The kingdom of heaven belongs to ....

The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to...

First, what is the Kingdom of Heaven?

We know what a kingdom is, don't we? Sure, most of us don't live in a kingdom, and we surely don't live in a kingdom if we are living in the United States, but some people do live in a kingdom.   Here's a quick look at one list of kingdoms in the world today-

 Kingdoms and Monarchs of the World

Country     Monarch                 Type of monarchy
Bahrain     King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa         Constitutional
Belgium     King Albert II                 Constitutional
Brunei         Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah         Constitutional
Cambodia     King Norodom Sihamoni             Constitutional
Denmark     Queen Margrethe II             Constitutional
Japan         Emperor Akihito             Constitutional
Jordan         King Abdullah II             Constitutional
Kuwait         Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah...        Constitutional
Lesotho     King Letsie III             Constitutional
Liechtenstein     Prince Hans Adam II             Constitutional
Luxembourg     Grand Duke Henri             Constitutional
Malaysia     Almu'tasimu Billahi Muhibbuddin...      Constitutional
Monaco         Prince Albert II             Constitutional
Morocco     King Muhammad VI             Constitutional
Netherlands     King Willem-Alexander             Constitutional
Norway         King Harald V                 Constitutional
Oman         Sultan Qabus ibn Sa'id             Absolute
Qatar         Emir Sheik Tamim ibn Hamad Al Thani     Constitutional
Samoa         Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese Efi         Constitutional
Saudi Arabia     King Abdullah                 Absolute
Spain         King Juan Carlos I             Parliamentary
Swaziland     King Mswati III             Absolute
Sweden q    King Carl XVI Gustaf             Constitutional
Thailand     King Bhumibol Adulyadej             Constitutional
Tonga         King Tupou VI                 Constitutional
United Kingdom     Queen Elizabeth II1             Constitutional2

1. Queen Elizabeth II is also the Sovereign of 15 countries in the Commonwealth of Nations: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.
2. Also parliamentary democracy.

Read more: Kingdoms and Monarchs of the World | Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0775675.html#ixzz2imwQqeUV

*******

27 Kingdoms.  So, why aren't there kingdoms everywhere? Why are there countries without kingdoms?

Let's have a little current history lesson-

'A monarchy (or kingdom, when ruled by a King or Queen) is a form of government in which sovereignty is actually or nominally embodied in a single individual (the monarch).[1] Forms of monarchy differ widely based on the level of legal autonomy the monarch holds in governance, the method of selection of the monarch, and any predetermined limits on the length of their tenure. When the monarch has no or few legal restraints in state and political matters, it is called an absolute monarchy and is a form of autocracy. Cases in which the monarch's discretion is formally limited (most common today) are called constitutional monarchies. In hereditary monarchies, the office is passed through inheritance within a family group, whereas elective monarchies are some system of voting. Historically these systems most commonly combined, either formally or informally, in some manner. (For instance, in some elected monarchies only those of certain pedigrees are considered eligible, whereas many hereditary monarchies have legal requirements regarding the religion, age, gender, mental capacity, and other factors that act both as de facto elections and to create situations of rival claimants whose legitimacy is subject to effective election.) Finally, there are situations in which the expiration of a monarch’s reign is set based either on the calendar or on the achievement of certain goals (repulse of invasion, for instance.) The effect of historical and geographic difference along each of these three axes is to create widely divergent structures and traditions defining “monarchy.”

Monarchy was the most common form of government into the 19th century, but it is no longer prevalent. Where it exists, it now often takes the form of constitutional monarchy, in which the monarch retains a unique legal and ceremonial role, but exercises limited or no political power pursuant to a constitution or tradition which allocates governing authority elsewhere.

Currently, 44 sovereign nations in the world have monarchs acting as heads of state, 16 of which are Commonwealth realms that recognise Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state.

All European monarchies are constitutional ones, with the exception of the Vatican City, but sovereigns in the smaller states exercise greater political influence than in the larger.

The monarchs of Cambodia, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia and Morocco "reign, but do not rule" although there is considerable variation in the amount of authority they wield.

Although they reign under constitutions, the monarchs of Brunei, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Swaziland appear to continue to exercise more political influence than any other single source of authority in their nations, either by constitutional mandate or by tradition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy

*******

A kingdom- ruled by a monarch. Up until the 19th century this was the most prevalent form of government. Kingdoms ruled by a single leader- a king (or queen).

When we speak of kingdom we typically understand that there is a king (or queen if the ruling kingdom allows females to rule.)

In the Old Testament Kingdoms were brought about by gentiles. The gentiles wanted a king to rule over them.  When God's chosen people, the people of Israel, grew tired of having no king... well, this is what happened, read it for yourself.

1Sa 8:1  And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
1Sa 8:2  Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.
1Sa 8:3  And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
1Sa 8:4  Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
1Sa 8:5  And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
1Sa 8:6  But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
1Sa 8:7  And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
1Sa 8:8  According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
1Sa 8:9  Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
1Sa 8:10  And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.

Do you see? God was to be their ONLY king! And yet they rebelled against God. God then allowed them to have what they wanted and kings were given to the chosen people as their leaders.

The first King of Israel was Saul.
The second King of Israel was Ish-bosheth (reigned 2 years).
The third King of Israel was David
The fourth King of Israel was Solomon.

And then this bit of history---

'Following Solomon's death in c. 926 BCE, tensions between the northern part of Israel containing the ten northern tribes, and the southern section dominated by Jerusalem and the southern tribes reached boiling point. When Solomon's successor Rehoboam dealt tactlessly with economic complaints of the northern tribes, in about 930 BCE (there are difference of opinion as to the actual year) the united Kingdom of Israel split into two kingdoms: the northern Kingdom of Israel, which included the cities of Shechem and Samaria, and the southern Kingdom of Judah, which contained Jerusalem; with most of the non-Israelite provinces achieving independence.

The Kingdom of Israel (or Northern Kingdom) existed as an independent state until 722 BCE when it was conquered by the Assyrian Empire; while the Kingdom of Judah (or Southern Kingdom) existed as an independent state until 586 BCE when it was conquered by the Babylonian Empire.'

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Israel_%28United_Monarchy%29)

There are a whole list of various kings of Israel (divided).

Israel knew was a kingdom was and they knew what it meant to have their own kingdom overthrown.  Once their kingdom was overthrown by Babylon it was taken by Medo-Persia, and then Greece and after that, Rome.

When Jesus began to preach about the Kingdom of Heaven, the people of Israel had no king.  There was however a client king appointed by Rome to rule-

'(73/74 BCE – 4 BCE) Herod the Great and Herod I, was a Roman client king of Judea. He has been described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis","the evil genius of the Judean nation","prepared to commit any crime in order to gratify his unbounded ambition" and "the greatest builder in Jewish history".He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his expansion of the Second Temple in Jerusalem (Herod's Temple), the construction of the port at Caesarea Maritima, the fortress at Masada and Herodium. Vital details of his life are recorded in the works of the 1st century CE Roman–Jewish historian Josephus.

Upon Herod's death, the Romans divided his kingdom among three of his sons—Archelaus became ethnarch of the tetrarchy of Judea, Herod Antipas became tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea, and Philip became tetrarch of territories east of the Jordan.

Herod Antipater (Greek: Ἡρῴδης Ἀντίπατρος, Hērǭdēs Antipatros; born before 20 BC – died after 39 AD), known by the nickname Antipas, was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter"). He is best known today for accounts in the New Testament of his role in events that led to the executions of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth.'

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_Antipas)

And while there were client kings-  Caesar the Roman Emperor was king over all Rome and Israel's kingdom was a part of Rome's now, conquered down through the ages.

Jesus began His preaching and teaching of the Kingdom of Heaven and everyone understood this to be a kingdom vastly different from the kingdom they were living under then. However, many believed that Jesus (if He truly were the Messiah) would usher in God's kingdom right then and there on earth replacing the Roman kingdom and all others in existence anywhere.

Read this--

Joh 6:11  And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
Joh 6:12  When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
Joh 6:13  Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
Joh 6:14  Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
Joh 6:15  When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

Do you see? People wanted to take Jesus by force and make him a KING!

Yes, Jesus was preaching the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God, but that was not going to ever be a kingdom established upon earth.

As far back as the prophet Daniel in Daniel 2 where the dream of Nebuchadnezzar was revealed we are told this--

Dan 2:31  Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
Dan 2:32  This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
Dan 2:33  His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Dan 2:34  Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Dan 2:35  Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
Dan 2:36  This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
Dan 2:37  Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
Dan 2:38  And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
Dan 2:39  And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
Dan 2:40  And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
Dan 2:41  And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
Dan 2:42  And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
Dan 2:43  And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
Dan 2:44  And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Dan 2:45  Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

God's Kingdom!

And we are told this--

Joh 18:33  Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?
Joh 18:34  Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?
Joh 18:35  Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?
Joh 18:36  Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
Joh 18:37  Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

So, if our Savior came and preached the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, what is the kingdom He speaks of?

Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

There is a REAL place to be prepared for us by our Savior.

There is a REAL end to all sin, and once sin is ended all its effects, all its unrepentant offenders will be wiped away. This is a reality, not some pipe dream. Bigger than setting up a king on earth, something God didn't want to do ever for He is our ONLY KING, is our Heavenly King and the Heavenly Kingdom. People imagine our world changed as if by one man ruling, or several good men kings, presidents, rulers around this entire world could ever do away with sin. They can't, not ever. It doesn't matter how good a ruler they are, how upright and moral, they cannot rid this world of sin.  Only Christ can rid this world of sin, only Christ can be the King and His Kingdom most assuredly is not one that will ever exist for us until all sin can be wiped away completely and utterly gone forever and all time. The perfect Kingdom is the Kingdom of Heaven that Christ came to preach and teach us. His Kingdom and no other, no earthly kingdom.

While we can comprehend what a kingdom is we need to comprehend what Christ's Kingdom is, what the Kingdom He spent His ministry preaching about truly is.  He tells us.

Now let me ask you... who does this Kingdom of Heaven belong to?

Jesus said--



 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.   (Matt 5:3)



Jesus said--



 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.  (Matt 5:10)



The kingdom of heaven belongs to- the poor in spirit.

The kingdom of heaven belongs to- those who are persecuted for righteousness.
Poor in spirit, persecuted for righteousness-  more on this tomorrow- all by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

All through HIS power, HIS love, HIS glory, HIS honor, HIS praise!

In Him!