It is fundamental to our faith that the God of Heaven reveals to us in the Scriptures of Truth the secret of His eternal purpose in Christ Jesus, making known for the obedience of faith the development of that purpose from “the beginning” to “the end”, when the whole earth shall be filled with the praise and glory of God.
Thus the opening words of the Bible inform us, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. The majestic wonders of creation are then outlined, culminating in the formation of man “in the image and likeness of God”. Elsewhere we are informed that the Divine purpose is to fill the earth with a race of people who, by ascribing praise and glory to their Creator, will give pleasure to Him. This Divine purpose is given concrete expression in Jesus. The purpose of God was revealed in flesh; in him dwelleth all the fulness of God bodily; He is the firstborn of a new creation, the firstborn among many brethren, the express image of God.
It is Jesus who provides the pattern of that innumerable multitude “like unto him” who will ascribe blessing, honour, glory and power to their Creator and in whom He will be well pleased. When these things are revealed on earth then the Divine purpose will have been accomplished and the Lord’s prayer fulfilled: “Thy kingdom come, that thy will may be done on earth as in heaven.” The Kingdom of God will have become a reality.
When we speak of a kingdom we think of those elements which comprise a kingdom: land, people, rulers, agriculture, industry, trade, commerce, laws, religion, social services, transport, education, etc. God’s kingdom is different. As the heaven is high above the earth, so His ways are high above ours. His kingdom is that realm in which He reigns supreme. This is at the same time both its simplest and sublimest expression.
Obviously the time is still future when the whole earth shall acknowledge the supremacy of God. The earth is not yet filled with a people reflecting the praise and honour of their Creator. It is equally obvious that there may be, even at this present time, a remnant according to grace. There may be communities of people humbly submitting themselves in thought, word and deed to the will of God. His supremacy, His praise and glory are guiding principles of such groups of people, so that they have been “translated into the kingdom of His dear son”. These communities are made up of individuals giving expression to the same principles. Christ dwells in their hearts by faith. He lives in them. They have opened their hearts to receive him and thus the Father and Son dwell with them and make their abode with them. Individually and collectively they are the temple of the living God. They are the Kingdom of God.
So Jesus taught that something greater than outward observation is needed to perceive God’s Kingdom. Those who will inherit the kingdom must first experience its power within themselves by doing the will of God, acknowledging His supremacy, enthroning Him as king of their whole being. Jesus provides the supreme example. He did at all times those things which gave pleasure to his Father so that when he moved among the people it could be said, “The kingdom of God is nigh unto you”, “has approached”, etc.
There was a time when all the earth comprised God’s kingdom. All was then “very good”. Adam and Eve were subject to God’s law, lovingly serving Him and pleasing Him in all their ways. But sin was introduced. Man chose to set up his own standard and rebelled against God’s standard. God was dethroned from His position as king in man’s affections.
No kingdom can ignore rebellion—either the king abdicates or the rebellion must be crushed. The Almighty, of course, could have crushed the rebellion in the beginning or at any later time, setting up His kingdom by coercion. That would be man’s way, but His way is higher. He has allowed man the free will to determine who will reign in his own heart, and so the rebels are allowed free scope At the same time the rebellion is confined within the limits He has set in order to demonstrate to all who will heed that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and that His purpose still stands.
Every individual makes his own choice. He can of his own volition take Christ into his heart submitting to him as king, assembling together with others of like disposition forming a kingdom of God society, in joyful anticipation of the day when these elements shall be gathered together to form the kingdom in its fullness in all the earth—or he can rebel against his king individually, socially and politically. But, wonder of it all, the Most High uses the evil designs of godless men to further His plan and most important of all to develop in His servants those qualities He desires to perpetuate. Thus, although the day is fast approaching when the rebellion instituted in Eden will finally be eradicated and God’s supremacy restored, everyone must still choose for himself.
The world today is not God’s kingdom. Some nations do not acknowledge Him at all. Those who do have their disagreements. In nominally Christian lands many do not bother to worship, and even sincere, earnest Christians are deflected at times from wholehearted service by desire and ambition. That is why the future kingdom must still be preached. The kingdom exists today only in the lives of believers, individually and socially. This is shortly to be changed when Christ will return and put down the rebellion. During his reign sin will be suppressed and finally eradicated. Finally, in “the end” God’s realm will embrace all mankind and He will dwell with man.
In all things Christ is the pattern of the Father’s eternal purpose. His life is a perfect example of submission to the divine will. By submission to his Father’s will and testifying against wickedness, he stirred up the enmity of evil men, who persecuted him and finally put him to death. This was part of God’s plan to demonstrate for all time the wickedness and folly of rebellion. God was satisfied with the righteous character of His son and so He raised him from the dead and exalted him, making him both Lord and Christ. He has appointed him as mediator and priest for those who strive to follow his example because through his experience of tribulation and temptation he can have compassion on those who stumble.
Those who now identify themselves with him by baptism into his death, striving to follow his example, dying to the old way and rising to a new way of life, no longer serving sin but yielding themselves servants to righteousness, allowing Christ to reign in their lives—they will be like him also in the resurrection. As they suppress sin, so it will be eradicated and death, which came by sin, will be swallowed up of Life.
The way to the Kingdom of God is to open our hearts to him, receive him into our life to live and abide with us, that he might make our life now a miniature kingdom, associating with others in a social kingdom and looking forward in joyous anticipation to the fullness of glory when the earth shall be filled with His praise and glory.
“For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, both now and for evermore.” Amen.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One