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REVELATION - Behold, I am Coming Soon
Studies in the Book of Revelation
BOOK 4 - THY KINGDOM COME (REVELATION 10:1 - 12:17) – The two witnesses of the last days and the expulsion of Satan from heaven
PART 4.3 - SUPPLEMENT: THE MYSTERY OF GOD IN ITS COMPLETION THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST

2. The Unfolding of the Mystery of God in the Words of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of His Father


Whoever reads the gospels attentively will hear Jesus speak approximately 100 times of the “kingdom of heaven”, of the “kingdom of His Father”, or simply of the “kingdom”. Christ came as God-King, to take possession of the kingdom of His Father.

Few Understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven: Jesus knew not all men could understand what He was telling them. Some, however, sooner or later, recognized the reality of the kingdom of God and its King. To these followers Jesus revealed with all clarity: “It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (Matthew 13:11; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10 etc.).

But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it (Matthew 13:16-17; Luke 10:23-24 etc.).

Why is it that the disciples of Jesus understood His revelations, while the majority of His people could not understand Him? What was it about His followers that made them different from the crowd of remaining hearers?

The twelve apostles of Jesus Christ and the inner circle of His followers had come to repentance through John the Baptist, had recognized their sin before God, and as a sign of their cleansing been baptized in the Jordan They feared God and His judgment. They did not trust in their own uprightness, honor and goodness, but delivered themselves up to the mercy of their judge. Their hearts and minds had been plowed. Jesus had only to plant the good seed of the gospel in them to make new men out of them.

The knowledge of the mystery of Jesus Christ and the faithful reception of His truth always comes by grace. No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). This Spirit cries out in us: “Abba, Father!” and bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God (Romans 8:9-10, 14-16). Whoever wants to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God, should seriously ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus commanded (Luke 11:9-13).

No one can comprehend the kingdom of God with his own intellect or logic, except he prayerfully reads the words of the gospel and trusts them with a heart of gratitude. Jesus says clearly: “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it” (Luke 18:17).

To Nicodemus, a representative of the High Council (Sanhedrin), the Lord made it perfectly clear: “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

Johann Albrecht Bengel writes of this in his work of prose: “The spiritual birth comes by faith in the Son of God (1 John 5:1). Do not take the work of faith too lightly; it is a birth from above. Do not take the second birth too hard; it exists by faith!”

Without a renewal of our minds and without a spiritual enlightenment of our hearts we will read the texts of the Bible, but not understand them. Martin Luther encourages us through his explanation of the third article of faith: The Holy Spirit has called us through the gospel, enlightened us with His gifts, sanctified and upheld us in rightful faith, just as He called, gathered and upheld all of Christendom on earth, in the single rightful faith!

Whoever wants to recognize the mystery of God will have to bury his heretical belief in modern rationalism and his trust in the all-pervasive power of science. He will have to open himself to the revelation of God in the Bible.

The Kingdom of God is Eternal: In the 20 verses of the Old Testament that bear witness to the kingdom of God, the single expression that binds them together is: the kingdom of God is eternal. The kingdom of God has no end; it abides from eternity to eternity. It can never be destroyed, and never ceases to exist. God Himself guaranteed the eternalness of His kingdom. Thus David rejoiced: Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations (Psalm 145:13).

Daniel summarized his night vision with the same eternal confession of faith (Daniel 7:27). King Nebuchadnezzar, too, following his recovery from madness, confessed this formula of faith (Daniel 4:34). Even the Persian emperor, Darius, confirmed this spiritual fact, when he witnessed how Daniel was brought out of the lion's den alive (Daniel 6:26).

Proceeding from the eternal nature of the kingdom of God, it follows that it was not created, and it had no beginning. It is a spiritual kingdom, just as the Holy Spirit will never grow old, and will never pass away. As an immortal, divine kingdom, it is full of life, power and light. It is eternal because no sin, impurity or deficiency exists in the glory of God. It is holy, like God is holy. If not, it would pass away (Romans 6:23). The kingdom of heaven possesses divine nature. It was not created, but came forth from God.

The kingdom of the triune God is full of love and truth. It possesses no arrogance, but willful submission, meekness and courage to serve (Matthew 11:29; 20:28; Romans 5:5; 1 John 4:16). The Father of Jesus Christ is no swindler, in contrast to Allah, of whom the Koran writes, he would be called the “most cunning of all” and “the proud and arrogant” (Suras Al 'Imran 3:54; al-Anfal 8:30; al-Hashr 59:23 etc.).

Whoever would understand the kingdom of God, must confess his sins before the holy God, and allow himself to be changed through the Spirit of Christ. A foreign spirit will not fit into the kingdom of God. Our fundamentally changed hearts and minds should be filled with the air of heaven, in order that the joy of the Lord will be our strength (Jeremiah 15:16; John 15.11; 16:24; 17:13; Galatians 5:22; Philippians 4:4-7).

The Koran writes: Allah does not love the cheerful, only the respectful (Sura al-Qasas 28:76). There is no heavenly air blowing in Islam, neither in paradise, nor on earth.

PRAYER: We magnify You Lord Jesus because You began Your ministries with the open call, ".. the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1: 15). You are our King, and we are Your property. Cleanse us with Your kind blood and sanctify us with Your Holy Spirit that Your kingdom may be accomplished in us, and You establish Your people who were born anew by Your love. Preserve us in You that we may not become corrupt and die spiritually.

QUESTION:

  1. What is the mystery of the kingdom of God?

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