A typical "kingdom", according to Google dictionary, is...
"...a country, state or territory ruled by a king or queen" or "the spiritual reign or authority of God".
Depending on the respective country's favorite term, the ruler could also be called a sultan, emperor or an emir.
An absolute monarchy, so Google reveals, is where the...
"...monarch holds supreme, autocratic authority, principally not being restricted by written laws, legislature or customs..."
There are very few sovereign states of this caliber remaining in the world today. There appears to be only four: Oman, Saudi Arabia, Swaziland, and Brunei Darussalam.
As most people know, most kingdoms' kingship or 'queen-ship' is passed down to the firstborn child or in some places, they may insist on to the firstborn son.
When we look back into history, biblical or otherwise, there were kings, and then there were kings of kings. Go back to Jesus' time. There seems to have been multiple kings floating around but under the sovereignty of the Emperor of Rome. Go back even further and you'd see numerous smaller and bigger kingdoms' kings all vying to be the King Pin.
One of my favorite historical "Kingpins" is King Nebuchadnezzar. He had a vast realm that was truly great and of which he was understandably proud. He had to address his subjects as,
"To the nations and peoples of every language, who live in all the earth..." (Daniel 4:1 NIV).
King Nebuchadnezzar had a remarkable vision one time when he lay upon his bed which Daniel interpreted as applying to King Neb himself. King Neb had seen a large tree that grew strong and its top touched the sky and was visible to the ends of the earth (Daniel 4:11). In addition, birds and animals found shelter and food there under.
Cogitate on that a bit.
Colossal!
Daniel described it too. He told King Neb,
"...your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth..."
So you can imagine the phenomenal greatness!?
We know, also from this fourth chapter of Daniel that King Neb got so exceedingly proud that he became mentally ill and went about in the grass as if an animal for a spell of about seven years.
The good news was, though, that he repented and came to realize that he would not have such far reaching lands and influence except at the hand of One who was/is exceedingly far greater. He acknowledged that the...
"...Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone He wishes" (Daniel 4:32 NIV).
He realized this and his sanity, along with his honor and splendor, were returned. He didn't just leave it at that though. He praised the God of Heaven, whom he addressed as the "Most High". He commented,
"His dominion is an eternal dominion; His kingdom endures from generation to generation...He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth..."
King Neb declared that he would,
"...praise, exalt and glorify the King of Heaven, because everything He does is right and all His ways are just..." (Daniel 4:37 NIV).
He truly had a great kingdom yet eventually and humbly recognized there was One greater and mightier than he.
Other 'kings' have aspired to such greatness as well but not with such repute. As always, much blood shed accrues from such expansionism. The infamous Adolf Hitler is someone in more recent history with such determination. His catchy campaign phrase was repeatedly heralded as, "To make Germany great again"! His 'subjects' were mesmerized, and lapped up all the hype. Six million Jews and an estimated four million others suffered to death from that sentiment in concentration camps, not to mention the loss of life of soldiers on both sides of the WWII fray. In the end, he was brought to his knees but not in repentance or even remorse.
Emperor Hirohito of Japan also favored the development of his empire by taking a huge bite of Manchuria, using the reasoning it would be his "seimeisen" (lifeline for his beloved country to reap and rape raw materials, cheap labor and a nice overseas market for Japanese goods). He really succeeded for a time, in his "development" appropriation, to a point, in the Asia-Pacific Region. He was really on a roll towards making Japan great until, he wasn't.
A King Nebuchadnezzer-like, profoundly far-reaching present day "kingdom" is that of the city state of the Vatican with the current "curator" of the Roman Catholic church, Pope Francis. His "kingdom" spreads out throughout the whole world! Great throngs of peoples world-wide are followers of the gospel of Rome. They give supposed credence to Jesus Christ and God, yet take the Pope as their head over Jesus Christ and revere Mary with idol adoration. I don't know much about it but I suppose various decrees go out from the Vatican to encompass it's adherents the world over. Certainly, their form of religion is kept close to the vest and made uniformly standardized throughout the Roman Catholic churches' immense reach.
I had to chuckle some when I came upon an article written by historian David Cannadine in Point of View which queries, "Is the US President an Elected Monarch?" This was back in Barrack Obama's time. Some believed that President presided as if he were a monarch as some of his actions resembled absolute action.
Nowadays, I shiver some when I hear President Donald Trump bandying about the slogan I used to think was great, "To make America great again". He too seems to be the executives' executive, monarch style; and that's still not talking about a type of harmless butterfly! Is he forgetting the "by the people, for the people"? Hey, I'm not getting into politics here...I'm just saying that Trump seems to work along very similar lines as Hitler once did, minus the hatred of Jews, yes, but does he like other peoples of other ethnic origins and rocking the boat of other countries with 'trade expansionism warfare' that also appears to be having ill effects upon his own country, etc?
Let's not get off on a tangent here though.
Then there was another tee-hee, this time at the whim of "Just Saying" - On the Edge hoping to "Make Malaysia Great Again". Actually this one is not so funny; it's more pathetically sad. The brain drain is big in the country of "brains" going to other places that appreciate their talents and skills with far greater recognition and remuneration. Many must go overseas to realize their dreams such as the Malaysian who was one of the pen drive inventors. It would be wonderful though, if Malaysians could indeed truly boost their nation to greatness from within the country itself.
What does all this have to do with the Kingdom of God or as some put it, the Kingdom of Heaven?
The earthly examples help us to picture God and His domain. He doesn't stop at the Earth and all that is therein. He created the whole universe!! All of creation is His jurisdiction! I like King Nebuchadnezzar's acknowledgments: God's "dominion is eternal and endures from generation to generation"...never ending!!
Isn't that what the kings of the earth would love to happen for them!!? Wouldn't they also love to be able to do just what they wished without opposition and bureaucracy's reams of red tape? Jesus will reign on this Earth in a time to come with all that and more and with almighty power, perfection, peace and harmony among all peoples. Jesus' reign and kingdom will be the exact epitome of GREAT!
Yet, we can lay claim to the kingdom of God here and now. How?
First we need to say, the Kingdom of God is already great, and doesn't need to be made greater or great again. Nevertheless, Jesus taught His disciples to pray for God's kingdom to come (Luke 11:2). Pray for it to come and be established on Earth. Look forward to Christ's reign on the earth.
However, His kingdom can be established in our hearts. Like King Nebuchadnezzar, with a repentant heart, turn to God through Jesus Christ Who by His death and resurrection on our behalf, offers all mankind the gift of salvation and a place in His kingdom.
When these followers of Jesus Christ turn in repentance to God and accept His will for their lives, they are establishing the kingdom of God in their hearts. Together, we followers build His kingdom and pray for more growth in ourselves and in others until He comes to take us to His Heavenly home.
I see, in the SPM study guide book for the gospel according to Luke footnote for Luke 11, notated, that in another sense, the kingdom of God...
"...will not come until God's will is perfectly done throughout the world".
Through confession of our sins (1 John 1:9) and repentance there from, we continue to help establish God's kingdom and lay up treasure in Heaven thus doing His will. I believe that perfection will transpire when Jesus comes to reign on Earth. We can cry along with the Holy Spirit, "Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:17, 20 NIV)!
Remember King Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the tree that grew tall enough to touch the sky? Jesus tells a parable of very similar proportions of a mustard seed that grows into a large "garden plant" and in which the birds of the air perch in its branches (Matthew 13;31). Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like that; a kingdom in which to find shelter.
The righteous will shine like the sun in God's kingdom. Light, righteousness; no darkness at all, for those who hear God's words and do them.
God is establishing His kingdom at great personal cost. The cost of the life of His One and Only Son Jesus Christ. His kingdom is "hidden treasure" and a "fine pearl" of "great value" (Matthew 13:43-46). He went all out to expand His kingdom. God gave His all through Jesus so that He could forgive the debts of sin we owed Him. He is our merciful and just King of kings. Revelation 7:9 and 15 (ESV) shows us the results,
"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb...Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence..."
We therefore, out of fear and reverence for our King, must behave humbly and with belief in Jesus Christ. We will need to serve Him then, no matter for how many or few years He gives us to construct His kingdom. Everyone of His subjects wins. He has already secured our reward: eternal life, in His eternal kingdom (Matthew 20:1-16).
Talking about the behavior of those of us "in the kingdom" and what it should be like. Read Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7. Jesus' "sermon on the mount" has so much to offer us in this way. Practice our righteousness in a non-hypocritical way, that pleases Jesus our King. In so doing, others will know to which kingdom we belong; God's or His enemy, Satan's.
As we live in this manner, God's will will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven (see the Lord's Prayer, Luke 11 and Matthew 6). This will be establishing God's kingdom and helping to defeat Satan's.
You know, not too many people were cognizant of just Who that baby was that was born in a stable and laid, wrapped in swaddling clothes, in the manger. That was our King! That was our Holy One, Jesus. That was God's One and Only Son Who is our Savior! Talk about being humble in the Kingdom of God! Well, Jesus is, and always has been, our Perfect Example.
On Lord's Day, especially, let us pray for God's kingdom to come even as we continue to establish His righteousness in our hearts and show it out by the way we live our lives in Christ-like manner to others. Remember the great cost to God and Jesus's sacrifice for us as we children of this King, pass the bread and wine one to another . May these symbols bring to mind all He has done for us and for bringing us into His great and mighty Kingdom of our very own Eternal King of Kings!
Father, may your kingdom come and may things be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. May your righteousness reign in our hearts until You come to take Your rightful place in all your splendor, power and authority. Jesus, come.
~ERC August 2019~
This Kingdom/Hillsong- sung by David Evans; song composed by Geoff Bullock
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