Kingdom of God “At Hand”?

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Someone will surely quote Mark 1:15, where Jesus had preached that “the kingdom of God is at hand.” There, recall that He had also gone on to add, “Repent you, and believe the gospel.” So some have concluded that when people repent and believe the gospel, thus becoming part of the church, they simultaneously enter the kingdom of God, which was, sort of, waiting for them—it was “at hand.”

As with Luke 17:21, people read into a verse what they want it to say. Christ did not say the kingdom of God had been set up or established—or that it was a church. These are all “traditions of men” that people observe in place of God’s plain Word (Mark 7:7). Luke 16:16 showed that from John the Baptist’s time, the kingdom of God had become something that was being “preached.” The kingdom had not arrived yet, but it was then being preached. Preaching the kingdom and having the opportunity to qualify to enter it certainly were then (and still are) “at hand.”

Saints Rule with Christ

Before returning to Luke, let’s examine more of what Daniel recorded about the kingdom of God.

Remember that Christ will come like lightning shining from the east to the west (Matt. 24:27) in a climactic event that no one could possibly miss. But will He come to rule the earth by Himself—or will there be others coming with Him? We could ask: When Christ establishes His world-ruling government, who else might be part of the structure that He establishes? If the governments of men require the efforts of many, who assist a supreme leader, is God’s government different? No!

Daniel 7:13 speaks of Christ coming in the “clouds of heaven.” Recall that, before His Return, God officially grants Him the authority to rule the world He is returning to. The next verse states, “And there was GIVEN Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:14).

Again, we ask whether Christ rules alone, or are others to rule with Him? Exactly how does God intend to manage all of the peoples and nations of the earth?

Several more verses in Daniel 7:1-28 must be repeated because they are so critical to understand. Remember that the kingdom of God is prophesied to replace the four previously discussed world-ruling kingdoms, described in chapter 2. Now notice Dan 7:17-18: “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever” (Dan. 7:17-18).

Believe this verse for what it says! The ultimate calling of Christians is to join with Christ in order to share rulership in the kingdom of God over all nations and all peoples. Truly, Christ is “King OF KINGS and Lord OF LORDS.” These other kings and lords can be you or anyone who is willing to accept God’s terms for entering His kingdom.

Dan 7:19-20 shed additional light on what happens when the saints return with Christ. Their first responsibility is to replace what is called the “fourth beast,” which rules with the assistance of a “little horn.” This little horn is the RELIGIOUS KINGDOM that is the same as the woman who rides the beast of Revelation 17:1-18. This religious government (cantered in Rome) has ruled over all of the previous resurrections, or revivals, of the Holy Roman Empire, since AD 554.

Now read Daniel 7:21-22: “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints [plainly the work of the Babylonish whore of Rev. 17:5-6], and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.”

Finally, Daniel’s long prophecy concludes with Dan 7:27 further confirming the marvellous potential lying ahead for all the true saints of God. Notice: “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him” (Dan. 7:27).

What could be plainer? No wonder Christ stated, “And he that overcomes, and keeps My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of My Father” (Rev. 2:26-27) and, a few verses later, added, “To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My throne …” (Rev. 3:21).

The phrase “in My throne” is used because Christ knew His throne is on this earth, unlike the Father’s, which is in heaven. Luke 1:32 showed that Christ will sit in Jerusalem on David’s Throne. (Also see Revelation 5:10, 20:4, Matthew 5:5, Psalm 25:12-13 and 37:11.) There can be no doubt that when Christ Returns, the saints will rule with Him—ON EARTH!

Let’s now examine an extensive and very important parable that Christ spoke so that people would understand the coming of the kingdom of God and the Christian’s responsibility to QUALIFY in order to be part of it.

The Parable of the Pounds

Referenced earlier, Luke 19:11-27 contains a parable written to illustrate what is at stake when the kingdom of God comes. In it, Christ compared Himself to a Nobleman who went to a “far country” (a type of joining the Father in heaven) for nearly 2,000 years, until His Return. The disciples believed that the kingdom of God would “appear immediately,” and Christ wanted to illustrate that much time would pass before it did.

In this parable, Christ completely dispels any idea that the kingdom would immediately appear in the form of His Church. And, of course, He has not yet returned to this earth.

The “Nobleman” of the parable “called” his “ten servants” (a type of Christians being called out of this world by God) and instructed them to increase the worth of a “pound” (money) that He gave to each one of them for investment. The pound actually represented a kind of symbolic unit of basic spiritual worth or value. Remember that it was a parable, so Christ was not referring to any kind of literal money. He told His servants to “Occupy till I come”—or to “grow” the pound into more money. While the Nobleman was gone, several of the servants said, “We will not have this man to reign over us.” It is important to understand the intent of this statement.

These “citizens” understood that the Nobleman (Christ) was coming to “reign” on Earth. They wanted no part of this and rejected His government (reign) over them—and thus their future part in it (Luke 19:27). In the parable, they understood that the kingdom of God would be gOVERNMENT ruling over the earth. Remember, the parable had begun with the Nobleman (Christ) going to heaven to “receive for Himself a kingdom and to return.”

Upon the Nobleman’s return, He called each of the servants into His presence to receive a report of how each man had increased the pound that he had been given. Some had gained five pounds, others ten, etc., but one servant had buried his pound in the ground and produced nothing with it. Christ wanted an accounting of how “each man had gained” while He had been away.

The first servant had gained ten pounds and Christ explained his reward by saying, “You good servant: because you have been faithful in a very little, have you authority over ten cities” (Luke 19:17).

The servant who had gained five pounds was put “over five cities.” Because the second servant produced half as much, his reward was half as great. So, these men were given “authority”—they were put into positions of rulership “over cities.” Their reward was to “reign” with Christ (Jude 14) in His world-ruling kingdom. How obvious!—but only obvious for those who take the time to read the Bible!

The servant who buried his pound in a napkin had wasted a marvellous opportunity to qualify for rulership in the kingdom of God. It states, “And He [the Nobleman, Jesus] said to him, Out of your own mouth will I judge you, you wicked servant” (Luke 19:22).

This servant had not grown. He had not produced anything with his life and thus had not qualified for rulership over cities in the kingdom of God. Christ gave the wicked servant’s reward to the one who had gained ten pounds—so that the latter had even more than his own reward. The cities that this man’s conduct had caused him to lose would have to be ruled by someone. Otherwise, they would become abandoned, with no ruler assigned authority over them.

Some brief history is needed to better understand the setting of this parable. Christ was a Jew who was preaching this parable in the land of Judah (Judea). Judah was merely one of twelve tribes in ancient Israel. Ten of those tribes had become lost in identity over 700 years earlier, because they had rebelled against Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. They had been taken into captivity by the ancient Assyrians and had later migrated into North-western Europe, becoming the democratic, primarily English-speaking peoples of the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and certain other Western European nations. Only some of the tribes of Benjamin and Levi remained with the Jews, whose capital was Jerusalem.

When the Parable of the Pounds speaks of the Nobleman’s citizens “hating Him,” and states that they said, “We will not have this Man to reign over us,” it is a reference to the Jews. History plainly records that they rejected the authority of Jesus Christ. This is what John 1:11means when it states that “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” The “ten servants” (those Christians called today) are then a reference, in type, to the lost TEN TRIBES of Israel. Christ offered them an opportunity to rule, because the Jews rejected His authority over them.

Sadly, some do not want the true Christ of the Bible to tell them what to do. They do not want Him to rule over their lives and conduct. But they do want salvation—with no strings attached!

No one will be given rulership before he has proven that he can be ruled! No one can be part of God’s world-ruling government unless he has learned to submit to the government of God and to be ruled by God and Jesus Christ in this life. This is the all-important lesson of the parable of the pounds!

When Christ called His servants into account, He was showing that all people will one day stand and give an account before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10). Like the reward of the twelve apostles, who will be put over the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:27-28), some will be given great AUTHORITY to rule over cities with Christ “in the throne of His glory.”

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