WHENCE IS THIS KINGDOM?

Today I gave thought again to what heaven might be like. Of course my comprehension of what heaven is can never come anywhere close to even a stroke of the real picture! But what I found most comforting was the fact that all the people over there who are forever dwelling in HIS presence must be so blessed to constantly bless HIS name as they shower praises upon HIM. Once I thought it might be very boring in Heaven if all there was to it was endless praise of God! But I can tell you dearly, there comes a point in the life of a pilgrim when all you just feel is an insatiable desire to praise HIS name endlessly. That’s where I am at now. And for a moment there, I was a trifle jealous of the people already up there, who are blessed to dwell in HIS house, forever praising HIS name. I later made a mental note, “I gotta make heaven, I gotta!!”

In our previous post here, I mentioned that we would tackle the issue of where/when is/comes the kingdom of God. I picked this out of Matthew’s gospel: “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13:24-30

{side note: Isn’t it amazing folk, how sometimes God’s words seems like such an open letter to us; without any break in continuity too, pre-empting our next questions and just….words fail me!! See the next paragraph}

Reading on through the verses 36-43 of the same chapter: Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

The Parable of the Weeds tells us that, like the farmer who sowed good seed, Jesus has brought God's kingdom into the world. However, it will not be totally fulfilled in this age. Like wheat growing among weeds, God's kingdom will exist and grow amidst the forces of evil that are so prevalent in our world. We should not look for ease or perfection in this life. Those who belong to the kingdom and serve God will continue to live among those who (knowingly or unknowingly) serve the powers of evil. In the end, though, if we are able to cling to our faith despite all the surrounding evil, we will be freed from the evil of the world and live in perfect harmony with God. The ultimate fate however, of those who serve the forces of evil in the other kingdom (the one that’s not of God), whether by design or neglect, shall be very grim to say the least. Simultaneosuly, the Kingdom of God is a future realm into which we must enter when Christ returns. Our Lord Himself frequently referred to this future event. "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 8:11). This future coming of the Kingdom will be attended with great glory. Jesus told of the day when the angels "…and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father…" (Matt. 13: 41,43).

Being born again and entering the kingdom of God is a process of gradually coming to obey God's commandments instead of a "sin now, pray later" attitude. It is learning to truly obey Jesus' great commandment to "Love God with all your heart and soul and to love your neighbour as you love yourself." It is listening to our consciences and spending time in prayer to ask for guidance and wisdom. It is feeling secure that God will give us the strength to face whatever challenges come our way and will take care of us in the end.

Dear friends, the Kingdom of God is a present reality (Matt. 12:28), and yet is still also a future blessing (I Cor. 15:50). It is an inner spiritual redemptive blessing (Rom. 14:17) which can be experienced only by way of the new birth (John 3:3), and yet it will have to do with the government of the nations of the world (Rev. 11:15). The Kingdom is a realm into which men enter now (Matt. 21:31), and yet it is still also a realm into which men will enter tomorrow (Matt. 8:11). It is at the same time a gift of God which will be bestowed by God in the future (Luke 12:32) and yet which must be received in the present (Mark 10:15). Obviously no simple explanation can do justice to such a rich but diverse a variety of teaching. God bless you all. I hope I can meet you all in heaven. Be sure to be there!