The Coming Kingdom of God
Jesus began his ministry proclaiming something he called the Kingdom of God: “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 in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14-15).
This gospel, or “good news”, was constantly on his lips. And it’s no wonder! He said it was the very reason why he came: “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” (Luke 4:43)
It is important to note that Jesus did not invent this term, “kingdom of God”. He was simply confirming the words of the prophet Daniel. In chapter two of the book of Daniel, we find the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, having a dream which disturbed him, and for which he wanted an explanation as to its meaning. The dream itself was related to Daniel in a night vision by God, as well as its meaning. The dream itself was recounted by Daniel to the king in verses 31-35:
“You, O king, were watching and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary radiance, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its chest and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You continued watching until a stone was broken off without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed to pieces all at the same time, and they were like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the entire earth”.
Daniel then interpreted the dream. The statute represented four great kingdoms on the earth. The first was Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon followed by three more. The toes represented the latter days of the fourth kingdom, which would then be supernaturally destroyed and replaced by a kingdom of God:
“In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever”.
Daniel saw more visions about this kingdom in chapter 7, verses 13-14:
“I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man was coming, and he came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to him was given dominion, honor, and a kingdom, so that all the peoples, nations, and populations of all languages might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed”.
Furthermore, this divine King would not be reigning alone: “Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the empires will serve and obey Him”. (7:27)
The book of Revelation reveals that at the end of this current evil age, at what’s called the 7th trumpet, Jesus the Messiah will begin to reign: “Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and he will reign forever and ever”. (Rev. 11:15).
And to confirm Daniel, the apostle John sees a vision and hears a song being sung to the Lamb (Jesus) where the saints are said to be with him in that kingdom: “And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to break its seals; for you were slaughtered, and you purchased people for God with your blood from every tribe, language, people, and nation. You have made them into a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.’” (Rev. 5:9-10)
It was of primary importance to Jesus in his ministry to proclaim the good news of the coming Kingdom of God. He commands all people to repent and put their trust in this gospel. It is our hope, to inherit this planet as our eternal home; and to do so as God’s immortalized human children and agents of His physical creation. It is the reason why God created humankind…it is our God ordained destiny. The reign of Jesus and the saints in that first 1,000 years of the new age, is just the first phase of God’s plan for men and women to reach that destiny and purpose on this planet.
The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews reiterates the words of King David from Psalms chapter 8:
“What is man, that You remember him, or the son of man, that You are concerned about him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, and have appointed him over the works of Your hands; You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”
But then the author of Hebrews concludes with his own statement, “but we do not yet see all things subjected to him.”
That day is yet to arrive in the age that is yet to come after the Messiah’s return. It is the God-given purpose which truly resonates within the human heart and motivates us to follow Him. Believing God’s Gospel, which is the Gospel Jesus proclaimed, is to have the righteousness of faith that leads to true obedience from the heart.
