Receiving A Kingdom Which Cannot Be Moved
We are living in a time when the groaning and travailing for that which is of eternal value is being voiced in some form or fashion through all of humanity. God, in His divine wisdom, has implanted something deep within creation which demands something that only God Himself can give. What a paradox! The emptiness of the human soul, the vexation of the spirit of man and the sheer vanity of life under the sun, which lies shackled in the confines of an old creation, testify of the need for an entirely new creation. The lack of fulfillment always drives the heart to a seemingly greater purpose that may bring the ultimate sense of rest and peace; yet, beloved, many have looked far and deep for it and they have found themselves with many treasures, many achievements, many memories and perhaps even a distinct mark in history, but nevertheless the empty feeling which caused their heart to pant after something they could not grasp in this temporal realm remained as a painful reminder of the consistent lack of satisfaction which is common among the poor and the wealthy, the sophisticated and the simple, the famous and the unknown. This miserable void of emptiness engulfs every single member of the old creation.For those who have been apprehended by God, we may do well to conclude that the mere thought of finding satisfaction and complete fulfillment outside of our Lord Jesus Christ is nothing more than a vain imagination. The Psalms have so much prophetic poetry that testifies of the Son. Let us also consider this verse as a summary of the attitude of many sons: "I delight to do thy will, O my God . . . " (Ps. 40:8).
We also have the privilege to peer into a realm that is not perceived by the natural eye. We have the benefits of a place that is not governed by time nor chained to the temporal sphere of the visible. Sadly enough, rather than taking advantage of such abundant provision, the tendency to view life through the eyes of an old creation has led us to believe that we can cure creations groan through others means outside this glorious realm.
Before we go on with this study, we would like to specify what we mean by the old creation. Maybe the term the first man or the first humanity would be more accurate for what we are describing when it comes to the old creation. We find a comparison in the 15th chapter of first Corinthians of two men. "And it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." (verse 45) Adam no longer can be limited to simply being one man. Take a look at the world and you will not have to look too long before you see that the first Adam has become a corporate man. In this corporate man we can find the good (good only in relative terms, but not in a divine and absolute sense), the bad and the ugly. Nevertheless without the quickening of the Holy Spirit, the divine, the spiritual and the eternal are nowhere to be found in humanity. Modern psychology would have us believe that mankind is inherently good, but it seems that man's behavior naturally contradicts this theory. The inherent nature of man is selfish, because the first creation (Adam) is Adam centered.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). Paul's statement may not be popular with modern psychology, but we take it to heart as an inspired description of the whole human race that came through Adam. We speak of Adam in relation to the effects of his transgression, not before the act in his innocence. Today the earth is filled with a corporate man (Adam), that seems to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea! Adam being the first man mentioned in 1 Cor. 15:44, in a sense, has multiplied himself.
This corporate man Adam is dead to the glorious realm we are about to expound on. He would like to believe that his desires can at some point be fulfilled within his world and within himself. Shortly after God had apprehended me, I remembered the horror movies I once found so entertaining had titles that all of the sudden seemed more fitting for Adam's condition. If you can hear it by the Spirit, the corporate man (Adam) may as well be called the living dead when it comes to this glorious realm of the Spirit! There is another man on the scene who shall bring the "night of the living dead" to an end at the dawning of the illumination of His unveiling!
Humanity hungers for that which is eternal, whether it be consciously or subconsciously, but things of eternal value are only revealed and apprehended through the Spirit of God. We would like to share a few things concerning this realm that Adam has been numb to and sadly enough many believers of Christ have been numb to this realm too!
First off we call it a realm, because it is a dimension of life that is present, yet invisible. We are speaking of a kingdom that is described by things that are not tangible, yet they can be expressed, manifested and shared. Praise God, they can even be shared with those who do not even know Jesus Christ and they should be shared with all creation! We could call it a domain and be correct, because this realm we are interested in sharing is the Kingdom of God.
We would like to briefly state that we know that some have placed a distinction between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven, but we do not make this distinction. Rather than get detoured from our subject with this issue, we will quickly share our convictions on this and move on with our subject. What Luke calls "the Kingdom of God" in his account of the gospel Matthew calls "the Kingdom of Heaven" in his account (Lk. 9:2 & Matt. 10:7). You can find many more comparisons like these in Matthew, Mark and Luke with a check through a concordance for further consideration. In these comparisons we conclude that they are speaking of the same kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven is God's Kingdom.
Now, as we go on with our subject, the written record describes the Kingdom in Romans 14:17. "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." There you have it. Its description is righteousness, peace, and joy. Its location is in the Holy Spirit. Now let us ask ourselves, will we receive this Kingdom?
"See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.
Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear" (Heb. 12:25-28).
The Historical View of "Those Things that Can be Shaken"
Historically, the book of Hebrews was an exhortation given to a people that were in an age of transition. The Greek word for removing in Hebrews 12:27 is also the same Greek word used in Hebrews 7:12 when it speaks of a change. It is used again in 11:5 for the word translation. The word is metathesis and it speaks of disestablishment. There was an establishment based on the Old Covenant that was destined to be disestablished. The Old Covenant served its purpose for a time, but the fulfillment had come. The Old Covenant sacrificial system and those who governed it qualified for a ruling order that was on its way out, since Jesus Christ became the once and for all sacrifice and God left that system desolate. Therefore, the historical record of the judgment that came in 70 A. D. was indeed applicable. The climax of destruction confirms how relevant the exhortation was for those living at that time (Heb. 9:8-11 & Matt.23:38).In relation to this judgment Jesus wept over Jerusalem's ignorance of her visitation. "For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation" (Lk. 19:43 & 44). The recipients of the Kingdom of God managed to depart with their old heavens and earth quite peacefully in comparison to those who were determined to cling to the Old Covenant and had their heavens and earth go out in a blazing fury!
We would like to share a quote from history that describes this judgment that took place in 70 A. D."The temple was burned on August 10, exactly the same day it was burned by the Babylonians. Between the laying of the first foundation by Solomon and this destruction during the second year of Vespasian's reign was 1,130 years, 7 months, and 15 days. From its second building by Haggai in the second year of Cyrus the king until its destruction by the Romans were 639 years and 45 days.
The holy house was plundered as it burned, and 10,000 people were slain, regardless of age or condition. The noise arising from the city was immense, the cries of the Roman legions and Jews surrounded by fire, the mourning of the people, and the roar of the fire all combined in one loud lamentation that reverberated off the mountains around the city. The area around the temple became covered with so many bodies that it was impossible to see the ground itself. Those rebellious Jews still alive fought their way out of the temple and down into the city itself, while the people who had gathered in the temple fled to the cloisters of the outer court . . .
The Romans decided it was useless to try and save the many buildings outside the temple and burned everything, including the temple treasury containing the entire wealth of the Jewish nation. The soldiers then went to the remaining cloisters of the outer temple, where about 6,000 people had fled, and set the cloisters on fire, killing all 6,000."-end quote (From "Josephus - Thrones of Blood" ch.16 p. 224& 225).
There was a horrific wrap up of the Old Covenant in 70 A. D. When we consider when Hebrews was written, we see a very extreme urgency to the reader who was living at that time. There was a disestablishment that took place indeed! We can look back and glean beautiful principles of present truth from the types and shadows found in the Old Covenant, but the greatest thing that ever happened to humanity was its fulfillment- Jesus Christ! Those who looked toward the unseen with confidence in Christ Jesus could not find themselves cleaving to an establishment that was only meant to be disestablished. The others fell by the way side during one of the most gruesome times ever known to that generation. It is also said that at that time all the followers of Christ were not among the statistics estimated in the destruction of Jerusalem.
A Current View of "Those Things that Can be Shaken"
The historical view may serve as a reminder, but it is not our focus. May we look back at it and ask ourselves again, "Will we receive this Kingdom which cannot be moved?"Maybe the response would be, "I have the Holy Spirit" or "The Kingdom is already in me." To that response we will do well to thank God, but often what lies inside of us can be dormant or simply ignored and inoperative. So let us consider the question concerning the Kingdom in another light. "Does the personification of the Kingdom of God (Jesus Christ) captivate our hearts to the point that we will not be moved during the disestablishment of all the other kingdoms?"
We have some relevant words from the late T. Austin Sparks that address the shaking that is taking place today and the absolute need for receiving that which is unshakable. "We are coming to the time when a great many changes are going to take place in the set system of Christendom, and when the spiritual will alone be of account, and when it will be of vital consequence that God should have a people who are a link with His fuller purpose. He has always required such. If we were inclined to do so, we could go back to the Bible and mark transition periods again and again, and see just what God put in at the point of transition as His link between the two, and as His bridge from the one to the other. But there is the fact. If we have any reason to believe that such a change is imminent, when it will not be possible to carry on on the old lines and to go on organizing things with all the old machinery, and when the people of God are going to be forced by world conditions onto a spiritual ground where their concern will be just the Lord Himself; if we have any reason to feel that has commenced, then this must follow---that there should be something that becomes for God a ministry which links on with His fuller purpose, which stands vitally related to Him in His greater intentions, which brings in the Lord in fullness."--end quote.
Many people have come up with homemade remedies to cure the ills of mankind's vanity, but the Lord has intended to bring about a totally new creation. The new creation shall not fill the earth by taking that which is of the old creation and putting a Christian tag on it. In the book of Acts, the body of Christ was not known for how they could package and market the Gospel. They were not known for developing an entertainment industry that was a toned down version of concepts that are influenced by the world with the majority's seal of approval on it. While some have encouraged us to 'take back what the devil has stolen', we declare unto you some of these so called stolen items did not have even the slightest bit of edification and eternal value to them!
God is not interested in Christianizing the world! We mean Christianizing in the sense of the gross commercialism that has served the appetites that feast on compromise, designed to entertain bored Christians and help perpetuate the vain systems of men! Furthermore, Jesus Christ is not some celebrity figure or a superstar that you make merchandise off of! Jesus Christ is the head of this new creation man that is bringing the unshakable Kingdom of God into full view for all of creation! It has been God's intention to fill the earth with this new creation all along! I'm reminded of the contrast between the way man looks for God's Kingdom and the way God presents the Kingdom in the inspired words by a late Christian minstrel and poet, Rich Mullins;
WE WERE LOOKING FOR HEROES, HE CAME LOOKING FOR THE LOST
WE WERE SEARCHING FOR GLORY AND HE SHOWED US THE CROSS,
NOW WE KNOW WHAT LOVE IS BECAUSE HE LOVES US,
ALL THE WAY TO KINGDOM COME!
The intense shaking will come no matter what we choose to cling to during these sovereign quakes. The temporal things that seem to govern this present world order are made to be shaken! A democracy does not constitute an "unshakeable kingdom." World governments will not usher in a better kingdom! They only serve their purpose in the economy of God for a season. ". . .the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will" (Dan. 4:32). This was a lesson well learned by the king of Babylon himself.
Entering the Kingdom / Facing A Narrow Reality
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it . . . And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul . . ." (Matt. 7:13 & 14, Acts 9:11)It is our prayer that each shaking will be a further advancement of the Kingdom of God! We may do well to consider a fact that involves our entrance into the Kingdom. We were stirred to search out a word in the Greek after listening to a message given by a very precious brother in the Lord. The word is thlibo. This is the Greek word used for narrow in Matthew 7:14. The Amplified Bible seems to show more of the words meaning. "Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it. But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it" (Mat. 7:13 & 14, Amplified).
The word thlibo is used twice in the Gospels (Mat. 7:14 narrow and in Mark 3:9 should throng) and it is used eight more times by Paul. The words used for thlibo in his writings are afflicted (2 Cor.1:6, 1 Tim 5:10 and Hebrews 11:37), troubled (2 Cor. 4:8, 7:5 and 2 Th. 1:7), that trouble (2 Th. 2:6) and suffer tribulation (1 Th. 3:4).
If we take this into serious consideration and ponder what is being said here, especially the passages that are involved with Paul's Apostolic ministry, we just might get a different view of what has been offered today as Apostolic ministry. Was the Gospel of the Kingdom intended to be watered down with a modern day American flavor to it that sports the idea of positive confession for things that promote building programs, material gain and other perishable items? Was not the Gospel of the Kingdom intended to be universal? We cannot help but see the vital need to be realistic in our thinking concerning the Kingdom so that when the shaking comes and when the disestablishment begins, we will know that these things must come to pass! The pressure involved in our walk, be it personal or global, is simply a part of our entrance into the Kingdom.
"And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.
Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. And when they preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in, the faith, that we through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).
Paul knew by experience these things must come to pass as we enter into the Kingdom. Paul experienced tribulation, not because it was a pattern for only him and a few others long ago in the early Church. He experienced such troublesome times because he was a threat. The very Gospel he declared was the most threatening thing ever to the spirit of the age and to all the kingdoms of men, religious and otherwise! (Acts 17:6) Let me be very emphatic about this one thing - Paul was not just a threat to the Jews that set out to destroy his ministry; NO, that is only a small facet of what Paul threatened! He was a threat to the old creation and the very spirit that works in the children of disobedience. He was a threat to anyone satisfied with the status quo. He was a threat to those who where content with the confines of the first man (Adam). He was a threat to all the kingdoms of Adam.
Paul was not a threat because he stock piled weapons to take on the government of his day. Paul was not a threat due to a militant attitude that had him to operate in physical warfare. When so called Christians begin to operate in this mode of carnality, they need not worry about any trouble from the prince of this world, because they are doing his work for him! They have also left the true arena of warfare which is the realm of the Spirit and have preferred a Barabbas attitude over the nature of the Lamb! (Lk. 23:18 & Acts 3:14)
Paul was not a threat because he was the Apostle Paul. Let's not put a man of like passions in stained glass and worship him. Let's consider the fact that when God's apprehended ones seek God with all their heart and simply obey God, they have just initiated spiritual warfare. We don't even have to be around a single soul that opposes our faith. We could be secluded in the wilderness and find ourselves contending with a hissing voice of temptation. Furthermore, God purposed the way Paul would take and Paul is not some exclusive exception to man's rule of compromise! Paul just experienced what comes natural to those who follow after the Lord Jesus Christ and go on to be mature sons!
Ananias was told by the Lord that Paul was to suffer great things for the Lord's name sake (Acts 9:16). That would not be a welcoming thought for an altar call, now would it? But then again it was Paul that God inspired to write: ". . .who hath resisted his will?" (Rom. 9:19).
Paul did not sing the blues when he acknowledged this narrow entrance of pressure and tribulation into the glorious Kingdom of God! With all of its constant shaking he accepted a Kingdom that was unlike the religious system that was shaken, burned up and destroyed in his day. The Kingdom he accepted had an unlimited source of peace and joy. The invisible reality found in the Holy Spirit becomes very evident to even the most depraved members of humanity when we give ourselves over whole heartedly to Jesus Christ and express His divine nature! We may not be welcomed or applauded, but our concern should be, is God being glorified?! Is the will of God being done? Are we listening for His still small voice and wanting to be led by the Spirit? Are we receiving the Kingdom that cannot be moved?
The Effects of The Unshakeable Kingdom
There have been misconceptions and imbalanced presentations of the Kingdom of God that would lead us to believe that it can only be experienced by obtaining some exclusive knowledge that only a few self-styled mystics can give us. In such presentations the central focus is not the way into the Kingdom, nor is the emphasis on who the Kingdom belongs to, but, unfortunately the focus is a fascination over mere terminology that thrilled the soul, but never impregnated it with the living word!There was a time when the Gospel of the Kingdom was preached and it caused the craftsmen of other gods to lose business; now there is a misrepresentation of the gospel that keeps modern day craftsmen of other gods in business. (Acts 19:23-29)
There is a very perverted slant that some have placed on the Gospel of the Kingdom. This perversion has kept the demand and interest in "other ways" to spiritual fulfillment going strong. Although the truth that God has offered mankind as the only way to spiritual fulfillment seems to be very unpopular to many, we dare say that the account given in Acts 19:23-29 as well as 19:17-20 is a sneak preview of what can and will happen when the Gospel of the Kingdom is presented with no other way to spiritual fulfillment, except the way God has provided, which is Jesus Christ!
". . . and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed" (Acts 19:17-20).
The account in Acts is the result of the impact of the real message of the Kingdom of God. Today, the perversion has had a reverse effect.
The Cross of Christ - An Unshakeable Reality
Yes indeed, through alternate routes, there is a motive birthed that would seek to join the hands of the Gospel of the Kingdom with other gods! This is another one of Adam's ideas. If he could just have the gospel meshed together with other world views, he might be able to cunningly pull the cross out of the message. You see the cross is the number one enemy of the corporate man Adam! The redeemed soul has an historical and legal record that threatens the entire Adamic nature."Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him" (Rom. 6:6-9).
Without the death brought by the cross, there can be no such thing as resurrection life. You can contemplate your navel 'til the cows come home and practice the eastern techniques of meditation, but no one enters the Kingdom without embracing the revelation of the cross of the Lord. The cross is a mandatory part of our entrance into the Kingdom. It is not only needful to know the cross in an historical sense, but it must become practical and experiential in our spiritual sojourn.
We would challenge all who read these words to soberly ponder the fact that it was never God's final intention to have His Kingdom confined in the microcosm of the believer. We are not riding on a nonstop spinning wheel that sees no end to the cogs of the world system. The obedience of the humble Nazarene that was brought into the world to be rejected and impaled has opened the way for an entirely brand new creation. As each member of this new creation comes to the reality of the indwelling cross, this world system will become more and more crucified to them, and they will become more and more crucified to it (Gal. 6:14).
God's Provision for Our Ability to Die
"And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" (Lk. 24:49).The cross in its historical sense reveals the answer to all humanity's need for a saviour. The cross in its experiential sense reveals the need for our Saviour to become our Lord! Jesus has admonished all that would follow after Him to take up their cross. "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Lk. 9:23). Our Lord is speaking of laying down our lives. Each time we lay down our life, we are taking up the cross. We say amen to the fact that all humanity hung on the cross with Christ at Calvary, but which is a greater testimony-- giving a sermon on the finished work of the cross or living a crucified life?
The historical view of the cross that confirms mankind's need for a saviour and refutes the theory of man's inherent goodness is only one step through the narrow entrance of the Kingdom of God. The pressures, the shakings and all the opposition give us ample room to either grow or fall by the way side with the offended. It is the laying down of our lives that will bring us the release to rest in assurance during the shaking of other kingdoms and rejoice in their disestablishment. However, if we shrink back from the experiential aspect of the cross we cannot follow our Saviour into the revelation of His Lordship! It is the Lordship of Jesus Christ in a corporate body that will manifest and establish the Kingdom of God in the earth!
When we take the example of our Lord who laid His life down, we are witnessing to the reality of His presence within us as well as among us. Beloved, this may not sound too deep, but this practical single hearted devotion is what testifies of the depth of penetration that the Kingdom of God has found in our hearts!
God does not dangle a carrot in front of our nose and challenge us to do things that He never enabled us to do. The Peter that denied the Lord and bitterly wept was not the same Peter that stood up and declared the Gospel during Pentecost! Oh, it was the same man all right, but at one time this man was powerless to witness. He was powerless to be a martyr. (The Greek word translated 'witness' is martus, where we get our English word 'martyr'). He was powerless to lay down his life for the further advancement of the Kingdom of God! He was powerless to embrace the cross!
God's Provision to Manifest the Kingdom
"And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" (Lk. 24:49). The same Greek word for power in Luke 24:49 is the same word translated as miracle in other scriptures. That Greek word is dunamis and it literally speaks of ability. In Acts chapter 2 we find a group of people, a firstfruits if you will, that was given the ability to lay down their lives! It is interesting to note that dunamis was also used in another verse that Paul used to describe the Kingdom. "For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power" (1 Cor.4:20). The Concordant Greek Text renders power in this verse as ability and it renders word as saying, so the verse could literally read; "The Kingdom of God is not in saying, but in ability."With the laying down of our lives and the ability that only God can give, which is sometimes literally referred to as miraculous, I cannot help but think of these lyrics by Michael Card:
EVERY TIME A FAITHFUL SERVANT SERVES A BROTHER THAT'S IN NEEDTo operate in the Kingdom of God is to operate out of the divine ability that only God can give. To construct a theology about the Kingdom that confines the indwelling ability of the Holy Spirit to the past is nothing less than the rejection of the Kingdom! Will we receive this Kingdom which is found in the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit?
WHAT HAPPENS AT THAT MOMENT IS A MIRACLE INDEED
AS THEY LOOK TO ONE ANOTHER IN AN INSTANT IT IS CLEAR
ONLY JESUS IS VISIBLE FOR THEY'VE BOTH DISAPPEARED.
The Kingdom of God/ Facing a Present Reality
It seems that the majority of Christianity is bent on eschatological fiction which fails to acknowledge the reality of the Kingdom of God that came in power, which is the dunamis of the Holy Spirit."And He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power" (Mk. 9:1). It is quite interesting that the Lord made this comment in the same context that He mentions taking up the cross and following him and then mentions another admonition concerning laying down our lives. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it." (Mk. 8:35). Compare Matt.16:24-28, Mark 8:34-9:1 and Luke 9:23-27.
We know there are many views concerning the fulfillment of those who would not see death before they see the Kingdom of God come in power. Some would say this was speaking of the transfiguration. The transfiguration is mentioned after the statements concerning the Kingdom coming. We are aware of many different views of the Kingdom coming in relation to Mark 9:1 as well as other places in the scriptures.
It is not our intention give you an exhaustive analysis of each school of thought pertaining to the coming of the Kingdom of God, but we may touch on a few points that address some of these other views along the way.
Many times people get locked up in debating what's wrong or what's right, rather than focusing on what ministers life! If we are not ministering life then we have missed the whole point of the Kingdom! Eschatological views and End Time theology has often painted a beautiful picture of life in the sweet bye and bye, but it often fails to leave an impartation of life applicable for this current age! Any theology that fails to impart life and draw our hearts closer to divine destiny, which brings a much fuller meaning of the purpose of the Kingdom and bears witness to the Kingdom's present reality found in Christ, may as well be considered irrelevant information!
We cannot say that there is no truth to be found in the other views concerning the Kingdom, and we cannot say that we have the full measure of truth on the subject. We can easily lose sight of the Lord and lift up our piece of truth and make an idol out of it and in a way begin to sneer at those who will not come and bow to our idol and profess our idol as the only way. We soon begin to place ourselves in a superior class apart from others who are supposedly not as deep as we are. This type of spiritual pride does absolutely nothing for the further advancement of the Kingdom of God! The word "kingdom" begins to become a buzz word for those who are wise in their own minds! It does not make our part of the truth untrue, it just places the emphasis on something that is only a part of THE TRUTH! As we have already have stated in previous writings, we view the truth not as a doctrine, but as the person of Jesus Christ and all of His Doctrine is true! He knows no 'in part' realm! (Jn. 14:6).
The exclusive claim of Jesus is the unmistakable absolute that will always be found as an illuminating guide through the entrance of God's Kingdom. Without this divinely established absolute, all other facets of truth are mere fragments that remain destitute of the harmony that can only be found in Christ.
Considering the Arrival of the Present Reality
The statement Jesus made in Mark 9:1 concerning those who would live to see the Kingdom coming in power was declared to some of those who were among the one hundred and twenty that waited in Jerusalem to be endued with power from on high. This coming power was declared to his disciples as well as others, and they witnessed a demonstration of the coming power! Even the Pharisees were eye witnesses to the dunamis of the Kingdom of God which is found in the Holy Spirit. "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you." (Lk. 11:20). "The Kingdom of God is come upon you." Even before the fulfillment on the day of Pentecost, the Kingdom of God was made manifest through the power in which Jesus operated.". . .It is rather by means of God's power that I drive out demons, and this proves that the Kingdom of God has already come to you." (Lk. 11:20 Good News New Testament). It is quite obvious that Jesus Christ did not strictly equate the Kingdom of God with a millennium in the distant future! If He did, both He and John the Baptist had no business saying, "the Kingdom is at hand" (Matt. 3:2 & 4:17). John the Baptist knew about the transition that was about to take place. Jesus Himself ushered in this transition by simply doing the will of the Father.
God marked the first major transition in Genesis 6:3. "And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be numbered an hundred and twenty years." The first time one hundred and twenty is mentioned in the scriptures is the context of the an upcoming transition involving the flood. If you pick this number up and follow it through the scriptures you will see that it is always used in the context of an ending of one thing and the beginning of another. An age comes to an end and a new one starts. We see this number in the life of Aaron and Moses used to mark a transition in the chain of command as the time drew closer for Israel to possess their inheritance (Num.33:39 & Duet.34:7). The last time one hundred and twenty appears is in regards to the one hundred and twenty in the upper room. It marks the transition in which the Kingdom of God was demonstrated through one man (Jesus) and would now be established through a corporate man (Acts 1:15).
The Kingdom came in power on the day of Pentecost for those who experienced it! For those who did not experience it, the event was an occasion to mock the recipients of the Kingdom! (Acts 2:13-15).
We find the same conviction on the Kingdom in these words by Andrew Murray: "Jesus Christ came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and proclaimed, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand' (Matt. 3:2). 'Some,' He said, 'are standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom' (Matt. 16:28). He said to the disciples, 'The kingdom of God is within you' (Lk. 17:21).
And, when did the Kingdom come---that Kingdom of God upon earth? When the Holy Spirit descended. On Ascension Day, the King went and sat down upon the throne at the right hand of God, and the Kingdom of God, in Christ, the Kingdom of heaven upon earth, was inaugurated. When the Holy Spirit came down, He brought God into the heart and established the rule of God in power." -end quote (The Master's Indwelling, p.68-69).
Beloved, it is in the heart that the Kingdom of God must first be established! Make no mistake about it! Jesus of Nazareth could have skipped the cross and continued to demonstrate the power of the Kingdom as one man, but unless that precious seed of God was not dropped in the ground to die, it would abide alone! (Jn. 12:24). He knew that He was to prepare a people that would declare His generation! (Is. 53:10). He knew the Father's plan was to multiply His very expression in the earth and replenish it with His perfect nature which subdues everything contrary to Christ! (Gen. 1:28 & 9:1). He knew the Father had purposed such a victorious plan before the ages ever began - a plan that could only lead to the ages ending in the fulfillment of God's desire, which is to be all in all, in perfect fellowship with His entire creation! (1 Cor. 15:28).
If Jesus would have come with a military force of some sort to wipe out the kingdoms of men, it would not have changed the heart of mankind one bit! He may have been a bit more welcomed by the Pharisees, but the Kingdom is to be set up internally and spiritually! Until the Kingdom of God has been established in the heart of man, he will continue to manifest the fruit of an unregenerate heart. Jesus Christ took everything that involved the warfare and advancement of Israel recorded in the Old Testament into a higher plane. He operated in the heavens while He walked the earth! "No one has ascended into heaven except He Who descends out of heaven, the Son of Mankind Who is in heaven" (Jn. 3:13 C.N.L.T.). Humanity cannot grasp this higher plane that Jesus walked in. Unfortunately, Christians that demand the Kingdom to come according to carnal terms cannot grasp it either. The bottom line is this: Until the Kingdom of God has been fully established internally, by the Spirit, to the point that our hearts are at one with the Father, there will be no physical, literal and external manifestation of the Kingdom of God to the extent that will establish it in its finality!
As the present reality of God's Kingdom makes a life changing impact on each generation, many heavens and many earths will encounter a divine shaking and be removed. As long as the Kingdom of God is nothing more than an age yet to come in another lifetime, we will never partake of the present benefits that are found in the Kingdom! These benefits are righteousness, peace, and joy (Rom.14:17). The recipients of the Kingdom did not have to wait for a millennial reign to partake of the Kingdom. Beloved, when the waves of disturbance are raging in every direction and thundering confusion deafens the sea of humanity and their tension begins to rock our boat, but we abandon ourselves to the leading of the Spirit and starve the mongers of fear and begin to feed the atmosphere with peace, that is when we are partaking of the Kingdom! When the cold desensitized eyes of death begin to glare at us and laugh at the conviction God has birthed in our heart and we still continue to deny death the right to silence our faith, and we have purposed in our hearts, that be it life or death, we will only embrace that which is unshakable, that is partaking of the Kingdom!
The Great Mountain that Shall Fill the Earth
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever" (Dan. 2:44)Now we do believe the kingdom is yet on the way in the sense of a Kingdom that has yet to come into full fruition, but we would like to state that the Kingdom is something that has already been planted and has been growing ever since the Lord began to sow the living word in the hearts of the out-called. Although the Kingdom came on Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, we in no way wish to leave the impression that it ended on Pentecost. Many people are satisfied with knowing Jesus saved them and having a Pentecostal experience. Is that all God has to offer us? The simple fact that there has been a spiritual fulfillment for Passover and Pentecost should leave us with an expectancy for a spiritual fulfillment and experience of the Feast of Tabernacles. Tabernacles is not our focus in this study, but we will say that it ties into the great mountain that shall fill the earth.
When the Kingdom of God is lodged deep within our hearts, and we yield to the only One who can bring increase to the Kingdom, and no one is able to take that which God has given to us away from us with their knowledge about God's Kingdom or their pseudo mystical supposition, then we have truly received from God and have been made partakers of His glorious Kingdom! When our life is taken up with operating strictly out of the invisible realm of the Spirit, there will be a visible manifestation of a Kingdom that is already here!
". . . and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." (Dan. 2:35)
In consideration of all the hows and whys that involve the manifestation of the Kingdom of God, we boldly submit to you that when God scattered the first fruits in the book of Acts, this was the beginning of what was said in Daniel 2:44! Through martyrdom, persecution and all manner of opposition, the Kingdom has been scattered like fire throughout the earth, and indeed, it has been broken into pieces to consume all the kingdoms of men. We are living stones that would do well to purpose in our hearts to be part of that great mountain that shall fill the whole earth.
We have spoken so much about transition throughout this article. As we come to the close of a millennium, it seems like the cup of vanity, vexation, and all the ingredients of the Adamic decay found in the old creation is running over. We cannot help but ask, "Will we consider this as a time of transition? Will we mistake the glossy packaging of easily shaken religiosity for the Kingdom of God? Will we take what was meant to be a reality and grow content with mere terminology? Will we grow preoccupied with our speculations of the future, while the future draws closer and closer to our doorstep? Will we grow content with something less than what God has purposed for us to possess? Will we substitute ancient lies cloaked under something that appears to be new and of the truth as our way into a higher plane of the Spirit, or will we embrace the indwelling cross and draw from the Kingdom that surpasses philosophy with the ability to apprehend what we have been apprehended for? Yes, the Kingdom is within us, but how glorious it is to be in the Kingdom, for what we abide in will truly be determined by our response to the divine shaking that comes during each transition that each generation shall encounter until every enemy has been subdued. Are we abiding in the One who is the embodiment of the Kingdom?
We thank God for those who have received the Gospel of the Kingdom into their hearts and we know they are precious messengers to Him. We would like to dedicate this article to two of those messengers who have given themselves to the Gospel of the Kingdom and those eternal things pertaining to our Lord Jesus Christ, Don and Louise Cooley.