UNDERSTAND KINGS AND THEIR KINGDOMS
The key to understanding the kingdom of God/heaven lies in the understanding of kingdoms. In Cities, Kingdoms and Nations we said that kingdoms refer to the authority governing people in cities and nations and that kingdoms are typically identified with particular kings. Thus we find the following kinds of entries in scripture:
STUDY TIP: The kings of these kingdoms should be interpreted as religious leaders. We have discussed this symbolism in Kings, Queens, Princes.
Anyone who has spent any time in the Old Testament, know that these kings and their kingdoms are recognized as enemies of Israel. We must be careful, however, that we do not think of these and other kings and rulers as natural men of natural kingdoms. We must rather think of them as spiritual kings under the control of the devil. And this is consistent with what God says about Satan being ruler of his kingdom.
These facts lead us to the conclusion that there are only two kingdoms: Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Satan. With that in mind, we will next review a sample of scriptures about the Kingdom of God:
Matthew 6:28-33 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
COMMENTARY: Jesus’ inquiry about anxiety over clothing is addressed primarily to religious leaders who wore special clothing that identified them as religious leaders. In his little parable of lilies and grass, he is saying that special clothing means nothing to God.
He further condemns religious leaders and their religion by saying that their fussy attention to what they eat, and drink is not a matter of faith. He likens their attention to these and all other religious activities to the religion of Gentiles. This is a strong condemnation of Judaism and Christianity whose religious practices are loaded with attention to unique clothing and eating and drinking (i.e., dietary laws and Communion/Eucharist.)
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.
COMMENTARY: In saying “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,” Jesus condemns the religious leaders for seeking their own kingdoms where they rule over other people. The kingdom which people should be seeking for themselves and others is the Kingdom of God, also called the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a code term that equates with the Promised Land and the New Covenant.
New Covenant disciples know that they are clothed with God’s spiritual glory and are satisfied with that knowledge. Unlike Old/First Covenant religionists (i.e., religious leaders to whom Jesus was talking), they have no need to display their personal glory and religious status through external ornamentation like clothing, postures and titles which identify them as religious people.
We have discussed this at length in Making a Name for Yourself and Tebow’s Broad Phylacteries.
Matthew 6:1-10 “Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
COMMENTARY: See The Lord’s Prayer for an extensive commentary on this scripture. This preamble to the Lord’s Prayer is a strong condemnation of public, religious piety. Again it compares Judaism to Gentile religion. Christians should also consider this scripture as a condemnation of their religious practices which are modeled after Jewish ceremonial law which is modeled after Gentile religious practices.
The context of this prayer is a warning to avoid public religious practices in favor of internal, private, spiritual deeds and prayers that are observed only by God. These warnings introduce the focus of the prayer which is that God’s kingdom will be established in people and his will be done on earth (i.e., people) as it is done in heaven (i.e. the kingdom that is within people). It is essentially a prayer that anticipates conversion of Old/First Covenant religionists to New Covenant disciples. Anyone who prays these words is essentially inviting God to turn them from their current religious practices and become New Covenant disciples. Another way of saying it is that they would turn from Defiled Religion to Pure Religion (i.e. from Old Covenant Religion to New Covenant disciples).
This understanding is not in view, however, for Old/First Covenant religionists who see heaven as a place in the sky and not as God’s kingdom in the hearts of people.
The way we see it, the ritualistic repetition of this important prayer has eroded its potential spiritual value. It has been used so many times in so many places that it has become an iconic display of pseudo spirituality by religious leaders who want to create a calming spiritual environment in a group setting. Used in this way it violates the warnings that introduce the prayer. It looks good, sounds good, and feels spiritual to the ones who pray, but it is empty of spiritual content because it is nothing more than a public display of righteousness done for others to see.
Worse than that, the repetitive, mindless, ritualistic, recitation of the prayer deflects attention from the appeal for the establishment of God’s kingdom. This is no small thing because the coming of the kingdom on earth in the hearts of his children is God’s purpose in placing his name (i.e. character) in his chosen people. People who enter into the Kingdom of Heaven have no need or desire to draw attention to themselves like the Pharisees who display their righteousness to others. People of the Kingdom of Heaven are satisfied that God’s glory is displayed in their hearts and have no need to receive any personal glory.
The “Kingdom of God” is a code term for his law being written on the hearts of his people. It is another way of identifying this objective along with code terms like the Promised Land and New Covenant. It is only when people enter into the Promised Land (i.e. into a New Covenant relationship where the law is written on the hearts of men) that the spiritual Kingdom of God is established. The Kingdom of God is established when God’s character (i.e. his name) is established in God’s people. See Third Commandment for more about God’s name.
This important prayer should be the constant prayer of all believers. First, that the Kingdom of God would be established in them personally, and then that it would be established in others — person by person. Despite conventional understandings, this prayer is not about some global, cataclysmic return of Jesus to establish his kingdom on earth. Rather, it is about a slow, almost imperceptible process in which the kingdom advances, person by person throughout the world. Jesus provided the clearest imagery of how it matures in his parables about the mustard seed and leaven (i.e., yeast) that eventually works it way through a loaf of bread.
Matthew 8:5-12 As he entered Caper’na-um, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion answered him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.”
COMMENTARY: The kingdom of heaven in verse 11 is the same kingdom of which Jesus prayed in the Lord’s Prayer. The second kingdom in verse 12, however, is not that kingdom. Rather the kingdom in verse 12 is the kingdom of men governed by the religious leaders of the temple system. This is also called the kingdom of the world which is governed by satans (i.e. religious leaders).
Matthew 12:23-33 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it they said, “It is only by Be-el’zebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand; 26 and if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Be-el’zebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. 33 “Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
COMMENTARY: Jesus is speaking prophetically here about tearing down the religious kingdom that men have created for themselves and replacing them with the Kingdom of God.
Religious kingdoms governed by men are symbolically governed by demons and Be-el’zebul. These Old/First Covenant religious kingdoms are divided into many smaller kingdoms governed by religious leaders as is discussed in Gods at War. We know these kingdoms by their various names: Judaism, Christianity, Islam and so on. All of them will be destroyed by God and replaced by the New Covenant and the Kingdom of God.
The strong man in verse 29 is the devil incarnate in human religious leaders. God will bind these strong men and plunder their kingdoms so he can establish his own kingdom in their hearts.
Matthew 13:1-52: That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: ‘You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive. 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
STUDY TIP: See this link for commentary on the parable of the sower.
24 Another parable he put before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
COMMENTARY: Good seed is God’s spoken word. Good seed yields grain/wheat that is good food.
Weeds grow from seeds that come from trees of knowledge of good and evil. Then enemy that sows weed seed is religion, especially religious leaders.
God allows weeds (i.e. Old/First Covenant religion) and wheat (i.e. New Covenant disciples) to grow side by side. Old/First Covenant religionists symbolically burn because they have evil, impure hearts. The barns into which wheat is gathered is God’s storehouses which are clean, pure hearts of New Covenant disciples.
31 Another parable he put before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” 34 All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. 41 The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
COMMENTARY: People who are citizens of the kingdom of heaven are the only people who have ears to hear God’s spoken voice which explains parables and mysteries of the written Bible. In this story, Jesus explains a parable with more parables. Thus, the explanation is elusive for anyone who does not have ears to hear God’s spoken voice.
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
COMMENTARY: Citizens of the kingdom of heaven have ears to hear God’s spoken voice. What they hear is more valuable to them than their religion and their religious pride. Therefore, they willingly sacrifice all their religious pride so that they can enjoy the treasure.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
COMMENTARY: See commentary above.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. 51 “Have you understood all this?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
COMMENTARY:
Luke 18:18-25: And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these I have observed from my youth.” 22 And when Jesus heard it, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard this he became sad, for he was very rich. 24 Jesus looking at him said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
COMMENTARY: The man asking Jesus about eternal life is a religious ruler/leader of his own kingdom. This made him very rich, but not necessarily financially. His wealth was in pride and position as one of the religious elite in the temple system. His pride is exposed in his claim that he has faithfully observed all the commandments. The commandments he observed, however, are religious laws made by men — not God’s spiritual laws.
Jesus knew that the religious leader could not possibly have kept all the commandments as the ruler claimed. Nevertheless, he did not correct him, but he effectively told the ruler that he would have eternal life if he would voluntarily give up all his religious wealth (i.e. pride). This made the ruler very sad because he was very attached to his kingdom.
Jesus’ final statement about a rich man’s inability to enter the kingdom of God is a commentary on the pride that rulers have in their positions and the various kinds of pride that accrue to leaders of religious kingdoms. Religious pride is an obstacle to God’s desire to establish his kingdom in their hearts.
Matthew 21:23-32 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you a question; and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or from men?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the multitude; for all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. 28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he repented and went. 30 And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.
COMMENTARY:
Matthew 21:33-46 “Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; 35 and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. 37 Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it.” 44 * [No text] 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 But when they tried to arrest him, they feared the multitudes, because they held him to be a prophet.
Mark 1:9-15 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; 11 and a voice came from heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.” 12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him. 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.”
COMMENTARY:
Romans 14:12-22 So each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Then let us no more pass judgment on one another, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for any one who thinks it unclean. 15 If your brother is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let your good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit; 18 he who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for any one to make others fall by what he eats; 21 it is right not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother stumble. 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God; happy is he who has no reason to judge himself for what he approves.
COMMENTARY: The context of this reference to the Kingdom of God is the dietary laws included in the Law of Moses. The Jews, of course, were very careful to observe these laws because they are an important part of Old Covenant religious practices. These dietary laws are explained in Bread Food and Wine.
Unfortunately, some Jews who claimed to follow Christ still held to these religious practices and pressured others to do the same. They were called the circumcision party, otherwise known as Judaizers.
Since the circumcision party still felt it was important to follow the literal law of Moses, there is room for doubt about whether they were real followers of Jesus or not. Obviously they did not understand that Jesus was the end of the law and the fulfillment of the law. And lacking that understanding, they continued in their efforts to gain righteousness through their religious works.
STUDY TIP: See Romans 7 for a detailed discussion about the difficult scriptures about the law.
The book of Romans was written to Jewish followers of Christ. Basically it says that people who observe the Mosaic law with respect to food should not let their beliefs obstruct what God is doing in others in others by publicly defending their practices in ways that cause others to stumble.
More to the point of the Kingdom of God, verse 17 of chapter 14 says that rules about eating and drinking (i.e. what can or can not be eaten in order to be righteous) are not important to God and therefore should not be important to those who are in the kingdom. These activities, along with all other external displays of pseudo righteousness, are not essential to the righteousness that is found in those who are in a New Covenant relationship with God.
What is important to God are matters of the heart (i.e. peace and joy) that comes from having the Spirit of God residing in the heart of the believer. For people who have the Spirit, there is an internal (i.e. in the heart) awareness and confidence of their righteousness that gives them great freedom to eat, or not eat, anything because they know that following such rules does not impress God nor does following such rules make them any closer to God. People who do such things are only fooling themselves, and maybe a few others, about their righteousness. God is not fooled because he does not look at the external person and the religious things people do. God only looks at the condition of their hearts.