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God is sovereign. (1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Psalm 33:10-11; 50:1; 66:7; 93:1; 103:19; Isaiah 40:15; Daniel 4:34-35; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 11:17) An attribute of His nature, His sovereignty is indicative of His supremacy of position and power.
Concordant with God’s sovereignty, He has absolute control over every aspect of His creation. He does whatever He pleases and no person or plan can alter His intent or obstruct His action. (Psalm 33:11; 115:3; 135:6; Isaiah 25:1; 43:13; 46:10; Daniel 4:35; Ephesians 1:11; Hebrews 4:3b) Therefore, whether by divine directive or permission, all that occurs within the created realm is in agreement with God's eternal plan. Kingdom of God The sovereign God possesses fullness of authority (the right to rule) in heaven and on earth, eternity and time. He is the King of Kings. Thus, there is no one else with comparable authority. (Psalm 5:2; 10:16; 29:10; 84:3; 145:1; Matthew 25:40; 27:11; Mark 15:2; 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15; Revelation 15:3; 17:14) God, the King of kings, reigns over a kingdom. The primary word translated “kingdom” in the Old Testament is the Hebrew word malkuth (mal-kooth') (1 Chronicles 11:10; 14:2; Psalm 45:6; 103:19; 145:11-13; Daniel 10:13; etc.). In the New Testament, “kingdom” is translated from the Greek word basileia (bas-il-i'-ah) (John 3:3-5; Acts 1:3; Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 4:20). According to George Eldon Ladd, “The primary meaning of both the Hebrew word malkuth in the Old Testament and of the Greek word basileia in the New Testament is the rank, authority, and sovereignty exercised by a king.” He further clarified, “A basileia (kingdom) may indeed be a realm over which a sovereign exercises his authority; and it may be the people who belong to that realm and over whom authority is exercised; but these are secondary and derived meanings.”[1] To restate, the original languages of the Bible indicate that the “kingdom of God” is first and foremost indicative of the sovereign authority of God. Derived from this primary meaning, it only secondarily refers to a realm or people. Consequently, when Jesus said, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,” He was not first suggesting that mankind should seek a realm or people but personal submission to divine authority. (Matthew 6:33) Although derived and secondary, the realm and people of the kingdom cannot be entirely ignored. Consequently, the “kingdom of God” can be defined as follows: |
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The kingdom of God (realm of authority) is essential to the message of both Old and New Testaments. Although not addressed by title, the existence of the “kingdom of God” is communicated consistently throughout the Old Testament. In contrast, it is not only referenced by title in the New Testament (66x) but discussed more specifically. For example, the “kingdom of God” and His kingdom authority are mentioned more than 145 times in the New Testament.
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Kingdom Attributes
First and foremost indicative of an attribute of the divine nature (sovereign authority), the “kingdom of God” should be understood to refer primarily to the living God. (cf. Romans 14:17) Thus, it is reasonable to believe that the divine kingdom shares the attributes of its King. Therefore, among other attributes, the kingdom of God is characterized by: |
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Kingdom Citizenship
The kingdom of God was originally populated only with angelic beings. (Job 38:7; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 148:1-6) For purpose of compatibility, God created them in a state of holiness and immortality. Therefore, He made the angels to be morally and ethically perfect and provided them with life that would never end. Consequently, they were suited for essential roles within the kingdom. It is helpful to note that the English word “angel” is not a translation of the Greek word angelos. It is a transliteration. Therefore, its meaning was merely transferred between languages. The actual translation of the Greek word angelos is “messenger.” By implication, it refers to one who is sent to “announce or proclaim.” Therefore, angelos is descriptive of the significant role of the angelic beings within God’s kingdom. Referenced 186 times in the New Testament, the angels are representatives of God. He sends them to proclaim His message and fulfill His will and work. (Psalm 103:20-21; Daniel 7:10; Galatians 3:19; Hebrews 1:14; cf., Matthew 11:10; Luke 7:24; 9:52; Galatians 4:14; Hebrews 1:7, 14; 13:2; James 2:25) Thus, it is clear that angels serve as messengers and ministers of God. (Matthew 1:20-21; Luke 1:11-20; 26-38; Acts 7:38, 53; Gal. 3:19; Hebrews 2:2; Revelation 14:6-11) To satisfy their vital role in the kingdom, the angels of God were created holy, immortal, and spiritual. (Matthew 25:31; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; 20:36; Hebrews 1:14) They were provided with personal awareness and freedom of will. As a result, they were given the capability for thought, emotion and choice and the privilege of choosing whether or not to reciprocate the love of their King. (Matthew 8:29; Luke 2:13; 8:28-31; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 2 Timothy 2:26; James 2:19; 1 Peter 1:12; Jude 6; Revelation 12:17) The Bible indicates that the kingdom of God is inhabited by distinct kinds of angelic beings. They include angels, cherubim and seraphim. (Psalm 148:2; Isaiah 6:1-7; 37:16; Ezekiel 1; 10; John 1:51; 1 Corinthians 13:1; Hebrews 9:5) The angels, cherubim, and seraphim were created to be equal in status before God but ordered by authority. According to their ordered equality they were anointed to serve in a variety of important roles. The cherubim and seraphim are nearest to God. They have essential roles near the throne of God. (Isaiah 6:1-7; Ezekiel 1:26-28; 9:3; 10:1-22) The cherubim magnify God through worship and praise. In addition, as evidenced by their symbolic inclusion in the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, they represent God and guard the attributes of His nature. (Exodus 25:18-22; 26:1; 1 Kings 6:23, 27; Ezekiel 10:1-14) The cherubim are also known to fulfill important tasks for God on earth. (Genesis 3:24) The Bible references the seraphim only once. (Isaiah 6:1-7) Sent by God, they served as the agency through which Isaiah was purified. It is clear from the passage that they also worship God, proclaim His holiness, and declare His sovereignty over the earth. After the rebellion of the devil and his angels, the eternal plan of God allowed for the repopulation of His kingdom with human beings. Like the angels, their citizenship in the kingdom required holiness and immortality. Thus, the kingdom of God is populated with holy and immortal citizens who are both angelic and human. Kingdom Governance The Bible only reveals two means of governance for angelic and human beings. They include the rule of life and the rule of law. The rule of life is God’s favored means of governance. It is an intrinsic attribute of God and the means by which He governs the righteous angelic and human beings existing within His kingdom. In contrast, God created the rule of law to govern the unrighteous angelic and human beings who exist outside of His kingdom. It is synonymous with the “law of sin and of death.” Relative to unrighteous human beings, the Apostle Paul specifically stated, “… law was not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane ...” (1 Timothy 1:9) For the unrighteous, the rule of law was enacted for fallen mankind with a dual purpose. Not only does it provide boundaries to limit the expression of their lawlessness but serves to enlighten. The rule of law was created to reveal the sinful condition of the unrighteous. (Romans 3:20; 7:7) Congruent with its enlightenment, they are able to clearly discern their need for the Savior, Jesus Christ. Thus, the rule of law was designed as a “tutor to lead … to Christ.” (Galatians 3:23-24) Relative to its dual purpose of providing boundaries and revealing sin, the rule of law is unnecessary in the kingdom of God. The kingdom is populated only with the righteous. Consequently, there is no transgression of law (sin) to contain or reveal in the kingdom. In contrast to the rule of law, the kingdom of God on earth is governed by the rule of life or, more specifically, the gracious rule of the indwelling life of God. (cf. John 14:6; Acts 3:15; 5:20; Romans 5:10, 17, 21; 7:4-6; 7:10; 8:2; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 4:10-11; Colossians 3:3-4; 1 John 5:20) In the New Testament, it is variously described as the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus,” the “law of faith,” the “law of Christ,” the “perfect law,” and the “law of liberty.” (Romans 3:27; 1 Corinthians 9:21; Galatians 6:2; James 1:25; 2:12) By the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God, the rule of life in the earthly kingdom is fulfilled from within. The cooperation of the New Testament church occurs by faith alone. Divine “governance” by the rule of life in the heavenly kingdom is different from the governance of the kingdom manifested on earth. The redemption of the human body fulfilled, the impediment of the sin nature has been removed. As a result, there is no remaining hindrance for intimacy with God. (Romans 8:23) Intimacy unhindered, the kingdom governance of God no longer occurs from within. Instead, the citizens of the kingdom are gloriously overwhelmed by the living God. They are “swallowed up by life.” (2 Corinthians 5:4) Swallowed up by life, there is no need for the earthly governance of law in the heavenly kingdom of God. Its citizens are perfectly righteous by nature. Their practice of righteousness is an essential expression of their heavenly legal status. Swallowed up by life, the citizens of the heavenly kingdom never practice unrighteousness. Consequently, there is no transgression of law to be contained or revealed. Summary The “kingdom of God” can be briefly defined and described as follows: |
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© 2023 James Hiatt
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