The Reality of the Kingdom of God

Two of our dear sisters attempted to open up a thread on the kingdom of God. I was looking for some good spiritual discussion on that thread. But I believe it got brutally hijacked.

On their behalf I would like to try to open up a thread again on what the kingdom of God is for the believer. But before continuing. I respectfully ask that the Sermonindexnex guide lines be observed in our posting. May I respectfully ask that this be a safe thread where people can post even of different viewloints. Even in our differences we can learn from one another.

So please let us honor these two sisters and have some civil discussion on what the kingdom of God is. For Jesus certainly preached on it.

Remember when Jesus was preaching about the kingdom. There were no eschatological viewpoints around at the time.

So I hope they can have some rich discussion without the debate. If you are coming on this trip without a gym but then I asked respectfully please stay off. Let us discuss those things that will build up our walk with Christ.

Looking forward just some rich discussion here.

Brother Blaine

I started listening to Mark today. In the opening verses I came across these verses,

... Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of God, and saying, " The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the gospel."...Mark 1:14-15

This might be a springboard for some discussion. Looks like some rich verses above. So what is Jesus preaching on here? What are your insights on these rich verses?.

Bro Blaine

Is there a connection between the gospel and the kingdom? Also what type gospel was Jesus preaching? How did his hearers understand the kingdom? What did he mean the time is fulfilled?

Okay I'm getting excited in my spirit here. I have a lot of questions. How about some Christ centered discussion to see if the holy spirit will give us some answers.

Brother Blaine getting excited. :-)

Is this topic about the literal, physical, tangible solid and material Kingdom of God to come or about the Kingdom of God that has it's foretaste in a genuine
believer's life.? Because the two being obviously related are absolutely not entirely that same thing.

Greg posted this and it is excellent:

"We believe Christ will return, but no one except the Father knows the date of His return.1239 On the day when Christ returns, He will come in glory and power on the clouds with the angels.1240 On that day, the angels will blow the trumpet, and those who were dead in Christ will rise first. After that, all born again Christians who are still alive will also be transformed.1241 Their bodies will all be glorified, and they will all be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.1242
! The saints will then reign together with Christ for a thousand years,1243 during which Satan will be cast into the Abyss. When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released temporarily and will go out to deceive the nations until he is finally thrown into the lake of burning sulfur.1244 After that, Christ will sit on the great white throne to judge men from each nation, tribe and people. Everyone will rise from the dead and be judged before the throne. If anyone’s name is not found written in the Book of life, he will
be thrown into the lake of fire. The former heaven
289
and earth will be consumed by fire. Death and Hades will also be thrown into the fire.1245
! Those whose names are found written in the Book of life will enter into the new heaven and the new earth, living there with God forever.1246 We believe that while waiting for the coming of the Lord, believers should serve the Lord with great diligence, preach the Word of life,1247 and bear abundant fruits in their words, actions, faith, love and holiness. We also believe that those who do this shall receive all kinds of rewards.1248
! As for whether the rapture happens before, during or after the great tribulation, we recognize that each denomination has its own conviction, and therefore there is no absolute conclusion in regard to this. The duty of each Christian is to be alert1249 and prepare himself for the coming of the Lord.1250"

Is this the topic to be discussed regarding the Kingdom?

Rev stated:

"Is this topic about the literal, physical, tangible solid and material Kingdom of God to come or about the Kingdom of God that has it's foretaste in a genuine
believer's life.? Because the two being obviously related are absolutely not entirely that same thing."

Yes it would be good to know what Kingdom is to be discussed.

Brother the kingdom of God is a vast topic. I think when Taszo opened her thread it was in response to Elibeth's comment on my other thread which is What is the Gospel Message. So that is what I am hoping this thread to address here.

In Mark 1:15 Jesus is declaring,

... The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel...

So something is already taking place in the ministry of Jesus. Something in the here and now. Something that may have direct impact on our walk with the Lord Jesus. This is what I'm hoping to see addressed in this thread.

Again my thoughts.

Luke 17:20-21,

... Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, " The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed;" nor will they say, "Look, here it is" or "There it us". "For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst."...

Could this be a cross reference to the verses in Mark 1:15-15? What is Jesus implying in the above verses? Maybe we need to ask what is the kingdom of God? At least what is the kingdom of God as Jesus is referring to in the gospels?

Brother Blaine

i have little interest in anonymous internet discussions on the High and Holy Kingdom of God/Heaven lensed thru the mind of man...in fact this very thread is insane, for the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.

here is your "discussion" on the Kingdom of Heaven, Matthew 18, and verses one thru Four:

" At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them

and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

careful, the witness on this forum has become terrible, do you not fear God?

Brother you bring a good word of admonition to us. Always as we open up His word to receive instruction from Him. May we have a teachable and humble heart. James exhorts us to receive the word in humility that will save our soul.

Your brother Blaine

Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Brother do you think Jesus was saying in John that his kingdom is a now spiritual reality as opposed to a now physical reality?

Bro Blaine

Brother as I read the testimony you posted I thought of the verse in Corinthians where Paul says that the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

Bro Blaine

"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world"

Dont you just love the words of Jesus, it just cuts right through the clutter and the noise of a million would be theologians. Jesus' truth is simple, man's opinions are ridiculously complicated in order to fit into their theories. Talk about pretzels! Jesus said that His Kingdom is not of this world. That is the end of it to me, every Scripture must conform to the words of the Word for He knows the Word better than anyone, He is the Word. So if anyone has a theory, and that's all it is folks, it must conform to what Jesus says here for we know by the Word that the word is not broken.

We as Christians are already walking in the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God has been established in our hearts and we are but mere ambassadors to a world that is passing away. Jesus never said that His Kingdom was not of this world until He comes back again and then it will be of this world for 1000 years, He simply said that His Kingdom which already was, is and is to come is not of this world. There is a new world coming and we shall dwell in it with resurrected bodies, these corruptible bodies shall be raised in in-corruption.

To me, there is a dueling contest between the spirit and the flesh, between the world that we walk in physically and the one that we belong to and the one that we belong to is not of this world. I pray to God frequently that I walk according to the Kingdom of God and not the reality of this world for they are entirely different...........bro Frank

Good word, Frank.

βασιλεία
basileia
bas-il-i'-ah
From G935; properly royalty, that is, (abstractly) rule, or (concretely) a realm (literally or figuratively): - kingdom, + reign.

The Kingdom is the domain of the King. When we talk about God's kingdom, we talk about God's government. Jesus is the Governor.

Matt 2:6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Scriptural response to God's government is OBEDIENCE. Not only outward but inward obedience. True submission to Jesus is to have a right heart attitude to God. "To want to". The only way to do this, "to want to obey God", is if the Holy Spirit is indwelling us.

The Kingdom of God is present and eternal. The Kingdom of God is here and now and we don't have to yearn for experiencing it in the future, as we should be experiencing it, here and now.

Matt 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

Matt 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Luke 10:9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come

Luke 10:11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding BE YE SURE OF THIS, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

Mar 9:1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

Many that were with Jesus as He walked the earth, were also alive when He rose from the dead with resurrection power.

Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God WITH POWER, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

And were present on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came in power.

The Kingdom of God is imperative - it is imperative that man choose the Kingdom or suffer the consquences. Repent or Perish!
Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

The Kingdom of God is visible though not material. Spiritual does not mean invisible. The Spiritual Kingdom is within man - hence a visible kingdom.
Luke 17:20-21 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

The Kingdom of God is moral (for lack of a better term) yet not nationalistic. And when I say moral, it is not like man's morals, because the "engine" of heaven's values is love from a pure heart which is representative of God. A pure heart is not selfish, and does not take advantage of it's fellow man. A pure heart lays down it's life for others and it's motives are pure.

The Kingdom of God has one enemy...the Kingdom of Jesus Christ versus the Kingdom of Satan, Light vs Darkness. It has nothing to do with earthly kingdoms vs earthly kingdoms.

The Kingdom of God is social as well as individualistic. I have a personal relationship with God and because of this, I am related to others. The Church of Jesus Christ, in all respects is really a counter-culture (or should be) to this world. A new race, a new people a new way of thinking and living. Jesus Himself formed the model in which we are to live on this earth.

The Kingdom of God is universal as well as local.
Luke 13:29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

One more point on the resurrected bodies. The catepillar and the butterfly is a great example of what is to come for us after we pass from this world to the next, or the seed that is buried in the ground, dies and rises into something extraordinary. Bottom line, we do not know what we will look like but its going to be spectacular. Isn't that good enough for our limited minds? It's above all of our pay-grades. The Scriptures are all but silent on the world to come and I believe deliberately so. We should simply join together in the wonder of it all. To argue about something that the Word has so little to say about cannot be a Godly thing. To wonder together, like little children, about the beauty of it all would be pleasing to God I think..............bro Frank

Our finite minds cannot handle what God has for us and He does not want us to be distracted with the mission that is at hand which is primarily to abide in Him and everything will flow out of His divine activity in our lives if we embrace the cross and allow His life to function in us.

1 Cor 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.