The kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven

The Verse of the Day for June 30, 2018 comes from the New King James  Bible:

Zechariah 14:9

And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be— “The Lord is one,” And His name one.

The New Living Translations renders the verse this way:

And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped.

This verse brings to mind that not only shall the Lord be king over all the earth, but “of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Other scriptures also proclaim that “of his kingdom there shall be no end,” as Revelation 11:15 makes known:

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.

Throughout the Old Testament we find references to the Kingdom of God which shall stand forever. We find such a declaration in Daniel 7:13-14:

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

In 1 Chronicles 17:11-12 we find a similar pronouncement regarding the throne of the everlasting kingdom of the Lord:

And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.
He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.

Kingdom of Heaven and Kingdom of God

The Verse of the Day and related verse refer to the Kingdom of God which is different from the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of God rules over all. It is eternal in the Heavens, having no beginning and no ending. On the other hand, the Kingdom of Heaven requires the actual presence of a sovereign or king; Israel rejected the King from Heaven(s) and thus the Kingdom of Heaven is in abeyance until the second coming when the Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of Lord and of Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.

Two days ago the Verse of the Day focused on repentance, the noun form of the verb to repent, to turn from one path to follow another. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus Christ strongly exhorts Israel to turn away from their sinful ways, and repent. The term means to turn around or turn away from, to change from disobeying to obeying God’s revealed will, placing trust in Him, turning away from all evil and ungodliness.

Throughout Gospels Jesus Christ challenges Israel to repent in light of the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 3:2, Jesus Christ says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The Amplified Bible puts it this way:

“Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Not only did the Lord speak this strong exhortation to the people but he commanded his followers to do the same. Matthew 10:7 states:

And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

I recall hearing a teaching based on Matthew 3:2 and other verses, inspiring this response:

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” he said.
The Righteous One shall come to judge the living and the dead.
In the midst of perilous times we still watch, fight and pray.

As followers of Christ we are called to trust and obey
These words now sharply addressed to the Church from Christ, the head.

Not by flesh but by the Spirit of God we are led;
Our food is to do God’s will and consume the living bread.
All we do must perfectly align with all that we say:
“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Released from the bondage of the past, we now look ahead.
We forsake all idols to serve the living God instead
And leave our old dark roads and pursue a bright new pathway.
God gives another chance with the dawning of each new day.
The bridegroom is coming for his bride that they might be wed:
“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Steve Green offers a personal song of repentance: “I Repent”

The Kingdom of God

Revised and re-posted from a previous blog entry, the Verse of the Day for June 30, 2017 comes from the Message Bible:

Zechariah 14:9

God will be king over all the earth, one God and only one. What a Day that will be!

The New Living Translations renders the verse this way:

And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped.

This verse brings to mind that not only shall the Lord be king over all the earth, but “of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Other scriptures also proclaim that “of his kingdom there shall be no end,” as

Revelation 11:15 makes known:

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.

Throughout the Old Testament God establishes His unique relationship with Israel who are an integral part of the Kingdom of God.

Isaiah 54:5:

For your Creator will be your husband;
the LORD of Heaven’s Armies is his name!
He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
the God of all the earth.

The Book of Psalms also speak of the Lord as “King over all the earth.”

Psalm 47:2 (NKJV):

For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.

Psalm 83:18 (NLT) echoes the same sentiments:

Then they will learn that you alone are called the Lord, that you alone are the Most High, supreme over all the earth.

Psalm 97:9 (NLT):

For you, O Lord, are supreme over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.

Psalm 45:6 makes known that the throne of the Messiah would be everlasting:

Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter.

Psalm 145:13 further indicates that “Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations.”

The Book of Daniel also speaks of the Kingdom of God:

Daniel 2:44

44 “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever.

Daniel 4:3 proclaims:

How great are his signs! And how mighty are his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

A similar declaration was also made in Daniel 7:13-14:

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

In 1 Chronicles 17:11-12 we find a similar pronouncement regarding the throne of the everlasting kingdom of the Lord:

And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.
He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.

In recognizing that the Kingdom of God abides forever, as believers we must never forget that we are

Living in the Realm of the Kingdom of God

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink;
but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Romans 14:17

In the place of transition where God makes covenant
We find the comfort that we seek and the sweet release
Of the Jubilee extended to His bondservant.
Though turmoil surrounds us, we are kept in perfect peace
With a blessed assurance that we are ever secure,
Abiding under the shadow of the Almighty,
But we must wait with patience and not faint but endure.
While pressing toward the mark for the prize triumphantly
We are living in the realm of the Kingdom of God,
As we submit our lives to Kingdom authority
And respond to each fiery trial with the Word of God.
No longer in bondage, we are redeemed and set free.
“It is written”: the true standard where we always find
Strength to triumph, transformed in the spirit of our mind.

Ron Kenoly offers this reminder of where we live, as he proclaims, “We declare the Kingdom of God is within you.”

First things first

From Matthew 6:33 comes the Verse of the Day for September 27, 2015

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

In light of the Gospel of Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus as the King, the expression “the kingdom of God” is used four times in the first book of the Gospel writers: Matthew 12:28; 19:24; 21:31, 43. In its simplest form, the term is translated from the Greek word basileia, referring to the reign, rulership, authority or dominion of a king.

In the Old Testament the Hebrew word malkūt generally refers to the authority or rule of the heavenly king. The Psalmist declares: “They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power.… Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations” (Psalm 145; 11, 13) “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). Ultimately, this sovereign rule of God, which Jesus Christ initiated with his earthly life and ministry, will be fulfilled when “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” (Revelation 11:15).

The Verse of the Day and other references to the Kingdom of God remind us that we are . . .

Living in the Realm of the Kingdom of God

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink;

but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Romans 14:17

                        

In this place of transition where God seals covenants,

We find the comfort that we seek and the sweet release

Of the Jubilee extended to His bondservants.

Though turmoil surrounds us, we are kept in perfect peace

With a blessed assurance that we are ever secure,

Abiding under the shadow of the Almighty,

But we must wait with patience and not faint but endure.

While pressing toward the mark for the prize triumphantly,

We are living in the realm of the Kingdom of God,

As we submit our lives to Kingdom authority

And respond to each fiery trial with the Word of God.

No longer in bondage, we are redeemed and set free.

“It is written”: the true standard where we always find

Strength to triumph, transformed in the spirit of our mind.

Matthew 6:33 is offered as a familiar hymn: Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God

Ron Kenoly also provides a lively reminder that “Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost” are essential elements of the Kingdom of God.

Living in the realm of the Kingdom

Found in the section of scripture that is part of David’s Prayer of Praise, offered when the Temple was completed, the Verse of the Day for June 4, 2015 expresses the greatness of God and His kingdom:

1 Chronicles 29:11 (KJV):

Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.

This section of “David’s last prayer” is offered as an introduction that gives glory to God:

David’s Prayer of Praise

1 Chronicles 29:10-13 (NLT):

¹⁰ Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:

“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel,* may you be praised forever and ever! ¹¹ Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. ¹² Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength. ¹³O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name!

This section of Scripture reminds us of the vastness of the Kingdom of God which rules over all for all eternity. The lyrics to the Hallelujah Chorus of Handel’s Messiah resound in our ears, not only during the holidays, but the scriptures remind us that “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.”

The Psalmist also declares, “The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.”(Psalm 103:19) Daniel 4:3 also makes known: “How great are his signs! And how mighty are his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.”

The Verse of the Day and related scriptures remind us that God Almighty is sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, the all-wise ruler of heaven and earth. The Kingdom of God abides within us and we are presently

Living in the Realm of the Kingdom of God

Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there!

For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts]

and among you [surrounding you].

Luke 17:21

 

In this place of transition where God makes covenant

We find the comfort that we seek and the sweet release

Of the Jubilee extended to each bondservant.

Though turmoil surrounds us, we are kept in perfect peace

With a blessed assurance that we are ever secure,

Abiding under the shadow of the Almighty,

But we must wait with patience and not faint but endure.

While pressing toward the mark for the prize of the victory,

We are living in the realm of the Kingdom of God,

As we submit our lives to Kingdom authority

And respond to each fiery trial with the Word of God.

No longer in bondage, we are redeemed and set free.

“It is written”: the true standard where we always find

Strength to triumph, transformed in the spirit of our mind.

The Maranatha Singers offer this musical reminder to “Seek ye first the kingdom of God”: