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BACKGROUND
Kingdom of God
KINGDOM OF GOD, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
Heaven
HEAVEN.
The
full background to this teaching is available online at this link
For Serious Students
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Online links to scriptures (New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise stated) are shown in blue
| THE ETERNAL KINGDOM OF GOD |
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| KINGDOM PAST |
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 One of the basic differences between the Old and New Testaments is the perceived change from 'physicality' to 'spirituality'.
For example, the physical presence of God was found in the Tabernacle and the Temple, in the Old, while our bodies have become the spiritual temple of the Holy Spirit, in the New.
Luke 17:20-21
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 In the weeks ahead we will look at the correctness of our understanding.
However, for today, as we discuss the 'kingdom past', we need to place ourselves in the position of the Jews at the time of Jesus.
Their history was of the glory of the Jewish nation under David and then Solomon, at which time Israel became an important regional power in the Middle East.
God inhabited the Tabernacles of Moses and David, His presence being found between the cherubim on the Ark in the Holy of Holies. (To find out more, check out A REVELATION OF....... THE AMAZING TABERNACLE OF MOSES)
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 Of course, through disobedience, this 'kingdom' split into two, disintegrated and finally disappeared as the people were conquered. The ten tribes of Israel disappeared forever while the remaining 2 tribes of Judah, plus many of the priests, were taken into captivity in Babylon. Eventually a small group returned to the Jerusalem area, led by Nehemiah and Hezekiah, to rebuild the city and the temple.
However the city remained under foreign control of various conquering empires until, at the time of Jesus, it was the Roman's turn to rule the Palestine area. The people, of course, longed for the glory days of their former 'kingdom'. Many thought Jesus would be the 'saviour' to restore their land to them.
Mark 11:9-10
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 The Romans, quite naturally, pursued Him, particularly during the last year of His ministry, as a perceived enemy of the state and threat to their rule. They were supported by most Jewish religious leaders who desired the status quo, as religious leaders generally do. When, after Palm Sunday, Jesus did not lead an insurrection, the people too, turned against Him, and demanded that He be put to death.
Matthew 27:22
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 For the 'kingdom past', in the eyes of the Jews, both then and now, was a physical, territorial kingdom of Jewish people, with Jerusalem as its capital.
There are many similarities, as I am sure you will realise, with what is perceived to be the kingdom of the future, when Jesus returns to rule and reign upon the earth.
The 'kingdom past' then, is very much a physical entity, one based on ethnicity, located in the Middle East, comprising all the lands God promised to the Patriarchs, including those which were not fully conquered, even at the height of Solomon's reign during Israel's glory days.
Deuteronomy 34:1-4
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Jesus both changed and extended the concept of 'kingdom' in a way the people did not understand.
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| KINGDOM FUTURE |
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 Man will undoubtedly continue to hypothesize about the future kingdom of God, until it arrives. Of course, there are as many views as there are Christians!
Basically however, there are 2 alternatives. One, that the kingdom will only ever be spiritual, and the other, that a physical kingdom will, some day in the future, come into being, either on earth or as a new creation. It is not my purpose to get into detail here.
Scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments, looks forward to a day when Jesus will rule and reign with His faithful saints.
In the Old:
Daniel 2:44
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 Overwhelmingly, the people of Old Testament times looked forward to a future, perfect physical kingdom, and this too was assumed and confirmed, in the New.
Once we leave the first chapters of Revelation, dealing with the state of the churches, the remaining section that talks in clear, unambiguous, nearly all non-symbolic, terms to me, is the start of chapter 20, describing the 1000 year reign.
Revelation 20:1-6
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Most Christians do believe in the existence of a future physical kingdom.
We therefore have a past physical kingdom, as described in the Old Testament, and a generally accepted future physical kingdom, promised in the New.
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| <i>NEXT WEEK:</i> A REVELATION OF... THE ETERNAL KINGDOM OF GOD continues |
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 Next week, we will start considering the present kingdom, if indeed there is one!
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| A NOTE FROM DAVID |
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 We have now looked at both ends of the continuum of the kingdom. Now we just have to see what is in the middle.
BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY
The Coins of Jesus' Time
Pontius Pilate under Tiberius, AE Prutah, 15mm. Simpulum, Greek inscription and date LIS (year 16 = AD29)/Three wheat ears, Greek inscription. This coin was minted and in circulation during the active ministry of Jesus.
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So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours
Learn more about us at...
www.wwj.org.nz/about.php
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A DAVID'S DOODLING
1019. While religion may desire to build God's kingdom, it finally succeeds in building its own.
David Tait
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Check
out the WWJ website for….
More David's Doodlings: www.wwj.org.nz/dd.php
Till Death do us Part!: http://www.wwj.org.nz/tddup.php
Pets Rule!: http://www.wwj.org.nz/pets.php
The World's Greatest Groans: http://www.wwj.org.nz/groans.php
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