Websters Dictionary defines a Kingdom as ”The territory or country subject to a king or queen; the dominion of a monarch; the sphere in which one is king or has control.”
The boundaries of God’s Kingdom
The Kingdom of God is not restricted to heaven. He is Sovereign over all, and has ultimate authority over heaven and earth. Every realm is His rightful possession.
“But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth,” (Gen 14:22 NKJV)
““O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.” (Is 37:16 NKJV)
“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.” (Acts 17:24 NKJV)
“The LORD has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all.” (Psa 103:19 NKJV)
It is important also for us to understand that God’s Kingdom is not bound by the four walls of a church. The church is part of His Kingdom, but His Kingdom is far greater, encompassing angelic hosts without number and the furthest spans of both the natural and supernatural realms of creation.
God’s Kingdom is not of this world, and therefore is without limits. It is eternal, boundless:
“Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”” (John 18:36)
“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.” (Psa 145:13)
It is this Kingdom that we, as believers, are citizens and subjects of:
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,” (Eph 2:19 NKJV)
Entry to God’s Kingdom
We perceive and we enter the Kingdom through the new birth:
“Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
John 3:3-5 NKJV
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Authority in God’s Kingdom
As ambassadors of this Kingdom, we also carry delegated authority to demonstrate its superior nature:
“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ…” (2Cor 5:20 NKJV)
Ultimately, as we mentioned earlier, all other Kingdoms both in heaven and in the earth, will become subject to the realm of God’s dominion:
“[And He] has now entered into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with [all] angels and authorities and powers made subservient to Him.” (1Pet 3:22 AMP)
“For [Christ] must be King and reign until He has put all [His] enemies under His feet.The last enemy to be subdued and abolished is death. For He [the Father] has put all things in subjection under His [Christ’s] feet. But when it says, All things are put in subjection [under Him], it is evident that He [Himself] is excepted Who does the subjecting of all things to Him. However, when everything is subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also subject Himself to [the Father] Who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all [be everything to everyone, supreme, the indwelling and controlling factor of life].” (1Cor 15:25-28 AMP)
“And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” (Dan 2:44 NKJV)
The Gospel of the Kingdom
As we shall see when we consider the gospel narratives, the Kingdom and its coming was the primary message that Christ preached. His ministry began with this bold proclamation:
“Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15)
Jesus began His ministry proclaiming the Kingdom, and completed His ministry explaining this same Kingdom to His disciples:
“To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:” (Acts 1:3 KJV)
He then commissioned them to take this message to the world:
“Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” (John 20:21 KJV)
In obedience to this command, we witness the disciples throughout the book of Acts preaching and teaching the Kingdom of God:
Philip:
“But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” (Acts 8:12 KJV)
Paul:
“And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.” (Acts 28:23 KJV)
The demonstration of the Kingdom
We too are called to preach and to demonstrate the Kingdom of God, not as a theory or philosophy, but a present, dynamic, and powerful reality:
“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Rom 14:17 KJV)
“For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” (1Cor 4:20)
For this reason, Jesus did not say, “wait around and one day you will die and come to live in the Kingdom of God”. He urged His disciples to earnestly pray:
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
(Matt 6:10)
The world today needs a demonstration of this glorious Kingdom of which we are now partakers, and you are the messenger!
This Kingdom, under its Head, Jesus Christ, also has clear lines of authority and responsibility. We will consider some of these in detail when we look at the doctrine of Angels, and especially concerning the Believer in the Module 8 concerning the The Church.
