The Kingdom Of God

What is the Kingdom? You know, we hear that, and we've heard that in the Church, years and years and years, and we continue to hear that. Only when we hear that, if somebody asks that or someone new has come along and said, What is the Kingdom? We know what the answers are, don't we? We can give answers. We can open the Bible like we will do today, and we can give answers from it. What is the Kingdom? The Kingdom of God.

What is the reality? It's in print. It's there. It's very clear. All you have to do is look and put it together. But in practical, down to earth, feet on the ground, boots on the ground, down to earth, practical reality, in those terms, what is the Kingdom? What is it to you? You step in the bathroom. You look in the mirror. And you look yourself in the eyeball, and you say, What is the Kingdom? Not in answering it for somebody else. What is it to you? What is the Kingdom? What does it mean to you, personally?

What is its value to you? Why is it precious to you? What does it mean to you? What does it translate to you? Why do you want to be there? Oh, you can tell somebody else why they should want to be there. But is that why? As big and as real to you? Because when you start talking about what the Kingdom is, the Kingdom of God, the practical, down to earth reality of it, and why you want to be there, what it means to you, how it translates to you on a personal level, you're getting into the motivational side of it. Why it's motivating to you. You know, I am aware that there are those on this side of the grass who have known what the Kingdom is, who have heard it preached for a long, long time.

They could still probably give you certain answers about it, but they're not excited about it. It just doesn't mean what it should. Let me ask this. In Matthew 6 and verse 10, we're dealing with the prayer outline that Christ gave to His disciples. It's a prayer outline. It covers categories. Of course, the very first thing that He tells them here in chapter 6, after this manner, therefore, pray you verse 9, verse 9, our Father, which are in heaven, hallowed be your name.

May your name be honored, respected, hallowed. Then what does He say as far as you pray? Your Kingdom come. The more the Kingdom is of personal value to you, the more you can actually pray, your Kingdom come. Rather than, God, your Kingdom come, but if you hold it off beyond my lifetime and beyond the lifetime of my kids and grandkids, well, that's okay.

That's okay. I want it to come someday, but maybe not too soon. How much personal motivation is there in it? Because guess what? It's based on your personal motivation that goes into your Kingdom come that also is the driving force behind seeking first the Kingdom of God. In this same chapter here, verse 33, where it says, seek you first the Kingdom, it's a motivational thing. You have to be motivated. And how are you going to be motivated if it's not personal to you? You've got to have a deep personal motivation because if you do, not only are you going to be truly praying, your Kingdom come, but you're also going to be seeking first that Kingdom.

The only thing I'm going to talk about today is what is the Kingdom? That's all I'm going to talk about, what is the Kingdom? And I've got quite a few scriptures that I'm going to turn to and read. If in most cases, if you take notes, you just want to write them down, that's fine. I might go a little bit fast at times. Might have a little bit of difficulty keeping up.

But, talk down the scriptures if you want to. But I want to show what the Kingdom is to me. And what I hope it is to each and every one of us, and obviously there's no way to cover everything even in that regard, but we can certainly hit some important points that show why it's so valuable, why it's precious, why it means so much, and why we want to be there. And we're motivated to pray for it. So the only thing I'm going to talk about today is what is the Kingdom?

That's the only question I'm going to address. What is the Kingdom of God? So I'll start off by saying the Kingdom of God is Jesus Christ ruling this world, this planet. Now, I heard somebody on the news the other day on a talk show. I was out in the car and he said, I'm doing my best to build the Kingdom of God on earth, to bring the Kingdom of God on earth, to build it on earth. And I'm thinking, you're sincere, you mean well, but the Kingdom of God is not the Catholic Church, as I teach, Kingdom of God on earth. It's not the Catholic Church. It's not something going on where a group of ecumenical movement or whatever, a group of religious people get together and they decide to create the Kingdom of God on earth.

You cannot do it. You have no power to remove the one who will fight that Kingdom tooth and toenail, Satan the devil. He roams this earth. He's there. He's the God of this world, it says. We understand all that. So the Kingdom of God is, and again, we're translating what the Kingdom of God is. The Kingdom of God is Jesus Christ ruling this world, this planet, and He's not here right now. So the Kingdom is not here right now. If it were here, Christ wouldn't have said, pray, your Kingdom come, because it has to come, and it comes in God's due time.

Revelation 11, verse 15. I'm going to keep my hand in Matthew. Revelation 11, verse 15, will be one of the most significant, one of the absolute most significant soundings, noises, announcements of all time. Can't be any less than such. Revelation 11, verse 15, And the seventh angel sounded, he had the seventh trump, if you put it together with the other Scriptures, the seventh angel who had the seventh trump, the last trump, he sounded. And there were great voices in heaven saying, the Kingdom's, plural, right now there's 195 nations on this earth, 195.

Now, give it another five years, or it'll probably be close to 200. Give it another five after that, because splitting and divisions and all of that. 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. And so I flip back to this time, Matthew 24, and I go to verse 30, where Christ has been asked by His disciples about the end of the age, and He's laying down things about the end of the age, and it says in Matthew 24, and this is in conjunction with the Sabbath angels sounding, with all those noises, with the Father sending Christ back.

And so it says here in verse 30 of Matthew 24, And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, this events ahead of us, of course, And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, coming in the clouds of heaven. Now, with what is craved by politician after politician after politician, by dictator after dictator after dictator, power, power, But who use it wrongly.

And here, Christ, the righteous one, coming back with power, and He's going to use that power, and He's going to use it properly. But coming back with power and great glory, and as Revelation says, to rule. Zechariah 8, again, a scripture that is so, so encouraging and uplifting.

Zechariah 8, in verse 3, and again, bearing in mind what we read in Revelation, in Matthew 24, and reading here this prophecy, where the time will come. Verse 3, Zechariah 8, Thus says the Lord, Jesus Christ, I am returned to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.

The city today that's a stumbling block to the nations is going to become the rulership seat, world headquarters, when Christ returns. And Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth. Today, it's a city with all kinds of problems, and again, a stumbling block to the nations. A city of truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain, heading the holy kingdom.

And of course, in Zechariah 14, if we just flip over to chapter 14 and verse 4, when he returns, remember, Matthew, coming back in power and glory, it says, And his feet shall stand in that day. Chapter 14, verse 4, And that day upon the Mount of Olives tells us exactly the first piece, spot of real estate, that his feet will touch first, the Mount of Olives, where he descended from in Acts 1, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof, toward the east, toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley, and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Quite an event. And the result is to be what verse 9 says. And again, the power and the glory and the rulership and the Lord, verse 9, shall be king over all the earth. And that day shall there be one Lord in his name one. In that prayer, in Matthew 6, have you ever noticed, and I know you have, it's rhetorical, but in that prayer, and I'm going to go back there, have you noticed, yes, hell will be your name, yes, your kingdom come.

What does, what does, you know, when the kingdom comes, there's power and there's glory, and Christ is ruling. And what follows suit? Your will be done in earth. Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven. God's will today is not done in earth. You can just notate and record one thing right after another. We could do a display of what's been going on currently with all kinds of situations and say, that's not what God would like to see. That's not what pleases God. God's not happy with that.

The shootings in Chicago, children being killed by stray bullets or whatever. You think God sees a little three-year-old shot through the chest with a bullet? And He says, well, it's my will. I'm happy with that. No, He's not. All kinds of things. His will is to allow man to do his own thing for a time. His will is to allow Satan to run this world for a time. But that's not what makes God happy. What His will is, is for obedience so that He can bless us, so we can be happy.

But His will will be done on earth. Scriptures are plain. When Jesus Christ is sent back, He will take charge. In the light of all that is going on these days, that means more to me now than it did in December of 2019. And I know with the things that are coming, it's going to mean more to me in 2021. That personal connection, that desire, that preciousness of Christ being back here and what it means to the world is going to increase in me.

I know that. Just as I see that it has increased in me. What is the Kingdom of God? The Kingdom of God is David ruling over Israel. In Ezekiel 34, now we read of Christ coming back, okay? And He's going to share a rulership. Ezekiel 34 and verse 23, you know, David's dead. Peter told him on the day of Pentecost, he said, "'Brethren, let me speak freely to you.' Not only is David's grave with us, but he has not ascended into the heavens." A man after God's own heart who did have God's Spirit, who is a spiritual product developed, he's still in the grave.

He's not ascended into the heavens. Peter said that. Sixty-something years later, the Apostle John said, "'No man has gone to heaven except he that came down from there, the Son of Man, who is now back there.'" Anyway, so David is dead and buried.

But whether David knew what his future responsibility with Christ would be or not, we don't know how fully he understood what his level of responsibility. He knew he would be with Christ. But here in this prophecy of David, it says, "'I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them. Even my servant David, he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God. And my servant David, a prince among them, I the Lord has spoken it.'" Well, if you look at chapter 37, it addresses the same thing.

Ezekiel 37 and verse 24, "'And David, my servant, shall be king over them, and they all shall have one shepherd. They shall also walk in my judgments and observe my statutes and do them.'" And what you find when you look at the fullness of this prophecy, the house of Israel, the ten tribes, the house of Judah with Benjamin, and of course Levi there with them, those two separate houses, the Jews and the Israelites, of course the Jews are Israelites, but Israelites are not Jews.

These Israelites are not Jews, but Jews are Israelites. That divided house that divided in the days of Rehoboam, Solomon's son, anyhow, God says in these prophecies, they're going to be brought back together as one nation, and David's going to be put over them, under Christ, over them, to rule over them. What is the kingdom of God? Well, the kingdom of God is the apostles ruling over the twelve tribes, because the twelve tribes are what made up the entire house of Israel.

So, in Matthew 19, and it was a logical question on...it was a natural question, but a natural human question on Peter's part. When Peter told Christ...I mean, think about it. This was a natural human question, nothing weird or strange or odd about it. When he asked Christ, here in verse 27, then answered Peter, Matthew 19 verse 27, then answered Peter and said to him, Look, we have forsaken all. We forsaken all. We're willing to give up everything, and have followed you.

What's in it for us? What do we have to look forward to? What should we have there for? And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you that you, which have followed me in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory, that power and that glory that He's going to sit on and sit in, you also shall sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

I want to use the parallel account in Luke 22, Luke 22 verses 29 and 30. Notice what he says here, and I, Luke 22, verse 29 and 30, and I appoint to you a kingdom. What is the kingdom of God? It's also the apostles ruling over the twelve tribes. I appoint to you a kingdom as my Father has appointed to me. Notice that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. What is the kingdom of God?

It's two of the most famous individuals in the Bible, Moses and Elijah ruling with Christ. If we go to Matthew 16 and verse 28, Christ is there with His disciples, and He says to them here in verse 28, He says, truly I say to you, there be some standing here which shall not taste death before you see death.

You're going to see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. He didn't say how you will see Him coming, He said you will see Him coming in His kingdom. So we read right on into chapter 17 here, and after six days, Jesus took Psalm, and the Psalm happened to be Peter and James and John, His brother.

And He brought them up into a high mountain apart, and notice He was transfigured before them, and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light, and behold there appeared to them Moses. They see Christ transfigured, and they see Moses and Elijah talking with Him, two of the truly spiritual greats. Then answered Peter and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here, if you will, let us make here three tabernacles.

We connect the Feast of Tabernacles with the coming Kingdom of God, and rightly so, and accurately so. And so that's what struck Peter. One for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah. So we have that, and obviously we can speculate as to why those two were chosen to appear with Christ.

But notice verse 9. He said, you will see, but notice how they saw. As they came down, verse 9, as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them saying, tell the vision. It was a vision. Just like, you know, if we were to take out a projector, and we were to put a picture on the wall or on a screen. I mean, Hollywood does this all the time. TV does this all the time. You know, videos, digital transmission. We do this all the time, don't we? He gave them a vision of the future. He gave them a vision to emphasize power and glory, and with Moses and Elijah, who, like David, are dead.

But he gave them a vision of what will be in time. What is the kingdom?

Now, I could say, just to have Christ here, how wonderful that would be, the difference, the total 100% difference that would make.

To serve with a David who is now perfect when he's resurrected.

To serve with a Peter and a James and a John, the apostles. To get to know these men, to actually be able to keep company with Moses and Elijah, and be involved with their involvements. That would be great, wouldn't it?

Well, let's look at Daniel 7. Daniel 7.

What is the kingdom?

The kingdom is rulership given to the saints. Here in Daniel 7, verses 18, 22, and 27, three times here, mentioned. 18, 22, and 27. But the saints of the Most High, that's David. That's the apostles. That's Moses. That's Elijah. That's the church. That's the ecclesia.

That's all those who carry God's Spirit, who exercise it, who grow and develop spiritual products with God, Christ being formed in them.

But the saints of the Most High, notice, shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom.

If we say, is it Jesus Christ's kingdom, we say rightly. It is His kingdom.

If we say, it is also My kingdom, we say rightly, because it is also My kingdom.

Because Romans 8 says, I am a co-heir with Christ. You are a co-heir with Christ.

We are going to inherit what He inherits. He inherits the kingdom. He is the King of the kingdom.

We are lesser kings and queens of the kingdom.

Possess, ownership, have the kingdom, forever, even forever and ever.

Now, it is getting more personal, see?

It can be personal enough before, but this makes it even more personal.

And in verse 22, until the ancient of days came, judgment or rulership was given to the saints of the Most High.

And the time came that the saints possessed, took charge of, owned the kingdom as co-heirs, see? According to Romans 8, as co-heirs, co-inheritors with Christ, and always looking to Christ for the leadership and the guidance of how He wants things carried out.

And then verse 27, verse 27, 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, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.

When Pilate put Christ on a trial of questioning, there in John 18.36, Christ answered, he says, My kingdom is not of this world. He said, My kingdom is not of this age, otherwise My servants would fight.

It's not of this age. This is the age of Satan. It's the world of Satan. It's His world right now.

The planet belongs to God, the inhabitants belong to God, but the envelope, the atmosphere, the way so much is done is just simply operated by the way Satan wants things to go and he manipulates.

Christ said, My kingdom, which is an actual kingdom. Now His kingdom comes when He closes this age and starts a new age, the age of Jesus Christ ruling this planet.

When He said, My kingdom is not of this world, Mine isn't either. This is not My kingdom. This is not My world.

This earth I walk on, I'm going to inherit it someday. God says, It's going to be Yours.

And there's so much more, so much more about what is the kingdom. Revelation 20 and verse 4.

If you've watched, if you've been watching the violence and all, you can see pure hatred just dripping like sweat off of people.

I mean, don't ever kid yourself that in these raging situations there aren't demons flitting all about and all over and that there's everything from demonic influence to just absolute demon possession.

People in rages and one standing back, having his cohorts do his work for him and just chuckling in glee at what he sees.

No, My kingdom is not of this world, this age, but it will come and He's going to share it with the saints. In Revelation 20 and verse 4, John said, Or in their hands, notice, Revelation 5, and again, there's scriptures we could turn to. We're not trying to exhaustively cover every scripture, but a flow in regards to what is the kingdom and in terms of how it translates to us and what it means to us.

That's the value of it and how precious it is.

John says, in Revelation 5 and verse 10, says, And has made us into our God, tells us how God is viewing us, both in terms of the potential for what He wants us to be and become, and with the development through His Spirit and time, what we are going to be.

And has made us into our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth, we shall rule.

A thousand years, that's the millennium. That's what millennium means, Latin word meaning a thousand. So we're going to rule as kings and priests.

Right now, couldn't we do better than some are doing and running things on this planet? Yeah.

We're learning the things that work. We're learning the things that matter. We're learning what is needed. But we don't have the power to implement it.

We implement it in our lives to grow and develop so that when Christ comes back with power and He shares that power, that we're going to be able to truly be world changers.

In Revelation 20, it's right here close by, in verse 26, to the saints, He says, The doctrine of Marxism will be a dead doctrine. You'll be able to read about it in the history books. You'll be able to read about the results of it in the history books.

It may be museums, you can go in and see certain results of it. But Marxism will be a dead doctrine, never to arise again.

Power over the nations. And to the saints, in Revelation 3, verse 21, chapter 3, in verse 21, Christ says, What is the kingdom? Micah 4. Micah 4. What is the kingdom? The kingdom is no more war. There's a statement about war in geopolitics.

There's a statement about the history of mankind connected to war.

Geopoliticians will say that you can take the 6,000 years of human history and you can put it under one of these three points.

Mankind is either preparing for war, end war, or recovering from war. And you think about that.

On a global basis, at any given time, somebody is preparing for war. And somebody is in a war. And somebody is recovering from war.

What is the kingdom? No more war. You know, with Hollywood now, with technology, technology is so good.

That they can show things on the screen that's just like on the battlefield. And your mind knows that's not real.

That's not a body lying there with his arm over there or blood spurting out of a stump. That's not real.

But your senses don't know the difference. Your eyes, your ears receive the full impact of it. Even though your mind says that's all staged.

All of the trauma, all of the losses, all of the sadness, the wrecked lives, the ruined lives.

What is the kingdom? The kingdom is no more war. And he shall judge, Micah 4, verses 3 and 4.

And he shall judge among many people and rebuke strong nations afar. If it won't matter how strong they are, they're not going to be able to stop the kingdom.

And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation. And that's been the... lifting a sword, a nation lifting up a sword against another nation.

That has been the way of life of the nations of this planet ever since Adam and Eve forfeited the garden.

Neither shall they learn war any more.

There are numerous ways for a man without a weapon to kill another man.

They won't learn how to do that anymore. They won't learn how to take a sword or a gun and all the techniques of how to kill. They won't learn that. It won't be taught. Anything with war. No. It's gone.

But what's going to replace it? Peace.

They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree.

See, in times past... Hey, your fig tree? I want it. I'm taking it. You're a vine. I want it. I'm taking it. Your farm... your homestead, your farmstead, your farm, your ranch, your vineyard, your orchard... I want it. I'm taking it.

Your land, I want it. I'm taking it.

I'm big enough, powerful enough. My group is big enough. We're strong enough. We take it from you.

They shall sit every man under his vine, under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid.

For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken it.

How can we not want to be a part of that? What is the kingdom?

It is no more wild, tearing, and rending animals. No more constant prey and predator. Have you ever sat on your front porch on a quiet summer evening, and all of a sudden, off in the woods close by, you hear this awful, high-pitched screaming and shrieking of an animal?

And you know what's happening. Another animal has gotten it, and is killing it to eat it. It's very unpleasant sound.

No more constant predator and prey, tame and peaceful animals, an animal kingdom that's reflective of God's Spirit and His ways, which we don't have now, but we will have someday.

And this is why, when we read in Isaiah 11, that beautiful section of Scripture, talking about when God's kingdom is here, when the Garden of Eden started off, the most man in the Garden of Eden. Lions and others, like cattle, they ate straw, they ate grass. Their digestive tracts were different.

That all changed sometime shortly after Adam and Eve forfeited the garden. It had to be driven out. But in Isaiah 11, and we've read this many a time, in verse 6, the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid.

The wolf has to eat, the leopard has to eat. But they won't eat meat anymore. They won't eat what they have found to be their favorite foods.

Wolves love lambs, and leopards love kids, and goats, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed. You know, they'll be feeding Elthar together. Their young one shall lie down together, and notice the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

God will change the digestive tract. Somebody might say, well, how can he do that? What do you mean, how can he do that? He's God.

It's helpful. He'll do it.

And the nursing child shall play on the whole of the ass. The weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den.

But verse 9, verse 9, they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain.

And again, we live in a time where we're seeing a lot of destruction. We're seeing so much rage and so much destruction.

And yet, what we might see within our borders, there's so much destruction and rage that has occurred down through 6,000 years. And as currently as we gather here today, in peace is occurring in various parts of this earth on this planet.

For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

What is the kingdom? The kingdom of God is God's peace planted on this planet.

It's a garden of Eden.

Do people not ever question what could have been? Do people not ever question, well, let's see now.

God created Adam. He created Eve. They were in a garden. Told them one thing not to do, which they did, and lost the garden.

But what if they hadn't done that? And God and mankind had truly stayed together and worked together on this planet ever since.

You would have a global paradise, an expansion of the garden of Eden, encircling the globe.

And that's what's going to come, because God's going to pick up where He left off.

Of course, in the interlude, mankind had to learn a very hard lesson.

And that's what man's learning right now, is a very hard lesson.

But that lesson will be learned in time sufficiently, and God will step in and pick it back up.

What is the kingdom? The kingdom is a garden of Eden, globally, for this planet.

A planetary paradise, unprecedented prosperity.

In Isaiah 35, verses 1 and 2, Isaiah 35, verses 1 and 2, The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them.

The desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.

The dry and desolate places shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing.

The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon.

They shall see the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our God.

Talking about a time when everything will be beautified, and the whole planet made rich and prosperous.

I've always found, along this line, Amos 9.13, to be so encouraging.

Amos 9.13 ...

...

Behold the days come, says the Lord... And again, this is a prophecy of the future. That the plowman, the one putting in another crop, is going to run up on the hills of the one that's harvesting. Because the harvest is so great, they can't get it out before here comes the plowman for another crop to be put in. And the treader of grapes, him that sows seed, and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. Just speaking of a time of tremendous prosperity. What is the kingdom? The kingdom is full involvement. Now, why is that so important to me? Well, Angela, her sister Sylvia, lost two children. A little girl at 13, a little boy at 9 to cystic fibrosis. The boy was older, but he, of course, being older, and he died first, and Robbie, and then Amy Ruth at 13. Cystic fibrosis. But even in those years that they had, 9 and 13, they couldn't do like a lot of other little kids could, because with the cystic fibrosis and the lung problem and all that it was, they were very limited how active they could be. And they were only two of so many who deal with handicaps. Be they physical, be they mental, be they whatever. But that cuts one out of so much involvement in life. And yes, and I will say this, those who are handicapped, those who are physically limited, or mentally limited, and sometimes the physically limited, it's amazing what they can do. And it's a testimony to what God has built into the human being. But is there anyone who, like Carl Joseph, and I don't know if he's even alive today or not, but a young black man, years ago, back when I was young, born with one leg and learned how to play football and actually went to a smaller college and played a little bit of football, had one leg, and he would bounce run like on a pogo stick. It's amazing what he learned to do. But is there anybody born with one arm or born with one leg or flippers or whatever, like with the Thalidomide babies back years ago, that if given a choice, wouldn't say, yes, I want a second arm, or yes, I want a second leg, yes, because no matter how much they can do, which again is amazing many times, still, still, to have complete and whole bodies and have full involvement. And to me, the Kingdom, where no one is left out, you won't have babies born with those defects. You won't have those situations. The handicap will be healed. It will be a time of supreme health and happiness. How do we know? Well, again, in Isaiah 35, this is just one of the places that we turn to that illustrates that. Isaiah 35. Notice beginning in verse 3. Isaiah 35 in verse 3. Yeah, the desert is going to blossom like the rose. It's going to be tremendous prosperity. And the prophecy goes on to say in verse 3, strengthening the weak hands, confirm the feeble knees, say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not, behold, your God will come with vengeance. Even God with a recompense, He will come and save you. Now notice verse 5, Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened. We have a blind man, member in Atlanta, Brent Reynolds. I know a number of you here know him. I've known him since we were both young men. Never seen. He doesn't know what blue looks like or red or yellow colors, any of that. And it's amazing what Brent can do.

But in that coming... Someday Brent is going to have spirit-composed eyes and body, and we'll see wonderfully, and probably will appreciate sight more than almost anybody else except those like him who never had it.

But there won't be those born and grow up and spend their lives blind in that coming Kingdom.

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened. The ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. The lame man, leap as a heart, just plain leap for joy because he can leap, he can move, he can fully use his legs. The tongue of the dumb shall sing. For in the wilderness shall waters break forth and streams in the deserts. This is a prophecy of God's full involvement and healing. And the parts of the ground shall become a pool in the thirsty land springs of water in the habitation of dragons, or jackals, where each lay shall be grasped with reeds and rushes. It's going to be a wonderful change. The Kingdom of God is a time of wholeness. It's a time of healing.

What is the Kingdom? Again, you go to the bathroom, you look in your mirror, you look yourself in the eye, and you say, what is the Kingdom? What is it to me? What does it personally mean to me? The Kingdom is resurrection to eternal life. 1 Corinthians 15.

These are results. These are the results we're talking about of there being a God and a Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whom God the Father sends back to set up His Kingdom.

There are tremendously wonderful physical benefits for flesh and blood humans, and tremendous benefits to those that God has chosen to work with in this age to prepare them for resurrection to sit with Christ when He returns.

So in 1 Corinthians 15, verses 50 through 54, now this I say, brethren, verse 50, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Neither does corruption inherit incorruption, but I show 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. This mortal, which we are now, must put on immortality. We have that to look forward to. So when the corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory.

See, in 1 John 2.25, John makes it very clear.

1 John 2 and verse 25, And this is the promise that he has promised us, even eternal life. Eternal life is promised us. And right here in the book of John, the next chapter, 1 John 3, verses 1 and 2, 2 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. In other words, we can view him in full power, because we will be made of power. The kingdom is to be part of the family of God. Administering the government of God and resurrection places us in that kingdom. That kingdom is entered through resurrection. What is the kingdom?

The kingdom is reunion with loved ones. I have not seen my father since my birthday in 1997. He died on my birthday, between the sunsets of my birthday. I have not seen my mother since that same year, May 26th. May the 26th, that same year which was Veterans Day, not Veterans Memorial Day. I know the next time I see them, I will be looking up at their heels, unless I die in the meantime. Then I'll be right alongside them. But otherwise, they will rise before me from the grave to meet the returning Christ, and I will shortly follow. And when they get to where Christ is as He is returning, of course, they will join Him and be coming with them on back, and I will meet up with them and I will be alongside them at some point. That reunion, and I want to go to 1 Thessalonians 4, that reunion with Mom and Dad, they were firstfruits. They were saints. They were called to this age. They were faithful to God. They died in Christ. They are awaiting the resurrection along with James, John, Peter, David, Moses, Elijah, Abraham.

1 Thessalonians 4, verse 16, For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, we read about that, with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. They are not the only ones that arise, but they are the ones that will rise first. Then we which are alive, of course, in Christ, and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Now, the kingdom of God is reunion with our loved ones. The very next time that I get to see my mother and my father, the two through whom God gave me life, will be the resurrection. Not a second before, be the resurrection. How do we look forward to that? What is the kingdom?

The kingdom is reunion with our loved ones. It's also reunion with the rest of our loved ones, because most of my relatives will not rise at the return of Christ, because they weren't firstfruits. They weren't called of God at this time. Some of them very, very nice, wonderful people. But not given the light of understanding, their time was not this age. Their time is not this age. Their time is a future time. It's only my mother and my father, and some of my relatives, like my brothers, for instance, that will be in the resurrection.

Are they the only ones I love? No. There are so many more I love also. In Revelation 20 again, and we always go through this each year with the doctrinal sermon on the last great day, the eighth day, the eighth holy day. And we talk about how, like here in Revelation 20, and of course there's numerous verses that we do put together, we do connect the dots. But we talk about how, verse 5, The rest of the dead live not again till the thousand years are finished.

Of course, the statement, this is the first resurrection, refers back to verse 4 of the saints. But the rest of the dead don't live again till the thousand years are finished. There is a millennial reign of Christ, yes, and then after that there's what's called the great white throne judgment. And in verse 12, And I saw the dead, small and great stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book, which is the book of life it says, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books.

That's the Bible. The books is the Bible. That's the standard that we're measured by. That instructs us and teaches us. And of course our works don't match up to what we're told. You know, you're a sinner, you've got to repent, you've got to be in Christ, but here's the book of life open. We're giving you an opportunity to have your name written in the book of life and have an opportunity for life. And again, we go through that and we understand that. Verse 13, and we lay it out very well each year. And the sea gave up the dead where it ran it, death and hell, or that is the grave.

Death and grave delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works. It's the same pattern that goes on with us. And of course, we talk about the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37, and we won't go through that, but when you read through it, it is very clear that it is an actual resurrection back to flesh and blood life. And that takes care of my loved ones that won't rise when Christ returns, but will be given an opportunity for salvation when the millennium is finished and there is one shorter age of time left to process all the billions from this time of man, what we call the last great day.

And that is spoken of in Isaiah 65.20, There should be no more thinsome, infinite days, nor an old man that is not filled his days, for the child shall die a hundred years old, but the center being a hundred years old shall be accursed. A wonderful time to look forward to. What is the kingdom? It is a new heavens.

See, when you talk about what is the kingdom, you're talking about a chronological progression also. There is a progression of events. This happens, this is added to that, this is added to it, this is added. There is a chronology. To be in the kingdom of God is to be involved with something that progresses, that moves from here to there to there, tracks this on, adds this on, adds that on. The kingdom is a new heavens and a new earth of permanence. It's God the Father Himself coming here. It's the kingdom, it's heavenly Jerusalem brought here. It's the throne of the Father here, because it comes to that point, eventually it progresses to that point.

An eternalized earth, made permanent, that never passes away, and the heavens around us, made permanent, never to pass away, and the earth becoming the center of the universe, because where God the Father is, is the center, and He's coming here. And all of God's operations from that point on, will flow out from an eternalized earth as the center of the universe, earth becoming the headquarters of all God's doings. And see, this is what John was given to see, when you move out to the point that the time of salvation for all human beings has been concluded and finished.

It's not that there aren't things still to do, but the salvation of human beings has been a done deal. It's been completed, finished, there's no flesh and blood left, and we come to a point when the entire situation of salvation has been processed. Revelation 21. And this is what John is talking about, and there again, there's a chronology on it. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven around this earth, which is physical, and the first earth that we're walking on, which is physical, it's the physical side of it that passes away.

Just like we're no longer physical at that point, we've been changed to spirit and eternal, so the heavens and the earth itself no more see. And I, John, saw, because there's preparation being made for the coming of what John pictures here, I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle, or dwelling of God, is with men. And talk about God the Father here.

And He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. Pretty plain. Keep your finger here. In 1 Corinthians 15, the resurrection chapter, 1 Corinthians 15, and we relate this to Christ's rule before the Father comes. In chapter 15, 1 Corinthians, beginning in verse 24, Then comes the end, when he Christ shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, that is, even the Father, it says, when he Christ shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign or rule till he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

For he has put all things, he the Father, has put all things under his Christ's feet. And when he says, All things are put under him, it is obvious that he, the Father, is accepted. He is the exception, which did put all things under him, under Christ. And when all things shall be subdued unto him Christ, then shall the Son also himself be subject to him, to the Father, that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. And it comes to a point where Christ says, Okay, Father, it is all finished.

Flesh and blood has been finished, salvation has been finished, it is all finished. Now we can move on to the next step, which is the new heavens and the new earth. And back in Revelation 21, then we truly come to the time where this is truly fulfilled. Verse 4, Revelation 21.4, And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Can you imagine a time when there's no more death? There's no more death. Do you ever have to worry about losing your life or a loved one losing their life?

That's all history. That's all path. There's no more death. There's no more sorrow nor crying, no more pain, because death and sorrow and crying and pain is what this world is full of. And we thank God for the good times we have, but we constantly have to deal with pain and sorrow and trouble and suffering. And all those things are some day God's going to say, that's it, it's gone, it's finished, it's all behind us.

And He that set up on the throne, verse 5, says, Behold, I make all things new. I make all things new. One final Scripture, Isaiah 9, verse 7. When Jesus Christ returns, what is the Kingdom? When Jesus Christ returns. Something is initiated that never goes the other way. Verse 7, chapter 9, Of the increase of His government and peace, the increase of His government and peace, there shall be no end.

What is the Kingdom? To me, it's all these things and much more. That's how I see it and that's how I answer myself when I look myself in the eye in the mirror. That's what I am offered to be a part of. That's what I'm offered to share in. And I have two words for myself and for each of us. Be there. Be there.