The Kingdom of God and Heaven

So yesterday morning the Lord reminded me of the importance of the Kingdom of God, that the coming of the Kingdom to earth was the primary Good News that Jesus proclaimed. In fact one could say that other than speaking of the Father and revealing Him, that the Kingdom was Jesus' primary message. The authors of the Gospels use two different terms for the Kingdom, Matthew calls it the Kingdom of Heaven, and Mark, Luke and John and the rest of the epistles refer to the Kingdom as the Kingdom of God. The reality is that the coming of the Kingdom that Jesus announced is accurately described by both terms. It is both the Kingdom reign that God established in Heaven that was being established on earth.

Jesus began His ministry proclaiming the message of the Kingdom. In Matthew, Mark and Luke His first message was that the Kingdom of God had come near.

Matthew 4:17 NIV: "From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Mark 1:14-15 NIV: "After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. [15] “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Luke 4:14-15, 43 NIV: "Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. [15] He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. ...[43] But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”

In the Book of Acts it is recorded what Jesus taught about during his last days on earth, after His resurrection. Acts 1:1-3 NIV: "In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach [2] until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. [3] After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God."

So we have Jesus beginning and ending His earthly ministry on earth speaking about the Kingdom of God, thus one can conclude this message and the reality of what He is saying is of utmost importance. This message and the demonstration of this reality were the key components of the Good News as preached by the Apostles. We see two good examples in Acts.

Acts 8:12-13 NIV
[12] "But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. [13] Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw."

And at the very end of Acts it speaks about Paul's topic of teaching - Acts 28:30-31 NIV: "For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. [31] He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ---with all boldness and without hindrance!"

Paul spoke regularly about the Kingdom, and demonstrated the reality of it through signs and wonders and miracles. He understood and taught that the proclamation must be accompanied by power - 1 Corinthians 4:19-20 NIV: "But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. [20] For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power."

The Greek word used by Paul in this verses is Dunamis with the following definition:

Definition
1. strength power, ability
a. inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth
b. power for performing miracles
c. moral power and excellence of soul
d. the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth
e. power and resources arising from numbers
f. power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts

This is clearly not the power of persuasive words, but rather power that can affect change. This power was coupled with the proclamation, because God is powerful, and His reign and sovereignty is achieved through His power. If we proclaim His Kingdom is present, but are unable to demonstrate that reality, how do we know it exists, or is indeed present? When the Germans invaded countries in WW2, they used impressive demonstrations of power to prove that they were the new power, the new authority.

In the same way, Jesus came proclaiming the establishment of the Kingdom of God and Heaven here on earth, and proved it by the demonstrations of power and authority. He banished those things that were not allowed in God's Kingdom, namely sickness, disease and demons. Jesus was demonstrating that the Kingdom of God on earth had the same characteristics as the Kingdom of God in Heaven, and the authority of God was sovereign over all. He taught us to pray specifically that God's Kingdom would come and His will would be done on earth, just as it was in Heaven. (Matt 6:10)

While He operated in a geographical region and generally within a specific people group, the Kingdom was not established over either, but rather was established inside of the people. Jesus spoke of this reality in Luke 17:20-21 NIV: "Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, [21] nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst (literally within you).”

So in summary, the Kingdom of God is established on earth in us. It is demonstrated through the power and authority that is shared from the Father. Since His Kingdom on earth is like His Kingdom in Heaven, the demonstration of this is best accomplished through the demonstrations of the power and authority of God as they exist in Heaven, now come to earth. If we are to be bearers of this Kingdom, and share in the ministry of the proclamation of this good news, we must also be able to demonstrate the reality of the Kingdom. I, for one, will not settle for anything less than the fullness of the Good News as proclaimed and demonstrated by Jesus, and passed down to the apostles and the early church. Come Lord Jesus and help us!