When I attended University, I majored in Religious Studies. One essay I was asked to submit was "The Kingdom of God." After much research, I wrote a long exposition of the eschatology of the Kingdom.
I believe that everything I wrote was theologically correct, but I had one problem: I was left spiritually cold with little true understanding of what I had written.
This morning the great Counsellor awakened me with a few new insights. He pointed out that the Kingdom of God is a territory which exists anywhere that King Jesus is allowed to reign. A king rules over a kingdom, and Jesus is King over His domain whether that territory be within my heart, in heaven, or on earth. When I invite Jesus into my heart, it then becomes His territory. His Spirit reigns within me to the extent that my will allows His sovereignty.
I must learn to obey my King as any obedient servant. He gives me a free will, yet each choice must be checked against the book of rules--the Holy Bible. I must read the laws carefully in case I misunderstand or misinterpret them. Because the most important regulation is that I love even those who are unkind to me, I must allow the other servants who work with me the same freedom the King has given me. We must learn to work together to destroy the powers of darkness which surround the Kingdom.
Before Jesus was crowned King in a mock coronation ceremony in Jerusalem prior to His death, the crowds honored Him by praising Him and waving palm branches (Matt.21:8). Palm leaves represent the peace and security of a desert oasis. As I, too, praise my King as a sign of my allegiance, I am rewarded with His peace and comfort. The Book of Revelation gives us a glimpse into the Kingdom of heaven where the redeemed are wearing white robes of purity and holding palm branches in their hands (Rev.7:9). The Kingdom is one of peace where sin is destroyed.
Jesus, crowned as King of the Jews, was slain as the Lamb of God to make a new blood covenant between God and man. Our legal documents are sealed with red seals representing blood. When we invite Jesus to live in our hearts, we sign up as a soldier in the King's army, the contract sealed with His blood. In return for our service, He will feed us, protect us, and supply ammunition to fight the enemy, Satan.
My sins are now blotted out, and my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Rev.21:27). Each time I sin from now on, I will go boldly before the throne of grace, ask the King's forgiveness, and He will put His blood seal upon that sin also (Heb.4:16).
Our King has promised to remove His subjects to a place of safety (Matt.24:36-42) while He purges the earth with troubled times to humble proud mankind (Rev.21:9). He will then bind Satan, reign as King for 1,000 years, loose Satan briefly, then destroy him forever (Rev.20:2-10).
When His true Kingdom is finally established, Jesus said of its residents, "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. Behold, I make all things new" (Rev.21:3-5).
As we pray "Thy Kingdom come" (Matt.6:10), let us remember Jesus has promised that He will come to establish His kingdom. We are simply praying that He will come quickly (Rev.22:17,20).
© 1999, Doreen Palmer