Epochal Events (11) Kingdom of God

The long season after the Time of Distress is the fulfilment of the Kingdom of God. Once the fullness of the Jew's come in, the team is complete. The spiritual powers of evil will have lost their power, so a time of great victory for the church will follow.

Daniel had a vision of the Ancient of Days, God, and one like a son of man coming into his presence (Dan 7:9,13,14). This is the ascension when Jesus entered heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father. He was given a Kingdom that would never end.

Daniel 7:18,22,27 describes a subsequent period when the saints possess the Kingdom. Sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. This is a picture of people of God being given authority to establish his Kingdom. The game plan is still the same. The Kingdom advances rapidly by the proclamation of the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. (Look here for a full description of the Kingdom of God).

In Ephesians 1:9,10, this season is called the Times of Fulfilment. At first glance, this appears to be a reference to the Second Coming. However, the event is the mystery, which God purposed in Christ. In Ephesians 3:10, this mystery is explained as the church achieving victory over rulers and authorities (the mystery is not the Second Coming).

During the season of the Kingdom, all God's promises will be fulfilled. Our mandate to fill the earth and manage it will be completed. Our commission to make disciples of all nations will be successful.

The glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab 2:14).

How long will the times of the fulfilment of the Kingdom last? The Bible does not say. However, this is one of the two very long seasons. If the Times of the Gentiles go for 2000 years, the Times of Fulfilment could last at least as long, or longer. This is God's best season, so it is unlikely it will be cut short.

According to Revelation 7:9, there will be a great multitude in heaven, for more than can be counted. The angels have been counted, and there are thousands of millions of them. There will be far more Christians than angels. Currently, there are only about a billion Christians on heaven and on earth, a number equivalent to the population of China (which can be counted). Considerable more time will be required for this great multitude of people to be brought in.

God is a gracious God. By the time that this season is complete, the number of those saved will far exceed the number who have been lost — a far more respectable score.

Bottom Up

Too many Christians mistakenly believe that the Kingdom of God is established from the top down. It is actually built from the bottom up. Unless the lower layers are established correctly, the upper layers will be weak, unstable and vulnerable. My book called Government of God explains how Jesus works from the bottom up, with a different, counter-cultural government and a different way of being governed . Until we start working from the bottom in his way, the spiritual powers of evil will continue to manipulate the people with power at the top, regardless of their party loyalty.

Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God did not begin when Jesus arrived on earth. It does not begin in the future when he returns.

The Kingdom of God began when God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt and placed them in a new land that he had chosen for them.

He gave them his laws to obey in the land. He was King over his people. King, territory, people and law. That is all that is needed for a kingdom to exist.

The problem was that the people could not obey God’s law, because they had not yet received the Holy Spirit in fulness. They submitted instead to the spiritual powers of evil, who undermined God’s kingdom and enslaved them again.

The kingship distorted the understanding of kingdom, even though some like David, Hezekiah and Josiah were good kings, because intermediary kings were inserted between God the King and his people. When they served a human king like the other nations, the people forgot that God was actually their King.

Jesus solved the problem by rescuing us from the spiritual powers of evil and sending the Holy Spirit to be the true intermediary between God the King and his people. This was a restoration and extension to Gentiles of the existing Kingdom, not the inauguration of a new Kingdom.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to enable his people to expand his kingdom into the world. The church has failed to enter into God’s kingdom in two ways.

• A human priest or pastor has been imposed as an intermediary between the people and their king, instead of the Holy Spirit.

• A focus on weekly worship and preaching has left Christians living mostly in the kingdoms of the world, with a worship service on the side.

The Kingdom of God will expand as Jesus gradually takes new territory as the gospel is preached in the power of the Spirit and people are rescued from the spiritual powers of evil and taught to obey the Holy Spirit's leading.

Kingdom of God

The Kingdom is not an adjective that can be applied to church programmes.

“Kingdom” is a noun. We need a vision of a different kingdom.

• The Kingdom of God is a different government.

• The Kingdom of God is a transformed society.

• The Kingdom of God is a different way of living.

A kingdom is a people living in a territory controlled by a king. They serve him and obey his laws.

The Kingdom of God is a group of people living in the same area and committed to obeying and serving Jesus.

So what does the Kingdom of God look like in practice?

• The building block of the kingdom is a group of people who have chosen to follow Jesus. They listen to the Holy Spirit and follow his leading and guidance.

• They choose to become a community of people living in the same neighbourhood, so they can support each other.

• They love one another. They serve each other, because they love one another.

• The people of the community love and serve everyone in their neighbourhood. Most of the people who have not chosen to follow Jesus are drawn to him, or get pulled into the community’s activities.

• The leaders are wise people that provide guidance, without using control, intimidation or manipulation.

• It is not clear how they became leaders, but everyone trusts them, because the love and serve the community. People submit to them because they trust them.

• The leaders love each other and submit to each other. They check with each other before making decision that will affect the rest of the community.

• The leaders have balanced giftings that enable them to complement each other. One is quite black and white. Another is good at establishing connecting with people they do not know. Several had a shepherd’s heart.

• People who choose to follow Jesus give away their unrighteous wealth. This is used to support people in need and to pay restitution to people who are the victims of crime.

• The community provides social support for anyone in the community who falls into trouble. They do the same for everyone living in the neighbourhood.

• Deacons use the money that is given away to support the poor. They teach them how to live more responsibility and support themselves.

• The community protects everyone in their neighbourhood from spiritual attack by standing against the spiritual powers of evil.

• The community provides protection for everyone in their neighbour against attacks of violence, by prayer and solidarity.

• Leaders of the community find or provide employment for their neighbours.

• People who follow Jesus, save more and spend less. This frees resources for starting businesses that benefit the community and neighbourhood.

• Leaders provide wise and fair decisions to solve legal disputes over property for everyone in the neighbourhood, including those who do not follow Jesus.

• The leaders provide justice for everyone in their neighbourhood, who experienced theft or violence.

• They ensure that criminals provide restitution. The community pays the restitution to the victim, if the criminal refuses to pay it.

• Different groups of people meet together frequently to pray.

• Different groups of people gather together to worship.

• The leaders send teams of people out to start new communities in other neighbourhoods. This is how the Kingdom of God expands.

More at Kingdom of God.

Territory (4) None

No matter how strong and army, it can rarely seize control of a big area of territory in one attack, because it will become over-extended. A better approach is to attack a small pocket of territory, clear out all the opposition and establish strong defences, before pushing out from that stronghold to take more territory, and repeat the process of establishing control over it.

The Modern Church Model cannot take spiritual control of territory, because church members live in homes scattered across a wide area in the enemy’s territory. Even the pastor-leader is isolated in the suburbs of their city and vulnerable to spiritual attack. Christians who live in isolation from other members of their church will struggle to spiritually defend their homes, because they are standing alone and the spiritual powers of evil can concentrate to attack them. They are incapable of seizing spiritual control of territory beyond their home, because they have insufficient spiritual resources.

People driving to a church meeting once a week cannot establish territory there Jesus has authority. The best that they can achieve is gaining spiritual control over a church building. The spiritual powers of evil do not care about that, because they can dominate the surrounding territory. Jesus has authority in the church building where the church gathers, but once the meeting is over the Christians are scattered throughout enemy territory. A gathered church has no ability to seize spiritual control of territory around their church building.

Because the Modern Church Model cannot receive the Kingdom, some pastor-leaders are tempted to collaborate with political leaders in an effort to use political power to establish God’s will. Their strategy will not work, because it strengthens the human kingdom that the enemy uses to fight against God’s Kingdom. Political power relies on Imposed Authority. God will not use Imposed Authority it to establish his Kingdom, because he will not force people to do his will. Instead, he wants people to freely submit to Jesus and obey his Spirit because they love him.

The Modern Church Model has been prevalent for at least the last thirty years, but it has failed to advance God’s kingdom, because it has no ability to take spiritual control of territory. With no territory under his authority, Jesus He is left as a king without territory. Unfortunately, most leaders of these churches are focussed on numbers of people, so they do not even see territory as important. The Modern Church Model cannot take spiritual control of territory, so it cannot receive the Kingdom of God, despite all the talk about it.

Territory (2) Spiritual Strongholds

Territory is critical to the Kingdom of God. He has given humans authority on earth, so he needs places where people have given him permission to work. To defeat the spiritual powers of evil, he needs places where his people have given the Holy Spirit full freedom to operate. A single house or a church building does not give him much scope. The Holy Spirit will be more effective, if his followers establish a stronghold in a group of dwellings close to each other (the shaded dwellings).

Establishing a beachhead in a strategic locality and then expanding outward is the most effective way to expand the territory of a king. An army takes a city street by street and neighbourhood by neighbourhood.

The advance of the kingdom of God needs followers of Jesus to establish spiritual strongholds where his authority is accepted. The best way to take territory for Jesus is a group of his followers choosing to live close together in one place. If they are committed to the leading of the Holy Spirit, he will sort out the housing issues, but they will need to stop seeking capital gains and start seeking kingdom gains.

Two or three families living close to each other in an area will have spiritual control over their homes. By standing together in unity, they have authority to force the spiritual powers of evil to leave the vicinity of their homes. They can establish a small territory that is evil-spirit free.

They must not try to try to get control over the people living in this territory. Rather they should love them and serve them while driving all evil spirits out the area. Jesus has promised that where two or three of his followers come together in one place, he is there in the midst of them.

Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them (Matt 18:18-20).

The word “gather” is “sunago”. It requires more than coming together for a prayer meeting. Living in love and unity in the same place expands their spiritual authority, because Jesus promises to be there with them.

Those who live near each other and love one another will have greater spiritual authority, because Jesus has promised that they will be able to defeat the spiritual powers of evil in the surrounding territory. They will be able to pray for the sick and cast out demons because they are united in Jesus. They can establish an evil-spirit-free zone where the Holy Spirit is free to work (the shaded area).

Territory (1)

Territory is critical for the Kingdom of God. The main reason that the Modern Church Model cannot receive the kingdom, it that it has no capacity to take spiritual control of territory.

Kings needs territory. A king without territory is not a real king. If another ruler gains control of his territory, he is just a pretender.

The spiritual powers of evil understand the importance of territory. The powerful ones have become “principalities and powers” controlling nations and kingdoms by dominating the kings and political leaders with authority over them. Lesser spirits control smaller areas where they have been given authority.

In the last couple of centuries, the church has lost interest in territory. Jesus now has many followers in the world, but very little territory where he has authority. There are very few places where he is king. Instead, his followers are scattered throughout territory that is controlled by the enemy. Because they live and work in enemy territory, they are often battered, beaten and robbed.

If there are no areas on earth that are evil-spirit free, then Jesus does not have a kingdom on earth. He just has people who have given allegiance to him living as outlaws in enemy territory. This should disturb us. Jesus needs followers who understand the importance of territory. To establish the Kingdom of God on earth, God needs a church that can take spiritual control of territory for him and push the spiritual powers of evil out of it.

No matter how strong and army, it can rarely seize control of a big area of territory in one attack, because it will become over-extended. A better approach is to attack a small pocket of territory, clear out all the opposition and establish strong defences, before pushing out from that stronghold to take more territory, and repeat the process of establishing control over it.

Coming of the Kingdom

When did the Kingdom of God begin? Most theologians assume that Jesus inaugurated a kingdom, but that does not seem to be right. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God had come near, which implies that it already existed.

The scriptures teach that the Kingdom of God began when God rescued the children of Israel from Israel and Moses led them into the promised land. God spoke to the people through Israel.

Now if you will carefully listen to me and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession out of all the peoples, although the whole earth is mine, and you will be my kingdom of priests and my set-apart people (Ex 19:5-6).

God promised that if they kept his covenant and obeyed his word, they would be a kingdom of priests and people set apart for God. They would be a kingdom with God as their king. When they accepted the covenant, the Kingdom of God began.

The Kingdom of God was established in Moses time, but it quickly slipped away. The fullness of the Holy Spirit had not come, so the people struggled to live with God as their king. They quickly shifted to trusting in political and military power. This choice was cemented in place in Samuel’s time when the people demanded a king like the nations. God explained to Samuel that they had rejected his kingship (1 Sam 8).

The Kingdom came again with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. However, it has waxed and waned. It advanced quickly, but in the third century, it became emerged in political and military power.

A kingdom has laws. People who assume that the Kingdom of God began with Jesus claim that the Sermon on the Mount is the law of the Kingdom. That is a mistake because it turns a description of behaviour that flows out of life in the Spirit into a set of rules that are impossible to keep. The gospel is life in the Spirit not a tougher set of rules.

The laws of the Kingdom are the laws of Moses. Their purpose is to restrain the behaviour of people who have rejected the gospel and the Spirit and help the people of God to live together in peace. I explain how these apply in my books called Government of God and God’s Economy.

Gospel of Kingdom

Jesus went around announcing the good news of the Kingdom of God.

After this, Jesus travelled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God (Luke 8:1).

I am sure that many followers of Jesus can explain in a few sentences why Jesus death on the cross is good news. How many can explain in a few sentences how the Kingdom of God is good news?

Yet this is what Jesus did. Huge numbers of people followed him, so they obviously understood what he meant. And it brought change. In the subsequent verses, Luke explains that rich women were giving away some of their wealth to support poor disciples (Luke 8:2-3).

How can a new kingdom with a new king be good news? A kingdom is the people in a place ruled by a king? Even if the king is top class, the place and the people must be pretty special for the people to be attracted to the Kingdom.

Could you give a description of the Kingdom in a few sentences that would get people so excited that rich women would start giving away their wealth?

Kingdom and Politics

God will establish his kingdom on earthy regardless of who wins the US presidential election, and despite them.

Ironically the election of a really bad president, might spread the coming of the kingdom, because it would shake faith in human government and presidential power.

Transformational Events

In a previous post, I suggest that Christians should be looking for the next big transformational events on God’s linear plan. One of these is the collapse of political empires and their military support. The scriptures warn that religious disputes, war, economic crisis and plague produce empire (Rev 6:1-8). They also prophesy a massive collapse of empire, which is so awful that people will be turned off empire forever.

I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother (Haggai 2:21-22).

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb (Rev 6:15-16)

If the church is true to its Lord, the rise of empire will lead to persecution (Rev 6:9-11). Perseverance through persecution will refine and prepare the remnant.

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people (Rev 13:10).

Persecution will produce a prepared remnant ready to work with the Holy Spirit to establish the Kingdom of God on earth.

The kingdom of the world has becomes
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
and he will reign for ever and ever (Rev 11:15).

NZ and the Nations

Yesterday was is a hundred years since Australian and New Zealand Troops landed on a beach in Turkey as part of the Dardanelles campaign during the First World War. The cost was high and the campaign was a failure. The troops were withdrawn 9 months later, having failed to achieve their objective.

During the campaign, nearly 3000 NZ men died and twice as many were wounded, leaving many young lives were ruined. These casualties were a huge blow for a nation of just over a million people.

The young New Zealand men who went to Gallipoli were all volunteers. I have often wondered why so many young men volunteered to go and fight in a country on the other side of the world in a place they knew nothing about.

One reason is that New Zealand has a calling to be a prophetic nation. God has two purposes for New Zealand. The first is to be a base from which the gospel is launched into Asia and the Pacific. Our failure to fulfil that calling is one reason why so many people from Asia and the Pacific have come to New Zealand. They are looking for the gospel, but do not realise it.

The second purpose God has for New Zealand is to be a nation where the Kingdom of God is demonstrated to the world.

God wants New Zealand as a nation
that will be a model to the nations
of a people who are living under the government of God.
God intends New Zealand to be one of those nations
where he demonstrates his Kingdom.
New Zealand is a nation that could be brought
under the government of God
and be a light to the nations.

This call is not new, it has always been there. Therefore, it is not surprising that the young men who went overseas were motivated by a strong desire to make a difference in the world. Unfortunately, they were let down by their leaders and they ending up fighting for the wrong kingdom, in the wrong way, so their brave struggles and the sacrifice of their lives was wasted.

They fought and died to protect the British Empire. They had been taught that the British Empire was so noble that it seemed like the Kingdom of God. Their leaders told them that by fighting for this empire they were fighting for God. It is now obvious that this was not true. The British Empire was no better than any other human empire, and it was definitely not the Kingdom of God.

Their chaplains also told them that dying in a war is the kind of sacrifice that Christian who follow Jesus are called to make. Unfortnately that was not true either. Jesus refused to use war to advance his kingdom, because he knew that it strengthens the spiritual forces of evil. In war, they are always the winners. When he was confronted by Roman military power, he suffered and died on the cross.

The true Christian sacrifice is responding to power and violence, with love, compassion and suffering. That is what Jesus did, and that is what he calls those who follow him to do. It is this kind of love and suffering that will bring in his Kingdom. The Kingdom of God will not be established by war and sacrificial death in war. It will be advanced by love and suffering in the face of evil and violence. When Jesus disciples follow his example, the Holy Spirit is free to work and the gospel goes forth in power.

Kingdom Come

When Jesus was teaching his disciples to pray, he taught them how to pray in the Kingdom of God.

Your will be done in the earthly realms,
as it is done in the spiritual realms (Matt 6:10).

In the spiritual realms, the angels rush to do the Father’s will (Ps 103:20). The kingdom comes on earth when people rush to do his bidding in the same way as the angels in the spiritual realms. When the Holy Spirit prompts and people follow his guidance, the kingdom will come.

Paul said the same thing in a different way when he explained that God’s goal for history is for there to be unity between the spiritual and physical realms.

He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfilment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ (Eph 1:9-10).

When the times are fulfilled, things in both the spiritual and the physical realms will come into unity by being submitted to Jesus. His kingdom will have come when all authority in heaven and on earth has been brought back under him.

Great Brain Robbery

Very few Christians believe that the church will establish the Kingdom of God in this age. Most believe that the gospel will be successful at times and that some churches will grow very large, but they do not expect that the Kingdom of God to come in their time. The possibility never occurs to them. For many Christians, the next big thing is the second coming. They do not mind if the situation in the world gets worse and worse, because they see it as a sign that the coming of Jesus is getting closer. Therefore, they do not really want to see the Kingdom coming closer.

The popular belief that Jesus will return to establish the Kingdom of God is Satan’s greatest lie. He has used it successfully to cripple the church and rob us of our inheritance. He has fooled us into believing that we do not have to the Kingdom, because Jesus will do it for us when he returns. Unfortunately, although this idea is popular, it is not true. The Bible teaches that Jesus will return to receive the kingdom from the church, so that he can hand it back to the Father (1 Cor 15:24,25).

Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God incessantly. His gospel was a gospel of the kingdom. It was not a gospel of Kingdom at the end of age. It was a gospel of the Kingdom of God at hand, now. He commissioned the church to bring in the kingdom, now.

This seems strange to us. Jesus' view of the Kingdom is different from the view of most Christians. The reason is that many Christians have unwittingly accepted a lie from Satan. He has fooled us into believing that Jesus will establish the Kingdom when he returns. He has fooled us into believing that we don't have to do it, because Jesus will do it for us. The problem with this is that he has robbed us of our inheritance. The Kingdom of God is our inheritance.

When we read the Scriptures, we tend to shift the passages that promise victory to after the Second Coming. The Scriptures that promise hard times are assigned to the current age. This is part of the lie that Satan has sold us. The reality is that most of the passages about victory are meant for this age. We have been robbed of these promises of hope.

A corporate mental stronghold is a false idea that takes hold in a culture so that it is wisely accepted. The belief that Jesus will build the Kingdom of God when he returns is a corporate mental stronghold that has bound up the Church.

Jesus' view of the Kingdom is very different. His gospel was a gospel of the Kingdom now, not a gospel of Kingdom at the end of age. His was a gospel of the Kingdom of God at hand, so he commissioned the church to establish the Kingdom, now.

The Bible is clear about the result of the battle.

• Jesus won.
• Satan lost.

We should not be acting if he has won?

Wheat and Weeds

God does not physically separate out Christian institutions from non-Christian ones. Most institutions carry on with the same role. The only difference is in the way that authority is exercised within them. This is why Jesus said that we cannot see the Kingdom of God (Luke 17:20,21). The Kingdom of God is not visible, because there is not a set of Christian institutions and a separate set of non-Christian ones.

There will often be no visible difference between a Christian business and a non-Christian one. For example, a Christian joinery workshop will look the same as any other one. The staff will use the same equipment and have the same set of skills. They will often do the same tasks and produce similar products. The big difference is in the hearts of the owners and manager and the way that they exercise authority. The difference should be evident in the way they do business.

The parable of the wheat and weeds illustrates this point (Matt 13:24-43). The owner allows the wheat and the weeds to grow up together. Some Christians interpret this parable to mean that the Kingdom is never victorious, but they do not understand how crops grow. Wheat and weeds cannot grow together equally. One will always grow faster and choke out the other. If the weeds choke the wheat, the crop would not be worth harvesting. This can happen and many farmers have ploughed their "choked out" crops back into the soil.

A good crop of wheat will grow faster than the weeds, choking them out. The parable describes a good harvest, so this is what has happened. The wheat has grown better than the weeds, so they are choked out. They are so few and weak that they can be picked out one and a time and burned.

If good increases, evil must decrease. Jesus is describing a time in the parable when good becomes so powerful that evil is forced out of the world. There are a few weeds left, but they are so feeble that they have no impact. T They are choked out by the good wheat of the Kingdom of God.

In the parable of the mustard seed, the birds come and shelter in the branches. This is because the mustard tree becomes so strong and brings peace, that even those who oppose it (the birds) see its benefits and try to get some of them. The Government of God brings such blessing that even those who hate God enjoy its benefits, even while they still hate its King.

Bigger Box

The Kingdom of God is a bigger box than the church, as it contains most of life, whereas the church is limited to related people.

A business can be in the Kingdom, if the people operating , it are doing God’s will. The people are in the church, but the business is not part of the church.

A single action can be in the kingdom, if God’s will is done. A cluster of actions complying with God’s will comprise an activity. A number of activities that comply with God’s will make up an event that is part of the Kingdom. But actions and activities are not the church.

The church is people, whereas the Kingdom of God is every aspect of the life that complies with God’s will.

A more relevant question is whether the Holy Spirit can operate outside the church. The answer is not really, because he can only go where Christians give him permission through prayer. So even when he is working in the world beyond the church, he is linked to the prayers of the church.

The other question is whether people who are not Christians are part of the Kingdom, if they are doing God’s will without intending. The answer is no, because it is not enough to God’s will, but it must be done with the right motivation, which is the love of God.

Empire to Kingdom of God (19)

The Kingdom of God has come.

Government has shrunk and disappeared.

The majority of people in the area have chosen to follow Jesus.

Some people are still not Christians and not part of church. They can get the blessing of the Kingdom. However, they can still ignore the kingdom, if they choose. However, they will not get justice and protection from anywhere else.

All the institutions needed to support life are run by people who are submitted to Jesus. So his will done.

Hallelujah.

This full series can be found at Empire to Kingdom.

Empire to Kingdom of God (18)

More churches are established.

Empire to Kingdom of God (17)

More expansion occurs as the gospel is proclaimed mightily in the power of the spirit.

The government shrinks as its power collapses.

Empire to Kingdom of God (16)

More Kingdom stuff is formed.