The Kingdom Or The Reign
Posted on Thursday, March 16 @ 07:29:03 PST by Truthsearcher |
|
The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are synonyms, along with Reign of God, and Reign of Heaven. I think it may be easier for some to see the kingdom that was coming if we say it was the reign of God that was coming. I think some sees the kingdom more as a place then as a reign of power.
The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are synonyms, along with Reign of God, and Reign of Heaven. I think it may be easier for some to see the kingdom that was coming if we say it was the reign of God that was coming. I think some sees the kingdom more as a place then as a reign of power.
Numbers 1 through 5 are quoted from the Young’s (YLT) because it translates reign instead of kingdom. All others are from the ESB translation.
No reasoning for the numbering, except maybe for a referring point for your commits.
1. When Jesus was teaching them to pray, he said, “When ye may pray, say ye: Our Father who art in the heavens; hallowed be Thy name: Thy reign come; Thy will come to pass, as in heaven also on earth;” (Luke 11:2)
They were to pray for the reign of God to come so His Will could also be done here on earth.
Isn’t this what happened?
“And didst make us to our God kings and priests, and we shall reign upon the earth.” (Rev 5:10)
2. “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the reign of their Father….” (Mat 13:43)
Read Mat 13 to see what must take place before the righteous would shine forth in the reign of God.
When these things are finished, -- THEN --- they would shine forth and not before.
3. And he said to them, “Verily I say to you, that there are certain of those standing here, who may not taste of death till they see the reign of God having come in power.” (Mar 9:1)
“Verily I say to you--This generation may not pass away till all may have come to pass;” Luk 21:32
This is why the reign of God had to come within their life time.
“So also ye, when ye may see these things happening, ye know that near is the reign of God;” Luk 21:31
“Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the reign of their Father….” (Mat 13:43)
“Men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it….” Mat 12:41
“Queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it.…” 12:42
“Verily I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.” Mat 23:36
Jesus said, “First it behoveth him to suffer many things, and to be rejected by this generation.” Luk 17:25
To be rejected by that generation was not just by those who put him to death; but by the whole generation of that time who did not believe in His Son. This required the hearing of the gospel by that generation of Jews in the known world at that time.
4. “And I heard a great voice saying in the heaven, “Now did come the salvation, and the power, and the reign, of our God, and the authority of His Christ, because cast down was the accuser of our brethren, who is accusing them before our God day and night;” (Rev 12:10)
“And the seventh messenger did sound, and there came great voices in the heaven, saying, `The kingdoms of the world did become those of our Lord and of His Christ, and he shall reign to the ages of the ages!” (Rev 11:15)
The voices said, “The kingdoms of the world”; is this not the answer to the Lord’s prays? “Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We must remember that under the first covenant only the Jews had the law of heaven/God in their holy land on earth and not the Gentiles world. But now under the law of heaven/Spirit/Christ, the whole earth has been made one under one Law of the Spirit.
“And didst make us to our God kings and priests, and we shall reign upon the earth.” (Rev 5:10)
Now time should be taken to think on these verses or you may not see all the connections. In Rev 11:15 it says, the reign of the entire world is now God and Christ, and of this, there would be no end. And this reign is now not only in heaven but also on earth. Not only is there a new heaven with a new covenant; but now the earth (Gentiles) is included, making a new earth with the same law.
5. But now let’s back up some. When we do a complete study on Christ’s reign we can see that he reigned before he came to be glorified with his saints in the new heaven and earth. Otherwise, how would he ever overcome God’s enemies?
Jesus said, “But if I, by the Spirit (finger) of God, do cast out the demons, then come already unto you did the reign of God.” (Mat 12:28)
But we also see in Rev 12:1-11 that his reign of the world did not come until the end of the war in heaven. And this was the war that Paul said they were involved in at that time.
Eph 6:12 “because we have not the wrestling with blood and flesh, but with the principalities, with the authorities, with the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, with the spiritual things of the evil in the heavenly places;”
This was the authority of the darkness they have been taken out of.
“Who did rescue us out of the authority of the darkness, and did translate us into the reign of the Son of His love,” (Col 1:13)
“For it behoveth him to reign till he may have put all the enemies under his feet--” (1Co 15:25)
God had given Christ all authority to bring the reign of heaven and earth back to God. This of course was by the Holy Spirit that was given to Christ and the apostles, also chosen by God. Through the Spirit, they reigned over the enemies in the heavens by teaching the truth of God.
But who were the enemies.
6. We see in Luke 4:5-7, where the Devil took Jesus up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and that he had been given all authority/reign over them. He said he would give Jesus all this authority and glory if he would just worship him. It is interesting that Satan said “all this authority had been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.” But Satan would loss his crown to Christ anyway. Satan’s reign over the heaven and earth was coming to an end.
But who was this Satan that Christ would overcome?
In Mat 21:43, speaking to the Jewish religion leaders Jesus said, “…the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits” (fruits of righteousness, not lawlessness, LP).
Although Jesus was speaking to Jewish leaders, you could also say he was speaking to Satan.
In Mat 23:14, Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites. He said they had shut the door to the kingdom not only for themselves but also for everyone else; no one was able to enter God’s kingdom/reign and Jesus even called them all the “Sons of Hell.” God’s Law had been totally polluted and replaced with the traditions of Israel’s leaders; Christ in John 8:44, called them the Sons of Satan, Satan being their father, and their desires were only to do Satan’s will. The truth of God was no where to be found on the earth or the heavenly places by anyone, the light had turned to total darkness. But Christ was the light that had come back into the world to remove this darkness.
And in Acts 7:52-53 we read, “Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels (Heb 1-2) and did not keep it."
It isn’t difficult to see that the ruler of the world, the evil in the heavens, and the power of the air, were the working of the Jews; the sons of disobedience. Gentiles were never called children of God, nor were they given to written Law.
Yes, Gentiles did Satan’s will also, but not in the heavenly places but in other kingdoms on earth.
Jesus himself called the Temple his “Father House”, and it was still His house but being ruled with evil.
Paul said in Eph 6:12 that they “do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over “their” present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Then we read Paul’s saying in Eph 2:1,2 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--”
This Powers of evil that Paul said were in the “heavenly places” in 6:12 is synonym with the “power of the air” in 2:2, which the Gentiles would more fully understand. At the time of the first century, evil ruled both the heavenly places (Jews and their place of worship) and the non-heavenly places (The Gentiles world).
7. Paul said in Rom 16:20 “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”….
And who is Satan here? It is those in verse 18 who did not serve the Lord Christ, but their own appetites.
Christ even called Peter Satan in Mat 16:23 when he said "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
Isn’t that the definition of the Greek word for Satan? “Adversary” (one who opposes another in purpose or act). Peter was not setting his mind on the things of God, but on things of man: The same in Rom 16:18.
The Lord said in Mar 9:40 “For the one who is not against us is for us.” Or: is not of Satan.
John wrote to the church in Pergamum:
“I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is…where Satan dwells. (Rev 2:13)
And to the church in Smyrna: “…the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. (Rev 2:9)
And also to the church in Philadelphia he wrote:
“I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie--behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet and they will learn that I have loved you.” (Rev 3:9)
This would show the world who the true sons of God were.
And when would this be done?
2Co 10:3-6 “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”
Did their obedience ever become complete? Or did they all die before their completion?
When Paul said in Romans that God will soon crush Satan under their feet, wouldn’t this be the same as making the synagogues of Satan, not only in Rome, but around the world to bow down before their feet?
Would this not be taking the power and kingdom/reign away from the Jews that were under Satan‘s power? Paul said in Act 26:18 that he was sent “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God….”
But how were Paul, and other, turning them for darkness to light?
Wasn’t it by the Gospel in the power of the Spirit?
8. Now any time we have two things and one is to end and the other is to begin. The one must be confirmed and the other must be removed. In this case, it was the going out of the Law of Moses and the coming in of the Law of Christ.
This is exactly what the preaching of the gospel with power by the Spirit accomplished.
Paul said in Phi 1:7 “…for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.”
Did they fail to confirm the gospel? They did if they all died before the completion.
Paul said in Rom 15:8 “For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,”
Was the gospel any part of their promises? These promises pertained not only to those under the Law of Moses, but also the one made to Abraham.
Mar 16:20 “And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.”
Are we today still trying to confirm the word but without any accompanying signs? We would be hard press to do so!
1Pe 5:10 “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
They were being restored from their lost state under the old world/covenant by being established in the new covenant/world. This confirming of the Gospel through the Spirit was strengthening them to stand firm in the faith of Christ even though they were under great persecution from those of the Law of Moses.
2Th 1:4-9 “Therefore we ourselves boast about you…for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom/reign of God, for which you are also suffering-- since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.”
9. Question: Who in 2Th was it that was being persecuted and afflicted?
Answer: The Christians of Thessalonians.
Question: Who would God be granting relief to?
Answer: To the first century Christians of Thessalonians.
Question: How will God accomplish this?
Answer: He would repay with affliction those who were afflicting the Thessalonians Christians.
Question: When will this affliction be done?
Answer: When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire.
Question: What would their affliction be?
Answer: Punishment of eternal destruction from the glory and presence of the Lord.
Question: But Jesus hasn’t come yet in flaming fire, the earth is still here. So how did the first century Thessalonians Christians get relief from those who were afflicting them?
Answer: Good question, either the Holy Spirit lied or Jesus came with his angels in flaming fire in their life time. Since it is impossible for the Spirit to lie, I would say that Jesus came while they were still alive; and also took vengeance on the afflicters while they were still alive.
Question: What is meant by in flaming fire?
Answer: In Ps 104:4 we learn that God’s ministers were flaming fire (Also Heb 1:7). Christ’s was the Word; and the Word came from heaven and they would be judge by it (John 12:48). Christ sent out his ministers to preach the Word. It was The Word that would either burn up or saved. It was the Word that was separating the evil hearts from the good hearts.
Christ baptized with the Spirit and with fire. The fire would test the hearts (1Cor 3:13-15).
10. Paul wrote in regard to this gospel in 2Co 4:3-4 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
Who are the ones with the veil keeping that was keeping them from seeing the gospel’s light?
Paul also wrote in 2Co 3:14-18 “For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains un-lifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.”
So, it was the Jews who were trying to hang on the old covenant; the Jews who were the sons of disobedience in the heavenly places. While at the same time the first century Christians, through the Spirit of Christ, were confirming that now there is a new glory to be seen.; an eternal glory.
Paul said in verse 11 “For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.”
What is being brought to an end is most important to notice.
Mat 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Let’s not forget that the gospel of the kingdom is the gospel of the coming reign of God. This is the reign that was taken from Satan who ruled through the hands of the Jews leader in the heavenly places.
I think a good question to ask is what are the heavenly places?
11. In Hebrews 8 the Holy Place, the most Holy Place, and all items used in worship were called copies of the heavenly things. In Ps 26:8, David said “O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.” We need to keep in mind where God’s glory dwells in when we read # 12.
The Tent and holy land was the place where God’s glory dwelled, and housed the copies of the holy/heavenly things under the first covenant. Under this covenant, the Priests went into the heavenly place of the first section to perform their daily duties. Only the High Priest could go into the Holy of Holy, the second section, to be in the presence of God’s glory. And yet, all their services with the heavenly things were performing in the heavenly places on earth.
Heb 9:1 “Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness.”
12. The Cloud, Heavens, and the Air
Having been instructed from their law, the Jews understood the terminology of heaven, heavens, heavenly things, and heavenly places, clouds and air, but what about the Gentiles? Many Gentiles would have problems understanding this terminology. Their understanding of the gods’ dwelling was “in the air”; the sky surrounding the earth.
The prince of evil who was ruling the heavenly places (Eph 6:12) of the Jews was the same prince of evil having the power of the air (Eph 2:1, 2. (I believe most Jews would have understood either usage)
The entire world had sin; and Satan had said it was all given over to his power. The true God of Heaven and earth was not known nor could He be found without the truth. There was no way for God to be glorified with the kingdom/throne/reign in the hands of Satan.
The bible speaks of the glory of God as being in the cloud. And I’m not referring to rain clouds.
Read the following four verses.
Ex 40:33-35 “…So Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Num 16:42 “And when the congregation had assembled against Moses and against Aaron, they turned toward the tent of meeting. And behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.”
2Ch 5:13 “…for to the age is His kindness, that the house is filled with a cloud--the house of Jehovah,”
Eze 10:4 “And the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.”
Would you say that there was a connection between “Glory” and “Cloud” here, remember what David said above, where God‘s glory dwell?
I think from the following two verses we can see that the glory of God coming out of the cloud is the same as coming out of heaven.
Matthews recorded the following;
Mat 17:5 …a voice out of the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."
But when Peter retold this same story he said the voice came out of heaven.
2Pe 1:17-18 …"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," we ourselves heard this very voice borne out of heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
Cloud and heaven were used as synonyms. I doubt if there was any problems with the Jews understanding Matthew and Paul uses of different words to relate the same story. The Gentiles may have some problems understanding this terminology. But I don’t think they would have if it was changed to “the voice came out of the Air”.
God told Moses in Lev 16:2, “…For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.”
God’s presence appears in the cloud, be it for glory of blessing or destruction, it was the way He showed Himself to Israel’s physical eyes.
13. Should there really be a big mystery with Paul’s statement in 1Th 4:17.
“Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (heavens, LP), and so we will always be with the Lord.”
At one time God’s people were thrown down from the cloud.
Lam 2:1 “How the Lord in his anger has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud! He has cast down from heaven to earth the splendor of Israel; he has not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger.”
And in Mat 11:23 Jesus said, “And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades.”
What did Mary say in Luke 1:52 about the Christ she was carrying; as though it has already happened?
“He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;”
The prince of the power of the air in Eph 2:2 would lose this power to the power/reign of the Christians. Christ and the Christians would then have the power/reign of the air.
The Christians were exalted into the cloud of God’s glory and met the Lord in the eternal reign.
14. Look at 1Th 4:17 again with what Paul said in 1Cor 15:51.
“Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” 1Th 4:17
1Co 15:51 “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed (Gk #236)”
There is something else that the Hebrew writer said was going to be change.
Heb 1:12 “like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed (Gk #236).”
And what was it he was going to roll up and changed?
Heb 1:10-11 and, "You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment,”
From the following two verses, what would you say it meant for them to be transformed (Greek #3339)?
Rom 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
2Co 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
Would you say they were being transformed from one image of glory to another by the renewal of their mind?
About the “unveiled face” go back and read number10 again.
About the “Beholding the glory of the Lord“, go back and read number 12 again.
On the statement “from one degree of glory to another” notice the following:
2Co 3:9-10 “For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it.”
Change #236 Thayer: 1) to change, to exchange one thing for another, to transform
Act 6:14 …will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses….
Rom 1:23 …and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images….
1Co 15:51-52…shall all be changed, in a moment…the dead…raised imperishable…we shall be changed.
Gal 4:20 …with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
Heb 1:12 like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed….
The old heaven and earth was being changed from one glory to another. This was not an outward metamorphose changing of their physical form.
Transform #3339 Thayer: 1) to change into another form, to transform, to transfigure
Mat 17:2 and he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun…
Mar 9:2 …up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,
Rom 12:2 …to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
2Co 3:18 …are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.
Jesus’ physical appearance was transfigured, but Paul is referring to the mind, the spirit, not their physical forms. The spirit, the unseen, was being changed (metamorphose) to the image of Christ’s Spirit.
God’s people took off the garment of sin and put on the garment of righteousness. The garment itself was not changed (metamorphose): but replaced with a new one. To change the mind (metamorphose) was to change the mind itself, not to replace it with another.
Paul statement in 1Th 4:17, “will be caught up together” simply mean that God would lift them from there low state (earthly) into their reign, their higher state (heaven). As He said to Capernaum:
Mat 11:23 “And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades.
And in Luke 1:52 “he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;”
And in Col 3:3-4, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
15. What did John say in Rev 21:1-3?
He said he saw a new heaven and earth because the first heaven and earth had passed away.
If this is the physical heaven and earth what did the Hebrews writer mean by the following?
Heb 12:26-28 “…Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."
This phrase, "Yet once more, (For the last time, LP)" indicates the removal of things that are shaken--that is, things that have been made--in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken….”
God was removing the things that was being shaken, and that was the first heaven and earth; not physical but in His relationship with them.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”
But where will God and His people be dwelling, in heaven or on earth: or both?
If we give a little though to the following verses, I think we could see that they dwelled in both places.
Rev 5:9-10 “…by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom/reign and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."
Spiritually they were with God, bodily they were on the earth using their bodies to do God’s righteousness.
Isn’t this what Jesus played for in Mat 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (The whole earth can now serve God through the law of the Spirit of heaven)
Under the first heaven and earth there was only the Law of Moses in the heavens and the earth without.
Rev 21:24-25 “By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,
And its gates will never be shut by day--and there will be no night there.”
“Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the reign of their Father….” (Mat 13:43)
(By its light will the nations walk)
Larry J Puckett, Sr.
|
| |
|
E-mail to Friend - 
Print - 
View PDF - 
Subscribe - 
Comments RSS
