From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” - Matt 4:17 - i.e. it's right at your doorstep i.e. get ready, for the coming new kingdom - and its King - is about to be ¹established.
What time is "that time" being referred to above? The time right after his 40 days of testing in the wilderness. A testing that the Spirit ²led Him into right after the public announcement of his ministry at his baptism.
What is the kingdom of God (or heaven)? It is the rule and reign of the ³love of Jesus, the ⁴King of love, over His followers - His willing subjects.
Why does Jesus use the kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven interchangeably? Because they are one and the same. How?
It is a heavenly - blissful - kingdom because it is a kingdom that issues forth from love and is governed by and filled with ³love - for God is love. It is the ⁵arrival of heaven (love-God) on earth which was inaugurated at the birth and incarnation of the Son of God, secured and sealed by his death, burial, and resurrection (Death no longer has the last word, life does; life back from death) and will be fully manifested when Christ returns to earth to reign forever with those who have received His offer of life and love through the forgiveness he earned for them by his death and resurrection.
How does this work? How is this different than the typical kind of kingly rule?
Typically a king reigns or rules by decree (law) under threat of punishment. If and when you violate the king's decree you suffer the consequences. Those consequences can be anything from fines to prison to execution. Fear of punishment is the primary motivation for compliance in this kind of kingdom.
A rule (kingdom) of (or by) love is completely different. Unlike a rule of law, which works by ⁷fear of punishment, rejection, and condemnation, a rule of love (or law of love) creates within its subjects the desire to obey its king's directions (commands). His subjects willingly (delightfully) obey because they want to, not because they have to...they obey out of love for and trust in their King not out of fear of punishment by their judge. Why? Because Christ bore the judgment for us for not properly honoring and loving Him as rightful King and our neighbor - fellow image bearers of the King - as we were designed to.
Even though there are still consequences for not loving Him (and others) as deserved under the rule of love, they are not the consequences of rejection, condemnation, and judgment. They are consequences of correction as His beloved child, designed to draw us closer to the king of love so we might experience His love more fully and freely and display it more perfectly for His glory.
In both a rule of law and a rule of love there are clear directions to follow and what is good and right conduct. The difference is the motivation that drives the behavior of its subjects. Under the rule of law, it is a fear of rejection, condemnation, punishment, and judgment. Under the rule of Christ, love, and trust is the driving force behind true - love-driven - obedience.
In light of all this God calls us to enter His kingdom through the love of its humble king.
⁵The arrival of the Kingdom of God begins in the individual hearts of men and women when we place our trust in the King of love. But will be completed when God sets up His literal physical kingdom on earth at His return.
The arrogant seek to control and rule over the resources of creation but in the end, the meek will inherit the Earth. Why? They are humbly submitted to Earth's Creator, Sustainer, and true King and will use creation to honor Him as such.
What time is "that time" being referred to above? The time right after his 40 days of testing in the wilderness. A testing that the Spirit ²led Him into right after the public announcement of his ministry at his baptism.
During his time in the wilderness, Jesus passed three tests by the deceiver (corresponding to the 3 failures of our first parents). This set the stage to announce His soon-coming kingdom and ⁸earn Him the right to be its king.
What is the kingdom of God (or heaven)? It is the rule and reign of the ³love of Jesus, the ⁴King of love, over His followers - His willing subjects.
Why does Jesus use the kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven interchangeably? Because they are one and the same. How?
It is a heavenly - blissful - kingdom because it is a kingdom that issues forth from love and is governed by and filled with ³love - for God is love. It is the ⁵arrival of heaven (love-God) on earth which was inaugurated at the birth and incarnation of the Son of God, secured and sealed by his death, burial, and resurrection (Death no longer has the last word, life does; life back from death) and will be fully manifested when Christ returns to earth to reign forever with those who have received His offer of life and love through the forgiveness he earned for them by his death and resurrection.
Wherever God and His rule of love are present is a ⁶taste of heaven on earth (but only a taste for now...the full feast is later) i.e. a taste of joy and delight in the King's love which ultimately will lead to an uninterrupted, eternal, unobstructed, infinite feast of love and bliss i.e. heaven on earth.
How does this work? How is this different than the typical kind of kingly rule?
Typically a king reigns or rules by decree (law) under threat of punishment. If and when you violate the king's decree you suffer the consequences. Those consequences can be anything from fines to prison to execution. Fear of punishment is the primary motivation for compliance in this kind of kingdom.
A rule (kingdom) of (or by) love is completely different. Unlike a rule of law, which works by ⁷fear of punishment, rejection, and condemnation, a rule of love (or law of love) creates within its subjects the desire to obey its king's directions (commands). His subjects willingly (delightfully) obey because they want to, not because they have to...they obey out of love for and trust in their King not out of fear of punishment by their judge. Why? Because Christ bore the judgment for us for not properly honoring and loving Him as rightful King and our neighbor - fellow image bearers of the King - as we were designed to.
Even though there are still consequences for not loving Him (and others) as deserved under the rule of love, they are not the consequences of rejection, condemnation, and judgment. They are consequences of correction as His beloved child, designed to draw us closer to the king of love so we might experience His love more fully and freely and display it more perfectly for His glory.
In both a rule of law and a rule of love there are clear directions to follow and what is good and right conduct. The difference is the motivation that drives the behavior of its subjects. Under the rule of law, it is a fear of rejection, condemnation, punishment, and judgment. Under the rule of Christ, love, and trust is the driving force behind true - love-driven - obedience.
In light of all this God calls us to enter His kingdom through the love of its humble king.
Matt 11:28
"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 take my yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
What rest? The rest from constantly having to seek life and love (i.e. affirmation from others) because we now have it fully and perfectly in God through Christ. All that is left is for us to accept his offer. Do you accept it?
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. -
Rev 22:17
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¹What would it take to establish this kingdom of love? The death and resurrection of Christ to remove the barrier between God and man - i.e. he removed the legal consequences of our rebellious distrust of Him - so that his love could flow freely to his subjects and Christ's rule of love could be firmly and permanently established.
²Which makes the prayer Jesus taught His disciples all the more interesting.
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. - Matt 6:9-13 ESV
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. - Matt 6:9-13 ESV
The Father's will being done - i.e. His rule and reign as King - on earth as it is in heaven - was most fully demonstrated in the very person of Christ during His incarnation and time on earth. That which is of heaven - i.e. God and His Son - was fully displayed and manifested on earth in and through Christ as a human... a creature i.e. the incarnation or fleshing out of God himself among us here on earth which leads to his complete and ultimate physical reign on earth (and also our reign in and through Him).
Since the resurrection of Christ and the coming of his Spirit (of love and life), we are now the "fleshing out" of God before a watching world until He returns.
³And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered with the Shama, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that the man had answered wisely, He said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God” - i.e. You understand that the essence of the Kingdom of God is love. Now live by it.
"And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions." - Mark 12:28-34
The greatest and second commandment is the essence of the kingdom of God. And what is the essence of these commands? Love. The love of God and others.
⁴Christ earned his right to reign over His subjects by humbling himself as a servant and dying on behalf of the subjects He rules over.
The greatest and second commandment is the essence of the kingdom of God. And what is the essence of these commands? Love. The love of God and others.
⁴Christ earned his right to reign over His subjects by humbling himself as a servant and dying on behalf of the subjects He rules over.
Christ our King cast himself into battle to fight and overcome evil to save his subjects and died as a result. He did this knowingly and willingly.
⁵The arrival of the Kingdom of God begins in the individual hearts of men and women when we place our trust in the King of love. But will be completed when God sets up His literal physical kingdom on earth at His return.
⁶It isn't the full meal however until we sit at the feast with the King. Not just a one-time meal but heaven itself will be a perpetual eternal feast of love that will never be interrupted. At that time he will usher in and fully establish his perfect rule and kingdom on Earth, where there are no more tears, pain, or dying... only love, joy, and bliss. In fact, a (maybe the) primary cause of the joy we experience now under God's rule (kingdom) of love is knowing we will one day experience his love fully and perfectly face to face without limit or interruption.
It is also a kingdom of hope. It is a sure hope (expectation) that we will fully experience what we now only have a taste of.
For an excellent article on the "already... but not yet" aspect of the kingdom click here.
For additional thoughts on this click here.
The arrogant seek to control and rule over the resources of creation but in the end, the meek will inherit the Earth. Why? They are humbly submitted to Earth's Creator, Sustainer, and true King and will use creation to honor Him as such.
⁷We are to fear God as children, not as criminals. This is a fear of correction for not listening to our Father's wise and loving instructions, not of condemnation and rejection for violating the law. A "spanking" hurts but when done out of love it is designed to bring us life.
⁸Unlike us, Christ earned everything he received. Everything we receive is a gift i.e. by grace - earned for us by Christ. We couldn't earn it and because He did and extends what is rightfully His to us, we don't have to.
But he earned it nevertheless. How? He fulfilled the rightful requirements of the law because we were unable to - and assigns his perfect record of perfect obedience to us as if it's ours - if we accept it. Do you accept his offer?
Hi, Jim. The writings you shareware very comforting and positive. Especially with sad thought of the unprovoked horrendous, brutal war and assault Putin has inflicted on peaceloving Ukrainians. Seeing the photos on CNN and MSNBC is tearing my heart apart. The coast several lines you shared Christ's words... About the controlling aggressor not ever winning... And the meek shall inherit the earth... And so compelling, and ultimately, I believe true, however in the case of Putin's War upon the Ukrainians... Put on, the blatant aggressor has weekend so much senseless death, suffering, destruction of theitchones and towns and has displayed total disregard for human life. How can this be happening? Why is God and Jesus allowing this controlling aggressor madman to keep annilating Ukraine and its people? He wants to "steal" Ukraine and destoy its people! Sadly, the meek are getting blown up and gunned down by Putin's army. How could this be happening day in and day out, for over a month... So far?! Why aren't Jesus's profound words coming to be? How long and many more people die and suffer under Putin's evil commands? Enough is enough! Each day is like 9/11, in Ukraine! One more day of this War is too much!! Can I pray to God and to Jesus to make this war end now, and to stop Putin from what he is doing .. Stop him immediately! Save the innocent children, mother's, dad's, young and old people Putin is ordering his soldier's to mercilessly hunt down and kill! This is atrocious, amoral, genocide, and it must stop now! Putin is responsible for this entire war, death and destruction and he must be held fully accountable, and meet his maker.
ReplyDeleteIf you do a search on evil I have several posts you might find helpful.
ReplyDeleteGrace and peace to you
Jim