The Kingdom comes by the following means:
It is the saints who establish the Kingdom of God for Jesus. In Daniel, the Beast is destroyed, and the Kingdom comes to fullness when the saints begin to exercise their authority.
Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him (Dan 7:27).
When the saints exercise the authority that Jesus has given to them, they will receive his Kingdom on the earth. All rulers will surrender to his word and choose to worship his name.
The saints, not Jesus, will establish the Kingdom. Psalm 149 teaches that it is the glory of the saints to establish the Kingdom. They are to bring down the deceptions of the strongholds of error and establish the truth in the world. They are to teach those with authority to live in obedience to Christ. It is a sin to be waiting for Jesus to do something, that he has commanded the church to do.
The coming of the Kingdom does not need some new dispensation of power or authority by God. The church already has at its disposal all the means which it needs to establish the kingdom. Its resources are sufficient for its duties. They are not defective in any way, and nothing more is needed from God. All the church needs is additional faithfulness. It has the Word of God. In the gospel, it has the means for changing lives throughout the world. The Holy Spirit is present in the church empowering it for its task. The gospel does not need to be changed before the Kingdom can be established. The church can complete this task by using the means that it already has, but with greater zeal and faithfulness.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the principal means by which the kingdom of God will be established. Jesus said that no man can enter the Kingdom unless he is born again of the Spirit (John 3:3). Sin is the only obstacle to the kingdom of God. The only solution to sin is the rebirth which comes through a change of heart and faith in Jesus. This allows the Holy Spirit to dwell in a person, so that they can live in obedience to Jesus.
The proclamation of the Word of God is also essential for the coming of the Kingdom. It is not enough for each person to be born into the Kingdom. Each believer must bring the areas of life where they have authority under the lordship of Christ. The church must teach Christians to exercise their authority in accordance with biblical principles.
The law of God is also a tool for bringing in the Kingdom of God. Many of the passages in the Old Testament which speak of the Kingdom also emphasise the law (Is 42:4: 51:4; Mic 4:2). In the Kingdom of God, justice will prevail; but apart from the law, there can be no true justice. Christians have tended to drive a wedge between the law and the gospel. This has allowed humanistic justice to prevail, as apart from the law, we have no other standard of justice. In fact, Jesus did not set aside the law. He came to fulfil the law, and said that not the least stroke of a pen will disappear from the law until everything is accomplished (Matt 5:17,18). The biblical standard for economics, law and government is contained in the Law of Moses. As the law goes forth, justice will be established in the earth. Proclaiming and teaching the law is part of the church's task, as it brings in the Kingdom.
The law must be used with wisdom and at the right time. It is wrong to try and impose God's law on a society which does not acknowledge Jesus as Lord. When this is done, the church appears to be harsh, legalistic and dominating. The task of the church in a non-Christian society is to preach the gospel, and to speak prophetically, warning of the consequences of sin (The law may provide a basis for a prophetic word to rulers or kings). The people of the world must choose to follow Jesus before they can be taught to live according to Kingdom principles. Only when the majority of people have become Christians is it possible to establish a legal system based on the Bible. People will then be glad to live according to the will of God.
- Prayer is a powerful weapon in the hands of the church. Jesus said that a prayer of
faith can cast a mountain into the sea (Matt 21:21). In the Bible, powerful nations and governments are
often symbolised by mountains (Israel is often called Mount Zion.) Jesus' promise
means that even mighty nations can be brought down through prayer. Wicked rulers can have
their hearts changed through prayer (1 Tim 2:1,2). Since all things are possible through
prayer, and Jesus has given the church authority to ask in his name, there is no limit to
what the church can do.
God has told us to pray that his Kingdom will come. Psalm 2:8 says,
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, and the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron sceptre.
God has promised the church that, if it prays, he will give it authority over all the nations. The church's inheritance includes the whole earth, so if it is faithful in prayer, it will receive the nations and rule over them in Christ's name. It does not rule as an organisation, but through Christians exercising the authority they hold in obedience to Christ. When that authority is exercised according to the will of God, the Kingdom will have become a reality.
The Holy Spirit is vital for the coming of the Kingdom. Prayer releases power, and God's power comes in the person of the Holy Spirit. God has promised that after the Fulness of the Jews, he will pour out his Holy Spirit in a powerful way so that the Kingdom may be established (Joel 2:28,29,32). The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He is the Spirit of God, so there is no limit to his power. There is no limit to what the Body of Christ can do when it moves in the Spirit's power.
The coming of the kingdom will be a work of the Spirit. He will inspire the church to pray. He will inspire the proclamation of the gospel. It is the Spirit who convicts sinners and brings them to repentance and faith. He is the teacher who teaches people the meaning of the Word of God, and how it should be applied in daily life. It is the divine power of the Holy Spirit which makes it possible for the church to be victorious in the world.
Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
It is the work of the Spirit to bring the Church to victory and to establish the Kingdom.(Many Christians are looking for Jesus to come back to establish the Kingdom. We should remember that Jesus said that the Holy Spirit could do more if the went away.)
Nothing can be done to build the Kingdom without the preaching of the gospel. Unregenerate people have no place in God's Kingdom. So the first step to bringing in the Kingdom is to preach the gospel to all nations. And this is what Jesus has commanded the church to do. If the church is faithful to this command, it will be successful. The gospel is the power of God for salvation (Rom 1:16). All his power is behind the gospel, so where it is proclaimed in the power of the Spirit, it will be effective. The time will come when the majority of the people in the world will have heard the gospel, and come to faith in Jesus. As they choose him as their Lord, each one will become part of the Kingdom.
Political rulers will have to be taught to honour Jesus by surrendering their authority to him. Judges will need to learn how to administer the law, in a way that is pleasing to God. Businesspeople will need teaching on biblical business principles. Educators will have to develop a Christian system of education. Parents will need to learn how to run their families along biblical patterns. More than just a change in individual lives is needed. Every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life will have to be brought into line with the Word of God. Only then, will Jesus be Lord of all creation. The church has the responsibility for teaching the world how this can be done.
The church must not become imperialistic. It is wrong for church authorities to try and rule directly over political leaders or businesses, as has often happened in the past. Church leaders are responsible for proclaiming and explaining the Word of God to those who hold authority in the world. This is their sphere of authority. Judges and business owners are accountable to God for their obedience to his Word. They are not accountable to church leaders. The Kingdom comes when individual Christians exercise the authority they have in obedience to God, and not by the church controlling every aspect of life and every human institution. An imperialistic church is as bad as a totalitarian state.
Adam was told by God to have dominion over the earth and subdue it. He was to study nature and learn how to care for creation. This task could only be done in obedience to God. Humans can only have a full understanding of creation when it is studied in the light of the Word of God. The Church must apply the Word of God to every aspect of creation, so that all things can be brought into submission to Jesus. This is what he meant when he told us to teach the nations to obey everything that he had commanded.
The Word of God is living and active, and more powerful than a double-edged sword (Heb 4:12). As the church proclaims that word in the power of the Spirit and applies it to every area of life, it will be effective. The will of God will be done on earth as it is in heaven; his Kingdom will have come.
The Kingdom has already begun. It was established in heaven on the day of the ascension. It began in part on earth, when the church began to do its work. Even today in certain parts of the world, among certain people, and in certain areas of life, the Word of God is obeyed. That means that the kingdom of God is partially in existence now.
The Kingdom will continue in the same form until the judgment day, with Jesus reigning in heaven, and the church exercising his authority on earth to bring all things into submission to his word. The only difference during the times of the Kingdom will be in the extent and the effectiveness of the church's authority. The organisation of the Kingdom will not be changed; it will simply increase its influence and success.
The Bible teaches that the Kingdom will be established gradually (Deut 7:22). The church's enemies will not all be overcome at once. God will leave some opposition to keep it on its toes, but gradually as the church becomes stronger and stronger, all opposition will be worn down. It will be just like Joshua taking the land. There will be some major victories which demoralise the opposition, but it will take longer to clear away all opposition.
At the time of the Calling of the Jews, the church will have a tremendous victory which will totally demoralise the opposition. It will take longer to extend the Kingdom into every aspect of life, in every area of the world. A lot of preaching will have to be done, followed by a lot of teaching. Study will be necessary to determine what the Bible really teaches about law, economics, science, education, medicine, family life, etc. All this work will take time to complete.
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