The Kingdom of God in Christ

[ElieG12]

The teaching of the kingdom of God is central to Christian preaching. It refers to Jesus ascending to heaven and receiving a kingdom, later returning to earth and exercising his ruling power over humanity.

Jesus would receive his kingdom while his enemies were still alive.

Psal. 110:1 Jehovah declared to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
Until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.”
2 Jehovah will extend the scepter of your power out of Zion, saying:
“Go subduing in the midst of your enemies.”

1 Cor. 15:25 For he must rule as king until God has put all enemies under his feet.

Has Jesus already received his kingdom in heaven?

What has he been doing about humans ever since?

PS: My questions are for analysis and debate, but above all I would like to encourage others to study the Scriptures more and reason on them. I don't need sermons or redirects to them, as I don't do that myself even if I can... I already have my own teachers and, I'm just helping others to use rational thinking when studying the Bible.

 

[ElieG12]

Some biblical quotes that show Jesus receiving his royal power in heaven:

Dan. 2:44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. And this kingdom will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it alone will stand forever
... 7:13 I kept watching in the visions of the night, and look! with the clouds of the heavens, someone like a son of man was coming; and he gained access to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him up close before that One. 14 And to him there were given rulership, honor, and a kingdom, that the peoples, nations, and language groups should all serve him. His rulership is an everlasting rulership that will not pass away, and his kingdom will not be destroyed.

Is. 9:6 For a child has been born to us, A son has been given to us; And the rulership will rest on his shoulder. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 To the increase of his rulership And to peace, there will be no end, On the throne of David and on his kingdom In order to establish it firmly and to sustain it Through justice and righteousness, From now on and forever. The zeal of Jehovah of armies will do this.

Rev. 11:15 The seventh angel blew his trumpet. 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 rule as king forever and ever.”
... 12:5 And she gave birth to a son, a male, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away to God and to his throne.

Luke 1:32 This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father, 33 and he will rule as King over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end to his Kingdom.

 

[ElieG12]

In the Bible the Greek word for PRESENCE (παρουσίας) is used to refer to Jesus enthroned, having received his royal power, and watching over the earth carrying out his Father's purpose for his loyal ones on earth and the rest of the world.

For a period of time he remains acting indirectly on the earth, but at a certain moment he COMES (Gr. : ἒρχομαι ) in the sense of executing judgment on humanity. That is what his Kingdom is all about: an establishment in heavens, a series of events that follow his enthronement (we can read about them on Rev. 12ff), and a "coming" to earth to exercise his power as King over the planet.

Matt. 25:31 When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit down on his glorious throne.

Jesus' comparisons about the Kingdom of heaven are very interesting; one of them starts like this:

Luke 19:11 While they were listening to these things, he told another illustration, because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the Kingdom of God was going to appear instantly. 12 So he said: “A man of noble birth traveled to a distant land to secure kingly power for himself and to return.

... and it says later:

15 “When he eventually got back after having secured the kingly power, he summoned the slaves (...)

A very illuminating comparison about the Kingdom of Christ, his presence and his coming.

 

[ElieG12]

The kingdom of God was the main theme of the preaching of Jesus and his disciples.

Do you preach the kingdom of God to others?

Matt. 24:14 And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

How do we Christians preach the Kingdom of God? What do we tell people so they can have confidence in that kingdom? What will the kingdom of God do for humanity?

 

[M3n0r4h]

The teaching of the kingdom of God is central to Christian preaching. It refers to Jesus ascending to heaven and receiving a kingdom, later returning to earth and exercising his ruling power over humanity.

Jesus would receive his kingdom while his enemies were still alive.

Psal. 110:1 Jehovah declared to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
Until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.”
2 Jehovah will extend the scepter of your power out of Zion, saying:
“Go subduing in the midst of your enemies.”

1 Cor. 15:25 For he must rule as king until God has put all enemies under his feet.

Has Jesus already received his kingdom in heaven?

What has he been doing about humans ever since?

PS: My questions are for analysis and debate, but above all I would like to encourage others to study the Scriptures more and reason on them. I don't need sermons or redirects to them, as I don't do that myself even if I can... I already have my own teachers and, I'm just helping others to use rational thinking when studying the Bible.

people are not responding to you because where I THINK you're going with this is not a popular teaching/belief. but if I'm correct in what you are implying, then I'm in agreement with you.

the Kingdom of God is now, but I believe it is also upon the earth at this time - where it seemed to me you were saying it is only in heaven right now.

I believe Jesus is reigning upon the earth at this present moment from within all True Believers who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit (Christ/God). that means we are fighting for, and with, His Kingdom for Truth and preparing this world for His second physical coming which is portrayed in 1 Cor. 15:21-27.

take cautious note: that passage makes clear that THE END comes immediately after His return.

there will be no Millennium period upon the physical earth after that time as many end times passages make clear that the earth will be obliterated at His coming.

where do we agree, where do we differ?

 

[ElieG12]

The messianic hope of the Jews was/is that a king of the lineage of David would settle in the land of Israel, rule the world, and bring it to justice from that earthly location in Jerusalem. Although Jesus' kingdom message did not refer to a king who would be established in an earthly city, Jesus' disciples at first had that same hope.

Luke 24:21 But we were hoping that this man was the one who was going to deliver Israel. Yes, and besides all these things, this is the third day since these things occurred.

Acts 1:6 So when they had assembled, they asked him: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” 7 He said to them: “It does not belong to you to know the times or seasons that the Father has placed in his own jurisdiction.

But the kingdom of Jesus, in any case, will be a government that would meet the expectations of all humanity and bring blessings to the entire planet (Rev. 21:3,4). The criminal who was hanged next to Jesus was thinking about the kingdom of Jesus that would come on earth in the future. He asked Jesus:

Luke 23:36 Even the soldiers mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying: “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” 38 There was also an inscription over him: “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 Then one of the criminals hanging there began to speak abusively to him, saying: “You are the Christ, are you not? Save yourself and us too!” 40 In response the other rebuked him, saying: “Do you not fear God at all, now that you have received the same judgment? 41 And we rightly so, for we are getting back what we deserve for the things we did; but this man did nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said: “Jesus, remember me when you get into your Kingdom.”

For his part, Jesus replied that he would be in paradise with him...obviously at the time Jesus' kingdom was established on earth, as the context of the conversation and the general belief about messianic rule over earth was suggesting. Jesus was talking about the future resurrection of this man.

What do you think: Where will this man be resurrected: in heaven or on earth?

 

[M3n0r4h]

Jesus was talking about the future resurrection of this man.

What do you think: Where will this man be resurrected: in heaven or on earth?

not sure really.

it's a controversial topic indeed.

Paul speaks of 'absent from the body, present with God.'
2 Cor. 5:8

"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"
1 Cor. 15:55

and "to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better."
Phil. 1:23

Jesus says "TODAY you will be with Me in Paradise."
Luke 23:43

Jesus appears to be speaking of a resurrection upon this physical earth immediately prior to the Wrath of God destruction of the earth in John 5:28-29.

Isaiah says the righteous man who dies "is taken away from evil, he enters into peace."
Isaiah 57:1-2

Jesus says in Rev.14:13 "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord ... they may rest from their labors..."

rest sounds to me like awareness, not the nothingness of death that the Bible describes elsewhere.

I guess it's a Biblical uncertainty until we finally know for sure.

 

[ElieG12]

The messianic hope of the Jews was/is that a king of the lineage of David would settle in the land of Israel, rule the world, and bring it to justice from that earthly location in Jerusalem. Although Jesus' kingdom message did not refer to a king who would be established in an earthly city, Jesus' disciples at first had that same hope.

Luke 24:21 But we were hoping that this man was the one who was going to deliver Israel. Yes, and besides all these things, this is the third day since these things occurred.

Acts 1:6 So when they had assembled, they asked him: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” 7 He said to them: “It does not belong to you to know the times or seasons that the Father has placed in his own jurisdiction.

But the kingdom of Jesus, in any case, will be a government that would meet the expectations of all humanity and bring blessings to the entire planet (Rev. 21:3,4). The criminal who was hanged next to Jesus was thinking about the kingdom of Jesus that would come on earth in the future. He asked Jesus:

Luke 23:36 Even the soldiers mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying: “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” 38 There was also an inscription over him: “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 Then one of the criminals hanging there began to speak abusively to him, saying: “You are the Christ, are you not? Save yourself and us too!” 40 In response the other rebuked him, saying: “Do you not fear God at all, now that you have received the same judgment? 41 And we rightly so, for we are getting back what we deserve for the things we did; but this man did nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said: “Jesus, remember me when you get into your Kingdom.”

For his part, Jesus replied that he would be in paradise with him...obviously at the time Jesus' kingdom was established on earth, as the context of the conversation and the general belief about messianic rule over earth was suggesting. Jesus was talking about the future resurrection of this man.

What do you think: Where will this man be resurrected: in heaven or on earth?

To be resurrected in heaven, that man would have had to be born again.

John 3:3 In response Jesus said to him: “Most truly I say to you, unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
(...) 5 Jesus answered: “Most truly I say to you, unless anyone is born from water and spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

But that man had neither accepted Jesus, baptized in water nor been anointed with the holy spirit like the apostles at Pentecost after Jesus had been resurrected. It was at that moment that the first chosen to go to heaven received a guarantee of their hope to go with Jesus, with the anointing of the holy spirit (Acts 2). But the criminal was already dead and did not receive that anointing.

Again: In what paradise will that man be resurrected?

 

[Davy]

The teaching of the kingdom of God is central to Christian preaching. It refers to Jesus ascending to heaven and receiving a kingdom, later returning to earth and exercising his ruling power over humanity.

That part above I underlined is not written in God's Word. It is even suggesting the adding of man's false doctrine of a pre-trib rapture theory.

The pre-trib rapture school wrongly teaches that Jesus comes prior... to the "great tribulation" to gather His Church to Heaven with Him, and then comes back at the 2nd coming with His Church to reign over the nations. THAT IDEA IS NOT WRITTEN IN God's Word.


This is what is... written in God's Word:
1. Lord Jesus returns only ONE TIME in the future, and it will be Immediately AFTER the tribulation like He said in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. And that is when He gathers His Church.

2. Per Zechariah 14, on the "day of the Lord", Jesus' feet touch down upon the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem, where He ascended to The Father from per Acts 1. Zechariah 14 then reveals Jesus brings all His saints with Him there.

3. Then also per Zechariah 14, begins Christ's future reign with His elect, ON EARTH, with the "rod of iron" of Psalms 2 and Rev.2:26-27 (see Revelation 20 about that "thousand years" reign over the nations).

4. Zechariah 14 shows God's River having returned to this earth when Jesus comes with all His saints back to earth.

5. Christ Jesus is to inherit the throne of His father David, which is an earthly throne, not one in Heaven. As of right now, Jesus is sitting on the right hand of The Father's throne, still expecting until all His enemies are made His footstool.

 

[rwb]

The teaching of the kingdom of God is central to Christian preaching. It refers to Jesus ascending to heaven and receiving a kingdom, later returning to earth and exercising his ruling power over humanity.

Jesus would receive his kingdom while his enemies were still alive.

Psal. 110:1 Jehovah declared to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
Until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.”
2 Jehovah will extend the scepter of your power out of Zion, saying:
“Go subduing in the midst of your enemies.”

1 Cor. 15:25 For he must rule as king until God has put all enemies under his feet.

Has Jesus already received his kingdom in heaven?

What has he been doing about humans ever since?

PS: My questions are for analysis and debate, but above all I would like to encourage others to study the Scriptures more and reason on them. I don't need sermons or redirects to them, as I don't do that myself even if I can... I already have my own teachers and, I'm just helping others to use rational thinking when studying the Bible.

According to Daniel Christ received a kingdom that shall never be destroyed after His resurrection when He ascended to the Father in heaven.

Daniel 7:13-14 (KJV) I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Acts 1:2 (KJV) Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

Acts 1:9-11 (KJV) And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

John 3:13 (KJV) And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

Christ has been reigning over His Kingdom, manifested as the Church on earth since He ascended to the Father in heaven. Christ does not reign over His Kingdom ON this earth, but from heaven. And when He comes the second time it will be to reign over His Kingdom on the new earth.

 

[rwb]

Luke 23:36 Even the soldiers mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying: “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” 38 There was also an inscription over him: “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 Then one of the criminals hanging there began to speak abusively to him, saying: “You are the Christ, are you not? Save yourself and us too!” 40 In response the other rebuked him, saying: “Do you not fear God at all, now that you have received the same judgment? 41 And we rightly so, for we are getting back what we deserve for the things we did; but this man did nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said: “Jesus, remember me when you get into your Kingdom.”

For his part, Jesus replied that he would be in paradise with him...obviously at the time Jesus' kingdom was established on earth, as the context of the conversation and the general belief about messianic rule over earth was suggesting. Jesus was talking about the future resurrection of this man.

What do you think: Where will this man be resurrected: in heaven or on earth?

Whether the thief anticipated being in the kingdom that day or some day is resolved by the words Christ spoke to the Father just before He died. The thief heard Christ commending His spirit into our heavenly Father's hands. Not only would the spirit (life) of Christ be with the Father in heaven when He died, but according to His promise the thief too would be with Christ in paradise (heaven) when he too breathed his last on the very same day.

Luke 23:42-43 (KJV) And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Luke 23:46 (KJV) And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

The thief having part in the resurrection life of Christ, the first to be resurrected to never die again (the first resurrection) will be a living soul in heaven until the last trumpet sounds that time shall be no longer, and his spirit returns to his resurrected immortal body fit for life never ending on the new earth.

 

[M3n0r4h]

To be resurrected in heaven, that man would have had to be born again.

John 3:3 In response Jesus said to him: “Most truly I say to you, unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
(...) 5 Jesus answered: “Most truly I say to you, unless anyone is born from water and spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

But that man had neither accepted Jesus, baptized in water nor been anointed with the holy spirit like the apostles at Pentecost after Jesus had been resurrected. It was at that moment that the first chosen to go to heaven received a guarantee of their hope to go with Jesus, with the anointing of the holy spirit (Acts 2). But the criminal was already dead and did not receive that anointing.

Again: In what paradise will that man be resurrected?

I don't believe there is more than one Paradise.

Jesus said "you will be with Me..".

I believe that man will be with Jesus regardless of any seeming contradictions to the man's saved/unsaved status.
Jesus said "you will be with Me..".

that man is now, or will be, with Jesus.

since the earth is destroyed immediately after Christ's return, he will not be with Jesus upon this physical, fallen, earth. it will be heaven or the New Earth to come.

the New Earth to come cannot be the Millennium as that doctrine demands that the existing physical earth must remain.

 

[David in NJ]

The kingdom of God was the main theme of the preaching of Jesus and his disciples.

Do you preach the kingdom of God to others?

Matt. 24:14 And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

How do we Christians preach the Kingdom of God? What do we tell people so they can have confidence in that kingdom? What will the kingdom of God do for humanity?

The Kingdom of God is the LORD Jesus Christ.

If you desire to know God and be included in His Kingdom then you must worship the SON.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

19For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

 

[ElieG12]

The followers of Jesus looked forward to the kingdom of Christ on earth (Acts 1:6-8; Luke 24:21). The entire biblical message leads us to hope that God, the Creator of the earth and of humans, will establish a just government over humanity that will replace the current human governments that do not take God into account (Dan. 7:13).

That government or kingdom has Jesus as its King, and there are other humans that will be taken from earth to reign with him (Dan. 7:22,27). That kingdom, when it is finally established on the planet, will cause the human conditions that cause suffering and originated by the intervention of Satan to finally disappear from here and humanity will achieve "the glorious freedom of the children of God" (Ro. 8:21), which we lost.

Satan wants to confuse people about what to expect from God. That is why true Christians preach its arrival to all humanity so that they have hope in this promise of the kingdom to come.

Matt. 24:14 And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Matt. 6:9 You must pray, then, this way: “‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. 10 Let your Kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also on earth. ..."

 

[M3n0r4h]

Jesus is already King and governing His people on the earth as we speak, and has been for some time now.

Matt. 24:14 And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

it is already being preached, and has been since Jesus walked the earth.

the end will come next.

Matt. 6:9 You must pray, then, this way: “‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. 10 Let your Kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also on earth. ..."

not sure what Bible version this is, but it has distorted that verse quite a bit.

KJV reads 'Thy Kingdom come' which, in Old English, means the Kingdom has come.

if a kingdom is near at hand, as everyone from John the Baptist to Jesus spoke, that means it is here; not it is thousands of years away.

yes, I'm aware it's translated from the Greek, but the original translation 'near at hand' does not mean thousands of years away.

 

[M3n0r4h]

Satan wants to confuse people about what to expect from God. That is why true Christians preach its arrival to all humanity so that they have hope in this promise of the kingdom to come.

yes, satan does want to confuse people - that's why he teaches that the kingdom has never come when it already arrived at Jesus' Ministry just as presented by John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.

Jesus rules this physical earth from within all those who are Holy Spirit indwelled at this moment.

this very conversation is spiritual warfare between Jesus' Kingdom and the kingdom of darkness.

the end will come and Jesus' Kingdom wins.

 

[ElieG12]

If the Kingdom of God already arrived, where are the fulfilled promises?

Rev. 21:3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

These words of Paul to Timothy come to mind:

2 Tim. 2:16 But reject empty speeches that violate what is holy, for they will lead to more and more ungodliness, 17 and their word will spread like gangrene. Hy·me·naeʹus and Phi·leʹtus are among them. 18 These men have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are subverting the faith of some.

 

[M3n0r4h]

If the Kingdom of God already arrived, where are the fulfilled promises?

Rev. 21:3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

These words of Paul to Timothy come to mind:

2 Tim. 2:16 But reject empty speeches that violate what is holy, for they will lead to more and more ungodliness, 17 and their word will spread like gangrene. Hy·me·naeʹus and Phi·leʹtus are among them. 18 These men have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are subverting the faith of some.

using any verse from Revelation as a proof text about anything that is, or is not, happening in the world presently is a rookie mistake.

the words of Hosea and Paul come to mind:

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..."
Hosea 4:6

"And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the Truth, ... for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie."
2 Thess. 10-11

 

[M3n0r4h]

@ElieG12

do you know how to quote a post?

it's super simple.

or do you prefer not to quote so that the poster is not notified that you responded?

 

[ElieG12]

My comments are for the general readers. I share pertinent biblical information to everyone. It is not my intention that some are not aware of what I write. They can read the notification that the whole thread has a new comment.

I usually don't quote others directly all the times for safety reasons on internet. It has nothing to do with the forumers. Sorry for the inconveniences.