The Kingdom of Heaven and the Law of God - Love

The Kingdom of Heaven and the Law of God

Why is it people like to believe that the law of God is something to despise? The Pharisees, the priests, turned keeping God's law into something harsh, something that people began to believe needed to be superseded by something else.  A deliverer would come and free them and put the law in their hearts.  This putting of the laws in people hearts is just that, the same laws, not different ones, the same laws would be written on the peoples hearts.

When Christ preached and taught, He said this...

Mat 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Mat 5:19  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Has heaven passed?
Has earth passed?

No and no.

Those laws of God still stand today, the moral ten commandments will stand forever because they reveal the love of God. And when all sin is gone, and heaven and earth have passed then all there will be is the love of God, the law which reveals the love will be a part of us, we will all have that law in our hearts. There will be no sin, it won't exist! And sin is the transgression of the law.  Where there is no sin, no law to point out the sin is necessary. No law to keep, if no law is needed. The law exists where the law is needed and WE need the law. We need to know the love of our God who revealed that love in His law and then by revealing shows us where we've failed to live that love. 

We KNOW that we cannot keep the law perfectly, that we need Christ our Savior and His righteousness, because our righteousness is  non-existent. And while we know we can't keep the law perfectly, we know that we are compelled by our God to do all we can to live His love which is revealed in the law He's given to us. 

Living God's love IS living God's law.

Jesus taught and preached about living His law in all this preaching and teaching!

Jesus said- 'Whosever therefore shall break ONE of these least commandments and shall teach men so- he shall be called the least, in the kingdom of heaven.

BUT

Whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. '

Do and teach what?  The commandments.

Don't we see, don't we realize that each of those ten commandments is love, LOVE, LOVE!!!!!!!

And when anyone breaks a commandment they are not loving. Teaching others not to love and anyone who breaks the commandments and chooses not to love cannot be anything in heaven, they have to be the least in heaven because they choose not to love and God is love.

In the kingdom of heaven there is only love.
In the ten moral laws of God there is only love.

By His mercy and grace we will choose LOVE and in doing so, choose to teach and keep the commandments of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Please Lord, by YOUR love! All by your love!

Unjustly Punished

Mat_5:10  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

Persecuted- unjustly punished for Christ, He is righteousness.

If any person is ever persecuted because of their belief, their faith in Christ Jesus their Savior, the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

It really says a lot, doesn't it?

How often do people allow themselves to be punished unjustly? They quickly stand up and rail against their punishment, crying out its unfairness, its wrongness. And then there are those who rather than be punished reject their Savior.  They keep themselves from being persecuted by giving up righteousness that can only be found in Christ.

Is it any wonder that those who keep to their faith in Christ Jesus even though they are unjustly beaten, tortured, even killed, are given the kingdom of heaven? They are given Christ Jesus because they LIVE for Christ Jesus!

It is easy for us to say we live for Christ when our lives are untouched by any sort of persecution. How many people make light of their convictions, joke about their beliefs, choose to regulate their religion to something they are in passing, a faith to put on a form when asked yet nothing more. To be punished unjustly for your faith in Christ Jesus, can you honestly say this has ever happened to you?  We know for a fact it happens all around the world, but in my own life, I can't say that I've ever truly been persecuted for my belief in Jesus Christ.

I can comprehend that those who are persecuted for Christ Jesus receiving the kingdom of heaven because faith such as that- to endure unjust punishment for Jesus Christ deserves the reward of heaven.

Please Lord, help us to stand fast and firm in our faith in You no matter what! We may never feel the sting of unjust punishment for our faith in You and Your Righteousness, but should the time come when we are in that situation, please be our strength, keep us in YOU ALWAYS, in ALL WAYS!

All by YOUR amazing love, Lord! All by YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS may we live now and in eternity all in YOU!

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Persecuted.

Dictionary  Webster 1828-

PERSECUTED, pp. Harassed by troubles or punishments unjustly inflicted, particularly for religious opinions.

Unjustly harassed, unjustly punished for righteousness' sake.

What is righteousness?

Again, let's go to the old Webster's dictionary -

Righteousness
RIGHTEOUSNESS, n. ri'chusness.

1. Purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law. Righteousness, as used in Scripture and theology, in which it is chiefly used, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law. It includes all we call justice, honesty and virtue, with holy affections; in short, it is true religion.

2. Applied to God, the perfection or holiness of his nature; exact rectitude; faithfulness.

3. The active and passive obedience of Christ, by which the law of God is fulfilled. Dan 9.

Dan 9:3  And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Dan 9:4  And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that LOVE HIM, and to them that KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS;
Dan 9:5  We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
Dan 9:6  Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
Dan 9:7  O Lord, RIGHTEOUSNESS belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
Dan 9:8  O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
Dan 9:9  To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
Dan 9:10  Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
Dan 9:11  Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
Dan 9:12  And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
Dan 9:13  As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
Dan 9:14  Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
Dan 9:15  And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
Dan 9:16  O Lord, according to all thy RITGHTEOUSNESS, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
Dan 9:17  Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.
Dan 9:18  O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
Dan 9:19  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.
Dan 9:20  And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;
Dan 9:21  Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
Dan 9:22  And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
Dan 9:23  At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

The Lord our righteousness. Jer 23.

Jer 23:6  In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

Isa 45:24  Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come…'

1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption

2Co 5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

2Pe 1:1  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ

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The Kingdom is for the Humble

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

The poor in spirit-the contrite in spirit-the humble in spirit. 

Is it true that the rich, in general, are less than humble? I'm not saying that ALL wealthy people are  not humble, but as a rule the rich aren't very humble. It's true that a lot of your wealthy people gain their wealth through crime and such.  Again, NOT ALL. But we know that money has a way of corrupting people. I'm not making it up, it's known and everyone who wants to deny it can, but the more riches a person has the less they are likely to focus on eternal things because they are so focused on their riches and what those riches can do for them. 

Our Savior said blessed are the poor, the humble in spirit.

Being poor doesn't guarantee a humble spirit though.  We can't make any mistake  and think if we are rich and give up all our riches that suddenly we are humble. There is pride and arrogance in seemingly selfless acts.

And also, we cannot believe because we are poor that we are automatically humble. There are many poor who simply wallow in their desire for riches, hating their poor state, despising their lack of possessions and the means to gain more of them.

Truly a humble person, poor or rich, if they possess a poor, a contrite spirit in great humbleness realizing their total dependence upon Christ their Savior, upon their Creator and Redeemer, will be blessed with the Kingdom of Heaven. We must all realize that it isn't within ourselves that we find hope, but without, in CHRIST.  We can find no hope outside of Christ, none. Not a single bit of riches, not a prideful destitution, but only a humbleness in knowing we live through Christ. 

If we are blessed with riches, we must be willing to forsake all of them for Christ. We must use any riches for Christ, not for ourselves. If we are blessed without riches, we must still give all we can of our poor meager means to do Christ's will, not use them selfishly. We must  seek to be humble, not thinking more highly of ourselves than we should.

Jas_4:10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Rom_12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Read more verses on the humble, the contrite… because our Lord spoke truth, only truth, and the kingdom of heaven will only be inhabited by those who are poor in spirit, not a single haughty person, not a single selfish person will call heaven their home. We, THROUGH Christ alone can be humble, all through HIS grace, HIS mercy, HIS love, HIS righteousness!

Please LORD, we would be YOURS, wholly YOURS!


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Psa 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Isa 57:15  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Pro 16:19  Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised

Luk 6:20  And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

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

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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

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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!

The Kingdom Pt 3

Mat_4:23  And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of THE KINGDOM, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Jesus TAUGHT.
Jesus PREACHED.
Jesus HEALED.

Where did Jesus teach? In THEIR synagogues. The synagogues  were places of teaching and worship for those who could not get to the Temple in Jerusalem regularly.

Dictionary Definition-  Synagogue

1. A congregation or assembly of Jews, met for the purpose of worship or the performance of religious rites.

2. The house appropriated to the religious worship of the Jews.

Jesus went ALL about Galilee, He did not stay in one place, but moved about going from one  synagogue to another. He entered their places of worship, their places of religious rites and taught them. He wasn't a preacher by occupation, he wasn't a priest, He had no training, no education to teach and yet He was in there teaching.  In order to teach you need students to teach, you need someone to learn from you, you have to have something to teach and Jesus did. He came and taught the GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM to ALL.

That gospel- that good news- was NOT being taught prior to Jesus' arrival.

Jesus wanted people to learn of the KINGDOM.

Salvation in HIM.

There is no way to the kingdom except through the salvation He offers, salvation found in Him.

Jesus did a lot of teaching, and He, in all His teaching was revealing God the Father and His love, His truth, His way.

In truth, it was all about the KINGDOM. It was all about understanding that there was a better  world, a world to be desired, a world without sin, a world without pain, something ALL should desire.

Can we speak of our Savior and not speak of His kingdom? Should we speak of our Savior without speaking of His kingdom? Jesus went about teaching and preaching the gospel of the KINGDOM, a real kingdom, a real thing to be desired. 

And while Jesus taught and preached, He healed.

He brought truth, He brought miracles to all those around Him.

How many people were healed and listened to the truth, believing the truth, witnessing the truth.  Today we want people to believe without miracles, today by the word of faith people are to believe.  Some might say they too would believe if they had a miracle of healing performed for them, but in truth, even those who witnessed and experienced these miracles of our Savior did NOT all follow Him.  Five thousand people witnessed the miracle of being fed and they were ready to make Jesus their king, their leader, but He spoke truth to them and ALL of them left, none stayed.  Witnessing miracles is NOT a guarantee of faith. Faith is believing WITHOUT seeing. 

The kingdom is real!
The kingdom was preached and taught by our SAVIOR.

We must LEARN.

All by His grace we must learn!

Please LORD through YOUR TRUTH, YOUR LOVE!

The Kingdom Pt 2

Mat 4:11  Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Mat 4:12  Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
Mat 4:13  And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
Mat 4:14  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Mat 4:15  The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
Mat 4:16  The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
Mat 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Jesus' ministry didn't fully begin until after He was tried and tempted in the wilderness by Satan. Angels ministered to Jesus after His trial.  What do you suppose they did in their ministering? Fed Him, made sure He had something to drink, helped Him to rest and recover from the ordeal?  All of that? Ministering angels.

Heb 1:13  But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Heb 1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Angels- all ministering spirits.

Angels ministering to their Creator, their Lord, their God.

Jesus was ministered to and then time past, how long, I don't know. At some point Jesus heard that John, His baptizer, was cast into prison and He left where He'd been to go into Galilee.  Traveling the path foretold, our Savior began to preach.

When He began to preach He preached- REPENTANCE.  Repent, why?  For the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN was at hand.

Repent- John told his followers to repent.  Jesus is preaching repentance because repentance is necessary for those who are looking for the Kingdom of Heaven.  The kingdom of heaven is only for those who repent. People know that they are unworthy of heaven. People know that they are sinners. The Jewish people were raised learning about the Sanctuary and its services. They were raised to believe in a coming Messiah. They knew their lives were to be dedicated to God. Their way of life was all about submitting to God, confessing their sins and repenting of them.  In repentance they truly regret what they've done and they strive to keep from committing the offense again.  Yearly they would afflict their souls on the day of atonement and the High Priest would go into the Most Holy Place, the Holy Place, and the Altar and in each place He would symbolically cleanse the Sanctuary of all the sins that had been placed there during the entire year. That was a very High Holy Day for the Jewish people. They absolutely knew that all of the their confessions, all their repentance, all their seeking of forgiveness was so they could be at one with their Creator, their God again.  They knew their Creator had promised through their prophets that there would be a Messiah, a King, the Son of God was to come and they would live in God's kingdom.  So when John the Baptist came, they were hoping that this was the sign of that prophecy's fulfillment. Then Jesus came and some were confused but Jesus picked up where John left off, and Jesus preached REPENTANCE, just like John had preached.  Jesus preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, John preached preparing the way.  Jesus was that way.

Jesus preached and His message was for all time, for all time until His return to take His, those who CHOOSE Him, those He KNOWS, those His lives In and those who live for Him.

The kingdom of heaven at hand.

Up to this point the promise of the Messiah who would herald the kingdom of God was just that, a future promise. That promise was now becoming a realization.  And that promise was preaching REPENTANCE.

How important repentance truly is, do we even realize?

Repent.  (Dictionary)

1. To feel pain, sorrow or regret for something done or spoken; as, to repent that we have lost much time in idleness or sensual pleasure; to repent that we have injured or wounded the feelings of a friend. A person repents only of what he himself has done or said.

2. To express sorrow for something past.

3. To change the mind in consequence of the inconvenience or injury done by past conduct.

Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return. Exo 13.

4. Applied to the Supreme Being, to change the course of providential dealings. Gen 6. Psa 106.

5. In theology, to sorrow or be pained for sin, as a violation of God's holy law, a dishonor to his character and government, and the foulest ingratitude to a Being of infinite benevolence.

Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Luke 13. Acts 3.

REPENT', v.t

1. To remember with sorrow; as, to repent rash words; to repent an injury done to a neighbor; to repent follies and vices. [See Repentance.]

2. With the reciprocal pronoun.

No man repented him of his wickedness. Jer 8.

[This form of expression is now obsolete.]

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Repentance.

May God help us repent as we truly need to repent, to feel the sorrow for our sins that we need to feel. Satan will try to keep us from repentance any way he possibly can. Please Lord, keep us from evil, and from the evil of not repenting as we know we must. 

By Your GRACE, Your LOVE!

May Your Kingdom come!

Are you waiting for the Kingdom?

The kingdom.

Mat 3:1  In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
Mat 3:2  And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mat 3:3  For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

When someone says this today, what comes to your mind?

Some loon is spouting the end of the world stuff again. Crazy religious fanatics.

Did Jesus tell us to stand on the street corner shouting that His kingdom is at hand? No. But preaching the kingdom of heaven is truly what it is all about, isn't it? Salvation in Christ, this is the word we are to preach, isn't it? It's the word Jesus Himself preached, salvation. This is the message, the whole message.  Our Savior's message, our message.

When John the Baptist preached saying- Repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand- what do you imagine those listening to him thought?

Not what we think today that's for sure.  John baptized a lot of people, they BELIEVED his message! They were Jews who believed what John was telling them. They repented.  They wanted the kingdom of heaven to come.  They wanted the promised Messiah to appear.  They weren't happy with their lives, and why would they be. They lived under the oppressive thumb of the Roman empire. They were not in possession of freedom to rule their own lives. Yes, they were allowed to practice their religion which was an integral part of their entire lives, but they had restrictions. They had to keep the ruling faction content as much as possible.  People don't like living under the thumb of others. People crave freedom. People crave the ability to own their own land, their own home upon that land, to build and to make a living for themselves and their families without anyone holding restrictive reins over them.  When people are oppressed they feel that weight. The people of John the Baptist's day felt the oppression. The people of John's day wanted to be free, they wanted to be saved by the Messiah, they wanted the kingdom of heaven to be at hand. 

John was preparing the way. John was opening the eyes of the people. People who had been  lulled by life into the rut of living day by day hoping but burying that hope suddenly heard one who was voicing the hope and bringing it to the surface.  They reached for that hope, they grasp that hope of the coming kingdom when they held tight to John as he dipped them below the surface of the water baptizing them as they repented of their sins.

Mat 3:1  In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
Mat 3:2  And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mat 3:3  For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

How many of us are ready for the kingdom that is to come?

Christ Jesus is going to return and there will be people waiting for Him, waiting for the kingdom to come. Are YOU waiting for the kingdom to come? Really waiting for it? Or is it something that is on your mind just occasionally?

We are not told by Isaiah that there will be a voice of one crying in the wilderness, that voice already cried out, that voice was already heard and Christ came! Christ was here! Christ is now in heaven and Christ will come back to take us to heaven with Him! 

We are told so much about the kingdom and by the grace of God we will continue to study about this, learning all He would have us to know.

We long to be ready for you, Lord! We want Your kingdom to come!  We want Your will to be done!

Please LORD, help us be YOURS, for we are only Yours through YOU and YOUR LOVE!