THE KINGDOM OF GOD

The first king mentioned in the Bible was Nimrod, king over Babel (Gen. 10:10). Two chapters later, God chose Abraham to begin a nation that was to recognize God as its King (Gen. 12:2; 1 Sam. 8:7). Approximately one thousand years passed when Israel, which by then was governed by corrupt judges, complained to their prophet Samuel that they wanted to be ruled by a king like all of the other nations (1 Sam. 8:3-5). When Samuel approached God with their request, God told him that they were not rejecting him as their leader, they were rejecting Him, God (1 Sam. 8:7). The LORD warned them that a human king would cost them dearly (1 Sam. 8:9-17). They did not heed God's warning and Israel's kings proved to be "as advertised." They did not learn much, for nearly one thousand or so years later, they chose Barabbas over Jesus (Matt. 27:21). Israel rejected their One true King, again!

With the rejection of Jesus Christ, Israel opened the door for salvation to the Gentiles; prior to this, a Gentile had to become a Jew to be considered a child of Abraham (Jn. 1:11-12). Israel, who had long been waiting for their Messiah, their Christ, their King, having been without a king since Hoshea (who ruled until about 722 B.C. when the Assyrian Empire conquered them), failed to recognize Him when He came. As a result, their centuries of being without a king from the lineage of David continues until this day. It has been about twenty-seven hundred years, and they are still waiting for their king.

The good news is, their King will return to establish His one thousand year reign; the bad news is, they will have experienced persecution for at least two thousand years prior to His return, with the last seven years of persecution being the Tribulation [also know as the Time of Jacob's Trouble (Jer. 30:7), and Daniel's Seventieth Week (Dan. 9:24-27)]. And while His Millennial Kingdom will be ruled with total righteousness (Rev. 19:2, 8, 11), His reign is described as being with an "iron rod" (Rev. 19:15).

Some have suggested that the idea of an earthly reign by Christ is a metaphor for the age of the Church. They believe the Church will eventually win the world to Christ. Since the Church has had twice the time specified, and has been losing ground in its mission to evangelize the world, it is clear that either God made a mistake, or their interpretation of Scripture is wrong. The main reason these folks misunderstand is because they do not recognize the distinction between Israel and the Church. I would suggest that since the Synoptic Gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) mention the kingdom eighty-six times, and the rest of the New Testament only twenty times, the kingdom offered Israel is "on hold" until after the Church Age. In Acts 1:2-8, Jesus indicated the kingdom was yet future. All references after that also speak of it as a future reign. I hope to continue on this subject tomorrow. But until then, remember, He wins!

Revelation 11:15 - And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.