Developing a Kingdom mindset

SCRIPTURE 

WHEN

Both John the Baptist and Jesus preached that since the Kingdom of God was at hand, people needed to repent. (Matthew 3:2, Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:14-15)

When the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub, He started talking to them about the Kingdom, that if it were divided it would not stand ((Matthew 12:25, Mark 3:22-29, Luke 11:17-19) and that if He “cast out demons by the Spirit of God” (which of course, He did), then “the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Matthew 12:28, Luke 11:20) That’s past tense.

He told the Old Testament Scholar who asked about the first commandment and answered Jesus wisely that he was not far from the Kingdom. (Mark 12:34)

When He sent the 70 out to preach He told them to say, “The Kingdom of God has come near to you. (Luke 10:9-12)  

He told some of His followers that they would literally see Him coming in His Kingdom (Matthew 16:28) – which seems to imply that it came before the day of Pentecost, and that some would see the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:27) and that some would see the Kingdom of God come (or present) with power. (Mark 9:1), which gives the impression that the Kingdom is something physical.  

He also said that He’d not celebrate the Passover or drink the “fruit of the vine” until the Kingdom of God comes. (Matthew 26:29, Mark 14:25, Luke 22:16-18) That’s something He hasn’t done yet.

When the thief on the cross asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His Kingdom, Jesus promised him that he’d be with Him in Paradise that day. (Luke 23:42-43) Is Paradise the same thing as the Kingdom of God?

It was because Joseph of Arimathea was waiting for the Kingdom of God that he was able to take courage and ask Pilate for the body of Jesus. (Mark 15:43, Luke 23:51)

Paul told the Colossians that Jesus has – past tense – “delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love.” (Colossians 1:13)

Yet, in John’s revelation of heaven, he heard a loud voice saying that when the accuser of our brethren who accused us before God day and night, has been cast down, then salvation, strength and the Kingdom of God and the power of His Christ will have come. (Revelation 12:10) Some would argue that this already happened when Jesus rose from the dead. But are we not still being accused by Satan? Someone else would say that the operative words here are “who accused them before our God day and night.” That until the resurrection, Satan was able to enter the courtroom of heaven at will and bring accusation against us as we see he did in the book of Job. But when Jesus descended into hell and ascended into heaven, He threw Satan out of the courtroom and he no longer has free access there.

Kingdom of Heaven Timeline

(Dates are approximate)

B.C. 4004

Adam and Eve are created in a perfect kingdom. But because of disobedience, they are thrown out. Genesis 3:23-24

B.C. 1921

Abraham leaves his original country and kin in search of the Promised Land. He is the father of all who will have God alone as their King. He is the seed of all who seek righteousness through faith rather than the law. Genesis, Chapter 12; Romans 4:12-14

B.C. 1490

Moses rejects the throne of Egypt and is called to have charge over the Church of the living God. “He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. . . By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” Hebrews 11:24-27

B.C. 1450

Balaam the prophet, after 40 years in the wilderness, tells God’s people, “Lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.” Numbers 23:9

B.C. 1249-1209

Gideon is asked to rule over the people: “The men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.” But Gideon refused the offer and said unto them: “I will not rule over you; neither shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you.” Judges 8:22-23

B.C. 1117-1095

Samuel, a judge of Israel, is asked by the elders to appoint a king “to judge us like all the nations.” Asking for a king displeased Samuel, and the Lord said to Samuel, “They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” Saul is anointed king. 1 Samuel 8:6-8 and 1 Samuel 9

B.C. 1095-587

After Saul, David, and Solomon reigned, Israel is divided into two kingdoms. The Ten Tribes that formed the kingdom of Israel take a course of apostasy, contention and regicide. From the terrors of anarchy they cry out, “We have no king.” Hosea 10:3 Then the Lord offers Himself to them again saying, “They have fled from Me.” “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. I will be thy king.” Hosea 7:13; 13:9-10 But they would not return and are carried captive to Assyria. The kingdom of Judah is also obliged to say, “We have no king” and had to go captive to Babylon, with her city and temple destroyed.

B.C. 745-695

Isaiah prophesies the Kingdom saying “For unto us a child is born… and the government shall be upon his shoulder… Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end… The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 9:6-7

B.C. 606-561

King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream which Daniel interprets. The golden glory of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom would continue a little while. Then another will arise that will be inferior, followed by more divisions and kingdoms. At last the God of Heaven will “set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Daniel 2:31-44

Later, Daniel is thrown in the lions’ den for violating a royal statute forbidding the petitioning of any god or man except King Darius. But God delivers Daniel out of the lions’ mouth. Daniel is found innocent before God and man. “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Daniel 6:22

(This establishes the precedent that those who disregard any manmade law that interferes with their service to God will be found innocent before God. See also Acts 5:29: “We ought to obey God rather than men.”)

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A.D. 25-30

John the Baptist prepares the way of the Lord saying, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 3:2

Jesus begins to preach saying, “The time is come, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15). And He fulfills the scriptures in Isaiah and Daniel saying: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives. . . This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Luke 4:18-21

 Kingdom of Heaven is formally delivered to those that Jesus selected at the Constitutional Convention (Last Supper) (Luke 22:29).

A.D. 29-30

Jesus says to Pilate, “My Kingdom is not of this world… Thou saith that I am a King… for this cause came I into the world.” But when Pilate says to the Jews, “Behold your King!” the Jews cry out, “We have no king but Caesar.” John 18:36-37; 19:14‑15

A.D. 30 to the present

The Apostles, after Christ’s death and resurrection, eat and drink with Jesus in the Kingdom of Heaven, fulfilling Luke 22:15-18. They go on to preach the Kingdom, teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 10:41; 28:31

Citizens of Heaven

Our government is not of this world, for we are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, the Government of God, which was handed to the Apostles by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper (Luke 22:29), and we expect to be held accountable to the laws from which we come.

Our code of conduct is the Sermon on the Mount, and we fulfill the great Commission by traveling from place to place using old and modern conveyances, sharing the good news. (Matthew 5-7). The ancient scriptures predicted the Kingdom of Heaven. The new testament proclaims that it has arrived! Jesus didn't bring us a RELIGION. He brought us a NATIONALITY.

As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13

We are Christ's ambassadors and Citizens of Heaven, called out of the world to preach Heaven's message (2 Corinthians 5:20, Philippians 3:20 and 2 Corinthians 6:17). We are a holy nation, a peculiar people, living in obedience to the simple teachings of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Holy Bible (1 Peter 2:9).

The kingdom of heaven

Thursday (July 28):  "The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous"Scripture:  Matthew 13:47-53
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. 51 "Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes." 52 And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his  treasure what is new and what is old." 53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there.
Meditation: What can a story of a dragnet and a great catch of fish tell us about God's kingdom? The two most common ways of fishing in Jesus' time was with a casting-net (or hand-net) which was thrown from the shore and the drag-net or trawl which was let down or cast into the waters from a boat. As the boat moved through the waters the drag-net was drawn into the shape of a great cone which indiscriminately took in all kinds of fish and flotsam and jetsam swept in its path. It usually took several men to haul such a net to shore. What is Jesus' point here? Just as a drag-net catches every kind of fish in the sea, so the church acts as God's instrument for gathering in all who will come. Just as the drag-net does not or cannot discriminate, so the church does not discriminate between the good and the bad, the useless and the useful. God's kingdom is open to all who will accept and believe. But there will come a time of separation, at the close of the age, when the angels will send the good and the bad to their respective destinations. Our duty is to gather in all who will come. God, in the end, will give the good and the bad the reward they deserve. God offers the treasure of his kingdom to all who believe. Do you hunger for God and his kingdom?
"Lord Jesus, increase my hunger for your kingdom and fill my heart with eager longing for you that I may one day gaze upon your face in everlasting bliss."