Chapter 1 - In the Beginning

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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) His sovereignty is an attribute of His nature. It is indicative of supremacy of both 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

Relative to His sovereignty, God possesses fullness of authority (the right to rule) in heaven and on earth. As a consequence, He is the King of Kings. (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) There is no other king, ruler, power or dominion with comparable authority.

God, the sovereign King of Kings, reigns over a kingdom. In the English Bible, 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 New Testament Greek it is 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. A basileia 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] While the kingdom of God may refer to a realm and people, it is first and foremost indicative of the rank, sovereignty, and authority of God.

Original Citizenship

God originally populated His eternal kingdom with angelic beings. (Job 38:7; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 148:1-6) They were created holy, immortal, and spiritual. (Matthew 25:31; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; 20:36; Hebrews 1:14) The angelic beings were also provided with personal awareness and freedom of will. Therefore, 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 English word “angel” is descriptive of the important role of the angelic beings in God’s kingdom. Translated from the Greek word angelos, it means “messenger” and, by implication, one who is sent to “announce or proclaim.” 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, 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)

The Bible clarifies that the kingdom of God is inhabited by different 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. Therefore, they both 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. As further 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 in only one passage. (Isaiah 6:1-7) According to Isaiah, they acted as the agent for his divine purification. However, it is clear from the passage that they also worship God, proclaim His holiness, and declare His sovereignty over the earth.

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Kingdom Government

Fundamentally speaking, there are only two types of governance that exist for the benefit of angelic and human beings. The first is the rule of life (zoe). It constitutes the divine means of governance for the righteous (all angelic and human beings who exist within the kingdom of God). The second type of governance is the rule of law. It was initiated to govern the unrighteous (inclusive of all angelic and human beings existing outside of the kingdom of God).

The rule of law is synonymous with the principle of law or the “law of sin and of death.” Reflecting the righteousness of God, it provides a measurable standard of righteousness within the “domain of darkness” (realm of satanic authority) or the fallen heavens and earth. (Romans 3:20; 7:7)

God initiated the rule of law on earth for benefit of the unrighteous. Its intent was to reveal sin or the transgression of law and thereby motivate the sinner to seek the Savior. (Galatians 3:23-24) Thus, the Apostle Paul plainly stated, “[the rule of] 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)

The kingdom of God (realm of divine authority) is not governed according to the rule of law. Populated only with righteous angelic and human beings, there is no unrighteousness to reveal in the kingdom. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 5:19-21) While the angelic citizens of the kingdom remain in their original, eternal state of righteousness, the human citizens of the kingdom were made righteous in time through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

It must be emphasized then that all of the citizens of the kingdom of God (realm of divine authority) are righteous. Consequently, there is no unrighteousness in the kingdom. Apart from unrighteousness the rule of law is meaningless and unnecessary.

Rather than divine law, the citizens of the kingdom of God are governed by the gracious rule of divine life (zoe). (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; 5:4; Colossians 3:3-4; 1 John 5:20) Therefore, they do not relate to God by obedience to the commands and ordinances encompassed in the rule of law (law of sin and of death) but by choice of faith to cooperate with the intimate presence of His indwelling life (zoe). (cf. Romans 1:5; 16:26)

© 2023 James Hiatt

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