7. The Gospel of the Kingdom

• The Garden of Eden

  Yahweh God dwelt with Adam in the Garden of Eden with the Tree of Life and it was ‘very good’. Adam’s sin separated mankind from both God and the Garden Kingdom.
  Gen 1:31 Gen 3:22-24

  When Adam broke God’s law by eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, he chose the serpent before God. Adam had unwittingly handed over the dominion that God had given him, to Satan, making him the ruler of this age.
  Mat 6:24, 2Co 4:3-4

  This birthed the battle which was prophesied from the beginning between the seed of the serpent (Satan) and the Seed of the woman (Eve/Israel). The victor is the Seed of Israel, the Messiah, Son of David, from the tribe of Judah.
  Gen 3:15 Rev 12:1-3

  The words Satan, meaning “Adversary,” and Devil, meaning “Deceiver,” reveal the nature of what opposes God, His people, His law and His land.
  Gen 3:13, 2Co 11:3-4

  The struggles of Abraham’s descendants reflect this ongoing battle, which will intensify until the Messiah (the Seed of the woman) returns to save us all.
  Mat 24:21-22

  The Bible promises that God’s Messiah will overcome Satan’s kingdom of darkness and restore Yahweh’s Eden-like paradise on earth in stages, a hope we can all look forward to with faith.

  The Tabernacle and Temple

  Yahweh again dwelt among His people, the children of Israel, in the tabernacle after He gave them the Torah at Mount Sinai. The Torah, often referred to as ‘the Law of Moses’, was Yahweh’s expression of His Justice and Righteousness for His people in the wilderness and then in the Promised Land.

  Jesus described the Law as the way to love God and love one another.
  Mat 22:37-40

  Rebellion and Exile to Babylon

  For over 800 years Israel committed idolatry which became so egregious that God’s presence left the Temple, where He had dwelt since Egypt. God destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem and also exiled His People to Babylon for 70 years.
  Ezk 10:18 Jer 29:10-14

  The Birth, Cross, Resurrection and Ascension

  God so loved the world that He had created that He sent His only begotten Son to save the those who believed and to give them eternal life with Him. He was to be called Emmanuel – ‘God with us’
  Jhn 3:16 Isa 7:14

  After the His death and resurrection, Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father and sent the Spirit of God to dwell in every believer, in the nations.
  Jhn 16:7 1Co 3:16

  His Spirit is the guarantee of a believer’s inheritance and one step closer to dwelling God on earth, as it was in the Garden of Eden – (Emmanuel: God with us). However, Mankind’s sinn
  Eph 1:11-14

  The Gospel of the Kingdom

  The Good News of the Kingdom is that when the Messiah returns, He takes back dominion over creation and continues the restoration of all creation, as declared since the beginning.
  Gen 3:15 Rom 8:18-21 Act 3:19-21

  Our final destination is eternity in a restored world back to how it was in Eden where Yahweh, God Almighty walked with Adam and said it was “Very good!”
  Rev 5:9-10 Rev 20:2-3 Rev 21:2-3 Gen 1:31

• Every Kingdom has four 4 characteristics (which become perfect in the ultimate Kingdom of God):
  1) Ruler
  2) People
  3) Law (Behaviour)
  4) Territory

  All four of these characteristics have only been present in the Garden until the fall. God’s plan from the beginning has been to restore the Kingdom back to how it was in Eden but this time with the earth filled with people made in His image.
  Gen 3:15 Gen 1:27-28

• Garden of Eden

  Yahweh (Ruler), through the Word, created Adam and Eve (People) and told them not to eat from one tree and to be fruitful and multiply, filling the earth (Law) with the Garden of Eden (Territory).

  God had established His Kingdom on earth and it was “very good”.

  The Wilderness and the Promised Land

  Yahweh (Ruler) dwelt in a Tabernacle among the children of Israel (People) and gave them the Torah at Mount Sinai (Law) and led them to the Promised Land (Territory).

  Rebellion and Exile to Babylon

  860 years later in 586 BC, Israel’s idolatry became so egregious that God left the Temple where He was dwelling, destroyed it and exiled His People to Babylon.

  Israel had no King, no Law and no Land, however, they still remained God’s People.
  Jer 29:10-14

  After 70 years in Babylon

  a small remnant returned to Judah and rebuilt the Temple but God’s presence never returned to it.
  Ezr 1:2-3

  When Jesus lived – No Kingdom of Israel

  After 586 BC, Gentile powers ruled over the land of Israel.

  For example, during the time of Jesus, the territory was under Roman rule;
  1) Ruler: Romans – Yahweh no longer dwelt in the Temple
  2) People: the Jews rejected Jesus as their King.
  3) Law: People followed the traditions of man – Roman and Jewish
  4) Territory: Israel no longer existed as a nation

  Jesus did declare that He was ‘King of the Jews’ but His Kingdom was ‘not of this world’; the Kingdom was within believers – both Jew and Gentile.
  Jhn 18:36 Luk 17:20-21 Jhn 1:11-12

  Satan was the ruler of the world during this time.
  Jhn 12:31

  2,000 years ago the Kingdom looked like this:
  1) Ruler: Jesus, King of the Jews but not King over Israel Mat 27:11
  2) People: Jews and everyone who hears the truth Jhn 18:37
  3) Law: Love God & your Neighbour (Torah & Prophets) Mat 22:37-40
  4) Territory: Roman – Judah, Samaria, Galilee etc

• Today the Kingdom of God is still ‘within believers’ with no King ruling over the earthly territory and the people are still not obeying God’s Law.

  However, those in Christ, Jew and Gentile alike, are sealed by the Spirit as a guarantee of the promise of their inheritance to come when the Kingdom of God comes on earth!
  2Co 1:21-22 Eph 1:11-14

• Before the end, the Gospel of the Kingdom is preached to all the nations.
  Mat 24:14 Rev 14:6-7

  Then those who are in Christ will receive their inheritance of incorruptible immortality when the Messiah (King) returns and rules (Law) over God’s elect (People), in the land He initially promised Abraham – Israel (Territory).
  Gen 28:13-15 Rev 19:11-16

  After the Messiah returns and rules from Jerusalem, Yahweh’s presence returns to a new Temple in Jerusalem for the first time since 586 BC.
  Ezk 37:24-28

  The Messiah rules first over Israel and then the Nations.
  Rom 1:16 Psa 2:6-8

  Over the next 1,000 years, nations become believers and the Son of David, King of kings and Lord of lords delivers the kingdom to God the Father after everything, including death, has been put under His feet.
  1Co 15:23-26

• The most incredible climax to the Kingdom of God is that Heaven (the dwelling place of Yahweh God Almighty) comes down to be combined with the Earth, thus making a new Heaven combined with the Earth (Territory).

  God and the Lamb (Rulers) reign over those in the Lamb’s Book of Life (People).

  Everyone is like Jesus, perfected with sinless behaviour and there is no Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil so there will be perfect behaviour – perfect Justice and Righteousness – and therefore no need for any Law!
  1Jn 3:2 1Co 15:49-53
  Rev 21:1-3 Rev 21:27 Rev 22:3-4 Psa 89:14-16

  Then all believers will live with God and the Lamb in abundance, peace and security forever and ever. Heaven and Earth will be new, combined as it was in the Garden of Eden with the Tree of Life.
  Rev 22:12-13

• Garden of Eden

  The Kingdom of God started with God and Adam in the Garden of Eden; but sin separated Adam from God’s presence.

  Temple in Israel

  Later on, God’s presence dwelt among Israel in the Tabernacle/Temple and their sin was covered by the blood of a goat and their iniquity removed by the scape goat every year on the Day of Atonement.
  Lev 16:30

  God’s presence was with Israel for about 860 years in the Holy of Holies until Judah kept desecrating the Temple and committing terrible idolatry.
  Jer 7:9-11

  Yahweh sent Babylon to destroy the Temple and remove Judah from the land in 586 BC.
  2Ch 36:17-19
  The temple was rebuilt but God’s presence did not return and neither was the arc of the covenant in the Holy of Holies.

  Jesus on Earth

  Before Jesus’ crucifixion, He cleansed the temple of the money changers and accused the authorities of turning His Father’ house into a ‘den of thieves’.
  Mat 21:12-13

  (The very same charge that Yahweh had made in Jer 7:9-11 above.)
  Jesus prophesied that the temple would be destroyed, and it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
  Mat 24:1-2

  Up until Today

  The Land of Israel was under Gentile control from 586 BC until 1948 when the state of Israel was established for the Jews, however it has yet to be ruled by a King from the line of Judah, nor has Israel been following God’s instructions for His special people and there is no temple in Jerusalem.

  The Kingdom to come

  The Good News of the Kingdom is that God is going to fully restore His Kingdom on Earth (like it was in Eden) as He promised through all three major prophets and in the gospels.
  Isa 2:2-4 Jer 23:5-6 Eze 37:24-28 & Luk 1:32-33 Mat 19:28 Luk 22:29-30

  The last three phases of the Kingdom of God are:
  1. Today
  2. The 1,000 year reign when the nations start to live according to God’s ways
  3. Eternity – Loving God and Loving one another forever and ever

• • The Kingdom of God is within believers. Luk 17:20-21
  • The Kingdom of God does not have a King ruling on earth, over a Land nor any nation living according to God’s ways.
  • God’s throne is in Heaven and believers pray for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth.
    Mat 5:34-35 Luk 11:2

  • The world lies under the influence of the wicked one. 1Jn 5:19
  • Jesus’ Kingdom is not of this World. Jhn 18:36

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• The Messiah returns to earth with His regenerated saints.
  1Co 15:51-53

• All the wicked who hate God and His people, are destroyed by the Messiah and his armies at Armageddon. Zec 14:2-3
• The Messiah takes His rightful place on the throne of His Glory on Earth and first rules over Zion from Jerusalem. Rev 11:15 Zec 8:3
• He establishes Israel back in their land. Joe 3:1-2
• Messiah Reigns with Righteousness and Justice Isa 9:6-7
  • The Son of David is their Shepherd Ezk 37:24-25
  • Faithful Saints Reign with the Messiah Rev 20:5-6
  • Peace and Safety become the norm Mic 4:3
  • Fruitfulness abounds Isa 65:19-20
  • Health and Wellbeing spreads Isa 65:21-23
  • 1,000 Years of Kingdom Blessings Eze 34:25-27
• The nations see the blessings in Israel and want the Messiah to reign over them too. Isa 9:6-7 Isa 2:3

• Yahweh Returns to Earth with the Tree of Life Rev 22:1-7
• God sits on His throne with the Lamb and dwells with mankind forever and ever – there is no exception to loving God and loving one another.
  Rev 21:2-3 Rev 22:3-4 2Pe 3:13

This is the Good News of the Kingdom – God with us on a renewed heaven and earth, forever and ever.

Jesus, the disciples and Paul all taught about the Gospel of the Kingdom but most of the teaching about the Kingdom of God is in the Prophets.
Mat 4:23 Luk 9:1-2 Act 28:23
Isa 9:6-7 Isa 25:8-9 Isa 66:15-18 Ezk 36:24-30 Jer 31:33-34 Isa 61:1-4

Today, the Kingdom is within us spiritually. Luk 17:20-21
and God is on His throne in Heaven. Mat 5:34-35
but the Father’s Kingdom has not come on earth, yet. Jhn 18:36

When the King of kings defeats the Beast (anti-Christ), the Kingdom of God will come on earth. The Messiah’s authority will cover the whole earth.
Rev 17:12-14 Mat 25:31 Mat 28:18

All those who in Christ at His coming will be given incorruptible immortal spiritual bodies to reign with him.
1Co 15:51-53 Mat 24:45-47

All those who are not destroyed because of their wickedness will live out their natural lives on earth. They and their descendants are free to respond to the Gospel when it is preached to them over the next 1,000 years. Rev 14:6

The Messiah will first establish His reign over the land of Israel and then extend it to the other nations, before delivering the Kingdom to God the Father.
Zec 8:3 Joe 3:1-2 Isa 2:3 Isa 9:6-7 1Co 15:24-26

The ultimate fulfilment of the Gospel is when there is no more sin on a renewed earth and God descends from Heaven to have fellowship with mankind, face to face.
Rev 21:2-3 Rev 22:3-4 Heb 6:19-20 2Pe 3:13

The really Good News of the Kingdom is that the presence of God will be living eternally with us on a new earth, like it was at the beginning of creation. Every human being will have the mind of Christ and we will love one another perfectly. There will be no more sin, sickness, decay or death.
Rom 8:18-21 Heb 12:22-24

This is the Hope that took Jesus through the Cross and can encourage us if and when we face great Tribulation.
Col 1:19-23 Heb 12:1-2