Kingdom of God: What the Bible Says About the Realized Kingdom Now
$3.95 – $9.95
The kingdom of God was first mentioned more than 700 years before the birth of Christ. the king of the kingdom. the prophet Isaiah was able to look into the future and prophesy, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains . . .” (Isa. 2:2). A younger contemporary of Isaiah, Micah, prophesied about the same event: “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established . . .” (Micah 4:1). The phrases, “in the last days” and “the mountain of the house of the Lord” have always sparked ta quest to understand the establishment of the “house of the Lord.” Exactly when it would be established has also been mystifying.
Several years after Isaiah and Micah, Daniel, revealing the dream of the king of Babylon, again spoke of “a great mountain [that would fill] the whole earth” (Dan. 2:35) In the interpretation of the dream, the mountain is revealed to be the coming kingdom of God. This kingdom would “shall never be destroyed” and “stand for ever” (Dan. 2:34-35) The interpretation, also, revealed when it would be established. God would destroy the kingdoms of men and establish his own kingdom by sending his Son into their world.
Kingdom of God is revealed to be the consummation of the ages.
Daniel revealed that the head of fine gold represented the king of Babylon. He proceeded to reveal how the kingdoms of men would degenerate from brilliance to drabness, from strength to weakness. The golden age of man declined through silver, brass, iron, and finally to a mixture of iron and clay. It eventually would be broken and scattered by the wind. And in the aftermath, “shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed . . . and it shall stand for ever.” Daniel’s interpretation of the coming kingdom of God set the standard for Israel’s prophets in the following centuries. They also prophesied of the coming Messiah (the anointed One) to establish his reign of peace, joy, and righteousness in the kingdom of God. For Daniel and all the succeeding prophets, the establishment of God’s kingdom would be the consummation of the ages.
The expectation of the long awaited Messiah who would come to destroy evil and establish a kingdom of righteousness began in the days of Abraham. God promised a great nation would come to Abraham and his descendants. The nation would be blessed by God. He promised to bless the descendants of Abraham. He also promised to bless the people that would honor and revere the nation that God would establish (Gen. 12:3). He also promised to curse the people who would curse this nation (Gen. 12:3). This promise of God to Abraham forever produced in his descendants the expectations of a coming kingdom of God that would be blessed and protected by God himself.
The descendants of Abraham have never been confused by the fact that God had promised a coming kingdom of peace, prosperity, and justice. The wrongs of evil would be punished and the righteousness of the good would be rewarded. This expectation and hope has grounded the people of God for centuries.
Kingdom of God from its earliest references.
The confusion occurs as to when this promised kingdom would be experienced in all of its glory (Luke 17:20). Since the topic of the kingdom of God is once again so prevalent in the preaching of many today, perhaps a fresh look back to the earliest writings of Christianity would be beneficial. In that record, it can be seen that the main topic of the preaching of Jesus was the kingdom of God. The earliest written history of the church begins (Acts 1:3) and ends (Acts 28:31 )with statements concerning the kingdom of God . It can be justifiably set forth from those records that the kingdom of God experienced by the disciples of Jesus was the basis for the radical change in their lives.
During the preaching of Jesus, he spoke so much on the kingdom of God that finally the Pharisees demanded, “. . . when the kingdom of God should come” (Luke 17:20). The response of Jesus to their demand is perhaps the most precise teaching on experiencing the kingdom of God contained in the Scriptures. This teaching of Jesus on the kingdom of God is the essence of this booklet (10 pages).
