The Daily Word of Righteousness

Four Aspects of the Kingdom of God

And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. (Mark 1:15)

Four aspects of the Kingdom of God need to be considered: the Feast of Tabernacles and its relationship to the Kingdom of God; the oneness of the Scriptures, of the Israel of God, and of the Kingdom of God; the nature of the new covenant; and the role of Israel among the nations of the saved. It is difficult to comprehend the Kingdom of God until these four areas are understood.

The booths of the Feast of Tabernacles speak of the dwelling of God in Christ in us and therefore of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is the Presence and rule of God in us.

The Old and New Testaments constitute one Word of God to mankind, particularly to the Israel of God. The entire Scriptures speak of one God, one Spirit, one Christ; of loving mercy, of practicing righteousness, of walking humbly with God.

The new covenant includes the grace of forgiveness but has much more to do with righteous and holy conduct. The grace of God in Christ is not a ticket to Paradise. It is the power to change our deeds as our mind and heart are changed.

God's Israel, the Olive Tree, the Seed of Abraham, is to serve as a royal priesthood over the nations of the saved peoples of the earth. The nations of the saved will walk forever in the light of the new Jerusalem.

The Kingdom of God is that which is governed by the will of God as that will is revealed in Christ in the saints.

God is important because all things of the Kingdom come from Him and not from man.

Christ is important because God has chosen to make Jesus the Lord and Center of all (Ephesians 1:10).

The saints are important because it is through them that the Presence and Glory of God in Christ are revealed.

The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are one and the same. This is seen in the fact that the same parables referred to by Matthew as parables of the Kingdom of Heaven are spoken of by Mark and Luke as parables of the Kingdom of God. There is only one kingdom.

In the work of the Kingdom we are dealing with an inner spiritual reality and an outer spiritual and physical reality. The inner spiritual reality includes what we are as a spiritual personality, resulting from the entering of the Holy Spirit into us, the forming of Christ in us, and the coming of the Father and the Son to abide inus forever.

The outer spiritual reality is the realm of spirits, including God and His angels, Satan and his angels, and a host of other beings. The outer physical reality is the physical universe. The outer spiritual and physical realities will be governed by that which is being formed in us and is coming to dwell in us.

The will of God is the only legitimate will in the universe. All other wills must yield to the will of the Father. "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven."

Whoever will not yield to the will of God in Christ shall be tormented forever. In the days to come the saints will destroy all opposition to the Father's will.

To be continued.