A Description of the Kingdom of God 6

A Description of the Kingdom of God, 6

And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (I Thessalonians 1:10)

The Apostles preached salvation in terms of the coming of the Lord, not in terms of what happens to us when we die physically.

Again:

And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, (II Thessalonians 1:7)

And so forth.

The first message of the Gospel of the Kingdom has to do with our being saved in the Day of Christ. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16). Being "saved" means to escape torment and destruction when the Lord returns.

In addition to this primary message, the New Testament writings speak of the attainment of victory in Jesus such that rewards are gained. The rewards are given to the nobility of the Kingdom, the royal priesthood, the conquerors—the "mighty men" who will govern the nations of saved peoples of the earth. The second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation have much to say concerning our attainment to power, glory, and opportunities for service.

Both primary salvation and attainment to power and glory (attainment to the first resurrection from among the dead), have to do with the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth, not with our dying and "going to Heaven." God is interested in bringing righteousness and justice into the earth. This is the burden and message of the Hebrew Prophets.

He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. (Isaiah 42:4)

When we emphasize the concept of going to Heaven to live forever, the entire Scriptures become incoherent. Since going to Heaven is the subject neither of the Old Testament nor the New Testament, we find ourselves constantly adding to the text a concept not present, making the entire passage say something other than what is stated in the words. Christianity then takes its place alongside the other religions of the world that teach matter is evil and spirit is good. We change the message of God, the intent of His redemption in Christ.

The truth is, the Christian redemption has to do with the removing of all sin and death from the earth. All that is glorious and wonderful in the spirit paradise will be brought into the earth and made one with the things of earth. The kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of God and His Christ.

Some basic understandings. The key parable of the Kingdom of God is the parable of the sower. The sower sows the Seed of the Kingdom, which is Christ—the living word of God. Until one understands the parable of the sower the other parables of the Kingdom are not clear.

The parable of the sower reveals that the Kingdom of God is Christ, the word of God, conceived and brought to fruitfulness in us. According to this parable, many in whom the Seed germinates never bring any fruit to maturity. Of those who do succeed in bringing forth fruit, some produce more than others.

To be continued. A Description of the Kingdom of God 7