4 Conditions for the Kingdom

 What has to happen in order for the Kingdom of God to appear?

Postville, Iowa is a small, but industrious farming community settled primarily by German and Norwegian immigrants. Their families produced a homogenous work ethic and culture that thrived for over a century. 

Then an event occurred that changed these stable demographics forever. This farming community was chosen by a group of orthodox jews to be a suitable place for a kosher turkey production facility. 

As the processing plant came on line, a number of orthodox jews from all over Europe began to settle in the area along with an influx of primarily hispanic production workers. This variegated cosmopolitan stew produced a number of unsettling challenges to the calm Americana that had been there for decades.

A friend of mine and myself were led to visit this town with a goal of freely distributing Bible texts with the verses written in beautiful calligraphy suitable for framing. While there were many who received these texts gladly, we expected some opposition from the orthodox Jews. Surprisingly, the staid Lutherans and Catholics were more adamant in their refusals than were the orthodox Jews.

We had opportunity to speak with a few of the young rabbis and we asked them why they did not believe that Jesus was their Messiah. They referred to Jesus as 'that man' was not Messiah because He failed to bring them peace.

Furthermore, they shared their belief that the kingdom will not come until both Jew and Gentile are in conformity to the Mosaic Law.

This story highlights a prevailing error that we can somehow entice Messiah to come and bring in the kingdom by our own righteousness.

In Luke 13:35, The Lord Jesus came unto His own and His own did not receive Him. As a result of that rejection, He did not cancel the promise of His Kingdom on earth, but He did announce its postponement. 

He describes the condition that must be met for the appearance of the future Kingdom, declaring:

"Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until [the time] come when ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord." 

In other words, when they finally recognize Jesus as Messiah, He will return to set up His Kingdom that the prophets had spoken of. You see, it was not Jesus who failed to bring peace, it was Israel who failed to recognize the things that belonged to their peace. 

The Jewish leaders at Messiah's first appearance could not reconcile their expectation of Messiah with the claims of a carpenters son from a despised border town whose people survived on interactions with Gentiles and Samaritans.

So, one hand we see that there is the expectation of a future, earthly kingdom. On the other hand, we also read of a kingdom that is everlasting, present and unchanging from before there was time.

"The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, [wherewith] he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. Thy throne [is] established of old: thou [art] from everlasting." - Psalm 93:1-2 

Which is it? Is the Kingdom Eternal or Temporal?…It is no wonder that there is so much confusion regarding this topic. Lord Willing, we will continue our study to attempt to bring clarity to the difference between the Universal Kingdom vs Theocratic Kingdom. 

Is it your expectation, dear one, to enter into that kingdom? Only the King can grant you that honor. He has died, He was buried and He rose again from among the dead in order to pay the price for such great salvation. The only thing required of you and me is to trust Him when He offers us rest:

He says to you, "Come unto me all of you that are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest"

So, what does it matter to God if we study the Kingdom? 

Human history is the outworking of God’s justice to not only establish the Kingdom but to populate it with loyal subjects. If the kingdom of God is now present, then where is the outworking of God’s justice? If His justice is not satisfied by the reclamation of earth, then how can the last enemy  of death be abolished?

Michael Vlatch in his book, He will Reign Forever,  shows how the Kingdom of God is the cohesive theme of the Bible.  

• A kingdom has a realm, a place in which to rule, so God created the physical realm of earth.  
• A kingdom has a king who does the ruling, so God created a man, Adam, to rule God's earthly kingdom.  
• A kingdom has a population over which a king rules.  
• God gave Adam great worth by making him His image-bearer in a physical body.  
• God also desired a loving relationship with Adam and gave him an immaterial soul.  
• God gave Adam a wife and told them to be fruitful and fill the earth with other image-bearers
• As co-regents of God's earthly kingdom, Adam and Eve were given a mandate to rule and subdue the earth.  
• Adam was a mediator king or a theocratic administrator under God's universal kingship.
• God desired that Adam and Eve's efforts as theocratic administrator to bring glory to God.  
• God pronounced His Kingdom to be very good!

Charles Ryrie, in his book, Basic Theology, Page 511 confirms this in the following quote:

“Why is an earthly kingdom necessary? Did He not receive His inheritance when He was raised and exalted in heaven?  Is not His present rule His inheritance? Why does there need to be an earthly kingdom?  Because He must be triumphant in the same arena where He was seemingly defeated.  His rejection by the rulers of this world was on this earth (1 Corinthians 2:8). His exaltation must also be on this earth. And so it shall be when He comes again to rule this world in righteousness.  He has waited long for His inheritance; soon He shall receive it.”

Do you have assurance that you are among those loyal subjects of the Lord's coming Kingdom? If you trust Him to be faithful to His Word to save you, He gives you eternal life and makes you an heir of His coming Kingdom.

If you fail to trust Him, you will join yourself to the traitorous band of demons for whom is reserved eternal torments in the Lake of Fire. That is not God's desire for you. This is proven by His love and goodness in making Jesus Christ, God's Son an offering to pay the price for your admission into His glory. 

Trust Him now, He has a job for you in His Kingdom!