Hi, well, welcome back to the Kingdom Reformation course.
This is class number three, and the title of the class is The Kingdom of God on Earth.
So just a quick review from class number two, the last time we talked about God's big kingdom
story.
So we kind of gave an overview of the seven main chapters, if you will, in God's storyline
for planet Earth.
And again, this is just my breakdown of these kind of seven significant points I felt like.
First of all, God is the eternal king who made the Earth and then gave man dominion
over it.
Next, man sinned and brought his domain, including the Earth, under the dominion of Satan.
Third is God began the recovery of Earth in covenant with various human agencies, and
we talked about Noah and Abraham and Israel.
Then fourth, Jesus won back the dominion and redeemed man to his place of reigning on the
Earth.
Fifth, Jesus ascended to a throne at the right hand of the father where he now reigns as
the king of kings.
And again, Revelation 1.4 says he is, not will be, but is the ruler over the kings of
the Earth.
Sixth, his government or his reign is being extended on the Earth in and through his church,
his body.
And again, the Ephesians 1.22 passage, it says that he, the father, gave him Jesus as
head over all things to the church, which is his body.
It didn't say he gave him as personal savior to the church, although he did, but he gave
him as head over all things to the ecclesia, his body on Earth.
And then finally, Jesus will return to Earth to judge the living and the dead, to destroy
the last enemy, which is death, and interestingly, to hand the kingdom back to the father.
And we talked about 1 Corinthians 15, verse 24, where it specifically says that.
So in this session, we want to zoom in now on the part of the story that we find ourselves
in, which would be chapter six of the seven that I just mentioned.
But specifically, the point in time where Jesus is reigning from his throne in heaven
through his body on Earth, the church.
Like what on Earth is God doing in these days?
So the first point I want to make here is that God's kingdom truly has come to Earth.
And that might seem simplistic and obvious, but there's a lot of confusion when people
think about the kingdom of God.
Is it something that's coming?
Is it just spiritual?
Is it ethereal?
And what I want to point out here by looking at several scriptures is it's come to Earth
in a very significant and a real way.
So this is not just a spiritual kingdom, which humans escape Earth life to enter into.
It's not just a future reality that begins at Christ's return, but it's very present.
And it's not our modern church orbit, which sometimes we can confuse with the kingdom
of God, which tries to coexist with minimal engagement in the world's problems.
It's also not a physical kingdom.
There's no place you can go and find the throne on Earth, and you can't go to a castle.
So it's not of this world, as Jesus said.
My kingdom is not of this world, but it's very much in this world.
And it's referred to several times through scripture as a kingdom that's been planted
in the Earth.
So there's a very close engagement with Earth life.
It's not separated from Earth life.
And that's what we're going to talk about as this course builds out.
So I want to look at a few scriptures just to validate this, that the kingdom really
came to Earth.
First of all, we have in Matthew 3, John the Baptist preaching.
He was the transitional prophet.
And John, who Jesus said, if you could receive it, actually was Elijah.
Jesus said that.
But it says in Matthew 3, 1 and 2, in those days, John the Baptist came preaching saying,
repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
That means it's right here.
It's about to be seized upon.
Later on in Matthew 4, it says, and this is Jesus now, it says, from that time, and the
time being referred to there is when John the Baptist was imprisoned, then Jesus began
to preach and say, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
And I just want to point out that word repent there, we in Christian circles sometimes can
limit the meaning of that word as be sorry for your sins.
And really what the word means is shift the way you think.
It's a mind shift change.
And certainly the people that John or Jesus would have been preaching to, these were the
Jews, they had a certain mindset about what the kingdom of God would look like.
And they really were looking for a literal throne on earth where Jesus would overthrow
the Roman armies, and et cetera.
So when John came in the wilderness, and then Jesus followed up saying, guys, you've got
to change your mind.
You've got to get a new mindset on what the kingdom is.
Because then John the Baptist points at this man walking, you know, along the path.
banks of the water from this Galilean and say, there he is,
that the kingdom of heaven is in that guy.
That's the Lamb of God.
So this really was a mind shift for those people.
But they did say specifically the kingdom was at hand.
One of the best chapters about this kingdom invasion
into planet Earth is Daniel chapter 2.
And this is where Nebuchadnezzar has the vision of the statue.
And I won't go into the details of that now,
but it's a great chapter to read on your own.
But there's a verse 44 that says,
in the days of these kings, and he's
referring to the time of the Roman Empire.
Theologians agree that that's what that's about.
But in the days of these kings, the God of heaven
will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed.
We're talking about on Earth.
We're talking about the kingdoms of men.
And that chapter outlines prophetically
the various empires and main kingdoms
that were governing the Earth until the time of the Roman
Empire.
It says, in the days of these kings,
in the days of the Roman Empire, God of heaven
will set up a kingdom.
That's on Earth.
And that's that stone that was cut not with human hands.
It came crashing into that statue and obliterated it.
So that's the point we wanted to make first, is God's kingdom.
It's a real kingdom that's really come to Earth.
Secondly, it's an ever-increasing victorious
kingdom, which you're not going to like this, some of you,
but which destroys all other kingdoms.
So this clash of kingdoms on Earth
is not over primarily where the Earth people go after they die.
That's not what the kingdom of God
is only or primarily even concerned with.
But it has to do with how the Earth is
governed and taken care of.
Remember, the Earth was given to man from the beginning.
This was Adam's charge.
And God has never revoked that.
And you can look at Psalm 8, which reinforces that.
The foundations of the throne of this kingdom
are righteousness and justice.
That's on Earth.
God really cares about justice on Earth.
And the kingdom of God is to be all about that engagement.
The kingdom is very engaged in Earth life.
That's why Jesus, when he's describing our role,
talks about things like us being salt and light and leaven.
These are things that impact life on the Earth.
So again, this is not a kingdom whose ambition
is to coexist with earthly empires,
but actually has every intention and the destiny
to utterly destroy and remove them all.
So Isaiah 9, 6 and 7, you know, for unto us a child is born,
son is given, and the government will rest upon his shoulder.
And it says, of the increase of his government and peace,
there will be no end.
That means once that child is born, once this kingdom,
once this stone cut not with human hands
comes to planet Earth, it will never stop increasing.
But it'll put an end to every other kingdom.
So of the increase of his government and peace,
there will be no end.
Order it and establish it with judgment and justice.
There is that justice again.
From that time forward, even forever.
And then as if that wasn't enough,
God underwrites it by saying, the zeal of the Lord of hosts
will perform this.
That's how serious God is about this takeover on planet Earth.
So again, Daniel chapter 2, this is
where Daniel's recounting the dream to Nebuchadnezzar.
And he says, you watched while a stone was cut out
without hands, which struck the image on the feet of iron
and clay and broke them in pieces.
And it goes on to say, so that no trace of them was found.
And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain
and filled the whole Earth.
This is the kingdom of God.
Later in verse 44, when Daniel's interpreting the dream,
again, we talked about it.
In the days of these kings of the Roman Empire,
the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which
will never be destroyed.
And the kingdom shall not be left to another people.
And get this, it shall break in pieces
and consume all these kingdoms.
And it shall stand forever.
So I just would pose the question to you,
where's the Roman Empire today?
It was crushed and put an end to.
I want to ask another question.
What will happen to communism?
I have a theory that communism will be obliterated
from the face of the Earth.
And the reason for this is because the ways that
come with God's kingdom bring justice and freedom.
And once the Earth people taste freedom and justice,
they will throw these other ideologies off.
This is partially how the kingdom takes over and puts
an end to the other kingdoms on Earth.
Thirdly, so we talked about the kingdom of God
really came to Earth.
Secondly, that it is ever increasing
and it does destroy and put an end to the other kingdoms.
So it's a violent thing, but it's not
done with swords and spears.
And this is not the Crusades, right?
It's really the ways of God.
It's the presence of God, the ways of God
that are far superior.
And God really cares about how people live on planet Earth.
So the third point I want to make
is it will completely fill the Earth.
earth. This kingdom, this little stone that came, in fact that's what it says in Daniel 2, verse 35,
back to the stone that came crashing into earth, it says, "...and the stone that struck the image
became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." So what started back then in the days
of the Roman Empire, and it started with a small group of people in this faraway land,
we call the Holy Land today, has been spreading and it will ultimately become a great mountain
that fills the whole earth. It is written. So Matthew 13, 33, so this is another example of
how this all-encompassing filling of the earth will take place. So this is Jesus' parables.
Another parable, he spoke to them and he said, "...the kingdom of heaven is like leaven,"
and that's yeast, "...which a woman," or a man, "...took and hid in three measures of meal until
it was all leavened." So you put this leaven, this yeast inside of a loaf, if you've ever worked and
made pizza dough, I haven't done it but I've watched people do it, and when it sits it doesn't
just cause one little lump over here or one little bump over there, it actually causes the whole
thing to rise up. And this is what Jesus, talking about the kingdom on earth, he said this is the
impact that this will have on the earth. And it says, "...until it all was leavened," so until
the whole loaf rises. So again, I would ask you, are we done yet? Has the kingdom filled the earth
yet? Has the leaven of the kingdom of God penetrated and affected and transformed the
whole earth? Because it is going to. Isaiah 61, 11, I love this passage. So this is right after
the part, you know, it starts off with, "...the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed
me to preach good news." And it goes on, you know, and Jesus actually, in Luke 4, actually quoted
this Isaiah 61. He read that part of the scroll when he was describing the works that he did.
But it goes on to say, it talks about these redeemed people that received this ministry
of Jesus. It goes on to say, "...they shall be called the oaks of righteousness, the planting
of the Lord, and that they shall restore the ancient ruins." They will repair the ruined cities.
And if you continue reading in Isaiah 61, it ends up with this kind of final crescendo. It says,
"...for as the earth brings forth its bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it
to spring forth," now listen to this, "...so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring forth before all nations." Now most people today, most Christians today,
don't have a vision for this because of some of the end times teaching that we've gotten.
But when people ask me, or they'll question me and say, why do you not think we're in the end?
And I'll just simply say, things aren't good enough yet. And I'm not talking about Apollyanna,
you know, false hope. I'm just saying, the Lord God is going to cause righteousness and praise
to spring forth before all the nations. There's coming a time when everybody on this planet will
hear the sound of praises in the street. It doesn't mean everybody's going to receive Jesus.
It doesn't mean everyone will be a Christian. It doesn't mean everyone will enter into the
kingdom by new birth. But I would contend, based on scripture, that the manifestation
and the benefits of the kingdom of God will be worldwide. And by the time Jesus returns,
for the people that haven't, at that point in time, actually bowed their knee to Him because
of His goodness being manifest throughout the earth, there's nothing left for them but to be
removed. And that's the tares being removed at the end of the parable of the wheat and the tares.
So again, the Lord will cause this righteousness and praise to spring forth. And it'll happen
because the people of God, the redeemed people of God, will be about that Isaiah 61 commission,
which is all about transformation on the earth. This is why I say that we are in the beginnings,
I believe, of a kingship reformation when the body of Christ are going to rediscover our place,
not as escapees from the planet, not even as rescuers of others from the planet,
but transformers of the planet. And we first need to have our minds renewed so that we be
transformed. And then as we go about even our daily lives, we have this intentionality that
the kingdom of God is spreading like leaven through the way we converse with people,
through the way we do our jobs, through every transaction that we do on earth with faith.
We actually believe that we're part of this victorious kingdom, this ever-increasing kingdom.
We're not on the decline. We're not being beat up or taken over by the antichrist.
We're going through a season right now, but I believe it's the most exciting time to be alive.
So one final scripture I want to leave you with along these lines of the kingdom filling the
earth. There's a couple of times in scripture where it says the glory of the Lord will cover
the earth. And what I love is Numbers 14.21. And so the context here is this is where the children
of Israel...
They bought into the report of the ten spies, the evil report is what the Lord called it,
that the twelve went in to spy the land and the ten came back and they said, yeah, it
is a really good land, but man, there's giants there, and basically they put fear in the
people, whereas Joshua and Caleb said, yeah, they're giants, but that's our food, that's
what we eat.
Lord said it is ours and we're going to go in, but they refused to.
And so God was not very happy with them, and it's just an interesting time when Moses actually
interceded and pled for the people, because God was going to wipe them out, it's kind
of hard to believe, but Moses interceded and he said, Lord, pardon them for your namesake.
And the Lord said something really interesting, he said, first of all, I have pardoned them
according to your word, Moses.
Wouldn't you want to be that kind of a friend of God that you actually consult with him
over the destiny of the people of the earth?
I think that's what he's calling us to, frankly.
But then the Lord makes a statement in verse 21, this is God speaking, this just blows
my mind, but he says, but truly as I live, okay, as the creator, as the majestic one,
as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.
The reason that jumped out at me is he says it in the context of these human beings, the
people of Israel, refusing to go into the promised land and believe him for the promises.
And so the implication here is that God intends to fill the earth with his glory, not apart
from humans, but through human beings in covenant with himself.
Psalms 8 actually says, it talks about the incredible dignity of man, it says, Lord,
it says God crowned man with glory and majesty and made him to rule over the works of his
hands and put all things under his feet.
He fully intends for us wearing a crown of glory that's his glory to go into all this
earth, to go into our promised land, and that's the way this earth is going to be filled with
the glory of the Lord.
So thanks for listening along and watching along.
I hope you'll look these scriptures up and spend time meditating on them, and we will
see you next time around.
Thank you very much.