The phase the "kingdom of God (also called the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of the Lord, or just the kingdom) is woven throughout all of Scripture.
We repeat the phrase (Your kingdom come) in the Lords prayer. So, why is this phrase found throughout the Scriptures---and how is my understanding of it even relevant to my life.
As I started digging into the Scriptures and asking a few learned men their understanding of the meaning of Kingdom in the Scriptures, I was infused with a new enthusiasm for God's working in the world today. It gave me a fresh vision on how I'm apart of God's working in our world, how I'm a partner with the King.
The Bible uses many metaphors to describe God, but the primary imagery which the Biblical writers used to describe God was that of a King (e.g. 1 Samuel. 8:7).
In addition to God being described as king, the Biblical writers write with deep conviction that God reigns over all creation as his kingdom (Pss. 47:1-9; Dan. 4:25-26; 5:21). Let me summarize these two thoughts:
God is the sovereign King who rules in heaven over all things.
(Matt.5:34; Eph. 1:20; Col.1:16)
On earth it is somewhat different, not all of God's creation subject themselves to the rule of the King. On earth we have rebellion and anarchy---man living independent of their creator.
The reality that the Scripture presents is that one day this disparity between heaven and earth will be eliminated (1 Chr.16:31). Isaiah and Zechariah both present a time that God will judge those who refuse to submit to His kingship rule and God will bring all those who have submitted to His Kingship rule into a NEW CREATION (Isa. 65; Zech.14).
In my next post I'll talk about John the Baptist announcing "that the kingdom of God is here" (Matt. 3:2). John the Baptist told the people to "repent in order to get into God's Kingdom." We will discover what the Kingdom of God is, and how to gain entrance into that Kingdom.
Great pictures to the musing. Certainly the Kingdom of God should be something we look forward to at the coming of Christ, but we should also allow Him to reign in our lives today.
ReplyDeleteEric Dilworth