Why Did Christ Have To Suffer?

Why did Christ have to suffer before he died?

You know, you probably are aware that in the sacrifices that pointed or typified Christ, like lamb sacrifices, animal sacrifices, they always put those sacrifices through a very quick death and with as little pain as possible.

But that was not the case for our Passover lamb, Jesus Christ. He had to suffer before he died. And so, what is the mind of God about this matter? And what does the Bible reveal to us about the mind of God as it pertains to Christ's sacrifice? Because his sacrifice could very well be stated, consistent of two parts. Suffering and then death. So his whole sacrifice involved suffering and death. Therefore, the bread and wine. But why did God allow Christ to suffer before he died? Couldn't he just have died for our sins? You see, his life, his blood, buys us back. And so he could have had a very quick death and he would have paid for our sins. But why did he have to suffer? You know, God has a plan for us. A great plan. And throughout the Bible, God's plan for mankind is a unity. It's re-emphasized through many different angles and ways, but it re-emphasized. And God's prophecies in the Bible continuously point to that plan. There is an encyclopedia by J. Barton Payne, published in 1996, which is called Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy. And he highlights the most prophesied events in the Bible.

Have you ever thought, what are those most prophesied events in the Bible, at least according to this encyclopedia? It says that the third most prominent one, with 46 prophecies, is about a millennium. And when you think about millennium, its purpose points to God's plan. Then the second most prophesied event in the Bible is Christ's coming, His return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And then the first most prominent or most prophesied event in the Bible is Christ's sacrifice and death, with 58 prophecies. So Christ did have to suffer, and these prophecies all point towards God's plan for us. But my question is, why did Christ have to go through a lot of suffering before He died? Why so much pain and beating and such a painful death? That we even get a word like excruciating pain, which comes from the word cross-excruciating pain, which is a very, very strong pain. We know that God wants a family. We read in scriptures like in Hebrews 2 verse 10. The goal, and let's just quickly go to that, to just frame into a big picture what God is doing. And He says, Perfect through sufferings. Well, you and I know that the word and Christ are eternal, and so they are perfect. So what do you mean perfect through suffering? It's interesting if you look at some people that don't believe in God, when they write their reason why they don't believe in God, in the end it gets down to one point. We don't believe in God because if there was a God, He would intervene and there would be no suffering in the world. Why does God allow suffering in the world? Now, you and I know suffering is because of our sins. We bring suffering upon ourselves. We may suffer because somebody else did something wrong, and we are impacted by that. But suffering is because of sin.

So when these people say, well, God does not know what suffering is because He's allowing people to suffer, that is not true. Because as we read here, the captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering. Our Creator, which was Christ, under the authority and instruction, according to the Father's plan, He created us. And He knows what suffering is because Christ came in the flesh and He had to go through that suffering because He now knows what suffering is. So He's made perfect because He knows, He feels. As a spirit human being, He never experienced that. But as a physical human being, He went through all the physical emotions that you and I go through when we go through difficulties. Could it be pain, anxiety, whatever it is? He went through all those emotions. And so He knows how we feel when we are struggling with our health issues or our emotional issues or our mental concerns and worries. He knows what it feels like. And that's why He's perfect, He's made perfect through suffering because it's not just a technical understanding. It's actually He had firsthand experience. And so when these people that don't believe in God because they give that excuse, one day they'll realize that the God that created them went through the most excruciating pain that could have been. You see, this has been a mystery, and it's still a mystery to most of mankind. If you turn with me to Ephesians chapter 3, Ephesians chapter 3, we're going to read verse 8 through 11. Ephesians chapter 3 says, That's Paul writing. This is the blessing that the whole mankind is going to receive through Christ because of what he's done. But he's focusing that it's not only to the Jews, it's to the Gentiles as well. And then he verse 9, You see, the mystery of God, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden. This mystery, this great plan, has been a mystery, and to 99.9999% of mankind and of Christianity is still today a mystery. They don't get it. It's not that you and I are any better. We only know it because of God's grace towards you and I. I'm not special. You're not special. We're not special. It's just for God's grace, he's decided to call us first now for whatever reason, and we're only too happy to serve him now. But it's because of his grace. But it says, yeah, this mystery has been hidden from the beginning of the ages. In God, who created all things through Jesus Christ, the Father created everything, but he used Christ as the actual one that the creating through Christ. And then we read in verse 10. To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church, by us, by this knowledge has come through to the apostles, through Christ, through Paul, and the church is preaching it. And as the church preaches it, it's being made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. In other words, this mystery was not even understood by angels. And it's being made known now, and they're starting to see the great plan that God has for us. And so even those angels are starting to learn from us through the church, because God is inspiring the church to teach these points. And this is according to the eternal purpose which he, the Father, accomplished in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

You see, so there's an eternal purpose. That's what it says there, an eternal purpose, which he is executing. Let's just read one or two chapters earlier in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 9. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 9, and I'm cutting into a sentence there, but it says, God is making known to us the mystery of his will. God is making known to us, the church, the mystery of God's will, according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself. God sees this outcome as a great pleasure to him when he will have a whole family of spirit beings, you and I and many others that don't know it yet. Verse 10, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, in other words, when all this will be administered and executed and fulfilled, as time goes along, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in him. So everything will be brought together. This great plan has been delegated to Christ. Christ is executing it. This will all be brought together, and at the end of it, Christ will hand it to the Father and says, mission accomplished. So continuing in him, we have that he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both in which are in heaven and which are on earth in him. Verse 11, in him also we have obtained an inheritance. We have obtained an inheritance. In other words, we're going to receive this inheritance. An inheritance, because Christ died, belongs to him, and we are inheritors of that, being predestined according to the purpose of him. You and I are all predestined, not the way the world thinks about predestination, no, but we're predestined to be in God's family. We are predestined to be his beloved children for eternity.

Predestined according to the purpose of him, who works all things according to the counsel of his will. And then we're continuing. That we, who first trusted in Christ, should be to the praise of his glory. In him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth. So we trust God. We trust this message. We believe in it. And the gospel, the word of truth, which is the gospel of our salvation, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the guarantee.

God's Holy Spirit is the guarantee. It's the down payment. It's the guarantee. If you and I have God's Holy Spirit, it's a guarantee. It's like when you put a deposit to buy a house or something. It's a guarantee that you're going to do it. And God doesn't lie. God is faithful. And so he's guaranteeing that we're going to be there. And so God is guaranteeing that we'll be there in his plan.

And most of mankind will be too as well. They're not called yet, but there'll be too as well. You see, this is false part of a big plan. Now, yes, there will be some that will reject it and will not want to be there, but that's their choice. God's greatest donation is that they would be there, but he gives us always free moral agency.

And that is why there is suffering, because he allows us free moral agency. And because of that, we can do right or we can do wrong. And when we do wrong, we bring pain and suffering and ultimately death. But this is a special calling that we have. And this is a calling that the whole of mankind has. They're not called yet, but a whole of mankind is called for this purpose to be children of God. Some are called now, some will be called later. You know, it's like when you work with a piece of plasticine or something, you take a piece and you work on it, and you work with the other later.

But you just picked up some before. We are just a piece that God is working with first. The others he'll work with at another time. So it's not that we, as a part of this big chunk of plasticine that we better than others, or this chunk of clay, we are just, because of God's grace, he's decided to use us first.

But this is a holy calling. Read with me, please, in 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 9. 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 9. He says, again breaking into the middle of a sentence, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling. Not according to our works, not because I'm better or we are better or anything, but according to his own purpose and grace, which is given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. They planned us all the way before they created the universe. And so this is what their plan is.

Now, what is our responsibility? What is our job? One of my favorite scriptures is in Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2, and we start reading in verse 5, because it says, let this mind be in you. You see, Christ and the Father have all this plan from the beginning, and they knew that Christ would have to suffer and die.

Why? Because we would sin. And why would we sin? Because we free moral agents. He's not taking free moral agency away from us. He's allowing us to be free moral agents. He doesn't want robots. He doesn't want these artificial intelligence little things that produce whatever it is.

He wants beings that will be his sons and daughters, can think for themselves, can make right decisions, and that he can trust. Trust. And so he wants to develop that in us. But for that to be developed requires us to have the opportunity to make mistakes, and then repent and learn from those mistakes. The problem is those mistakes cause pain and suffering and death, because mistakes, when we do mistakes against God's law, it's sin, and the wages of sin is death.

But because Christ knew that he would have to come to execute this plan of God, and that he would have to die, Yah in Philippians 2, verse 5, says, You and I need to have the same mindset, the same attitude, the same way of looking at things. And what is the way of looking at things of Christ? Is that he gave his eternal life, he put it, let's call it, at risk.

He gave up of that, and he became a human being. He was in the form of God, and he became a human being, and then he died. Brethren, it's not that he just died as a human being. He died as a God being.

That is so much more. He had a life of no pain, of no suffering, was prepared to give it up, and become a human being, and prepared to die. And really be dead in the grave for three days and three nights.

That shows an amazing willingness to give up everything. Now, he knew in the end that the Father would back him up and would resurrect. He knew in the end that he would not sin, because that's his personality, that's his character, that's who he is. But did Satan try and make sure he would sin? For sure. Because Satan didn't believe it. And he said, I got you. But he didn't get him. And when, therefore, Christ never sinned, from that day onwards, Satan is judged. He must abode. That's it. So, what we have here in Philippians 2 verse 5, we need to have the same mindset, because it says, He, being in the form of God, was not robbery to be equal with God. He made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant. He was of a human being. So, he came from being a God-being. He became a human being. And from a human being, he died, and he humbled himself, as we read in verse 8, even the death on the cross. But my question today is, why did he have to suffer, in addition to dying? You see, we know, we read scriptures like John 3, 16, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son. And that explains God's love and grace. That explains God's nature, his approach, his direction, because he wants us to change. And he, then, God, used Christ as his agent, or as his representative, to work with the people in Old Testament. So, the being that the people in Old Testament saw and spoke to, etc., and the prophets heard, was the word who became Christ.

But in Old Testament, this whole exercise of Christ's death is very well depicted through the Passover ceremony. And the Passover ceremony, as you read in Exodus 12, it talks about, on the tenth day, they having to put a lamb aside. On the fourteenth, at the beginning of the fourteenth, he would be killed, and then he would have to put the blood on the doorposts and around the door. And then the Christ, the Lord, would pass over, and those people that had that blood would be passed over, and the firstborn would not die. And that completely explains the true Passover lamb, which is Jesus Christ, and that he would have to die so that he would forgive ourselves, and we could be brought back, redeemed from death. So that sacrificial system pointed to Christ, as I mentioned earlier. And that was prophesied. And so Christ knew about that because, number one, he inspired the Passover ceremony. And by the way, think about it. The Passover ceremony, Exodus 12, is part of the law, right? It's part of the law. And when Christ said he came to fulfill the law, that part of the law pointed to Christ. So that part of the law had to be fulfilled by him being the Passover lamb. So he fulfilled the law. So there's a dual meaning here, that he fulfilled the law, that means he obeyed the law, but he also fulfilled the prophetic meaning of those sacrifices which are in the law. And he fulfilled the law, he fulfilled the prophets, and he fulfilled the Psalms because they all pointed to him. So that's a side. But anyway, that sacrificial offering of the Passover lamb did not have any suffering in it. They would try and kill the Passover lamb in a way that would have the least pain by slicing the neck and the blood going out, and the lamb would probably not even know or feel that much. But the true Passover lamb, Christ, was not just like saying, well, get him there and pierce him on the side and he's dead and finished. No, he had to go through suffering that night after he was betrayed and that whole morning, and he had to be beaten, he had to be all that, and he had to put on the cross, and he had to suffer in the cross, and until they pierced a spear and the blood came out and he died. So that was all predicted. Christ knew about it. Why? Because he, as being the word, he inspired the prophecies about his death. So let's look at Isaiah 53.

In Isaiah 53, we see that, who has believed our report and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness, and when we see him, there's no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected by man, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we heed as it were our faces from him. He was despised and we did not esteem him. So, Yah is talking about Christ. He was despised. He was held in contempt. In disdain, what is this man? They said he claims to be, we thought he was a Messiah, you know, he's not saving us from the Romans, so he's not a Messiah. So that's what they were saying. They were despising him. They were holding him in contempt and disdain. It also says that he was rejected. He was rejected. He's despised and rejected. It says at the beginning of verse 3, he was forsaken. You know, Christ was perfect. He never did or say anything wrong, but he was despised and rejected. You read in Luke 19, his citizens hated him. We're reading John 1 verse 11. It says, he came to his own, but his own received him not. How do you feel when somebody despises you? How do you feel when somebody treats you in a way and says, He's a second-class citizen. I'm not an interesting name or her. They called Christ the son of an illegitimate birth. There's a very strong word for that, which I don't want to use. Yeah, but that's what they called Christ. They called him a fraud, a fake.

And so, does Christ understand you and I when we feel despised and rejected? He does. He understands what that emotion is. And then a little later, there's still in verse 3, he says, a man of sorrows. Sorrows implies pain. Could be mental, but could be physical as well. And then he says, an acquainted with grief. You know, people are grief when they see people suffering or when they are sick, when people have emotional or mental agony or grief. Imagine Christ's knowing for millennia that he would have to go through this.

And as the day approached, he became that anxiety, became stronger and stronger because he was a physical human being with pain and suffering. If you know, thank God we don't know, but if you knew, well, in such and such day, you're going to have a terrible car accident and you're going to die. And you're going to suffer for a long time before you die. And you knew that as the day was getting nearer to you, wouldn't you be anxious and things like that and feeling terrible? Well, Christ knew that. So he knows what it is going through these emotional, stressful situations. And so he can have empathy for you and I when we go through emotional situations. You see, he learned through the things he suffered. He did learn. He did learn what these feelings are firsthand. Because as a spiritual God being, there was no pain. There's not none of those things. So as a physical human being, by him coming in the flesh, fully in the flesh, he had to go through that.

And now let's go read verse four. Surely he has borne our griefs that in my Bible it's got a little number next to it and it says literally sicknesses. And so he was born our sicknesses. And then he says, and he carried our sorrows, our pains, as I mentioned, physically and emotionally. You see, his son produces harmful effects, pain, and he went through that. You see, the spain, these emotional things affect our minds, affect our thinking. We get stressed. Our minds can start thinking negatively and things like that. It's very easy to think negatively when you see things that are going to happen. And obviously we say, well, we've got to think positive. Yeah, but sometimes we do think negative. And so he understood what those are. He understood when some people go through abuse, either physical or emotional or sexual abuse, when there's human tragedy, when there are wars, when there are plays and pandemics. He understands those griefs and sorrows.

And then he says, and yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten.

And he was, not only that, he received blows, and he was smitten by God and afflicted. So he went through smitten, he was beaten, he received blows, and he was afflicted. He was humbled when he went through that. And then look at it, verse 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions. Wounded. To be wounded or pierced, he was killed by a sword, so he was wounded. And he says, he was bruised for our iniquities, bruised to be crushed, shattered. He was chastised for our peace, was upon him, chastised or correction. And by his stripes, his wounds, his blows, we are healed.

You see, so we can call upon God, we can call upon our ministers and ask for healing, and according to God's mind, according to God's plan, he will heal us immediately or he'll heal us later. That is his decision, but he does heal us.

So, brethren, Christ did have to go through these things, and he knew you would have to go through it. Why did he have to go through it? Because of our transgressions, because we sinned, because of our rebellion, because of our iniquities, because of whatever things we have, our guilt or our depravity, whatever sins we may have. But in the end, he went through this so that we can have peace. God wants to give us peace, peace of mind, and we can have real peace, real peace beyond human understanding, because of Christ. So all this was for our healing.

That's why Jesus Christ had to suffer.

It's not only for us to be brought back from death, but he had to go through this to heal us when we are sick, and when we have difficulties and challenges, he can encourage us, he can give us peace. And if we keep God in mind and Christ in mind, what great peace he can give us. You see, he didn't know you would have to suffer. He didn't know. I mean, you just read the chapter before, the last few verses of the chapter before, in other words, Isaiah 52, starting from verse 13. He says, Behold my servant, that's Jesus Christ, shall deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished the two, so his visage was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of man. You see, his face, as it says, his visage, the way he appeared, was marred more than any man. So he shall sprinkle, or startle, many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at him, for what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider. So Christ knew this was going to happen. He predicted it. We know he predicted this to the disciples. Turn with me to Mark chapter 8. Mark chapter 8, verse 31. Mark chapter 8, verse 31.

And he says, And he began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things, not just die, but suffer, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. You see, they all knew that. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when he had turned around and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get behind me, Satan, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of man. Well, imagine Peter just saying, Ah, come on, Christ, that's not going to happen to you. Ah, come on, whatever. And Christ said, Get behind me, Satan. He saw Satan's approach of trying to tempt him, trying to get those thoughts in. Well, I don't need to go through this. You know, even my disciples are saying, I don't need to go through this. And he said, Get behind me, because he knew he had to go through it for us, for mankind. And that's his love for us.

So he predicted his death. Look at Luke chapter 18. Luke chapter 18 verse 31 to 34. Luke chapter 18 verse 31 to 34.

And then he took the twelve aside and said to them, Behold, we are going to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For he will be delivered to the Gentiles, that's the Romans, and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge him. You see all the suffering and pain and killing. And the third day, you'll rise again.

You see, so he knew that this was going to happen. There's other scriptures that, you know, for instance, that talks about that Moses had the serpent and put it up on a stick because of the plague of serpents they had. And you know that just it says in John 3.14, like Moses lifted up the serpent, Christ would have to be lifted up. So you would be crucified on a stake. And he knew it would be betrayed. Look at Matthew chapter 20. Matthew chapter 20. Matthew chapter 20.

Verse 17 through 19. And now Jesus, going to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road. Behold, we going to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed. So there, he emphasizes not only be, but will be betrayed to the chief priests, meaning that one of them, one of the twelve, would betray him. Imagine when a close friend of yours turns up against you. That is painful. That is painful. And he knows what that is. And so we know that as we are now approaching the Passover, we know the symbols of Passover. And let's look at some of those symbols very quickly, starting in Matthew 26. Matthew 26.

In Matthew 26, verse 26.

Matthew 26, verse 26. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take it, this is my body. And he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood for the new covenant, a big part of the new covenant, which is shared for many for the remission of sins. And so those symbols were introduced right there. And then you read a little bit later. We're going to read a little bit later in verse 36. And after that, Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to the disciples, Sitya, and I go and pray. And then it says, And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. You see, so he had human feelings. I mean, he knew all this, but as this hour built up and all the emotional feelings as a human being, he went through it as a human being.

And then he said to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay high and watch with me. So he was under absolute deep sorrow and distress, under very profound mental anguish. He was in great mental distress. And verse 39, He went a little further and fell on his face. Brethren, he just didn't pray on his knees, but he fell on his face and prayed, saying, Oh, my Father, if it is possible, let this cup. What is this cup? Well, we just read in verse 27. And then he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, Drink. In verse 28, For this is my blood of the new covenant. In other words, this cup of suffering that he would have to give his life, if possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. As a human being, he didn't want to go through it, because he felt all the emotions and all the pain of a human being. Now, understand, God will never forsake or leave you.

Now, you and I may sometimes feel in situations that say, Why doesn't God heal me? Or why hasn't God healed me? Is God forsaking me? We may cross situations like that, because we human beings. Christ is a human being. Also would feel like that. But God never forsook him. Allowed him to go through that because it was needed for us. But God listened to him and resurrected him. So, yeah, he bore our weaknesses, but he was never a sinner. And therefore God resurrected him and God listened to him. But I had to allow him to go through it. And you see, in verse 41, he says, Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing. The Spirit indeed is willing. And now I have to go through this. I am prepared to go through this, but the flesh is weak. He admitted it about himself as being that it was now flesh. The flesh is weak. And you see, you know he prayed three times. And look at verse 44. Look at verse 44. So then he left them and went away again and prayed the third time, saying the same words. You see? So he's going through this. And we know that he sweated, like as it were, blood. It was blood as it were, great drops of blood. And he urgently pleased with God not to go through this. But he knew he had to die for our sins.

And he never questioned that. He said, Well, if it be possible, because I'm a human being, I'm not keen in going through this. But you will, Father. I'm prepared to do it. That's why he came into the world to die for us, but not only to die for us, to suffer for us.

Let's think about it a little deeper now. How would you be thinking, how would I be thinking, at a time like this, knowing what was to come?

I think we all would, yes, that we'll be going through great stress and mental anguish.

Absolute raw dread and concern. Because we are physical, we know there's going to be a lot of pain. And Christ was physical, and he felt the pain. And so his agony included not only facing death, but he knew of all the things that would have to take place that night before he died. You see, his death, in a sense, was the final act of the sacrifice. But there was a lot of suffering for many hours before the actual death. You see, he gave his life, he shed his blood for us, and we deserved it because of our sins, but he did it for us so he can buy us back. But again, why was it necessary for him to go through all this agony?

Why? Because he's going to heal us. And he understands what we're going through. He understands he has compassion for us. And so when you and I, in our weaknesses, and we miss the mark, we can go to Christ, and please help me. And he will then go to the Father and say, Please help put your name in there, because I know what that is.

That's why he had to suffer, so they can feel for us. And why is there suffering? Because we sin. Yeah, death is also because of sin, but there is suffering also. There is sin. The bottom line, brethren, is that there is a lot more than just death because of sin, but there's a lot of pain and suffering because of sin. It brings a lot of frustration, a lot of difficulty to go through pain.

Hurt and misery and agony is because we have sinned. Jesus went through all. He went through that pain. He went through betrayal. And that's why we can then read in Hebrews 5, verse 7. Hebrews 5, verse 7.

He, as our eye priest, who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with vehement cries and tears to him, yes, because he suffered, and he was a physical human being who was able to save him from death, was hurt because of his godly fear. He was never—the Father never left him. He says he was hurt, but God had to allow him to go through the pain and the suffering and the death. Though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered. He learned more about obedience as a human being under our weaknesses and frailties by the things he suffered. And look at Hebrews 4, verse 14 through 16. Seeing then that we have a great eye priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us all fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, then we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And so as we come to these days of Passover and we see his act of service that is done for us through this, it's an act of service to us as we take up our service, symbols of service, which is the foot washing symbol, of suffering, which is the bread, and his ultimate death, which is the wine. Let us, as we are preparing for this, get our minds to understand his love for us for going through this and understand God's mind because in the end it is for us to be perfect children of God in his kingdom.