The Kingdom of God: Introduction – (Part 1)
What IS the Kingdom Experience?
How do we Participate?
What is God's Part?
Salvation and the Kingdom Government
The Kingdom is Absolute and Eternal and Essential
Leo Fenton (November 9, 2018)
The Kingdom should be understood from a different and broader viewpoint than just as the beginning process.
We should adopt the viewpoint beginning with:
· God, Himself and
· His inner work IN US
to complete His Kingdom Purpose!
Philippians 2:12-13
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God Who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good Pleasure.
Being able to:
· know and
· do His Will and
· to please God
is the result of God working IN US!
To presume His work IN US is complete with forgiveness of sins is far too shallow in light of His Eternal Kingdom Government and the perfection of the saints.
When we understand that in the context of “salvation” it is still God Who is at work in you Who is accomplishing our salvation.
The Kingdom must be seen in this same context.
The Kingdom experience is directly related to a continuous process of GOD WORKING IN US!
Without God working IN US to finish this tremendous work of “salvation / maturity / perfection,” we have no hope of completing God’s Eternal Purpose!
To resist this inner work of God is really stupid because He does His works IN US to enable us to fulfill our eternal destiny.
In addition to that, without this personal inner working by God, all expectation of preaching the Kingdom Truth soon fades.
We should not fail to understand the essential nature of the full growth of the new inner man, who is Christian.
It is this son-ship / priesthood that enables us to develop a mature, God-centered ministry!
If the Kingdom is NOT being preached today, there must be a solid reason!
That “reason” should be directed toward the local “ministry.” Why?
Matt 24:14 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.
THIS Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached but; what “in the whole world” is the Kingdom Gospel?
What are we supposed to be preaching? What is this message?
It IS The Kingdom!
First; What is the Kingdom of God?
The Kingdom of God is God’s Absolute Sovereignty and Ultimate Dominion over all His Creation.
Within God’s Kingdom there is an Absolute Government.
This Government has Absolute Laws that control the universe, including this earth and all its satellite planets.
These Laws extend to establish an absolute and Divine Order upon this earth including all peoples of ALL the nations upon the earth.
Everything in God’s creation is created within a Divine Order that functions by Divine Laws.
The law of gravity and the laws of mathematics are natural examples.
These laws work everywhere in God’s creation, whether we believe it or not.
If mankind could live under and obey these Laws, mankind would be in harmony with BOTH God and with His Creation.
In the Kingdom of Heaven this is already functioning and everybody is doing the Will of God.
The problem that God is having is here on earth!
Most of this earth is attempting to replace God as our Divine Source of everything and create a counterfeit system, called the kingdoms of this world.
These kingdoms have declared their independence from God and His Laws.
The leaders of this group is Satan, his demons and his fallen angels.
Both Adam and Eve were created within God’s Laws and under His Absolute Sovereignty and Dominion.
The rebellion of mankind on this earth has been against God, against His Kingdom and against His Laws.
This rebellion against the Creator God has established another counterfeit government on this earth that is called “the kingdoms of this world.”
The “kingdoms of this world” have no intention of doing the Will of God.
Matthew 4:8-11
8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory;
9 and he said to Him, "All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me."
10 Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"
11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.
It is very clear that Satan is the god of this world and he can give the kingdoms of this world to anyone he chooses.
The only requirement is to fall down and worship Satan.
It is this counterfeit kingdom that is in direct opposition to the Kingdom of God.
Since there are only these two kingdoms, each person, believer or nonbeliever, must decide which kingdom he will serve.
Everybody can prosper in the kingdom of darkness if they just fall down and worship Satan.
It doesn’t matter how rotten you are, you are accepted in that corrupt kingdom.
It is TODAY, at this junction in history, that everybody MUST make a final decision. “Which kingdom will you serve?”
Luke 4:43 But He said to them, "I must preach the Kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this Purpose."
THIS KINGDOM is what Jesus preached!
The Apostles, also, preached the Kingdom of God. Why?
Within the New Covenant provision, there IS a clear definition between these two kingdoms.
One Kingdom has unlimited Divine provision and the other only has earthly provision.
At last, following Calvary and with the coming of the Holy Spirit, there comes:
· the power,
· the authority and
· the calling
to separate these two kingdoms from within our lives. Why?
So the Kingdom of God can defeat and close the kingdoms of this world. Why?
That is because this counterfeit kingdom and all its persons are declared enemies of God.
These enemies are, also, our enemies.
The “church” that attempts to be neutral between these two kingdoms is in big trouble!
Psalm 8:2 From the mouth of infants and nursing babes Thou hast established strength, because of Thine adversaries, to make the enemy and the revengeful cease.
When we become part of His Kingdom, we become part of this conflict between the 2 kingdoms.
Man and Satan fell by their disobedience and now we (as a redeemed and new species of persons – Christian) must defeat them by our obedience.
The “Message of the Kingdom” incorporates all these things and must be preached until His Kingdom is fully functional and obeyed within the Church He is building!
However, in the ‘other church’ (that men are building) the Kingdom is still a big mystery.
Act 28:30-31
30 And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters, and was welcoming all who came to him,
31 preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.
The purpose for preaching the Kingdom of God is to:
· inform,
· convert and
· perfect or mature
believers until they surrender to and then become participants in God’s Absolute Government and obey His Laws! Why?
That is because when Jesus returns there will be an eternal separation of these two groups.
If you remain in the losing kingdom you will end up where that kingdom ends, in hell!
At that time it will not be who you believe in but to which Kingdom do you belong.
Those who preach a “salvation” outside the Kingdom of God and His Absolute Government will discover their message is a big deception.
Multitudes are presently deceived into thinking they can accept Jesus as personal Savior and ignore God’s Absolute Government.
This error is similar to Israel accepting the deliverance of the Passover lamb but then staying in Egypt to enjoy the leeks and garlic of that kingdom.
The “picture” God gives us is this; Immediately after “accepting” the Passover Lamb we must reject the world and leave that kingdom and before sun rises begin our journey into God’s Kingdom or Canaan.
Our Passover Lamb is Christ Jesus and following Calvary He has received His Kingdom!
Now, we see the “team sent from God”:
· the Living and Abiding Word of God and
· the Holy Spirit
to develop us, internally, so we can obey His immutable Laws!
Therefore, to accept Jesus, as Savior, is to also accept Him as King/Priest of His Kingdom and obey His Laws!
Hebrews 5:8-10
8 Although He was a Son He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.
9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the Source of eternal salvation,
10 being designated by God as a High Priest according to the Order of Melchizedek.
It is really ignorant to preach about Jesus as “personal Savior” but ignoring:
· His Kingdom,
· His Government,
· His Laws
· His Kingship
· His Priesthood and
· our OBEDIENCE that leads to our eternal salvation.
1 Corinthians 15:22-28
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the First Fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming,
24 then comes the end, when He delivers up the Kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
27 For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, "All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted Who put all things in subjection to Him.
28 And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One Who subjected all things to Him, that God may be All in all.
He delivers up the His Kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
If today’s “believers” have no intention of doing His Will, are they friends or enemies?
We can identify His enemies as those who refuse His Absolute Rule and we become His friends by our obedience!
We are His friend, IF WE DO AS HE SAYS!
This is really not complicated.
If we learn to obey here we will be accepted there.
If we disobey here we will be rejected there!
Preaching that our expected obedience is “just works” that can never save us is not only ignorant, it is ridiculous in His Kingdom.
Why does this argument even exist in the church?
That is simply because some of the church has chosen to ignore the Kingdom of Christ, His Eternal Priesthood, after the Order of Melchizedek, His Authority and our obedience, as being part of our salvation.
It should be obvious that the Kingdom of Christ is being established NOW during the church age!
It is at this present time when Christ Jesus is ruling and establishing His Kingdom Government IN THE CHURCH HE IS BUILDING!
This Kingdom then will be incorporated into the Eternal Kingdom of God WHEN HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.
Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever."
Jesus Christ was sent to preach the Kingdom of God.
The Kingdom IS His message.
“But didn’t He come to announce salvation to all men?” Yes!
But a salvation that is harmonious with and integrated into the Kingdom Government of God.
The Kingdom is the Message and when we receive the Kingdom Government, salvation is ours.
It is popular to preach “a salvation” in which you only believe something about Jesus.
“If you say these words after me then you are “saved.” Nothing is required of you except to believe that Jesus died for your sins and was resurrected from the dead.”
Some make this gospel more difficult by saying you have to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord.
Some insist upon calling this “the gospel of salvation.”
Some refer to this as the gospel of Grace.
Some call it “the Romans road to Heaven.”
However, there is no place where we are commanded to preach a “Gospel of Salvation.”
That term, the Gospel of Salvation, is only used once in Ephesians 1:13.
Ephesians 1:13-14
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the Message of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation - having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of Promise,
14 Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's Own possession, to the praise of His Glory.
“God's Own possession” is a powerful statement which includes Romans 12 and the “Consecration Offering.”
The “Consecration Offering” is an essential part of our entrance into His Kingdom.
For God’s laws to be effective within us, a total surrender to His Kingdom Government is required!
“Does that mean that this gospel of salvation is, therefore, wrong?” No!
But this Gospel (salvation) is just a tiny part of the Gospel of the Kingdom.
It is certainly a beginning part but not the whole Gospel.
This “Gospel of the Kingdom” is “with a view to the redemption of God's Own possession.”
Nevertheless, this Gospel of the Kingdom begins with “our personal forgiveness of sins” through His Sacrifice on Calvary.
We cannot reduce the “Gospel of the Kingdom” down to forgiveness of sins.
Rather, we must develop the believer, who has experienced forgiveness of sins, until he is able to bring his life under the Sovereign Government of God and to live by His Laws of the Kingdom.
These Laws are administrated by the Holy Spirit when He lives within us.
That IS another reason for our FULL “Feast of Pentecost experience.”
That means, the entrance of the Holy Spirit into our life to become the King / Priest of God over our life and our development. Why?
That is because this is the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, He comes as the King and Priest of the Most High God! He is Melchizedek, the King/Priest of the Most High God.
Luke 16:16 "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since then the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.”
We can’t preach that we have to force our way into salvation.
Or that we have to bring forth the fruit of salvation before we can be saved.
We cannot or should not substitute “salvation” (forgiveness of sins) for a solid experience of the Kingdom Government of God and His indelible Laws of the Kingdom in our life!
For example; If we placed Kingdom requirements upon the unsaved and tell them they could not “be saved” unless they did Luke 12:33, who could be saved?
Luke 12:32-32
32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
35 Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps alight.
36 And be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.”
That would make evangelism very difficult. Why?
That is because the “Life of the Kingdom” begins experientially within us after all the Foundations for the Christian / Kingdom Life are in our experience.
This basic seven part preparation and “Outer Court maturity” is what prepares us to be able to live within the demands of His Kingdom Laws and Governmental requirements.
Ignoring these necessary 7 Foundations is really stupid.
Luke 12:32-34
32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the Kingdom.
33 Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in Heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
This “promise” sounds like a very good exchange AFTER we receive the Kingdom.
Another problem we encounter when we preach the Kingdom is how do we prepare and mature the church so it can be incorporated into the Kingdom?
The modern way is to declare that the church is the Kingdom.
In other words we must shrink the Kingdom until it fits into the church.
The Jehovah Witnesses have shrunk the Kingdom down to one denomination.
However, we discover that the Kingdom is universal and covers everything in heaven, in the universe and everything under the whole heaven, which is everything upon the earth.
The true Church, obviously, must do the Will of God and serve and obey Him and His Laws to qualify for the Kingdom.
Daniel 7:27 Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His Kingdom will be an Everlasting Kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.
The church is not the Kingdom.
We can’t say that everyone is pressing (or forcing) their way into the church.
Neither can we say, “Repent because the church is at hand.”
The Church is the corporate body of believers who are supposed to be pressing (forcing their way) into the Kingdom.
Entering the full Kingdom experience is the purpose and the goal of conversion, not church membership.
Many are converted as far as the church but, certainly, not as far as the Kingdom.
Converted to a church means birthed into the life and goals of "a group / church".
Converted to the Kingdom means birthed into the life, goals and purpose of the Kingdom, its Government, its Laws and its requirements, and into God’s Eternal Purpose!"
You can travel from church to church, but you cannot travel from kingdom to kingdom.
There is a church in each location but there is only one Kingdom in the whole universe.
There can be a black church, a white church and a Latin church, but there cannot be a black Kingdom or any ethnic Kingdom.
Jesus writes to the seven churches. That is proper.
But He cannot write to seven Kingdoms.
The Kingdom is not something that you fall into by accident.
It is something that is pressed (forced) into with all perseverance and with much tribulation.
The Kingdom and its Laws are not something you just accept by faith.
It is something that must be experienced by faith where every citizen of the Kingdom serves and obeys Him.
Another simple discovery, that will change our vision, is that the Kingdom is identified by certain qualities manifested in our lives.
Its Government is not obeyed automatically simply because we believe something about Jesus!
Philippians 3:12-14
13 Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
In other words, there is a goal far beyond what we have currently experienced.
If Paul had not yet attained ‘it’ by this time in his life, why would we think we had already reached the goal of the upward call of God?
The upward call of God surely must include His Kingdom Government and its Laws as an inner life experience.
It is the inner life experiences that develop us into the Kingdom qualities that can and should be manifest.
2 Peter 1:8-11
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
11 for in this way the entrance into the Eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
2 Peter 1 lists “8 qualities” that are required for entrance into the Kingdom.
Of course these eight are not all inclusive because we can find several others.
For example;
Acts 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God."
Each successive “quality” that we add to our experience must be tested by tribulation and suffering to see how steadfast and immovable it is!
These “qualities” are not doctrinal, they are experiential, within the new inner man.
It is the “new creation inner man” who is of the Kingdom species, not the earth born natural man.
Matthew 13:51-52
51 "Have you understood all these things?" They said to Him, "Yes."
52 And He said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the Kingdom of Heaven is like a head of a household, who brings forth out of his treasure things new and old."
We can become students of the Kingdom and learn all about the Kingdom.
We can develop doctrines of the Kingdom and know all the requirements of the Kingdom but never enter the Kingdom, experientially, through our obedience to its Laws.
It is the disciple of the Kingdom who participates in the Life of the Kingdom and becomes the head of a household.
He can bring out of his TREASURE things both new and old.
He not only teaches about the Kingdom, he also demonstrates the Kingdom.
A natural scribe was a “professional copyist” that made exact copies of existing documents.
His contribution was in just reproducing, accurately, manuscripts that were already written.
He was not permitted to add his own thoughts or record opinions or even add words to clarify a passage.
His function was as an exact copyist and not as an originator of thought.
However, in Jesus’ day it is clear that did not prevent the scribe from having a lot of opinions.
However, once a true believer becomes a disciple of the Kingdom he then is called “as the head of a household”, with headship understanding and a possessor of revelation.
Then he can bring out of his OWN treasure both things new AND old!
What a transformation from a copyist to an originator of thoughts and being able to put the Scriptures together and preach things both new and old.
A student of the Kingdom is graded on his knowledge.
A disciple of the Kingdom is graded on his obedience.
A student learns while a disciple does.
“Then why don’t we all just become disciples of the Kingdom and its Government so we can go into all the world to proclaim, accurately, the Divine Order of Heaven?”
First, there must be the discipleship training that leads into the Kingdom experience which is an intense and Divine process.
This is not an exercise of faith but an exercise of an inner transformation.
Even though the Kingdom is preached, multitudes will ignore it because of the demands!
However, “disciple” means that ALL disciples of the Kingdom are doing the Will of God on earth in the same measure it is being done in Heaven.
It is THEN that the Kingdom and its Laws have personally come into our experience.
In traveling to many countries of the world, I have not yet found that corporate group of Kingdom disciples that Jesus speaks about!
When you truly see the Kingdom, even from afar, you discover your spiritual life is not sufficient to support and practice what you see.
The Kingdom and its Laws will seldom fit into your present lifestyle or into your goals and will conflict with our ambitions.
It will certainly conflict with our egos and our ego-centric ministries!
When we see the Kingdom requirements and the end of those who don’t fulfill God’s Laws and expectations, we lose our sense of eternal security.
Therefore we want to receive the Kingdom and its Laws in some modified form.
We try to reduce the Kingdom down to fit into our earthly goals and natural ambitions.
We assume it is much easier to reduce the Kingdom down to fit into our present lifestyle than to discipline and enlarge our inner life to incorporate the Kingdom Government into our present lifestyle.
Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God."
Once we decide to go forward into the work of establishing the Kingdom in our life, there is no opportunity to turn back to readjust our consecration.
The only option we have is to press on into the Kingdom until our character develops into a Kingdom reality.
What the visible church has done is just put the Kingdom over into some future time so we don't have to worry about it now.
Some preach that when Jesus returns, He will then establish His Kingdom so we don’t need to worry about that now.
They boldly declare that this is the time of God’s Grace but His Kingdom will be established on earth during the millennium and He will rule for 1,000 years.
While this is true, that does not eliminate all the Scriptures referring to the Kingdom having entrance into our lives now to establish:
· the Kingdom Life and
· the Divine Order and
· Kingdom Character
into our experience during the church age. For example; 2 Peter 1.
Salvation has to do with our deliverance from the kingdom of darkness.
Experiencing the Kingdom of Light has to do with our:
· development,
· growth and
· function
within His Absolute Government.
Consecration is putting your life in God's Hands and at His disposal to do with you as He wills.
That is the basis of our personal experience of “entering” the Kingdom Government.
Emptiness, hypocrisy and artificiality are the result of:
· not being able to make the change from self, to sacrifice, and
· from the primary experiences of forgiveness, to the Kingdom Life of obedience.
Our progression into the Kingdom can be seen “graphically” in the type or picture of God bringing Israel out of Egypt into the promised land of Canaan.
This is God's pattern seen in the experience of Israel.
First the Passover lamb is slain, the people use the blood and eat the lamb.
[Exodus] = Deliverance from bondage and enemies.
[Leviticus] = Find your place, in a functioning priesthood, worship, ministering.
[Numbers] = The people are numbered and set in military order– prepare for battle.
[Deuteronomy] = History of victories and defeats.
[Joshua] = Enter the promises and possess the land.
Joshua is a picture of the Overcomers, etc.
First and Second Kings and Chronicles are the history of the pitiful results of undisciplined, rebellious and stubborn men in authority, and our understanding of the ones God can use as kings who are faithful and bring blessing to Israel.
This understanding includes both the good and the bad kings and the faithful and rebellious priests.
It defines obedience and disobedience!
Multitudes have declared their independence from God so they can be totally free.
Even in the church men have declared their freedom from God’s Laws.
Man has tried to free himself from dependence upon God for healing in the physical realm by developing high tech medicines, research and hospitals.
Also freedom from military oppression by creating a military defense and by building up various high tech weapons.
Man wants to free himself from moral laws so he engages in immorality to prove his freedom.
Man looks for security in pensions, savings, investments and insurance.
In every area of life man has substituted some thing or some man-made security for what God has promised to supply in His Kingdom and by His Laws.
All forms of government [in the church, in corporations, the federal government as well as local governments] are breaking down under the weight of the demands placed upon human ability.
The world economic system has either failed or is in the process of failing because the moral and social life has become totally perverted, to become selfish, self-centered, ego centric, full of greed and corruption.
Expelling God from His position as the Ultimate King and Ruler over His Universe is nearly universal on every continent.
The Hollywood concept of perverted "love" has failed because of disease and inner guilt and an expectation of finding a “perfect romance.”
Man has not found reality in anything outward or from the earth dimension, therefore, many are without hope of finding any true stability.
Most people, in the world, are afraid to look to the church for answers because they doubt there is any more reality in the church than is evident in the world.
The corporate and financial scandals have undermined the world’s confidence in most leaders and systems of commerce.
Even those in the church, who are seeing the Kingdom of God from a distance, have little hope the church will be any different from the popular man-made earthly kingdoms.
As we have witnessed, in all the racial riots, rebellions and demonstrations, man, of any color, rebels when he perceives that he has lost his place in society and he no longer belongs.
The financial crisis, inflation and the pension scandals have excluded thousands from something they had counted on for their happiness and in their retirement.
Now they despise the thing they trusted in because now they are frustrated by being deceived and excluded from their expectations.
The epidemic of the greed of Wall Street and our banking systems have sickened millions who expected stability, safety, integrity and honesty.
The epidemic of physical sickness that has attacked the have-nots is perceived as someone’s fault, those who are up the economic chain!
They are excluded from some of the perceived entitlement benefits and they feel they don't belong or that they are excluded from the system.
The cost of hospital care and universal insurance has increased beyond their ability to pay.
They feel they cannot participate in the blessings of this country and it must be someone's fault.
We can understand this in the world, but the same thing holds true in the church by those who just want to participate in the routine of the outward church system.
Since they are ONLY “unqualified members” and unable to participate in leadership within their denomination, they are excluded from “ministry” so someone in authority is to blame!
If we preach the requirements of the Kingdom some will feel they can’t measure up so they don't even try to belong.
Man wants to be accepted and craves to belong to something real.
Charles Simpson tells about a man that belonged to so many clubs that when he died they wrote on his tombstone "He was clubbed to death".
Why is this human need now universal?
Most people want to belong to something where they feel included!
People, who want to maintain a salvation experience, will eventually gravitate to a group where they perceive their personal experience measures up to others in the group – no matter how pitiful – and they can feel like they belong.
Church membership seems to satisfy some people’s desire to belong.
Man is unaware that the thing he really needs is the Kingdom.
The Kingdom will satisfy every need to belong, after we belong to it.
However, if we refuse to preach the Kingdom, how will anyone know how to “belong to it?”
The great problem with the Kingdom is that it is the Word of God becoming flesh (experience) in us.
The Kingdom is not experiential just by hearing a message conveyed by preaching and teaching or even by revelation.
This is just information or doctrine that is leading us toward the experience.
The Kingdom is really an inner life, inner man revelation.
Why has the Kingdom Message been hidden by the church?
Because the Kingdom is not in Word only but is revealed by Power and demonstration of the Spirit!
For that reason, the Kingdom has remained a religious mystery to the majority of those in the visible church.
When the church assigned the Kingdom to a prominent position in the future, sometime in the millennium, she lost the Word of the Kingdom that is for today.
When she lost the Word of the Kingdom she lost the manifestation of the Kingdom and the inner life and experience of the Kingdom!
Matt 21:43 "Therefore I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.
When the church began, the Kingdom of God was the central message of the Apostles but now has become just a cliché, another abstract doctrine or a concept without reality, experience or power.
God's goal for the church is, during this church age, to demonstrate the Kingdom of God, on this earth, within a corporate life and function.
This task was assigned to the active church when it became empowered by the New Covenant experience and the coming of the Holy Spirit to dwell in us!
When the nations saw the church they were to see the Kingdom of Heaven manifested on the earth within the Body of Christ.
To accomplish this visibly, the corporate group must:
· do the Will of God,
· hear His Voice,
· keep His New Covenant and
· obey.
The requirement given at Mount Sinai was to:
· hear His voice,
· keep His Old Covenant, and
· obey.
It was THEN that He could make them a kingdom of priests.
The same thing is true today! Now, it is by keeping the New Covenant!
However, as the church years passed, the Kingdom soon became just a marginal issue or even less, just a cliché, or a message without power.
The same problem still exists today!
The Kingdom is not revealed just by preaching more facts and irrelevant information and knowledge!
The Kingdom is expressed out of a personal Kingdom experience and manifested out of a Kingdom Life!
Denominationalism, hierarchies, garments, creeds, programs, customs, rituals and parades became the central issues within a few years and soon became the primary message of the church.
The Kingdom then was preached as a place in Heaven that we go to when we die.
The church and the Kingdom became synonymous on earth, and Heaven and the Kingdom became synonymous after we die.
If the church and the Kingdom were synonymous, then the church's message must be "Repent for the Church is at hand" we would pray "Father, Thy church come, Thy Will be done".
Or "seek ye first the church and all these things will be added to you".
Paul's message was very clear and his ministry revolved around the Kingdom of God and the person of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Acts 28:23 And when they had set a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the Kingdom of God, and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening.
Acts 28:31 preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.
The book of Acts concludes with Paul preaching:
· the Kingdom of God and
· the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the message:
· the unshakable Kingdom, and
· the Unchanging King / Priest.
These two, the King/Priest, are the two parts of our current Kingdom Message.
We lose the continuity and the Power of the Message when we preach one, the Kingdom, without the other, the King and our High Priest, Christ Jesus.
God has joined these two together for eternity.
The King and His Kingdom is the Message concerning God’s Government that will reign for eternity. He will be the High Priest for eternity.
Why are we so adamant about all this?
That is because all this Kingdom Life was demonstrated in the flesh by the Prototype Son, Who is now the King and our Great High Priest Eternally!
As God’s King and High Priest He has received and is now functioning within the Priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek, Who is the Eternal King / Priest of the Most High God.
Everyone who are New Covenant priests must be king / priests after the Order of Melchizedek. Why?
There is no other priesthood in the New Covenant!
The question that is current now is this; If there are two High Priests how do they function?
· Melchizedek was and IS the King/ Priest of the Most High God.
o He was always a King/Priest and He holds His Kingly/ Priesthood forever.
· Jesus is our High Priest Who was taken from among men. He is one of us.
o He is now the Mediator of the New Covenant that is built on better promises.
There is ONE MEDIATOR between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus.
Christ Jesus, our High Priest, stands between us and God and we ask, therefore, in His Name!
Melchizedek was always God’s High Priest, Priest of the Most High God, but now God has made HIS SON, the man, the High Priest forever!
He is now our High Priest, after that Eternal Order of Melchizedek, over His church and over all mankind. Why?
Hebrews 7:20-28
20 And inasmuch as it was not without an oath,
21 (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One Who said to Him, "THE LORD HAS SWORN AND WILL NOT CHANGE HIS MIND, 'THOU ART A PRIEST FOREVER'");
22 so much the more also Jesus has become the Guarantee of a better Covenant.
23 And the former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers, because they were prevented by death from continuing,
24 but He, on the other hand, because He abides forever, holds His Priesthood permanently.
25 Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For it was fitting that we should have such a High Priest, Holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;
27 Who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
28 For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the Word of the Oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.
It is interesting that here God appoints a Son, made perfect forever.
We may not be able to make it to this “kind of Son- ship” as a requirement for Priesthood!
This is NOT presented as a permanent doctrine, but it should be considered. Why?
That is because there will certainly be a KINGDOM OF PRIESTS functioning in the Eternal Kingdom!
This requirement of “son-ship, to prepare for Priesthood” would certainly conflict with the kingdom the church is preaching today. Why?
Many are preaching that all believers are automatically priests by salvation.
However, the Kingdom of Priests certainly includes “full grown into son-ship” as an implied requirement for the Eternal Priesthood!
At least this is compatible with MY Kingdom theology because Son-ship was a requirement for Jesus’ to be accepted in the King/Priest relationship .
Some sections of the church preach the Kingdom as an idealism, but then conclude that we have to live in the real world so the Kingdom is not a practical Christian Life.
However, even though they say “the Kingdom is not relevant in the real world” that is a deception.
Some preach that the requirements in Matthew 5,6,7 are not practical for this time.
One commentary says that the Kingdom is so difficult that it cannot be for the church in this age because this church is under grace, not law, so it must be for Israel during the Millennium which will be under law!
Some confirm that we would all like to live like Matthew 5,6,7, but in the real world this is just not possible.
However, they say some day it will be possible during the millennium.
The Eternal fact is this:
The Kingdom of God is the only possible working order for mankind
simply because its Divine Principles are built into the whole of creation.
Everything that God created, He created by the Word of God and without the Word nothing was created, that was created.
The Kingdom and its Laws are built solidly into every created thing.
Jesus said “The Kingdom is within you!”
The Kingdom is already built into us from the creation.
We obey it and prosper or we revolt against it and self-destruct.
This “destruction” is demonstrated daily, somewhere, and can be seen on the news channels daily, anywhere in the world. Why?
There is the "the reality of the Kingdom" that is built into all of creation, including the outer universe, the stars and the other planets.
All the stars and planets function according to the Laws of the Kingdom, and harmonize with it by full obedience to it.
There is the "kingdom of darkness" that conflicts with everything within the Divine creation and wishes to destroy it.
Today, it is clear that this kingdom of darkness stands for everything corrupt and that is entirely wrong!
Since the Kingdom of Light always presents itself as entirely Right and Righteous, it is always in conflict with that fallen kingdom of disobedience, which is the kingdom of darkness!
Now the fallen kingdom has presented another explanation for acceptance today.
Fornication, adultery and all kinds of sexual perversion are presented as alternate lifestyles that must be accepted as normal.
Anyone presenting an opposite opinion is identified as an extremist and as socially unacceptable, if they live another life-style and preach a higher Life!
However, God’s Law clearly says all these foreign things are wrong. Why?
They conflict with the Laws of creation.
The Kingdom message clearly defines both the right life-style AND the wrong life-style!
Is the Kingdom then extreme? NO!
It holds to what is normal and righteous and just to what is a normal part of creation.
It is the opposite viewpoint and the opposite life-style that is EXTREME!
Even in the church, the wrong seems now to be made right and the right made wrong.
No other kingdom, outside the Kingdom of God, can survive forever because every atom and molecule in creation is built to harmonize with the Kingdom of God. Why?
The Kingdom of God is written into every cell and DNA of our body.
We are designed for the Kingdom and every believer should be in the process of being converted and becoming part of that Eternal Kingdom of Priests.
Everything that is truly Christian will harmonize with the Kingdom and prosper within His Laws and Government.
Therefore, the Kingdom of God’s Government is the only relevant working order for humanity everywhere in the world’s system.
The Gospel of the Kingdom is the Master Plan for all of creation, including mankind.
However, the Kingdom of God is not a Master Plan that God intends to introduce in some distant future, as some in the visible church preach.
The Divine Order was established from before the foundation of the earth, before the creation of man and then was built into creation.
When man builds his house / life upon the Kingdom Government, it is built upon solid rock.
Building on anything else except the Kingdom, is building upon the sand which will surely fail.
Outside the Kingdom love turns to lust, authority turns to tyranny and bondage.
The church turns into another religious system and government turns into politics and corruption.
God’s intended purpose for the Kingdom and by this dispensation and manifestations of the Spirit has been turned, by visible church ministries, into just another demonstration of the flesh.
Wolves look like sheep but operate outside the Laws of the Kingdom.
God is not just looking for “ministers” but “ministers that demonstrate the fruit and the Life of the Kingdom.
Matt 21:43 "Therefore I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.”
A public “pulpit ministry” may remain and function long after the inner life of the minister has failed and has been rejected by the Kingdom requirements.
Some ministries may still be living in rebellion against the Kingdom Government and reject God’s laws.
They permit sin and corruption in their lives and preach “acceptance by grace” to cover their error!
That kind of ministry is already judged and declared to be lawless.
“Depart from me” is the judgement.
Matthew 7:21-23
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the Will of My Father Who is in Heaven.
22 Many will say to Me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
23 And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'”
What Jesus imparted to His disciples by preaching was already demonstrated by Him through both His Life and His ministry!
What was recorded in the Gospels, concerning the Kingdom Life and Ministry, was again demonstrated by His disciples in the book of Acts.
These are the “keys to the Kingdom” made visible on earth and in time!
The personal experience of the Kingdom should be seen as the Ministry of Life!
When the Kingdom and its Government and its Laws have become an inner life experience, it can and should be demonstrated by authentic Kingdom ministries.
Acts 1:1-2
1 The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach,
2 until the day when He was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.
We can assume that what we see in the book of Acts is what Jesus continued to do, after He was taken up.
Mark 16:20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the Word by the signs that followed.
The Word they preached was confirmed as the Word of the Lord.
“While the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the Word by the signs that followed.”
The Word they preached was confirmed by the Lord with Signs that followed!
In all the years that I preached the Tabernacle of Moses and the Plan of God and the Kingdom of God, the Lord never confirmed the Word with signs that followed the preaching.
Was the “word” I preached not acceptable to the Lord because He did not confirm it?
I don’t know!
Is my whole concept about the Word of the Kingdom, that I preach, now acceptable to the Lord? I don’t know!
Are the “signs that followed” a true confirmation that the right word was being preached.
I don’t know!
What I do know is that “this Gospel of the Kingdom” will be preached in the whole world as a witness to every nation before the end comes.
This is confirmed, by Jesus, in Matthew 24:14.
Since the Gospel of the Kingdom is very seldom preached today and the word that is preached is seldom confirmed by the signs that followed, does that mean the Word is not confirmed as true. I don’t know!
What I do know is that God has called me to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom. I do this to the best of my ability.
My understanding, currently, is that the Gospel of the Kingdom is confirmed in the new inner man and in his response to the King/Priest of the Kingdom Government and by keeping its Laws.
The Gospel of the Kingdom requires a Priesthood (“us”) to grow up in all things into Christ, our Great High Priest!
This is the requirement IF we are going to fulfill God’s Eternal Purpose and take our place in the next creation.
The next creation will be the New Earth, the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem.
Out of the New Jerusalem, Jesus, Our High Priest, will choose 144,000 (priests) who He will take to Mount Zion.
The Throne of God is on Mount Zion and Mount Zion is the center of the Eternal Kingdom Government of God.
Those who will overcome in the Lampstand Church, in the Holy Place, will return with Him to this earth and help Him begin His 1000 year reign of Christ Jesus on this earth.
It is following the 1,000 year reign that God will destroy this present earth and create a whole New Earth, The New Heaven and the New Jerusalem.
All these places will be inhabited with people.
The New Earth will be inhabited by “saved” people who only reached the New Earth dimension of growth and perfection.
The New Heaven will be inhabited by those people, like John the Baptist, who reached the New Heaven level of growth and perfection.
He was the last of the Old Covenant believers and reached the greatest level of those who were only born of woman. He obtained the Holy Place level of perfection.
The New Jerusalem is reserved for those who are qualified as New Covenant believers and have fulfilled the New Covenant qualifications and perfections and have become a Kingdom of Priests.
The qualifications for those (144,000) who ascend to Mount Zion are not available yet.
We can speculate on these qualifications as being equal with Christ Jesus.
All these things were determined by God before the world was created.
God always had the goal to raise up a Man, and then new creation men, who would rule over all the works of God’s Hands.
This is presently being worked out and within new inner man, who was created in the Image and Likeness of God.
It is this new inner man whom we call “CHRISTIAN.”
It is the new inner man that is the New Creation.
We need a New Creation to participate in the New Covenant.
We need to experience the New Covenant in order to grow up into Christ and eventually take our place in the New Jerusalem.
The Old Covenant was outward in its requirements.
The Law was outward in its requirements and was held over the natural outer man.
The New Covenant is inward and His Kingdom Laws were put IN US to be obeyed by the new inner man.
The new inner man was first birthed within us as a baby.
The new inner man was designed by God to grow up in all things into Christ.
The visible church is trying to make the outer man into a Christian by teaching him what to do, by preaching him messages.
This preaching is done by natural men who have received teaching about how to minister facts and knowledge.
This they do by preaching information messages.
The new inner man is birthed by receiving the Living and Abiding Word of God.
He is then TAUGHT by that Living and Abiding Word of God through mature men who have grown up into Christ.
This teaching is first accomplished by revealing the seven (7) Outer Court Foundational experiences to the new inner man.
When the new inner man has EXPERIENCED all seven (7) of these Foundations, he is then passed through the Second Veil, which was NOT torn when Jesus was crucified.
This is the Veil of Truth that we must experience.
This VEIL of Truth is used by the Holy Spirit to remove all the Outer Court defects that are left in us.
This prepares us for the Pure Gold Lampstand Church, which Christ Jesus teaches, and He tells them what defects still exist that must be overcome in order to qualify to move to the Most Holy Place, in the Tabernacle of God!
There is much in Eternity that is not explained to us but we do have many things written in the Bible to prepare us for that experience.
Still, much of what happens during that time, the 1,000 year reign, is not explained.
The time of the New Creation of the New Earth, the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem is not explained in the Bible but much is indicated in the prophets.
Especially in the Book of Isaiah chapters 59 to 66.
This New Creation happens in Revelation 21 and 22 when God makes everything NEW.
It seems reasonable that this New Creation will be for the new inner man who has grown up in all things into Christ.
There seems to be more testing and change and perfecting in the believers that will occur during the 1,000 years reign.
That is because at the end of that time the devil will be released and he will deceive many BEFORE the New Creation for Eternity takes place.
This is found in Revelation 20:15
“And if anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
The New Creation for Eternity happens in Revelation 21 and 22.
This present earth will remain for at least another 1,000 years.
Those who have taken part in the First Resurrection will reign on this earth for 1,000 years.
These will be those who are the Priests of God and of Christ.
Those who die during the church age, who do not have the Christ in their life and be saved, shall not be resurrected until after the 1,000 years are complete.
These dead will be resurrected and judged according to their deeds.
Both Death and Hades will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
Everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
The “Book of Life” is NOT the same thing as “the Lamb’s Book of Life” that we see in Revelation 21:27.
Revelation 21 is the requirement to be in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Rev 21:27 and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
This is the goal of the New Covenant saint to at least have our name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life!
That is the minimum requirement to enter into the City of God.
Heaven is not one place but is made up of three places, these are Three Heavens:
- the New Earth,
· the New Heaven and
· the New Jerusalem.
God is sovereign over His Heaven and He accepts those who qualify for each place.
We can be “saved” and go to the New Earth.
It will be by immaturity in our life and these will be ruled over by those who have the maturity to enter the New Jerusalem.
We are speculating that this was the Plan and Purpose of God that He had before the worlds were formed.
Only the ones who are “perfected” to the Most Holy Place qualifications in the Tabernacle of God will be able to enter the New Jerusalem.
It is these, those in the New Jerusalem, who will see His Face, sit on his Throne and be accepted as the Body of our High Priest.
They will rule with Him.
This includes only those who OVERCOME at the Lampstand Level.
This observation is based upon the Scriptures that are written in the Bible.