What is the Kingdom of God?
There
are
two aspects to the Kingdom of God, a spiritual aspect and a physical
aspect. However, both aspects are tightly interwoven together. The Kingdom of
God is first spiritual to those who would enter into it, in that it “is within us” as is written in
Luke 17: 20-21.
'Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God
would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful
observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the
kingdom of God is within you."
Luke 17: 20-21
The spiritual aspect is achieved through the working of the Holy Spirit within
us as our minds are renewed to live "holy" lives and culminates with the
return of Jesus Christ when we are transformed from the corruptible to the
incorruptible in preparation for entrance into the physical Kingdom of God on
Earth. The Kingdom of God is physical in that it is
a future supernatural kingdom that would completely end all man-ruled kingdoms
to establish holiness, justice and peace on the Earth. The King who rules and
reigns in the Kingdom of God is the one whom God has chosen as the foundation of
His salvation plan for sinful mankind in a lost world - the same one. This one
is Jesus Christ whose life, death and resurrection ushered in the Kingdom of
God.
When Would the Kingdom of God Come?
The spiritual aspect of the Kingdom of God occurs
within us when we are transformed and "walk" according to the
ways of the Holy Spirit. The physical Kingdom of God would be established on the
Earth after Armageddon. The establishing of the physical aspect of the
Kingdom of God on earth would bring history to its end; all governments on
earth would be destroyed and replaced by the Kingdom of God to rule the
earth in holiness and justice, according to God’s will. Many years ago, God
informed the then powerful king of Babylon of this future event, as it is
written in Daniel
"You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose
splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image's
head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of
bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You
watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its
feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the
bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff
from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of
them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and
filled the whole earth.
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But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then
another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And the
fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and
shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in
pieces and crush all the others. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of
potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength
of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay.
And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the
kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with
ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to
one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.
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. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without
hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver,
and the gold--the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass
after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure."
Why Should I Want to Enter
the Kingdom of God?
Entering or not entering the Kingdom of God is of supreme importance to
every single human being because it determines where one would spend eternity.
To enter the Kingdom of God means living in an earthly paradise
where there is no death, sickness, pain, sorrow, tears but eternal life and joy
in holiness. Not entering the Kingdom of God means to be eternally condemned to
eternal hell. The importance of entering the Kingdom of God is well summarized
in Revelation 21: 1-8:
"Then I saw a new
heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed
away, and the sea existed no longer. I also saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her
husband. Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look! God's dwelling is with
men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will
be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Death will exist no longer; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer,
because the previous things have passed away. Then the One seated on the throne
said, "Look! I am making everything new." He also said, "Write, because these
words are faithful and true." And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and
the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give to the thirsty from the spring
of living water as a gift. The victor will inherit these things, and I will be
his God, and he will be My son. But the cowards, unbelievers, vile, murderers,
sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars--their share will be in
the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."
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