The story of the Kingdom of God

The history of the Kingdom of God

The kingdom of God was not a new concept suddenly introduced by Jesus in his preaching (even though it was the major aspect of his preaching and parables: The gospel of the Kingdom of God). It has a long history in the Bible… here is a short overview of the concept as it is revealed over time in the Bible. The Kingdom of God was not an afterthought, but it will become clear that this was the ultimate purpose of God right from the start of creation.

The whole universe, heavens and earth, was created by the LORD God for Himself (described in Gen.1-2). And He created mankind to rule over the earth as his representatives. This is our ultimate creation purpose, right from the start. Obviously, to rule as the representative of somebody else, you have to be in constant communication with who-ever you are representing. The image that you reflect, needs to be the image of the Person you represent (otherwise you are representing yourself or somebody else). And this is the relationship described in Gen.2-3 between mankind and the LORD God.

But then came the fall into sin and rebellion against God (described in Gen.3-4). Mankind gave their allegiance and obedience to the serpent, turning their backs on their Creator and King and on their whole reason for being; their creation purpose (to rule as his representatives). Satan became the de facto ruler of this earth as we (the rightful stewards of this earth) gave him our allegiance. Even during this time, a handful of people “walked with God” and were considered faithful to Him (e.g. Enoch and Noah).

But then, when the sinfulness and rebellion of mankind became too great, God disinhereted the nations. They were given over to worshipping “other gods”, lesser spiritual beings… who often followed the devil in his rebellion against God and became part of his “the kingdom of this world” – the nations at larger no longer served or worshipped the one true God directly, but served false gods of their own making and imagination, or even worshipped demons (this process is also referred to in some of the Psalms and in parts of Gen.6-11).

And then the Lord God intervened. He started again with a single person to whom He gave the promise that he would become the father of many nations and with a single country that would become his very own… although all of the earth belongs to Him as the Creator, He was not going to take it back with violence and judgement. He would start with a single nation through whom the world would see what He looks like and what it looks like if people followed Him and lived for Him. He would become their King and rule them through his righteous and holy teaching (Law/Torah). They would be separated to Him from among all the nations and be a Kingdom of priests to Him (Ex.19:5-6). Priests represent the people to God and Kings rule as his representatives over the earth (their land, which He would give to them as an eternal inheritence). But this position was also conditional; they had to keep his covenant, commands and Torah (Law) that showed them the way to live this holy lives as his representatives on earth. Deut.32:8-9 – “ When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He divided mankind, He fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.” It is among these “sons of God” that He will arise to judge them and ultimately inherit all the nations of earth again as described in Ps.82.

And herein lies one of the most basic aspects of the Kingdom of God… It is through our sin (disobedience to God and obeying the voice of the satan instead) that we have lost our position as his representatives and given rule over the earth to the enemy (satan, called the prince/ruler/god of this world in the New Testament). And even Israel, the chosen nation, disobeyed his Torah. The Good News of the Kingdom, is that God is going to take back the rulership that belongs to Him alone. And He is going to use people to do that. More specifically, He was going to use a very specific Person (the Son of man) to do it, as the representative of all mankind, the Anointed. Jesus of Nazareth came, proclaiming the Good News that the promised Kingdom of God has arrived (because the King has arrived). There were many promises through the ages given through the prophets about this promised King. And one of the main things He did, was to live 100% according to the Torah of God, even challenging his opponents, “Which one of you convicts me of sin?” (John 8:46) after having just convicted them all of their own sin (John 8:1-12). Thus He was the one righteous Man who could give a righteous offering of Himself to atone for all our sins (Is.53), according to the prophecies. Taking our sins and forever dealing with it as the Representative of mankind, He forever removed any claim that the tempter had on earth. Thus, through his death and resurrection, He freed us from sin, the law, fear of death, our flesh and this present world system (ruled by the “prince of this world”), into his new Kingdom as the true Representative of God the Father on earth – He showed us the face of God, his true character.

One of the promises about the coming Messiah, the Son of David according to the flesh, was that He would rule over all the nations (Is.9,11:10, Dan.7:14). However, He would also break every weapon of war and nations will no longer learn to make war (Is.2:4, Hos.1:17, 2:17,Mic.4:3). How then would He win the whole earth, all nations, as his Kingdom? “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” (Zech.4:6). This was the Kingdom demonstrated and established by Jesus on earth… like a mustard seed, smallest of all (cultivated) seeds, growing into a tree (Matt.13:31-32). And this was the method through which God chose to re-establish his reign on earth – not by a mighty display of his power as during the Exodus, but through the Spirit of his Son, changing us into the image of his Son when we enter into and become part of his Kingdom, through his Spirit (Rom.8:29,12:1-2, John 3:3,5).

Yes, there is also a future fulfillment, when the power and authority of the Lord (and our sonship) finally becomes visible in its glory (2 Thess.1:7-10). Then, He will recreate a new heaven and earth, uncorruptable and where it will literally and vissibly be heaven on earth (Rev.21-22). The Kingdom that He planned when creating mankind originally, where we rule as his representatives, will finally become a reality, but even more glorious than the first creation (just compare Gen.1-2 with Rev.21-22). But in the meantime, for now He is establishing his Kingdom in and through all those who willingly join themselves to Him and give themselves fully to Him, through repentance and faith (trust) in Him. We are being prepared in this world for our future with Him – by learning how to live in communion with Him (and each other). We are completing the mission with which the Father sent Jesus (John 20:21), establishing the Kingdom of God on earth, not in our own strength or through our own power, but through our unity with Him (John 15:1-16:11).