The World Vs. God's Kingdom

Frank Allnutt

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Part Four: The Three Phases of God's Kingdom

The Bible pictures the kingdom of God in three phases:

The kingdom was “at hand” in Christ and in His ministry on earth.
The present phase of the kingdom came by way of the cross—the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The kingdom is now in those of us who were resurrected with Christ, by virtue of His living in us and our being in Him.
The Messianic or Millennial Kingdom will be established by Christ when He returns.

Let’s take a closer look at these:

1. The kingdom of God came in and with Jesus
John the Baptist was the prophesied preacher who “came to make ready the way of the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3). He recognized Jesus as the Messiah and proclaimed throughout Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). Evidence of the presence of the kingdom, he said, was twofold: Jesus would bring salvation to believers and baptize them with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11).
    Jesus began His ministry with the exhortation, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Matthew tells us that “Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 4:23). Jesus later said, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come” (Matthew 24:14).
    The coming of the kingdom of God can be seen in the person and ministry of Christ. Jesus Himself preached that the kingdom of God had come in Him and with Him: “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28). The gospels are replete with references to the miracles and ministry of Jesus, all of which were performed through the power of the Holy Spirit, and all of which point to the presence of the kingdom of God in Him.
    The presence of Jesus and His ministry brought the kingdom of God into direct confrontation with Satan’s world order. But it was not yet time for Jesus to destroy Satan’s monarchy of darkness and establish the Messianic kingdom on the earth; however, He did invade Satan’s domain and exercise His authority over it—to a limited degree. He performed healings and other miracles, cast out demons, imparted salvation, and sent the Holy Spirit. Jesus spoke of His invasion of Satan’s domain through a parable given in response to the Pharisees’ questioning over His casting out of demons: “Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house [Satan’s domain] and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house” (Matthew 12:29).
    The Pharisees were looking for an earthly, political kingdom over which the Messiah would rule from the throne of David. They asked Jesus when this would happen. Jesus answered, telling them, in so many words, that they should not be looking to enter into an observable, political kingdom, but to enter a kingdom that is within (Luke 17:20, 21). But their hardened hearts could not understand, except for one of them, a man named Nicodemus, whose heart was open to the truth. Jesus said to him, “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.... Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, 5).

2. God’s kingdom came to us through the cross
The kingdom of God was gladly given to us by our Father (Luke 12:32), but it cost Him dearly: the life of His Son. Through being crucified and resurrected with Him, you gave up your old self in order to become a new creature in Christ and a joint heir with Him, whereby you became entitled to receive everything in God’s kingdom. And now, you are a child of the kingdom (Matthew 13:38), an heir of the kingdom (James 2:5), and a citizen of the kingdom (Ephesians 2:19).

3. Christ will consummate God’s kingdom on earth
The third phase of the kingdom of God is the Messianic Kingdom. It will begin with the second coming of Christ (Matthew 25:21-34; 2 Timothy 4:1), and will last a thousand years (Revelation 20:4, 6), after which time God will bring about a new heaven and a new earth, and Christ will reign forever in a new Jerusalem with His bride, the Church (Revelation 21, 22).
    Because the Messianic Kingdom will last for a thousand years, it is sometimes called the “Millennial Kingdom.” However, the kingdom of God is essentially an eternal spiritual realm with no beginning and no end.
    The Messianic Kingdom will be realized as more or less the earthly, political kingdom anticipated by the children of Israel. Christ will reign in His kingdom with those of us who are saved (Matthew 19:28; 2 Timothy 2:12). We will be “priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:6).
    You have a very close relationship with the King:

You are a friend of the King (John 15:13).
You are a child of the King (John 1:12, 13; Romans 8:14-16, 9:8).
You are an heir of the King (Galatians 4:7).
You are a brother of the King (Hebrews 2:11, 12).
You are a bride of the King (Revelation 19:7-9).
You belong to the King and are one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:15-17).
You are a high priest of the King (1 Peter 2:9).
You are seated with the King in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).

You are a citizen of Heaven
When you were seated in heaven you were “enrolled” in heaven (Hebrews 12:23)—your name was placed on heaven’s membership roster! Paul writes that, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).
    All of us are born as political and spiritual citizens of the world. Political citizenship was conferred on us by man’s laws, and spiritual citizenship was ours by birth, as descendants of Adam. But our citizenship changed when we became Christians. We are now spiritual citizens of heaven by virtue of being adopted as children of God. Citizenship in heaven is part of our inheritance (1 Peter 1:4). At the time you were a spiritual citizen of the world, you were a slave unto bondage; as a citizen of heaven you now are a slave unto freedom in Christ.
    Though America has a Christian heritage, it is of this world and not of God’s kingdom. It is argued by some that America should not be classified as a nation of the world because it is a “Christian nation” by virtue of its “Christian heritage.” But there is no such thing as a Christian nation, there are only Christian people. America is not even a nation of Christians because many of its people are not Christians. However, it can be said that all the Christians in America are citizens of a spiritual nation whose sovereign Lord is Jesus Christ. Peter writes that Christians are a “holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9). Collectively, all Christians in the world form a holy nation of believers that is the earthly contingent of the Church, the body of Christ.
    Paul wrote about his dual citizenship: He was born a Roman citizen and born again a citizen of heaven. He was subject to the authority of Roman law, but as a citizen of heaven he was subject first to the law of God.
    Did Paul serve two masters? Are we to serve two masters? Not at all. As Paul explains there is no dichotomy in dual citizenship for the believer because all authority comes from God: “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves” (Romans 13:1, 2).
    As citizens of heaven we are scripturally obligated to submit to our country’s governing authorities, unless their laws conflict with God’s law, because “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). The epitome of this can be found in Bible prophecy. In the end-time, governing authority will call for everyone to bear the “666” number of the Antichrist and to worship him (Revelation 13). But Christians are to refuse because, in the first of the Ten Commandments, God tells us, “You shall have no other gods before Me... You shall not worship them or serve them...” (Exodus 20:3, 5). At the end-time, governing authority of the world order will declare that, “as many as do not worship the image of the beast [will] be killed” (Revelation 13:15). The Antichrist will not kill all believers, however, because some will be “alive and remain” at the time of Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

You are an ambassador of Heaven
We are political citizens of the world, according to man’s law; yet we are “aliens and strangers” in this foreign land, according to Scripture (1 Peter 2:11). We are called to be ambassadors of the kingdom of God for the mission of proclaiming the glory of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 4:3-6), preaching the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14), making disciples of people in all the nations (Matthew 28:19), and sharing God’s love with those around us (Mark 12:31). In carrying out this mission, we are Christ’s ambassadors to the world—”the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) and “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13).
We are not to conform to the world and its ways (Romans 12:2), but are to live sensibly in the world, denying its desires (Titus 2:12) and keeping ourselves unstained by the world (James 1:27). We are to be on guard against many dangers of the world, including the world’s wisdom (1 Corinthians 3:19), love of the world (2 Timothy 4:10), friendship with the world (James 4:4), the corruptions of the world (2 Peter 1:4), the lusts of the world (1 John 2:15-17), false prophets (1 John 4:1), and other deceivers (2 John 7).
As members of God’s kingdom, we are to seek it first (Matthew 6:33), suffer tribulation (Acts 14:22), preach the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 6:33; Acts 8:12), pray for the kingdom (Matthew 6:10), and work in and for the kingdom (Colossians 4:11).

You have overcome the world
It was through Christ’s resurrection that He overcame the world (John 16:33). Since we were resurrected with him and placed in Him, by faith and through grace, we share in His victory over the world. John writes that, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4, 5).

The futility of worldly living
In all of Scripture the book of Ecclesiastes stands out as an expression of one who has weighed the self-centered, worldly life and the God-centered, spiritual life. The major character in Ecclesiastes is the wise King Solomon (“the Preacher, the son of David”), though he probably did not write the book.
    Ecclesiastes is one of the Bible’s most difficult books to understand. Two of the difficulties are: (1) the Preacher’s pessimism, even though he is a believer; and (2) the Hebrew idiom, “under the sun."
    The negative point of Ecclesiastes is that the person who attempts to find satisfaction and meaning in life in fleshliness and worldliness will ultimately find only failure and meaninglessness. He walks in vanity—a word used frequently in the book.
    The Preacher laments over growing old: failing eyesight (“the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened”); aches and pains (“and clouds return after the rain”); trembling hands (“the watchmen of the house tremble”); bowed shoulders (“and mighty men stoop”); and dental deterioration (“the grinding ones stand idle because they are few”). The Preacher’s point here is that, because the body will die, the existentialist sees only despair and meaningless existence in life.
    It is not uncommon to find Half-Hearted Christians who subscribe to the self-centered, worldly philosophy to “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we shall die.” This is understandable because the fleshly mind seeks a form of happiness that is derived from worldly self-gratification.

The Whole-Hearted Christian Walks in the Ways of God’s Kingdom
The Whole-Hearted Christian, on the other hand, seeks to experience inner joy that is rooted in Christ and His kingdom, and not in self, the world, or materialism.
    Paul experientially entered into the kingdom and walked in the ways of the kingdom as a citizen and as an ambassador of Christ. Though he was in the world he was not of the world. He experienced much hardship and persecution, and yet he testified that, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am” (Philippians 4:11b). In the person of Paul, God has surely set before us a role model.
    Now, the Preacher of Ecclesiastes is not actually a pessimist, for he exhorts the faithful to “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth.” This is a reminder to all of us, regardless of our age, to recognize that we are not masters of our own lives, and that our lives are precious gifts from the Creator. The Preacher’s exhortation is accompanied by repeated warnings that we should not live “under the sun”; that is to say, with humanistic understanding, apart from God. From the New Covenant perspective we could say, “Do not live under the sun, but in the Son!”
    Adamic people find much to love in the world, but Scripture warns us, “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). And Jesus said, “He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal” (John 12:25). The word “life in this verse is translated from the Greek term psuche, which literally means “soul.” The implication is that the Half-Hearted Christian who loves his soulish or fleshly life lives primarily out of the soul, and will eventually lose a lifetime of building a “kingdom of self” in the world; and, that the Whole-Hearted Christian, who hates soulish or fleshly life in the world,, is building a life of meaning, purpose, and blessings that will endure to and accrue to eternal life and the coming age.

The Whole-Hearted Christian has separated himself from the world

He does not allow the world to shape his intellect by submitting to worldly beliefs and values. He hungers after the truth of God’s Word, and cooperates with the Holy Spirit in renewing his mind.
He does not become engrossed in worldly politics in any way that will help advance the political agenda of Satan’s world order. However, as Scripture teaches, he obeys the authorities and meets his responsibilities as a political citizen in the world, provided doing so does not conflict with God’s will and authority. This believer has a kingdom view, and proclaims the gospel of the kingdom of God.
He avoids, whenever possible, financial activities that further the economic agenda of Satan’s world order, and which are otherwise contrary to God’s principles of good stewardship. He is a responsible manager of all that God has entrusted to him. He cares for his needs, the needs of his family, and helps others. He financially assists the mission of the Church, and contributes in other ways as God provides and directs.
He does not participate in the advancement of worldly philosophies, religions, and the occult, which includes astrology, horoscopes, Ouija boards, tarot cards, humanism, and New Age thought, to name a few. He exposes the darkness as God directs, proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ, teaches and in other ways disciples and builds up other believers.

The Whole-Hearted Christian walks as a citizen-ambassador of the kingdom of God (Figure 8). This is evident in his behavior and life-style. Like all believers, he is entitled to all the rights and privileges of a citizen/ambassador of the kingdom, and experiences them as part of the “abundant life” promised by Jesus. The Half-Hearted Christian may not recognize or experience his rights and privileges as a citizen/ambassador of the kingdom. This fleshly believer may mistakenly think of the “abundant life” in worldly terms, and when he does not realize the abundance he expects, his faith in God may falter.

Figure 8: The Whole-Hearted Christian walks in the ways of God’s Kingdom—as a citizen of heaven and ambassador of Jesus Christ.

Among the rights of kingdom citizenship is the right for God to be totally responsible for all of our needs. Yet, many Christians doubt His faithfulness and sufficiency, and are anxious over getting their needs met through their own strength and the resources of the world. “Will America continue to protect me and my family?—our possessions and freedoms?” “Will there be enough money to pay all the bills?” “Will my investment holdings be safe?—will they increase or lose value?” “How will I ever afford to send my kids to college?” “Will Social Security and Medicare go bankrupt before my retirement?”
I suspect that most of us have asked such questions. But, according to Jesus, our problem is not getting our needs met by God, but rather anxiety over whether He will be faithful! So Jesus gives us these commandments, and the hope and encouragement that comes with them:

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.... For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek [be continually discovering] first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:19-21, 25-34).

   An episode of television’s “Touched by an Angel” series found the angel Monica being interviewed for jury duty. (Monica and her companion angels are often placed into jobs where they can come into contact with those whom God has sent them to help.) In the course of Monica’s interview, she disclosed that the “social work” she did was voluntary and therefore without pay. The prosecuting attorney, curious to discover her source of money, asked if she received income from investments or savings. “No,” answered Monica, “I am totally supported by my Father.”
    We are not angels, of course, but we are citizens of Heaven and ambassadors of Jesus Christ. And we are totally supported by our Father. Jesus commissioned us to: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matthew 28:19, 20).
    As Christ’s ambassador on missionary assignment in the world, do all you do as unto the Lord, out of love, faith, and hope, and in praise of His glory. Consider all your activities and projects as assignments from God.
    As Christians we cannot overlook Christ’s commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves—and those include not only fellow believers, but also the unsaved who are enslaved to the world order. Because we are to love them, we are to share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom, and to minister to them as well in practical ways. In doing so, we can be used of Christ as instruments of His love and sufficiency; and to rescue them out of the darkness of the fallen world and into His wonderful Kingdom of light.

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