The Kingdom of Jehovah

 The kingdom of God could be a central theme of the Gospels as well as other new testament books. it's the message that John the Baptist declared in preparation for Jesus (Mt 3:2Mk 1:14-15), what Jesus instructed the disciples in the 40 days between his resurrection and ascension (Ac 1:3), and what Paul is recorded as proclaiming at the conclusion of the book of Acts (Ac 28:31).

Love and Peace

A kingdom is a place where someone has a rule or governance. the same is true of the kingdom of God. jesus said in his prayer: “Your kingdom come, you will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10). the kingdom of God is wherever God’s can is dispensed.

The old testament theme of Yahweh’s rule and reign is another way of describing the kingdom of God. The psalmist speaks of Yahweh’s kingdom as an everlasting realm that endures throughout all generations (Ps 145:13). Isaiah declares that Yahveh can save (Isa 33:22) and speaks of a time when God will be worshiped in all the earth (Isa 2).

During the primary century AD, many Jews believed that the Messiah would initiate this reign, which is based on passages like Malachi 3:1-5; Zechariah 9:9-10; Isaiah 9:1-7; and Isaiah 52:13-53:12. They additionally believed that the kingdom would be established through political or military means (compare Mt 26:51-53; Lk 22:47-53) - but Jesus ushered in the kingdom in a radically unexpected way. He announced that the kingdom had come upon those whom he freed from demons (Mt 12:28); he taught that the kingdom should be received like a child (Mk 10:15) and explained that it belongs to the impoverished (Lk 6:20). the Nazarene declared the dominion of God as a present reality that could be knowledgeable by those he taught and to whom he ministered.

Jesus’ teaching also assumed the kingdom was a future reality. while his disciples expected the kingdom to appear immediately, Jesus changed their expectations by telling them a parable a couple of rulers who had to leave before he could return to his kingdom (Lk 19:11-27). He represented what smart and trustworthy servants may knock off in the meantime. Paul spoke of the kingdom as something that could be inherited (1 Co 6:9-10) and that doesn't perish (1 Co 15:50). These examples testify to the kingdom of God as a future reality.

To borrow the phrase made fashionable by George Eldon Ladd, the kingdom of God is “already/not nevertheless.” God’s kingdom has a dual dimension. Jesus initiated the kingdom of earth, and where God’s can is carried out, the kingdom could be a reality. the kingdom, however, had not been totally manifested in Jesus’ day - nor has it in ours. we don't yet live in a world where God’s will is a complete reality. we feel the tension of experiencing God’s kingdom in our lives and communities before it's fully realized. we still see unbelief, brokenness, and sin, telling us God’s will isn't yet totally expressed.

Many believers neglect to focus on the kingdom as a present reality. Their concern centers on the future reality of getting to heaven - but this focus can easily sever the relationship between the Christian life and the life here and now. once Jesus prayed, “Your kingdom come, you will be done, on earth because it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10), he asked that God would bring the expertise of heaven to earth. Through Jesus, God’s reign, rule, and power are available to us nowadays, not just in the distant future. the present reality of the dominion of God ought to prompt America to look at our lives and raise what areas we've got not nevertheless relinquished to God’s rule.

On a bigger level, the notion of God’s kingdom should lead us to look at each of our neighborhoods and the global community and raise what lies outside of God’s desires. where are people not being treated with the dignity and honor they be as God’s image-bearers?

As we anticipate the time once all things will be made totally new (Rev. 21:4-5), we will actively participate within the kingdom of God now (Mt 4:17). As we surrender to the reign of God, {we are going to} begin to experience the kingdom of God now - as God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven (Mt 6:10).

What questions will this reality of God’s kingdom prompt you to raise concerning your community?