The angel announced to Mary that a son would be born by her and that she was to
call His name "Jesus." The angel continued to explain, "And the Lord God will
give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of
Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." (Luke 1:32,33). Jesus was to
fulfill the many Messianic prophecies of the previous centuries. With the birth
of Jesus in Bethlehem, the king entered the world and would return to heaven
only when His mission was accomplished and the prophecies were all fulfilled.
John taught that the "kingdom of heaven is at hand" as he prepared the way for
the Lord. As Jesus began His ministry He announced the same thing (Matt. 3:1,2;
4:17,23).
Jesus told His disciples that "some of those standing here shall
not taste of death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with
power." (Mark 9:1). There can be no mistake about it - Jesus planned to begin
His rule over His kingdom in the first century during the lifetimes of those
that stood with Him. Jesus told Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world." (John
18:36). His kingdom is spiritual and He reigns over it today. It is present, and
it is eternal. The King will come again one day to take His people home.
The Holy Spirit affirms in the New Testament that the kingdom prophecies of the
Old Testament have been fulfilled in Jesus (Acts 3:24). Jesus reigns today over
His spiritual kingdom. He has sat down at God's right hand and all authority has
been given to Him in heaven and on earth.
Following the ascension of Jesus, the apostles and preachers of the gospel went
about preaching and teaching "the good news about the kingdom of God and the
name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 8:12). The phrase "kingdom of God" refers to the
authority and reign of Jesus in the hearts of faithful men and women today.
The Bible says, "For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and
transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son." (Col. 1:13). With our
citizenship in His kingdom come both privileges and responsibilities. It is "a
kingdom which cannot be shaken" though many have tried (Heb. 12:28). The last
book of the Bible says, "He has made us to be a kingdom" (Rev. 1:6) and that at
the end of time Jesus will "deliver up the kingdom to the God and Father" after
He has defeated the last enemy... death itself (1 Cor. 15:24-26). King Jesus is
coming again and eternal victory belong to His people.
ed on Biblical principles. Many leaders today are attacking those same
principles. Are we sowing the wind to one day reap a whirlwind? (Hosea 8:7).
By Jon W. Quinn
The Front Page
From Expository Files 13.8; August 2006
