The Kingdom of God is a very important revelation to embrace. A high percentage of what Jesus Christ preached was on the “Kingdom.” Here’s some significant statistics, “Kingdom” is found in the New Testament 105 times: the “kingdom of God” is mentioned 69 times, “kingdom of Heaven”–32 times, “kingdom of their Father”–1 time, “kingdom of Christ and of God”–1 time, “kingdom of his dear Son”–1 time, “everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”–1 time. Since the Word speaks about the Kingdom at this level we need to pay attention. Lets review some of these passages to get a better understanding of the heart of our King.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. (Matt. 13:44-46)
The above scripture illustrates Christ’s passion for us as He “sold all” to pay for our ransom. May we meditate on His love as the example in our daily pursuit of Him. When we are in love with our King nothing else will satisfy. Deep inside there’s a compulsion to sell out for Him. Everything else is a cheap substitute! It would be like stopping at McDonalds for a “Big Mac Attack” on the way to a huge five star banquet feast. Foolish. That’s exactly what we do if we substitute the Lover of our souls for material gain, selfish ambition, prestige, or ego–all idolatry. “Having other gods before Him.” May we raise the bar in our pursuit of Christ. Lets passionately sell out to the Kingdom of Heaven. We must let go of everything that hinders us from experiencing purpose and destiny. Forsake all for the sake of the call.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matt. 7:21-23)
Our good works alone will never give us entrance into the Kingdom. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph. 2:8-9) We can go through all the gyrations of religion, adhere to all the traditions of men and have all the notoriety of being one with great gifting and charisma, but its not enough. WE MUST KNOW HIM AND BE KNOWN OF HIM. It’s not enough to know about Ya’shua – we must consummate the covenant relationship. He wants to woo us into His inner chambers of intimacy. He wants us so close that we hear the rhythm of His heartbeat. We need to feel the warmth of His breath as He whispers His mysteries in our ear. A faithful bride totally devoted to her lover King. One who is obedient and submissive not out of duty but from a heart of love.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”(Matt. 13:47-49)
There will be a day of judgment to separate the “wicked from among the just.” The specifics of how Father accomplishes that are not our business. All it would be is surmising. We can be in endless discussions about doctrine and theology about the “end days.” Saints, may we focus on living the Kingdom now, loving deeply now, and serving with a grateful heart now. Amen.
