Citizens Heartily of the Kingdom of God

The Church of God proclaims the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. He said for you and me to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. He said to the Church proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom is one of our main priorities. When we think of the Gospel of the Kingdom, we think of something that is very near and dear and a big part of what we're about and who we are.

But before we simply rejoice and say, Jesus Christ is returning, the Kingdom of God is coming, let's ask a vital question today. What exactly is the Gospel of the Kingdom of God? You ever really stop to consider what the Gospel of the Kingdom of God meant during New Testament times? What the Kingdom of God and the proclamation of that Kingdom means and portrays for what the Feast of Trumpets is about? You might say, well, sure, we know what that is and this will be boring. The title of the sermon today is Citizens Hartily of the Kingdom of God. Let me say that again. Citizens Hartily of the Kingdom of God.

For that is what the Bible lays out as the goal for you and me in our lifetime as we look forward and as we proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Do we really understand what Gospel means? You know, Gospel is actually an Anglo-Saxon word, came originally from God's spell and then adjusted a bit to good spell or good news. But when you go back in time, we find that the roots of the phrase, gospel of the Kingdom, actually predates the Second Temple period.

Fifty years before Nehemiah and some individuals came back to Babylon, Greece had an interesting event. Philippides ran about 25 miles from the town of Marathon over in Greece down to Athens to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom. That was 50 years before Nehemiah. Now, that's where the name Marathon comes from. His 25-mile run has been copied in modern times and so on and so forth.

Now, why his famous run to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom? The Kingdom he was representing was Greece. It was the Kingdom of Greece. And what he was doing, he was preaching the Gospel. He was an official, appointed emissary to go and tell the good news of the victory of his Kingdom and the subjugation of new peoples that used to be in Persia. So this, you see, was something that goes back in time and was used commonly in nations back before Christ and during Christ's time.

Somebody appointed by the King would go out and make a proclamation to people who were being conquered, who had been conquered, and the declaration was Nike. Nike. Or Nikon. Two words we're used to today because companies have taken up those Greek terms.

It meant victory. We have won. We're victorious. Now you're subjected. And you will obey the King. You will obey the laws. And you will now comply as new citizens of this Kingdom. Now when we think of that, the Gospel of a Kingdom, according to Britannica Encyclopedia, the term karigma later changed to the Anglo-Saxon word Gospel. It was an authorized proclamation announced by a herald or a karix. And his message was a karigma from Karigma Ventures. It said, this was a well-known practice in the ancient world. When a king wanted to publicize his decrees, he would send a karix, an official herald, and that individual then announced the karigma or the Gospel or the message of his king.

When the king's army won a great battle, thereby conquering new territory, the herald would travel within the newly acquired territory, announcing the victory and the laws and the order of the expanded Kingdom. And that's what was happening there in Greece as it took over section after section of the Persian Empire. Now it's interesting that the good news then, being announced from a king by an authorized individual, a preacher as that term, that karix, would eventually be known as in Scripture, was announced by Greece, it was announced by Rome, was announced really by all countries right down today when somebody conquers you.

Some officials show up and said, you're now in our kingdom. Here are our laws, here are our rules, here is our culture. And we want you to follow. Immediately after the seventh trumpet sounds in Revelation chapter 14 and verse 6, we see this declaration by an authorized individual of the king. Revelation chapter 14 and verse 6, then I saw an angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel, the Greek word euaglion, to preach to those who dwell on the earth to every nation, tribe, and people.

So he comes with this message now. What is it? Well, Jesus Christ, the seventh trumpet, has just sounded. He is going to now rule all nations. The angel, this karix, now comes out and he tells them in verse 7, saying with a loud voice, fear or revere God. Here's your new king. And give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him. Now, in a sense, that's what we find throughout Scripture.

Let's go to Romans chapter 16 and verse 25 and see how the apostle Paul was a karix. He was an individual assigned by God, by the king, the coming king, to go out and let's see what his message was to individuals who the king wanted to conquer in the new covenant. That would include you and me eventually. The new king, the new laws, the new rule, the new government, the new, as it were, culture, mindset. Romans chapter 16 verse 25, now to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel, so here he comes with this message, and the preaching, the karigma, he is the one who is preaching here, just like the angel, the gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began.

Verse 26, but now made manifest and by the prophetic scriptures made known to all nations, here comes the message, according to the commandment of the everlasting God for obedience to the faith. This gospel of the kingdom, then, is an announcement of laws and submission to a king and obedience to those laws, and a coming in as children and members of the family of God.

This gospel of a new kingdom is declaring new laws. It's declaring a new order. Now, in Matthew chapter 3 and verse 1, we see another herald that opens the New Testament. This is an authorized individual. It's John the Baptist.

Matthew chapter 3 and verse 1, in those days, John the Baptist came preaching. Here we are, this carrick, this carousel messenger. He came preaching in the wilderness of Judea saying, repent. What does repent mean? The old king, the old ways, the old society, the old laws are out.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Now, we often think of the kingdom heaven as a territory. It's going to come soon. That's not what he's saying, as we'll see in a minute. He's saying the dominance of heaven, the authority of heaven, the king of heaven, the laws of heaven, all the things and the mindset of heaven is here. Jesus Christ was coming. He was going to be at hand. At hand means right there, right with you. It's an old expression. He would be there. This was being offered to them. You can accept a new king. You can accept a messiah. They were actually excited about a messiah, but for a little different reason. But going on, declaring this new kingdom then, with a new order, what we have here is an invitation to convert to it, to change and to convert to it. Kingdom, the word kingdom in Thayer's, the number one meaning of the word kingdom, is royal power, kingship, dominion, rule, not to be confused with an actual kingdom, but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom. And that's the phase of the kingdom of God that's being offered to us right now. We're not offered the territory. You and I don't get to go to heaven. We don't get to be spirit beings now, but we do get to be citizens of heaven.

The whole world is going to be told during the millennium, you have an opportunity here now to come under a new king with new laws and new order, and we get to help establish that order. So, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand is the rulership, the royal power, the kingship, the laws.

The second element of the kingdom that Thayer's mentioned is the territory. And obviously, the territory, well, that's in the future. That's for a different time, and that's for those who qualify to be citizens. But let's look here in chapter 4 and verse 17. Notice what is said.

From that time, Jesus began to preach. There's that word, the carrochs. He now began to expound. He was the authorized by who? God the Father. This is my son in whom I'm well pleased. What did he speak? I only speak what the Father tells me. And what is he speaking? Repent for the kingdom, the authority, the rule, the rulership, the laws is at hand. I'm here. I'm the representative of it. Now, convert to it. Come out of Judaism. Come out of the Roman Empire. Come out of the Samaritan. Come out of the other beliefs. Come out of the Greek world. Come out of Hellenization and all of those things. Come and repent from that. In verse 23, Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. That gospel of the kingdom of God is come near to you and me. That it's good news to us because that's our God. That's our Lord. That's our master. It is positive for those who convert. It's not positive for those who don't convert, who don't become citizens, who hate and don't want anything to do with God. But it is very good. That Greek word euangelon is good news for the converts. For those who are in the pursuit of sin, it's not welcome news, is it? They don't welcome it. It's always been pushed back at it. If we go to Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 23, Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 23, it's interesting how the book of Proverbs with many wise sayings opens with this same concept.

God is saying, turn at my rebuke. Turn. Convert. Repent. Surely I will pour out my spirit on you.

This is an opportunity for citizenship. I will make my words known to you because I have called and you refused. I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded. See, humans don't want love and truth and right according to the new king, according to the kingdom and the realm. Because you disdained all my counsel, verse 25, and would have none of my rebuke. I also will laugh at your calamity and mock when your terror comes. When your terror comes like a storm and your destruction comes like a whirlwind. When distress and anguish come upon you, then they will call on me, but I will not answer. Why? Verse 29, because they hated knowledge and they did not choose the deep reverence of God. So there's more that goes along with being part of a kingdom, part of submission to a rulership. You can be there and and hate the rulership and hate the rules and hate the laws and push back and still sort of comply. We heard a message here recently about that. Are we compliant or is it something that's from our heart and it's what we desire and it's who we are and we're part of this kingdom. It's our kingdom. It's the kingdom of God. And as we'll see, it's also the kingdom of his family. In other words, that's who they relate to at this point in time.

In Revelation chapter 9 and verse 20, we see, looking forward, just before the seventh Trump sounds, look here in Revelation chapter 9 and verse 20, we can see how a sinful world who does not want a new king, it doesn't want the new laws, the new ways, responds. Revelation chapter 9 and verse 20, but the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands that they should not worship demons and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, wood, which you can either see here and talk, and they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their deaths. See, they liked that kingdom, that king and his order and his so-called laws and rules, they preferred that and they reject God.

The main meaning, again, of the word kingdom is about rulership. Let's look in Revelation chapter 11 and verse 15. Then the seventh angel sounded and there were loud voices in heaven saying, the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever. That's the prime meaning of kingdoms. It's the reigning. It's who is being followed, who is being revered, who is being worshipped, who is from the heart, being obeyed, and who is being converted to. Adopting that culture, if you want to call it. The culture of the kingdom of God is love and joy and long suffering and gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, all of those wonderful things that the God family has.

In verse 17, and others were worshiping, saying, we give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the one who is and was and is to come because you have taken your great power and reigned. See, this is the phase of the kingdom that comes to humans. Again, we don't get the territory while we're human beings, as we'll see, but we get the citizenship and the citizenship are saying, yes, we're so thankful we identify with you and you are reigning. Verse 18, the nations were angry and your wrath has come at the time of the dead that they should be judged and you should reward your servants and prophets the saints. There is a time here now for territory, the reward, you see, there's a reward for good citizenship and that is inheriting the territory. We all know about inheriting the kingdom and stepping into the kingdom and we pray for that entrance into the kingdom.

But that, again, is not the phase that humans are in right now.

And going on, he says, and those who fear your name, small and great, those who identify with you, those who deeply respect you, all the people, but you should destroy those who destroy the earth.

So we find here that this rulership is something that's being offered first. If you look in scripture and you see terms like disciples, we're disciples. That's what our calling is now. We're to be disciples. By this you shall all men know that you are my disciples. We are called saints.

We are called sons, daughters. We are called elect. We're called the church. We're called brethren.

We're referred to essentially as the household of God. And that's what our opportunity is now.

In 1 Peter 4 and verse 17, it says, for the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God.

You and I have a calling right now, and we have citizenship right now, and we will be judged.

Jesus Christ comes back, has many parables about hell. He'll sift wheat from chaff, sheep from goat, wise from foolish, etc. There's a judgment. The judgment is to begin at the house of God. But notice the gospel of the kingdom. What is that about? And if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? What is the gospel about right now? It's about rulership, laws. The gospel of the kingdom of God is the gospel of God reigning. Jesus Christ reigning. God reigning from heaven. Jesus Christ coming to earth. And if we don't obey our king, if we don't submit to him as Lord and Master, if we do not obey his laws and rules, then what kind of citizens are we? This is what humans are being offered during this plan of salvation. Verse 18, now if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and sinner appear? So entry in this saving, there's different types of being saved, but this type of saving is the entry now into the territory. And if the righteous are scarcely given entry, again more parables, narrow is the way, difficult is the path, narrow is the gate, then where will the ungodly and sinner appear? The future phase for the citizens who are not just compliant, but heartily of the kingdom of God is good. Let's notice in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 50. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 50. Now this I say, brethren, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. That is not open to us while we're flesh and blood. That's not the phase we are in.

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. But as we've seen, there is a judgment coming and there is a second phase. 2. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.

Changed into what? Spirit, because the territory of the kingdom of God is spirit.

3. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality. And this, of course, happens at the seventh trump. We're celebrating the Feast of Trumpets. And when we realize what the Feast of Trumpets are about, it's about a declaration. You've got a new king. And this is what the world is going to receive as sort of a surprise, a new heads up. And the king's going to appear, and everyone's going to see him. And he's going to say, repent, as the angel goes about and says, accept. You know, repent, change, change dominions here, change mindsets, laws, culture. Now, what they do is up to them, and prophecy will show. But you and I already have that. It's called the New Covenant. We are given this opportunity and have been in this covenant with God. And we have declared at baptism and through baptism that Jesus is our Lord and Master, and God is our king. And Jesus Christ is our soon-coming king. And we have the laws and we have the rules. In Revelation chapter 15 and verse 3, we find that now we are to submit to our king and to his culture as saints.

Revelation chapter 15 and verse 3, they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the saints. Who is he king of now? King of the saints. He's not king of the society of the world yet. We are going to help proclaim that. We do now and ultimately will rise in medium in the air and assist with that. But right now he is the King of the saints who say, Great and marvelous are your works. Just and true are your ways.

Who shall not fear you, deeply respect you, O Lord, and glorify your name?

See, we need to heartily be of the kingdom of God. For you alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before you, for your judgments have been manifested. So it's a wonderful time that's ahead. And the next thing is for Jesus Christ to come and conquer and subjugate society.

He's working on doing that with you and me and the saints up until his return. But then we will assist him in doing the same on a larger scale. In John 12, verse 31, Jesus said, Now is the judgment of the world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. When we talk about the end times, we're talking about the end of this present evil age. We're talking about what the next feast portrays. At one moment with God, finally, the mind of people coming to the King, the laws, the rule of God, and the ejection of the current King. If you want to call him that, the current little God who has taken man in a wrong direction. And he says here, Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. So we're celebrating the Feast of Trumpets. Are we celebrating the new King that we have? And also our King and us assisting him coming and bringing that dominion to all humanity.

In Luke 11, verse 2, we find what Jesus gave us to be the focus of our prayers. Luke 11, verse 2.

The focus of our prayers, the main content, the skeletal frame, as it were, the outline of our prayers. Notice Luke 11, verse 2. So he said to them, When you pray, say, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. What does that word kingdom mean? Your rule, your dominion in my life, come, your laws, your way, your culture, your mindset, and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We need to be heartily of the kingdom of God, heartily supporting God, heartily supporting his name, heartily supporting his rule and dominion over our daily lives, fully invested in the culture, the mindset, and all the elements of it. It begins in one's baptism when you're asked the question, Do you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Master?

Sometimes a flaw in thinking can be the kingdom of God is coming. Well, it is coming for others. That rulership is coming for others. Also, the territory is coming for us. But let's not get ahead of the game here. Lots of people do. They start thinking about territory. I want to get in the kingdom. How do I get in there? This kingdom, it's always moving around, isn't it? Wow, it's in heaven. It's coming to earth, and it's going to move around, and then it's going to go back to heaven. It's hard to chase this thing down, but we'll get in somehow. And we will dive in the bridegroom celebration. There's a wedding going on. I'm not of this culture, but I'll dive in there, see? Jesus said, Hey, how'd you get in here without a wedding garment on? You really can't get into the territory. You can't invade the spirit kingdom of God without being an approved citizen first. And that's what we're being offered. In Colossians chapter 1 and verse 13, let's notice the reality of the kingdom as it is to you and me. As it should be to you and me. Sometimes we can get preoccupied or a little disoriented, but let's look and see what it should be. Colossians chapter 1 and verse 13, he has delivered us from the power of darkness. We came out from under a different king, a different rule, a different system, and conveyed us into the kingdom of the son of his love.

The first one was a kingdom of sin. The second was a kingdom of his love, agape love. The first one is about me and breaking God's law and self and tearing apart relationship. The second one is a kingdom of agape love, stitching relationships together to the mindset of the God family.

It says here, you and I, if we have converted, if we've come over to this kingdom, we have been delivered and conveyed into the kingdom of God. Now, are we in the territory? Do the quick pen test or pinch yourself? Are you a spirit being in the divine territory of the kingdom of God? No.

We are conveyed into the rulership, the submission to the laws, the ruler, the king, the God in heaven, his son Jesus Christ, and also into the, I call it, culture or the mindset of the kingdom of God. Adam Clark says of this scripture, he has thoroughly changed our state, brought us out of the dark, and placed us in the kingdom under the government of his son. So you see, we're under the government. We should be good citizens under that government, heartily following and supporting that government.

That's an individual responsibility we have. We came under that government, the rulership at baptism, and you are his citizen. Let's notice in Philippians, just back up page, Philippians chapter three and in verse 20, for our citizenship is in heaven. See how we are citizens of the kingdom, the heavenly realm of God. And if we are good citizens, then we are law-abiding citizens. And we're model citizens, to use a couple of terms that are common in our culture. And as model citizens, we model the mindset or the culture of this kingdom, which we are of. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We wait for him to come from heaven and give us entrance into that spirit territory. So I would ask myself, in anticipation of what the Feast of Trumpets portrays, am I a citizen that's heartily with the kingdom of God? And that's a question I've been asking myself for three weeks, as I've been preparing this message. And looking throughout the scriptures and seeing, it's one thing to be sort of compliant and go through the checklist. Am I checking off enough here to get a good grade to get to the territory? Versus, am I really genuinely of the kingdom of God? Am I a citizen of the kingdom of God? As we read there in Philippians chapter 3 and verse 20, am I conveyed into the kingdom of God mentally, spiritually, heartily, as it says in Colossians 1 and verse 13? You and I are servants of this king. We actually are called servants of our master.

How good a servant am I? Am I devoted to doing his will and carrying out his will, or kind of do I have my own thing? I need to conform to his kingdom. In John chapter 13 and verse 34, he begins to tell us how to do that. He really, really wants us to be full citizens and ultimately be part of his immediate family as his bride. John 13 and verse 34 says, a new commandment I give to you, that you agape one another, as I have loved you.

I want you now to copy the mindset of the family, of the kingdom. I'm your king, I'm your lord, your master. I want you to be like me. And that's really what the Bible is all about.

As I have loved you, that you also love one another. Now, am I that kind of citizen?

See, now, oh, that's getting a little deep there. There's an association, kind of like the association we all like being associated with the kingdom of God, but talking about devoted, connected.

By this, all will know that you are my disciples, if you agape one another. Here's a deeper buy-in, a disciple one who reflects the image and the likeness of the teacher. That's where he wants us to go with this. And so, heartily of him and the kingdom of God is what God is looking for.

In chapter 15, notice in verse 10 of John, John 15, 10, if you keep my commandments, here's the ruler. He's giving his laws, and he says, if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. This kingdom is established on law and order. And these things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. So there's the mindset, there's the culture. If we want to talk about a culture, that's it.

God is love, and we are to become love.

Verse 14, you are my friends if you do whatever I command you.

Verse 16, you did not choose me, but I chose and appointed you.

See? And we have to go and bear fruit, and that fruit should remain. Verse 17, these things I command you that you love one another. Now, verse 18, if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. That's just part of being in the family. Okay? So as the end time rolls out, the more model citizen you are, the more a citizen who models Christ's character, the more society, which is on a sin-based system, will not like you. They won't like that. So just letting us know there.

Now, in 1 John 4 and verse 5, we might ask the question and get real personal here with one's self, not with anybody else. Which kingdom am I of? Of.

Can't say you're in a kingdom, because we're not in the kingdom of God, in the territory of the kingdom, but Jesus, multiple times, in the Bible, multiple times, talks about us being of the kingdom. Okay? Of the kingdom. We read earlier that we are conveyed into the kingdom of His love. Well, that's the rulership. But right now we are, we might say we are of. Which kingdom am I of? 1 John 4, verses 5 through 8. They are of the world. Let's switch over now to this word of. They are of the society. Therefore, they speak as of the society, and the society hears them. We are of God. We are of God. Am I of God? Is that the kingdom I am of? Is He my King?

To what degree? He who knows God hears us. He who is not of God does not hear us.

By this we know the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another, for God, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. So that's what you know. That's our culture, if I can use that term. That's what really is the hallmark of the culture. If you were to step into the spirit kingdom of God, you might not smell Italian food. You might not see a special little dress or decor. You would feel overwhelmed by the amount of love that every person in the God family is exuding for one another. It would be a wonderful, it will be a wonderful place to be. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. And this is the love that God was manifested toward us, that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. And a heard-of thing that God would come down and be human, and we would just torture him, basically, to death. He would bleed out, and then after he died, someone would stick a spear in him. But that is love. And he says, if you love like I love, then you'll have picked up here on the goal and the family mindset. So again, currently the opportunity available to humans is, will I submit to the king? Will I obey its laws? Will I mold into its culture? Or will I try to crash in, you know, some other way? That's the lesson of the man entering the wedding without a wedding garment that Jesus told about. It's the lesson of the ten virgins. Five wanting the territory, but not wanting the culture. They didn't develop it. It's the story of those wanting to enter while being of this world's culture. Let's go to Matthew 7, verse 21, and read about how common this attempt will be. Jesus says that many are going to try this. They want into the territory without being citizens. Matthew, chapter 7, and verse 21. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven. Why? Well, you can say he's my king, but I'm not going to do what he says, right? Notice, not everyone who says, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. So we have to do God's will.

That has to be more than just lips in, you know, making empty words during our prayer. Your kingdom come, your will be done. Who actually does the will of my Father in heaven will be in the kingdom. Many will say to me in that day, or the many, you know, a massive amount will say, Lord, Lord, have we not tried to come in through some other door? You know, we tried prophesying in your name, casting out demons your name, done many wonders in your name. And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Notice, depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. See, lawlessness is saying, no, I won't have the rules of this king. I will not follow the king. I will not convert to the culture. I will not have that. That's why righteousness, which is the opposite of lawlessness, law being disobeyed is lawlessness.

Laws of God being obeyed is right in God's eyes. And so it's the right, those who do the laws, as we just read, doing the will of my Father in verse 21, they will be in the kingdom.

Now, verse 25, and the rain descended, the floods came, the house blew, I'm sorry, the winds blew, beat on the house, it didn't fall, for it was founded on the rock. We're going to go through all kinds of things between now and then to see how genuine citizens we are, how heartily we are of the kingdom of God. But that should not dissuade us. God's not going to leave or forsake us. And if we truly are citizens of the kingdom, we have our citizenship in heaven. And God is truly our king. What can man do to us? A lot of things, but it's irrelevant.

The truly converted one are those who repented of their former ties to a former king and kingdom and ruler and culture and mindset. And now they heartily worship a new king, obedient to its laws.

And what are the laws of the new kingdom and its ruler? Well, Jesus laid that out for us in Matthew 22 and verse 36. Matthew 22 and verse 36. He came and said, I'm telling you about new rulership and hear the laws. Someone asked him, what are the laws of your rulership, your kingdom, your dominion? Verse 36, teacher, what is the great commandment in the law?

And Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.

See, not just technically, you know, well, I didn't do that, and I didn't do this, and I didn't do that. Therefore, I should get entry. No, it's what we do. We love with all our heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. Verse 39, and the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. So it comes back down when we celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ, when we preach the gospel of the kingdom, we have to realize what Jesus Christ wants of us. Notice in this earthly time that we have, and that Jesus Christ had, Jesus and the saints. Let's notice something about what this all means to us. In John 17, Jesus prayed here to the Father before he died. John 17 and verse 14, I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world. Oh, so the ones who are of the kingdom now in the flesh, talking about in the flesh, they are not of the world. He said they are not of the world. Notice the next phrase, just as I am not of the world. So in being Christ-like now in the flesh, we are not to be of the society around us. But it begs a question, if we're not of the world, what are we of? In verse 15, I pray that you should not take them out of the world. So we're not in the kingdom, but you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. Jesus Christ, the Word of God, He is truth. He sanctifies us. As you sent Me into the world, so He was in the world, but we just read He's not of the world, I also have sent them into the world. That's where we are. You want to know where we are? We are in the world. We've been sent into the world. And for their sakes, I sanctify myself that they also may be sanctified by the truth. Verse 21, that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in Me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent Me. So we are to be so closely connected with God that we're to be in God, and God in us, and Christ in us, and us in Christ. And that's how close a culture, a mindset, a people, an identity we should have with the kingdom of God right now as human beings.

Now, when we talk about inheritance, we have an inheritance. And obviously, that is coming in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 23. 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 23 also is important for us to read today because that future inheritance is tied with the Feast of Trumpets, the seventh trumpet being blown. 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 23, but each in his own order Christ the firstfruits afterward those who are now Christ's at his coming. We are Christ's. If we are really Christ's now, then he's first afterward those who are Christ's at his coming. Verse 24, then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom, the rulership to God the Father. He didn't run off with the territory. He was given the rulership of human beings. And in the end, and we're talking in the end, it's mentioned in Revelation, ultimately, when he delivers the rulership of the kingdom to God the Father, when he puts an end to all rule and other authority and power. So this is what this kingdom is about, as far as humans are concerned, in the human realm. In Revelation chapter 11 and verse 15, we see this finality mentioned there as well, how he transfers this. He will transfer this. It says in Revelation 11, verse 15, the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, that's the Father, and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. See, the kingdom will be given to God the Father, and he shall reign forever and ever. He and Jesus Christ, we see in Revelation chapter 21, 22, you see them on the throne, new heavens, new earth. That is where it's going in the spirit realm, the spirit territory. But the purpose of the kingdom is that God created humanity to bless them, but they've embraced everything since except God. He sent the prophets. He sent the Messiah, but the nations have been angry. There's going to be a contest at the end time between two kings.

It's an interesting contest because one is the king of the world, and one is Jesus Christ, the king of kings. I'd like to look in Revelation chapter 13, verse 11, to begin to wrap this up.

Revelation chapter 13, verse 11, then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. So we can say here there's some similarity in the eyes of people of these two kings. One is a true Messiah, the other is a fake, a false Christ.

Verse 12, he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. See how this king, this kingdom, the end time kingdom of Satan and the beast power, the kingdom of the beast, this united big kingdom is working. It has authority, and it causes the earth and all who dwells in it to worship the first beast. It has rules. Verse 15, he was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. Similar to what Jesus Christ is coming. Here you have the true Messiah, and those who do not follow him, those who fight against him, they get killed.

Verse 16, he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads. Whether a physical mark or this is how they think, this is what they're of, this is the kingdom of society, kingdom of Satan, and I'm of that, you see, and so that's what's there in my mind. Now, let's go to Revelation chapter 14. Just one page over and read verse 1. Then I looked and behold a lamb standing on Mount Zion and with him 144,000, having his father's name written on their foreheads. Both of these kings have names written on their subjects' foreheads. One is the true Messiah, the great king, the kingdom that you and I are to be of and fully of, fully integrated with, fully a part of, and the other is a kingdom that we should have nothing to do with. In Revelation chapter 20 and verse 4, let's be excited about the gift, the future blessing, the big blessing, the reward of the saints, the true saints. Revelation chapter 20 and verse 4 says, and I saw thrones and they sat on them. These individuals know about law and judgment. They can judge angels and they can judge people. They can help with thrones because they're very tuned, closely tuned, to obeying, like Jesus obeyed God the Father and did not break the law. He tells us to be righteous as well. So these are given thrones and they sat on them and judgment was committed to them. And then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus, for the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, had not received his mark on their foreheads or in their hands. What they did, what they thought. Did not identify with that kingdom. They came out of this world. See, they came out of that kingdom and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Pretty exciting, you know, when the seventh trumpet blows and we're raised. In verse 6, blessed, oh how supremely blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such there's no possibility of ever dying. Second death has no power. But they shall be priests. Priests of God. Those who obey, those who can teach, those who can model the culture of the God family. Priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him for a thousand years. So God created humanity, in conclusion, to bless us. To bless us with his kingdom, his rulership, his laws. He offered it over and over to various groups of people and he's offered it to you and me. And with the help of the saints who are faithful, he will then roll it out and offer it to all humanity through what is portrayed by the following autumn festivals. I always need to answer the question, which kingdom, ruler, laws, culture, mindset am I of? In Matthew chapter 25, let's close with this verse. Matthew chapter 25 and verse 31. It's encouraging what Jesus himself says, who's going to be the ultimate judge of us and whether we are given entrance into the territory, the spirit realm of the kingdom. Here's what he says. Matthew 25 and verse 31. When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. In verse 34, then the King will say to those on his right hand, Come, you supremely blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom, the territory prepared for you from the foundation of the world. So as we look forward to the return of Jesus Christ in his glory and bringing his power, let's be converting into citizens who are partially of the kingdom of God.