The Kingdom of Heaven, Part Two

 “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17).”

Jesus called all people to repent so that they would be able to enter into the kingdom of heaven. And He preached to them the gospel of the kingdom. “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God... (Mark 1:14).” We face a problem in the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom. That is the presence of another kingdom that resists the kingdom of heaven. These two kingdoms can't live together without conflict. One must supplant the other. And so it is that the kingdom of heaven is in conflict with the kingdom of our age – the kingdom of this earth.


The kingdom of earth is the prominent kingdom of our present evil age. Everyone of us were born into this kingdom and most people will never know any other kingdom. This kingdom also has a king, the prince of the power of the air, Satan. His kingdom began with the fall of man in the garden and will continue until the end of the age. Just as Satan fooled Adam and Eve, he has fooled his followers in believing the lie. We can have a hard time understanding what this kingdom is liked as Christians, because we still live in it. The most clear examples of what this kingdom is like is found in the world just before the flood and in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah found in Genesis. Of that generation before the flood, the Bible says, “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence (Genesis 6:11).” And of Sodom it says, “...the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly (Genesis 13:13).” And so it is today. This kingdom of the earth is corrupt, sin-filled, and violent. And, just as He judged Sodom and Gomorrah, God has judged and condemned this present evil age.

But there is another kingdom, and that is the kingdom of heaven. It is the kingdom of God's rule from heaven in the affairs of men. The purest form of the kingdom of heaven is the eternal reign of Christ, but there is a sense in which the kingdom already exists. Jesus said of this kingdom that, “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it (Luke 16:16).” The kingdom exists with those that are called the children of the kingdom (Matthew 13:38). These are the saints – those that have put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. These have come out of the kingdom of this world and have entered by faith into the kingdom of heaven. They were once “children of disobedience” just like everyone else (Ephesians 2:2; 5:6; Colossians 3:6). Each of them have turned from Satan to follow Christ and have left the kingdom of this earth for the kingdom of heaven. This all takes place through God and His grace “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son... (Colossians 1:13).”


The children of the kingdom of heaven are engaged in battle against the kingdom of earth. This is a holy war fought, not with carnal weapons such as guns and swords, but with spiritual weapons as is described in Ephesians chapter six. And the reason for this is that “...we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).” And because it is a spiritual battle we do not take up arms to promote. Our Lord and King has determined that we fight the enemy with the proclamation of the gospel. “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matthew 24:14).” As Christians we must always remember that, although we fight in this war, the outcome is not ours. The battle is the Lord's and He has already won. We fight on, not to redeem this world, but to redeem souls from Satan's dark kingdom. “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them (2 Corinthians 4:4).”


Each of us are either in the kingdom of this earth or the kingdom of heaven. Once you have heard the gospel of the kingdom of heaven you have a choice. Choose Christ by repenting of your sins and putting your trust in Jesus alone to save you. Then your citizenship will change from the kingdom of this earth into the kingdom of heaven.