The Kingdom of Heaven

Kingdom: A land ruled by a king or queen. An area in which one thing dominates.

(Riverside Webster’s II Dictionary)

The disciples in Jesus' time expected His kingdom to be set up on earth, physically. They did eventually come to understand that, yes it would reign, but no, it would not be exactly like they expected.

The Kingdom of God was to be a matter of faith, of walking BY faith, of experiencing a change on the inside instead of the outside, of a change in heart, rather than by an immediate change they could see and touch in the physical realm.

Luke 17:20-21 ESV

The Coming of the Kingdom

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, 21nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."[a]

Footnotes:
1. Luke 17:21 Or within you, or within your grasp

As Jesus clearly explained to them, they would not see an outward kingdom. But they could see an expression of the inward kingdom as they brought the goodness of God into existence in the physical!'

Matt. 10:7-8 ESV

7And proclaim as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,[a] cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

Footnotes:
1. Matthew 10:8 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13

Though the kingdom itself could not be seen, the effects of it were seen all over! People were healed in front of hundreds, believers spoke in languages they hadn't been taught, and limbs were restored before their very eyes.

Lame men leaped for joy!

The blind could see!

Demons were cast out!

Though Paul wasn't one of the original disciples, he understood about the kingdom of heaven. He saw the kingdom as authority given to ordinary people, even women. He saw the power and wisdom of the kingdom in operation in the lives of the righteous, who lived by faith:

1 Cor 4:19-20

19But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 20For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

The power was available to bring all the goodness of heaven into existence in the earth realm! A great light had begun to shine...

Romans 14:17 ESV

17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Paul saw the coming power of God in all His glory, as the kingdom of God manifested in the lives of people, in the "frail earthen vessels" of created man. It wasn't a new idea, though. The Israelites had been studying the word of God for a long time and they were familiar with the scriptures regarding the coming Spirit and Power of God. Some rightly believed it had been completed in the work on the cross, and some still do not believe it today.

Joel 2:28-29 ESV

The LORD Will Pour Out His Spirit

28[a] "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

29Even on the male and female servants*in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

This day, "afterward", was the day of Pentecost. Jesus told His disciples to wait for "power" to come upon them before they attempted to fulfill the commission He had give them.

Luke 24:49 ESV

49And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

John 7:38-39 ESV

38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" 39Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

And Peter recognized the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy when it came!

Acts 2:1-39 ESV

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

1When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

17 "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

38 And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself."

The Spirit and the power that was available then is still available now. As Peter said, the promise is for you and for your children. That's us, and our children, and their children after them... Jesus did not leave us powerless over the enemy.

Luke 10:18-19 ESV

18And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

We have the power to do what Jesus said to do. Step out, as an act of faith. Lay hands on the sick. Pray a prayer of faith. Cast down all the work of the enemy in which he tries to steal, kill and destroy.

Declare this day the works of God, for good. Prophesy God's will and God's kingdom on earth today. As we all begin to operate in faith that the kingdom of God is at work in our lives, in our hearts, we will begin to affect our loved ones, then our associates... like a drop in water, the waves will continue to spread outward, giving glory to God and bringing His will into existence.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE, Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked HCSB have been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible (R), Copyright (C) 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible (R), Holman CSB (R), and HCSB (R) are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.