THE CURRENT REIGN OF JESUS ONLY ONE KINGDOM There are not several Divine kingdoms, but rather a single one. The same Kingdom is referred to as "the Kingdom of heaven" (Matt 5:3), "the Kingdom of God" (Rom 14:17), "the Kingdom of Christ and of God" (Eph 5:5), "the Kingdom of their Father" (Matt 13:43), and "the Kingdom of His dear Son" (Col 1:13). Its base of operation is heaven and its Ruler is God. God has given this Kingdom to "the Man Christ Jesus," and thus Jesus called it "My Kingdom." Ultimately, Jesus will give it to "the saints of the Most High God." As it is written, "the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever . . . and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom . . . And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High" (Dan 7:18,22,27). GLORY CANNOT COHABIT WITH FLESH AND BLOOD MEN CANNOT BEHOLD THE FULNESS OF DIVINE GLORY God has already revealed that it is not possible for any mortal to perceive His glory and live. This is precisely why He revealed only the afterglow of His glory to Moses: "And he said, Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see Me, and live" (Ex 33:20). His "face" refers to the fulness of His Person. Thus, it is written , "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him" (John 1:18). Jesus confirmed this by saying, "No one has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father" (John 6:46, NIV). THE RELEVANCE OF THIS TO CHRIST'S KINGDOM JESUS WILL COME IN HIS GLORY The Scriptures have spoken clearly about Christ's return. There is no reason for men to be in ignorance concerning the matter. He will return "in His GLORY, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His GLORY" (Matt 25:31). Luke says He will come "in His OWN glory," the "Father's" glory, and the glory of "the holy angels' (Luke 9:26). Who is the person who imagines sinners can survive such a magnificent display of glory while they remain in the flesh? It requires an extraordinary imagination to entertain such a thought! -- Tomorrow:
(1 Corinthians 15:25)
This is a single Kingdom. Nowhere does the Word of God declare, or suggest, that there are multiple Kingdoms related to the Living God. When speaking of the Divine domain, the word "Kingdom" is always in the singular, and never in the plural -- never! The plural word "kingdoms" always refers to the rule of men -- kingdoms in which the devil himself is prominent: "kingdoms of the earth" (Deut 28:25), and "kingdoms of the world" (Matt 4:8). Eventually, the Divine Kingdom will decimate and consume all other kingdoms (Dan 2:44). Thus, in the end, a single Kingdom will be seen from every perspective. The shout will reverberate throughout the heavens, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev 11:15). Actually, that is the way it is now, but it is not yet perceived in that manner.
By saying His kingdom is not of this world, Jesus was declaring it to be of a higher order -- a transcendent one. It is not that His kingdom is simply not located here. Christ's kingdom is so high and glorious that it cannot be headquartered it in this present evil world. His is a Kingdom that is administered from heaven, not earth. It is a kingdom with which the world cannot contend; it is of another order. Whenever it confronts the kingdoms of this world, they are instantly dissipated, whether they be Egypt, Syria, and the collective kingdoms of this world.
Shrewdness and coercion establish the kingdoms of this world. They do not depend upon truth, but upon circumstance. Christ's kingdom is not that type of kingdom. Worldly kingdoms extend their borders by militancy, overriding the wills of those with less power. Christ's kingdom does not operate on this principle. It is extended by righteousness and truth. Men are brought into it by a change of heart, renewed affections, and being born again -- all of which are operations of God Himself, through Jesus Christ, and by the Holy Spirit.
There is such a tantalizing sound to this teaching, that the unlearned are prone to take it into their hearts and minds. But they should not be so quick to believe such gross misrepresentations. In order to make their distorted teaching fit into Scripture, they say Christ's word about His Kingdom not being of this world pertained only to that moment, as though he said, "At this time, my Kingdom is not of this world -- but it will be at a later time." But that is not what He said.
It is true that certain men are said to have seen God. It is said that Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel "saw the God of Israel" (Ex 24:9). After wrestling with an angel, Jacob said, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (Gen 32:30). When Samson's parents saw a holy angel, the father, Menoah, said, "we have seen God" (Judges 13:22). After an epochal vision, Isaiah said, "mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" (Isa 6:5).
In each of these case, the individuals did not see the fulness of Divine glory, but only a small representation of it. Had they seen the fulness of God, they could not have lived, just as the Lord said: "there shall no man see Me and live!"
When Moses spoke with the Lord, and beheld the afterglow of His glory, the skin of his face glowed, reflecting that veiled glory. You may recall that the sight of his face was so glorious, he had to place a veil over it (Ex 34:35). Commenting on the occasion, Paul said that Israel "could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away" (2 Cor 3:13, NKJV). His was a fading glory, caused by being in the presence of the afterglow of Divine glory. Still, men could not fix their gaze upon even that degree of glory. If men could not gaze upon the fading glory of Moses' face, how could they hope to survive seeing the fulness of Divine glory?
On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus' glory burst through His flesh while He prayed. "His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light" (Matt 17:1). That was not His full glory, but only a very small introduction to it. Even, then, this was not a normal occasion. It only occurred once, and only three other members of the human race were present when it did. Further, in that vastly reduced manifestation of His glory, Moses and Elijah "appeared in glory," speaking with Jesus about the death He was to accomplish (Lk 9:30-31). Eventually, they could not remain in this world, but had to leave. Further visible glory upon Christ also left. All of this occurred in, you might say, introductory Divine glory, and by no means in the fulness of it. Even then, the masses could not behold even this degree of glory.
IF is it true that Christ's Kingdom will one day be "of this world," set up in Jerusalem with Jesus sitting on an earthly throne, and bodily reigning over flesh and blood, several things will have to happen. Men in the flesh would have to be made capable of beholding Divine glory -- something God said is impossible. This not being possible, Christ would have to veil His glory, in order that flesh and blood not be destroyed by it. That thought is an absurdity, for Jesus humbled Himself to die (Phil 2:8). Nowhere does Scripture suggest He will ever again humble Himself, or lay aside His glory, as He did when He came into the world.
If Jesus' Kingdom ever were to become of this world, He Himself would have to again adapt to this world, just as He did when He "became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). The whole thought is so utterly foolish that souls must be deceived into accepting it. You cannot mix glory and flesh! Men should know this without having to be reminded of it. Jesus had to lay aside His glory to enter into this world as a Man. He did this once, praise God, and ONLY once. He will never do it again!
As if that was not enough, we are told that the heavens and the earth themselves will not be able to abide in the display of the full glory of the Lord. "And I saw a great white throne, and HIM THAT SAT UPON IT, FROM WHOSE FACE THE EARTH AND HEAVEN FLED AWAY; and there was found no place for them" (Rev 20:11).
Mark it well, Christ's Kingdom is "not of this world," and thus can never be adapted to it. Any adaptation must be made on the part of men, and it must be made while Jesus remains in heaven, seated at the right hand of God. This is "day of salvation" in which men can "see" and "enter into the Kingdom of heaven" (John 3:3-5). When they do, like the Kingdom itself, they too will NOT be of this world, but will become "pilgrims and strangers" in it (1 Pet 2:11).
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for providing a Kingdom that is not of this world, from which we have been delivered by Him according to Your will.