!
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