Sometimes we think of “the kingdom of God” as a separate compartment of reality from physical, earthly kingdoms. It’s almost as if we view the kingdom of God as something we spiritually enter at salvation, but otherwise don’t have anything to do with until our death.
The kingdom of God wasn’t just established at the time of the children of Israel. God had established His kingdom in Eden. We see in Genesis 1:26 that God commissioned mankind to “rule over” creation according to the likeness of the image of God.
As we have already pointed out, mankind is not the “image” of God; he’s made in the likeness of the “image” of God. If mankind “rules over” in the likeness of the image of God, that means the “image of God” also “rules over,” correct?
Ultimately, God “rules over;” which His “image” accurately represents, which mankind is made according to.
Are you with me?
In other words, the kingdom of God is creation established and functioning how God originally designed it to function when He Himself is reigning as king.
This article is an excerpt of my latest ebook, 9 Questions Christians Need to Ask When Current Events Make Life Feel Crazy. You can download your own free copy here.
We see this in Eden, which is God’s kingdom perfectly established as originally designed. Creation functions in harmony and shalom. Shalom means much more than the absence of conflict; it means that creation and all that is in it flourishes with blessing and abundance.
Mankind rules over creation as a steward of it commissioned by their king, God.
The problem is, mankind rebelled against God as their king when they decided they would rather know good and evil for themselves. It wasn’t just an act of disobedience; it was an act of mutiny.
They would not have God as their king.
Again, as already mentioned, this ushered in sin and chaos into to the world.
In order to redeem His kingdom, to transform humanity from the inside out so that they willfully choose to place God as their king again, we see in Genesis 12 that God raises up a family from within this rebellious people through whom to bring the King who would ultimately conquer evil for good, blessing all the nations of the earth.
In Genesis 49:10, Jacob prophesies that the scepter shall not depart from Judah. This tells us that God having a kingdom and His people having a king is not a new concept when Samuel shows up and Israel begs for a king like the other nations (1Sam. 8:5).
God had intended a king for His people all along. But He intended a certain kind of king, one who would rule and reign according to His character and goodness.
In fact, God had already outlined in Deuteronomy 17 the kind of king Israel should put over themselves when they enter the promised land.
This king should not “acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire many horses” (vs. 16). Deuteronomy goes on to say that he,
…must not acquire many wives for himself so that his heart won’t go astray. He must not acquire very large amounts of silver and gold for himself. When he is seated on his royal throne, he is to write a copy of this instruction for himself on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to observe all the words of this instruction, and to do these statutes. Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, he will not turn from this command to the right or the left, and he and his sons will continue ruling many years over Israel. (17:17-20)
This type of king “foreshadows” God’s king who would ultimately come and show His people how He intended them to rule and reign over creation.
As 1 Samuel goes on to illustrate, however, king Saul does exactly the opposite of Deuteronomy 17 (see 1Sam. 8-16). This continues the trajectory of human kings.
It is important that we understand nations of the earth are at best shadow-like figures of the kingdom of God. God’s intention has been for a kingdom of people all along. It’s not as if God had this plan of perfect relationship with mankind, only to have that plan destroyed and they choose to set up nations for themselves, causing Him to develop His own nation of people in an attempt to win them back.
No, God’s kingdom has existed from the beginning of time. It is creation. And He rules over it and sets mankind to rule over it in the same way He does.
But since mankind lives in rebellion against God—unless there is repentance and a forsaking all other allegiances to enter the kingdom of God (Matt. 13:15, Acts 3:19)—any type of ruling will only distort justice and lead people away from God.
The kingdom of God is the True Kingdom.
Think of children playing “house.” The kingdom of God is the house in which the children play “house.” The kingdoms of this world are the makeshift “houses” the children create within their real house.
As opposed to kingdoms of this world, which are human governments ruled according to the way man perceives good and evil that stand in rebellion against God as king and proclaim the ugly stain of sin, God’s kingdom exists within the hearts of people who follow Jesus as Messiah, causing them to rule over creation according to the way He instructs mankind to rule. A way which ends up proclaiming His glory.
In this way, the kingdom of God transcends all earthly kingdoms and experiences. It has no borders.
When people’s hearts are transformed by the Holy Spirit to the point of viewing violence, wealth, and power—commodities pursued by earthly kingdoms—the way Jesus views them and not as kingdoms of this world view them, the kingdom of God has been “advanced.”
The kingdom of God has always been physical as well as spiritual. However, a reason we might be tempted to think of God’s kingdom as merely a spiritual reality that doesn’t necessarily affect things here on earth is that Jesus reoriented the nature in which the kingdom of God “conquers the world.”
For more on this, check out:
- NT Wright’s sermon: “Jesus and Tomorrow’s World”
- Joshua Good on Kingdom Gospel
- The Bible Project “Gospel of the Kingdom” video
- Melvin Lehman’s essay: “The Kingdom of God”
- King Jesus Claims His Church by Finny Kuruvilla
Click here to download your free copy of 9 Questions Christians Need to Ask When Current Events Make Life Feel Crazy
Hey there. Thanks for reading!
You’ve just read an excerpt of my latest eBook, 9 Questions Christians Need to Ask When Current Events Make Life Feel Crazy.
This eBook is designed to serve as a guide in processing crazy events, such as we have experienced this year. Race riots, a global pandemic, divisions within the church on how to respond to these things–you name it. In pondering these nine questions, you will gain clarity about where God is at in it all, peace about Who is in control, and a sense of direction about what you’re supposed to be doing right now.
As one reader put it,
Thank-you for this! I’m so upset I could lose my mind, but the Lord is still faithful. I’m going through extreme pain, and this was encouraging.
The nine questions we look at in the guide are as follows:
- What does it mean to be made “in the image of God”?
- What exactly happened at “the fall”?
- What implications does this have for us today?
- What is the kingdom of God?
- Who is Jesus, and why do I need to remember this?
- Why doesn’t Jesus “deliver” me out of this mess?
- Why are Christians so divided in their views of these current events?
- What am I supposed to be doing right now?
- Will life ever get better?
If you’d like to access the rest of this guide for yourself, I invite you to download your own free copy here.
Have you typically thought of the “kingdom of God” as a spiritual reality that you don’t really experience until heaven, a place we are to be building here and now, or as a reality that began at Jesus which anyone can enter today and will be completely established when he returns the second time? Share in the comments.
