Many believe that the kingdom of God is totally in the future.  Yet some believe that the kingdom has fully arrived here and now.  Others believe that the kingdom has already come and gone. All of these are dead wrong.  There are rather present and future aspects to the kingdom.  

The present aspect of the kingdom is demonstrated by how we need to repent and walk by faith in obedience to Jesus’ authority; and in how those who submit to Christ are given His Holy Spirit which gives them power to demonstrate the righteous ways of His kingdom in this age (not power for any other end).  

Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 16:28: “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”  

Think of the arrival of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.   Some standing there with Jesus in His incarnation did indeed see this.

Romans 14:17-18: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.”

It is obvious then that viewing Christ’s kingdom as having already come and gone, or viewing His kingdom as totally limited to the future, are both deadly errors.  

Yet the kingdom of God is also not here in its fullness- and it is also a deadly error to assume that it is.  

1 Corinthians 15:19 testifies that if in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable.  

It is also seriously destructive to believe that we ought to live here and now as if society itself were under Christ’s reign already as well as to not take account the complexities that must be navigated seeing that society is obviously not under Christ’s reign already (this is a foundational reason why some wrongly embrace Pacifism and think that Christians should have zero involvement in politics and law enforcement).  We often see the present and future aspects of the kingdom in the very same Bible passage (Acts 3:19-24 is one prime example).

Christ will return to reign (Daniel 7:13-14).  He will judge the living and the dead at His appearance and His kingdom (2 Timothy 4:1).  

Contrary to what the Dispensationalists and other lawless gospel preachers say, accepting Jesus as one’s “personal savior” will not be sufficient to put one in His good graces then.  Those who do not turn to be faithful subjects of Christ who are governed by His righteous authority, and continue therein in the trial period of this age, will have no part with Him in His coming kingdom and will rather be condemned to hell’s eternal fire as enemies of His righteous reign.  Those who love His appearance when He returns will be those who are submitted to Him and governed by the righteous precepts of His Word already.

Aaron’s email is: [email protected]

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