Understanding the Doctrine of
The Kingdom of God
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr
OPENING: - Mark 1:14-15 “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel”. This is the message that Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom of God!
What is the Kingdom of God / the Kingdom of Heaven? How does the Bible define them? Understanding the Doctrine of the Kingdom of God is to understand the complete timeline of Biblical history past, present, and future, the proper place of the Church and the prophetic future of Israel. Who will be allowed to enter it and who will be rejected? Understanding the Kingdom of God is fulfilling the scripture of 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”.
If you are like me, you’ve grown up in the church, you know the Sunday school stories, you’ve memorized certain passages of scripture, and you did your Christmas and Easter recitations every year. So, we might feel embarrassed or even dumb asking the question what the Kingdom of God.
In my studies on this week, I came across something I really hadn’t given to much thought to before, but as I read it this week God stopped me and simply had me to look deeply at what was being said in the scripture. I was reading a passage of scripture that I actually did my trial sermon from many many many years ago Luke the 17th chapter about the 10 Lepers and how only one came back to say Thank You. Then I spoke about the other 9 and the subject of my trial sermon was “How do you like me Now”.
However as I was reading this on this week God stopped me and I read it real slow Luke 17:20-21 “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” when I got to the end I underlined behold, the kingdom of God is within you and God took me to Matthew 11:12 “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force”. He now says to me stop and ask yourself a question If the “Kingdom of God” is within you, and if the “Kingdom of God” and “Kingdom of Heaven” are one and the same, how could anyone take it out of you and cause it to suffer violence? Mind Blown!
So, let’s Understand the Kingdom of God.
PRAYER
SCRIPTURE: - Luke 17:20-2, Matthew11:12, Mark 1:14-15
The phrase “Kingdom of God” appears more than 80 times in the New Testament, with most of these references occurring in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The phrase “Kingdom of Heaven” is found 32 times, primarily in the Gospel of Matthew mainly out of respect for not using God’s name Matthew uses the phrase Kingdom of Heaven they are interchangeable.
One of the most hated and least understood doctrines of the Bible, yet one of the most important in rightly dividing the truth is the Kingdom of God. Some do not want to hear this, because they think that the Church has replaced Israel and don’t believe that the church and Israel are both necessary in fulfilling the Kingdom of God. The whole world hates the idea of Israel becoming the head of the Kingdoms of this world and there is a hatred of Christians and Jews on a spiritual level that is beyond the unsaved world's comprehension, it is called hogwash, religious crap, and many other names, but we must understand what is going on – 2 Corinthians 4:3 says, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost”. This present evil world is under Satan's spiritual control. Israel is the place God has chosen to be the place He will rule from on the earth and the reason it is literally one of the most sin filled and corrupt places on the planet and why the people are hated so much because Lucifer, God enemy despises Him and will do whatever he can to try to stop His plans although it is useless. We look at what is happening there now and there are many different emotions and ideas about what is going on, but we must understand that currently it is under control of Lucifer, the Devil, and what we see is contrary to the Will of God.
Mark 1:14 “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel”. The Lord Jesus Christ came to His own and preached a dualistic message: To the Jews, the heirs of the promised political Kingdom, the Lord preached the Gospel of the “Kingdom of Heaven” a literal physical Kingdom soon to come not about the pie in the sky when you die unlike much of what is preached today.
FOUNDATION: - Everything starts with a foundation, and this is it the entire theme of the Holy Bible is about the battle over a Kingdom and the rightful ruler of that Kingdom. This controversy goes back long before Adam's day in what is called eternity past. It began sometime after God first created the Heavens and the Earth. Lucifer (Satan) was the first steward under God in the Kingdom of Heaven from ancient time. His rebellion brought ruin to the ancient heaven and earth. Ezekiel 28:14-15 says, “Thou [art] the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee [so]: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee” this is eternity past.
When he rebelled and sinned against God, unrighteousness was introduced into the physical realm and death came upon the ancient world between Genesis 1:1-2. This is called the Gap Theory, which I hold to and is supported in scripture 2 Peter 3:5, Luke 10:18, Satan rebelled in heaven and was cast out. Satan’s sin ruined the original creation; that is, his rebellion brought about its destruction and the earth was reduced to its “formless and empty” state, ready for the “re-construction.” The length of time involved the size of the “gap” is not specified but could have lasted millions of years.
Remember, the story of the whole Bible from the very beginning until the end is about the spiritual battle for the Kingdom. The eventual triumphant ruler of that Kingdom, both in the literal world and over the spiritual forces, will be the KING of KINGS and Lord of Lords, the Lord Jesus Christ; the Son of the Living God of Israel, who first came as a Lamb but will soon return as the Lion of tribe of Judah. Acts 3:19-21 encourages us that everything will be restored to God’s original plan and says, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” also Daniel 2:44 says, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever”.
NO BIBLE DEFINITION OF KINGDOM OF GOD: - The Kingdom of God exists as a realm completely unlike anything our human minds have known, or this fallen world can even comprehend. The Kingdom of God is spiritual, eternal, literal, and the heavenly realm created by God from different materials we are accustomed to and governed by God himself, resulting in a place of perfect peace, perfect justice, perfect righteousness, perfect joy, and perfect love. We long for such a world but have never seen it and it will one day come again.
Jesus never gave an actual definition of the Kingdom of God, even though he constantly taught about it. The Bible doesn’t provide a definition of the Kingdom.
The closest Paul gets to a Kingdom definition is Romans 14:17 says, “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” Here, Paul contrasts the details of the old Law with the reality of the Kingdom. Not really a definition, he tells us the nature of the Kingdom and where we can find it the Holy Spirit.
The Kingdom of God rests beyond our human comprehension, a living culture of God’s ways, and His ways are far higher and of a different nature entirely. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as high as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”. Our emotions and intellect can’t properly understand the Kingdom of God we need Christ to open our understanding and reveal His word to us.
The Kingdom can’t be intellectually known, because if it could, it wouldn’t be heavenly, but it can be emotionally and physically experienced and shared and we can live in such a way that our character represents citizen of that Kingdom now.
KINGDOM EXPLAINED: - A kingdom has four basic elements: a king, a territory it occupies, subjects (citizens) within that territory, and laws through which the will of the ruler is exercised. If it lacks any of these parts, it is not a kingdom. In physical kingdoms all of these parts are physical and present. For example, King James was the king who translated the King James version of the Bible. During his reign the law was the British Commonwealth law, the citizens were the British people, and the place was England. This kingdom was not eternal, for when king James died, he was no longer king and when the people died, they were no longer in that kingdom. That kingdom was then left to other people – the next generation.
The Kingdom of God consists of these four parts, but they are all spiritual: 1) a spiritual King - God, 2) a spiritual law - God’s Law, 3) spiritual citizens those that have been BORN AGAIN Philippians 3:20 NKJV “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”, and 4). a spiritual territory in Heaven Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: - The Kingdom of God is not a religious institution, a spiritual club, your local church or denomination. The Kingdom of God is the realm where God reigns supreme, His authority is recognized, and His will is obeyed. The Kingdom of God is not based politics, popularity, charitable donations, but of kingly rule, reign, and sovereign control. The nature and character of the Kingdom of God is a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority and live accordingly. Those who defy God’s authority and refuse to submit to Him are not part of the Kingdom of God. Being in the Kingdom of God is not based upon a particular denomination, your church attendance or Bible reading but upon ones surrendering to God’s rule in your heart. The Kingdom of God is a spiritual place that will become a physical place in the future here on earth. Daniel 2:44 says, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever”.
UNDERSTAND: - The Bible is about the struggle for a Kingdom; the Kingdom of Heaven, a Kingdom with its Physical Capital City (Jerusalem) on this Earth. Israel rejected the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah when He first came because the religious rulers of Israel were only looking for a political Messiah King who would make Israel the ruling kingdom of the world at the time. Jeremiah 23:5, Psalms 48:2. They were expecting a warrior leader who would deliver them militarily from the oppression of the Romans. Because of their hardened hearts, their legalistic and ritualistic zeal for works, they were blind to their need for spiritual deliverance and the true righteousness of God, which can only be born of water and spirt John 3:5.
That is what led them to ask of Jesus in Luke 17:20-21 “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you”. Now we have built doctrine around this statement and preached sermons with fire losing our voices and declaring without a shadow of a doubt that the Kingdom of God is within you, but we have established what a Kingdom must have, we have established how the Bible is about a struggle over a Kingdom, we have established that the physical capital city of this Kingdom of God is Jerusalem and that the future Kingdom of God will be here on earth in the future according to Revelation 21-22. So, then the kingdom of God is within you must mean something other than what we have been taught or think.
THE PROPHECY Before the birth of Jesus, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. Luke 1:26-33 says, “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end”.
Then 33 years later Jesus stated to Pilate in John 18:36-37 “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice”.
Jesus Christ was born to be a king!
Isaiah prophesied 700 years before about Christ: Isaiah 9:6-7 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever”.
When Christ establishes God’s government on Earth, it will ultimately usher in peace on Earth and Good Will toward all mankind. The futuristic establishment of the Kingdom of God here on Earth.
? - Let’s look at these verses Luke 17:20-21 and see what this verse is saying,“And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you”. First who was Jesus speaking to “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said - 1). He was speaking to the Pharisees not his disciples but those he called hypocrites, blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Matthew 23:23-28 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity”. I don’t believe Jesus was telling the Pharisees or even prophetically to the church or Israel when He said the Kingdom of Heaven is within you that the Kingdom of God is within them so it must be a mistranslation and a misunderstanding and teaching so what is the purpose. Other translations read “is among you” or “in the midst of you” Jesus is letting the Pharisees know that the Kingdom of Heaven was in their midst in reference to Himself, not that it was in them, but that He is how you enter the Kingdom of Heaven / the Kingdom of God by accepting Him. There is no other way accept by Him.
He is the entrance to God’s Kingdom. While Jesus was a flesh and blood man, He was also the Messiah. Born to become a king, He never sinned or went against His Father’s will. He was, quite literally, the perfect representative of God’s government and He was letting them know that the way into the Kingdom was right there in their midst.
Then I went to Matthew 6:9-13 which is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer and says, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen”. This teaches us to pray not only for God's will to take control in our lives but also that the saving Word of God would spread throughout the earth but it also shows us that this Kingdom is future, it is not something that is within us because if it was within us why would have to ask for it to come – also remember the 4 requirements of a Kingdom. John 3:5 says, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”. Acts 2:38 says, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”. Now we have become a part of God's kingdom when we accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and repent. We are then called to be witnesses of Jesus, to tell others about Him, and to remain surrendered to His will for our lives.
This is desire which is the phrase of the Lord’s Prayer “Thy Kingdom Come Thy Will Be Done in Earth as in Heaven” it reflects a deep and sincere longing for God's ultimate rule and reign through the establishment of His Love mercy justice and peace over all the earth. It acknowledges that God's Kingdom has already been established in Heaven in the spiritual realm and will one day be here in the physical realm as well. When we pray “Thy Kingdom Come Thy Will Be Done in earth as in Heaven we truly express a great expectation and anticipation for a better future, when Christ will return and restore all things to His original plan before the disruption and the fall of Lucifer in eternity past.
Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” this He said to the disciples those that follow Him. To seek means to search for, attempt to find, desire to achieve it is not something that is abiding in you perse, but something that you must search for. This literally means that we prioritize God’s values and principles in every aspect of our lives. It involves making decisions that align with God's will, cultivating spiritual disciplines that promote Christ likeness that develop the mind of Christ that act and speak like Christ we pray, read the Bible, show Love and not just have a bumper sticker on the back of our car saying I am a Christian.
When we truly seek His Kingdom first, we trust that God will provide for our physical needs, just as He cares for the lilies of the field and the birds of the air Matthew 6:26-30 “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”.
QUESTION - WHAT IS IN US THEN? Colossians 1:27 says, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”. First, Christ in us means that through faith, we have invited Him into our hearts and lives the Spirit of God is in us NOT THE KINGDOM. We now have a personal relationship with Jesus, where He dwells within us through the Holy Ghost and not just a mere intellectual knowledge or Sunday school acknowledgment of Jesus, but rather a genuine life-changing connection that transforms us from the inside out. Unlike the Pharisees that were full of iniquity we are full of the spirit of God, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
Second Christ dwelling in us empowers us to live a life of purpose, joy, and victory bringing guidance, comfort, and strength as we travel through life’s rouged roads and hard challenges understanding that we don’t have to face them alone but have a constant companion and counselor who empowers us to live in alignment with God’s will knowing that He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own.
Third Christ dwelling in us causes us to live a life that brings glory to God. Telling people about Him and reflecting His character for others to see brings glory to God. Jesus said, He causes us to live Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”.
Fourth Christ in us is the hope of glory pointing us to our future destiny the ultimate realization of God’s kingdom and our participation in the glory to come. (This is the ultimate meaning of Luke 17:20-21). In a world filled with uncertainty, confusion, hatred, racism and turmoil, Christ in us the hope of glory enables us to anchor our lives in the only sure foundation Jesus Christ. It gives us the assurance that God is with us, working in and through us to accomplish His purposes, Christ in us gives us the ultimate hope in knowing that our current trials and tribulations are temporary, and a glorious future awaits us in the Kingdom of God.
Fifth Christ is us the hope of glory transforms our view of death and reassures us that death is not the end but a doorway to Entering the Kingdom of God. John 14:6 says, “ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”. John 10:7 says, “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep”. We can face death with confidence, knowing that we will be united with Christ in His resurrection. The hope of glory instills in us a longing for eternity and a desire to live in a way that reflects our future destination.
To be in the Kingdom of God you must enter it and the only way you can enter the Kingdom of God is through Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 says, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality”.
Now I don’t want to get too deep, but I am going to mess with some people’s theology right now because you must understand this verse. In order to enter the Kingdom of God there is going to have to be a change, and that change is a process, justification, sanctification, glorification John 3:5 says, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”.
WATCH THIS: - Repentance and Water Baptism = Justification, Being Filled with the Holy Ghost = Sanctification, Death + Resurrection (corruptible to incorruption, mortal to immortality) = Glorification.
Just going to church, just living your best life now, just being happy, doing good, paying tithes, offerings and treating people right is NOT going to get you into the Kingdom the of God because you are still flesh and flesh and blood cannot enter the Kingdom of God
YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN – there must be a change from mortal to immortality from corruptible to incorruptible.
CLOSING: - One Day the Kingdom of God will Physically be here of Earth the struggle will be over, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords will have established His Kingdom here on earth. Jesus Christ will rule from the throne of David in Jerusalem fulfilling Isaiah 9:7 “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” the question is will you be part of the Kingdom.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
