What Is the Kingdom of God?
Summary
The message here presents a compelling vision of hope and transformation, drawing on biblical prophecies to forecast a future where the world's direst issues are resolved through divine intervention. It challenges the conventional interpretations of the "Kingdom of God," exploring its meaning beyond the prevalent notions equating it with heaven, the Church, or any earthly empire.
The discourse starts by dismantling the common beliefs about the Kingdom of God being synonymous with heaven, the Church, or any political entity like the British Empire. It argues that these interpretations fall short of the biblical depiction of God's Kingdom, which is portrayed as a tangible, earthly reign of justice and peace, not an abstract state or a place in the afterlife.
The Kingdom of God is described not as an ethereal or spiritualized concept confined to individual hearts or religious institutions but as a real, impending government established by God on Earth. This kingdom, unlike any human governance, promises to rectify the chronic ailments of our world, including wars, poverty, injustice, and environmental degradation.
A significant portion of the narrative is dedicated to elucidating the transformative aspects of this forthcoming kingdom. Seven key changes are outlined, promising a world where education in divine laws eradicates ignorance, the nature of animals is pacified, and wars become obsolete. It speaks of a time when environmental desolation is reversed, poverty is eliminated, and diseases are cured, painting a picture of an idyllic world underpinned by God's just and benevolent rule.
This envisioned future is not just an idle fantasy but is presented as an achievable reality, contingent on humanity's collective repentance and commitment to God's righteousness. The Kingdom of God is portrayed as an inclusive realm where all are invited to partake in its blessings, provided they align themselves with its foundational values and principles.
In conclusion, the text doesn't just offer a critique of current theological interpretations but also extends an invitation to anticipate and prepare for a future where divine governance restores the world. It's a call to action for individuals to align themselves with the forthcoming Kingdom, promising a stake in a future where the Earth is renewed, and humanity thrives under the direct rule of a just and merciful divine government.
Full Transcript
I have good news for you. In fact, it’s the very best news you can hear...
Our world’s biggest problems will finally be solved!
This includes all evil and suffering. Conflict and wars. Global poverty. Corruption in government. Crime and terrorism. Lack of education. Political instability. Food and water shortages. Climate change and destruction of the environment. And yes, COVID-19 and other disease epidemics.
Does this sound too good to be true? Not if you know and understand the real gospel.
In last week’s episode, we learned that the true gospel Jesus (Yahshua) brought from God the Father was the good news of the Kingdom of God. But just what is the Kingdom of God?
In this episode, you will learn exactly what the Kingdom of God is and the seven transformations that will happen to this planet when it finally arrives. Let’s discuss…
Body
Just what do you mean... “kingdom of God”? Bible scholars, pastors, and other religious leaders all seem to be mixed-up and confused about this vital subject…
Some say it is heaven.
Some say it is the Church.
Others say it was the British Empire.
And still others say it is the reign of God in the hearts of people.
But what is it, really? And what does the Bible really say about the Kingdom of God?
In all our episodes, we challenge you not to believe what we say just because we said it, but to prove all things and to believe only what you read in your own Bible.
Now before we discuss what the kingdom of God really is, let’s briefly discuss what it is not.
What the Kingdom of God Is Not
1. The Kingdom of God Is Not Heaven.
This is a common but incorrect belief. If the Kingdom of God were synonymous with heaven, why did Christ teach His disciples in the “Lord’s Prayer” — perhaps the most popular prayer in Christendom — to pray for its arrival — for it to come down here to this earth?
You know how it goes...
“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come...” ~Matthew 6:9-10
If the Kingdom of God were truly heaven, does it not make more sense to pray, “May we fly up or go up to your kingdom?”
“The Lord’s Prayer” tells us that the Kingdom of God is not heaven, but the political or territorial unit ruled by God. When we pray “Your kingdom come,” we are affirming the fact contained in the next phrase — that God’s will is not yet fully “done” here on earth, as it is in heaven.
This is how the prophet Daniel described the Kingdom of God:
“Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.” ~Daniel 7:27
Did you notice that? Where are the kingdoms “under the whole heaven” except the kingdoms that are here on this earth? All the kingdoms of this earth will one day be turned over to the Messiah and His saints, the people of God. It will be a transfer of ownership, a transfer of power.
Please compare this with Revelation 11:15 — “... The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
All the kingdoms of this world are right here on earth. And since they will later become the kingdoms of Christ and of His saints, then the kingdom of God is not the same thing as heaven.
Finally, notice Revelation 5:10 — “And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”
2. The Kingdom of God Is Not the Church.
In John 3:3, we read: “Jesus (Yahshua) answered and said to [Nicodemus], “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
The Kingdom of God can only be seen by those who are “born again.” Can carnal people who make no claim to having been “born again” see a church? Yes, of course. Therefore, if Christ is to be believed, the Church, or any church, cannot be the Kingdom of God.
Please check out these two verses:
Jesus (Yashua) answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” ~John 3:5
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ~1 Corinthians 15:50
The Kingdom of God is something that can only be entered into by those “born of water and the Spirit.” It is something no flesh and blood human can inherit! Can flesh and blood people enter into the Church or any church? Yes, of course! So the Kingdom of God cannot be the Church.
What do you think the “Church” is? Is it a building? Flesh and blood people can and do enter buildings and cathedrals called “churches.” Is it the converted people? Mortal, flesh and blood people can and do enter into the membership of the Church or any group of people that may call itself a “church.” But since flesh and blood cannot enter the Kingdom of God, the Church cannot be the Kingdom of God.
3. The Kingdom of God Is Not the British Empire.
The transfer of Hong Kong to China on June 30, 1997 marked for many the end of the British Empire — it didn’t last forever. I’ve been to Hong Kong. All the people there are flesh-and-blood humans. They did enter the British Empire — but they cannot enter the Kingdom of God in their present mortal state. So the British Empire cannot be the Kingdom of God.
4. The Kingdom of God Is Not Set Up in the Hearts of People.
The Kingdom of God is not some ethereal sentimental feeling or something set up in people’s hearts. If so, then the Kingdom of God enters into a mortal human. But the Scriptures teach the opposite: It is people — after they are no longer flesh and blood, but resurrected or transformed into spirit-composed bodies — who enter into the Kingdom of God.
So, is the Kingdom of God “within you”? No. It is not something that was born inside of man, nor has it ever entered into any human. Rather, it is something a person may enter after he is “born again” as an immortal, spirit being.
But, someone may ask, “Didn’t Christ Himself say that the Kingdom of God is ‘within you’?”
Here is the verse in question: “Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” ~Luke 17:20-21
Sadly, this is a mistranslation which has led many to suppose that the Kingdom of God is some thought, feeling, or sentiment within man. They fail to note just who Christ was speaking with — unconverted, carnal, hypocritical, lying, and hate-filled Pharisees.
The Greek words Luke wrote were translated into the English words “within you.” But, if you have a Bible with the marginal references, you will notice that this is alternately rendered, as “in the midst of you” (ESV and RSV), “in your midst” (NIV and NASB), or “among you” (NLT and HCSB).
Also, the Moffatt translation of the same verse reads: “He answered them, ‘The Reign of God is not coming as you hope to catch sight of it; no one will say, “Here it is” or “There it is,” for the Reign of God is now in your midst.’”
The Pharisees knew that their Messiah was to come. This, they anticipated as the Kingdom of God. While they had an incomplete picture of the Kingdom of God — that their Messiah would only be a conquering political-military hero and not a suffering Servant — at least they did know it was to be a reign — a government.
The Bible uses the terms “king” and “kingdom” interchangeably. Christ, the king of the future Kingdom was — then and there — standing in the midst of them! That’s what He really meant! But Christ was not saying that the Kingdom of God was within the hearts of those hateful, hypocritical Pharisees.
It should be quite clear now that the Kingdom of God is not heaven, not the Church, not the British Empire, nor a mere sentiment set up in the hearts of people. So what is it?
Here’s What the Kingdom of God Really Is!
First, what is a kingdom? (The biblical word is basileia in Greek and malkut in Aramaic.)
There are four elements that make up a kingdom — any kingdom:
- King
- Subjects
- Territory
- Laws
Remove any of these four elements, and you don’t have a real kingdom.
The Kingdom of God is God’s reign or God’s rule. It is not exclusively a New Testament idea. It was written about extensively in the Old Testament, especially in the prophetic book of Daniel.
One night in particular, the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar dreamt of a great image, like a large statue. Its head was of fine gold. Its chest and arms were of silver. Its belly and thighs were of bronze. Its legs were of iron, and its feet were partly or iron and clay.
Then, as the King watched this imposing image, a stone cut without hands struck the image on its feet and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were all crushed together, and became like chaff that the wind carried away, so that no trace of them was found.
And the stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
Then, the prophet Daniel interpreted the King’s dream:
“This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron…” ~Daniel 2:36-40
This is speaking of literal kingdoms — specific governments that bear rule over the people on earth. It is not speaking of ethereal sentiments “set up in the hearts of men,” nor is it referring to churches.
Therefore, the Kingdom of God is likewise a real, literal kingdom — a government ruling over actual people here on the earth. This great metallic image represented national and international governments — real, literal kingdoms. It represented a succession of world-ruling governments:
- The head of gold — Chaldean or Babylonian empire (625 to 539 BC)
- Chest and arms of silver — Medo-Persian empire (539 to 330 BC)
- Belly and thighs of bronze — Greco-Macedonian empire (330 to 146 BC)
- Legs of iron — Roman empire [The two legs meant the fourth empire would be divided, with capitals at Rome and Constantinople] (146 BC to AD 476)
- Feet partly of iron and clay — [the future] United States of Europe (?)
Now — let’s read verse 44. Here is God’s explanation of what the kingdom of God is:
“And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” ~Daniel 2:44
It is here speaking of the ten toes, part of iron and part of brittle clay. This is referring to the new European Union which developed out of the former European Common Market or European Economic Community (EEC). Revelation 17:12 makes plain the detail that it shall be, in the future, a union of ten kings or kingdoms which shall resurrect the old Roman Empire.
So, mark carefully the time element: “In the days of these kings” — in the days of these ten nations or groups of nations that shall, in our end-time, resurrect briefly the Roman Empire — notice what shall happen:
“… the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed… it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever”!
Now here we have described four universal world-empires — the only four that ever existed! Revelation 17 shows that after the fall of the original Roman Empire, there would be seven revivals which would be ruled over by a Gentile church — the “daughter” of ancient Babylon — a church claiming to be Christian, but actually named by God “Mystery Babylon the Great” — or, more plainly, Babylonian Mysteries!
Six of those have come and gone. The seventh is now forming — the last, final, brief resurrection of the Roman Empire by ten European groups or nations. These are the ten toes of iron mixed with clay.
In their days — and they shall last but a very short period of time, possibly no more than two to three-and-a-half years — shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom.
This will be the Kingdom of God!
When Christ returns, He is coming as King of kings and Lord of lords, ruling the whole earth. His kingdom — the kingdom of God — said Daniel, is to consume all these worldly kingdoms:
“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” ~Revelation 11:15
This is the Kingdom of God. It will be the end of our present human governments — the governments that rule Russia, China, Japan, Italy, Germany — yes, even the United States and the British nations. They shall be absorbed and replaced by the government of Jesus Christ (Yahshua the Messiah), then King of kings over the entire earth.
The Kingdom of God is a literal government. Even as the Chaldean Empire was a kingdom — even as the Roman Empire was a kingdom — so the Kingdom of God will be a literal kingdom — a literal government. It will take over the government of the nations of this world!
What many fail to realize is that Jesus Christ (Yahshua the Messiah) was born to be a Ruler! Yes, He certainly came as a Savior, a suffering Servant, to die for our sins, but that was only the first part of God’s great master plan. But most people just focus on His suffering and death during His first coming. But they utterly neglect prophecies about His majestic second coming!
Notice John 18:36-37 — Jesus (Yahshua) answered [Pilate], “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
Many overlook the fact that Christ was born to be a real, literal King — and not just any ordinary king, mind you, but the King of kings — and the only Perfect Leader!
Notice this Old Testament prophecy of the Messiah:
Isaiah 9:6-7 — “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called [Wonderful Counselor], Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
Now, here is the New Testament fulfillment of that prophecy:
Luke 1:31-33 — And behold, you [Mary] will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus [His birth name was not Jesus, but Yahshua, meaning “YHWH (Yahweh) is salvation.” He was a Jew, and had a Hebrew name]. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
The angel Gabriel proclaimed to Mary, the mother of Yahshua, prior to His birth, that He was born to become a king. God is the supreme Ruler. And Christ was born to be a King — He is going to rule over the peoples and nations of the earth!
Where is that Kingdom going to be? It says “that all people, nations, and languages should serve him” (Daniel 7:14). The people, and the nations speaking different languages, are here on earth. Christ will be given dominion over all nations — the whole world!
Acts 3:21 — [speaking about Christ] … whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
It says the heavens have received Christ until — not permanently, but just until — a certain time. Until when? Until “the times of restitution (or restoration) of all things.”
Restitution means “a return to, or a restoration of, a former or previous state or condition.” It is speaking of restoring God’s laws and God’s government — restoring happiness and universal peace and prosperity.
Here are the seven restorations or transformations that will take place when Christ returns:
7 Transformations When Christ Rules as A Perfect Leader
1. The nations of the world will be reeducated in God’s laws and ways.
Micah 4:2 — “Many nations shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
2. Humanity will be given a new (humble & obedient) heart and spirit.
Ezekiel 11:19-20 — “Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.”
3. Even the nature of the wild animals will be tamed and transformed.
Isaiah 11:6 — “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”
4. Wars will be a thing of the past; we will finally have world peace.
Micah 4:3-4 — “He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.”
Isaiah 11:9 — “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
5. The deserts and wastelands will be transformed to productive land.
Isaiah 35:6-7 — “...For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals, where each lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes.”
6. Poverty will be solved; agricultural abundance will grip the earth.
Amos 9:13-14 — “Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.”
Ezekiel 34:26-27 — “I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase...”
7. All sicknesses, diseases, and abnormalities will be healed.
Isaiah 35:5-6 — “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing…”
What a wonderful world that would be! This is the true gospel — this is real good news!
Conclusion
The Kingdom of God is a literal kingdom — one with a king, subjects, territory, and laws. It is not heaven, the Church, or the British Empire. It is not a mere idea, nor a mere sentiment in the hearts of sincere and well-meaning people.
The Kingdom of God is the majestic, all-powerful, world-ruling government of the returning Messiah and His immortal saints. If you want to be part of this Kingdom, you must repent. That means change — a 180-degree turn from sin to righteousness. It means a surrender of self-will and a complete and total allegiance and submission to the rule of God and Christ in our lives.
Today, we have two options. Either there is a God who is about to intervene with supernatural and supranational force to bring us peace — or else all human life would be obliterated!
If the Kingdom of God is not literal, then humanity is doomed. All life is in danger of extinction. But — thank God for the truth — the Kingdom of God is coming soon! And you can be part of it!
If you’ve found this teaching helpful and encouraging, be sure to share this video with your family and friends. Please don’t keep this good news all to yourself! We could all use a little HOPE — especially from God’s sure and precious Word.
So until next time, this is Daniel Macaraeg of BiblicalTruths.TV, reminding you to always be growing, always be giving, and always be grateful.
