what is the kingdom of god and how is it related to the church

What is the Kingdom of God in the Bible?

In short, the Kingdom of God is the central theme of Jesus' teaching and the primal bulletin of the Church founded by Him through His disciples.

As Marking explains in his Gospel account, "At present after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at mitt. Repent, and believe in the gospel.'"

The gospel of the Kingdom of God

Matthew and Luke also record that Jesus' bulletin was the "gospel," or "glad tidings," of the Kingdom (Matthew 4:23; Luke 8:i). Even though Matthew referred to information technology every bit "the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 4:17; Matthew 5:three, 10, xix-20) and Paul once called it "the kingdom of Christ and God" (Ephesians 5:5), the predominant name in Scripture is "the kingdom of God."

Jesus consistently taught this same message of hope—"gospel" means good news—of the Kingdom throughout His ministry. His parables—stories with spiritual lessons—often dealt with this Kingdom, which God the Father and His Son had prepared prior to the being of man at "the foundation of the world'" (Matthew 25:34).

Subsequently training His 12 disciples, Jesus sent them out "to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick" (Luke 9:ii). After His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus appeared before His disciples and continued "speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3).

Later, Paul also described his ministry building as preaching "the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22; Acts xix:8; Acts 20:25; Acts 28:31; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; i Corinthians 15:24) and referred to his beau ministers as "workers for the kingdom of God" (Colossians iv:eleven).

Is the Kingdom of God a literal or a figurative kingdom?

What is the existent meaning of the Kingdom of God? Is information technology a literal or a figurative kingdom? While it is generally understood that the message Jesus preached was that of the Kingdom of God, the question equally to whether this Kingdom is literal or figurative is more complicated.

Since Jesus came preaching that the Kingdom was "at hand" (Marking 1:15), some think it is literally here on globe via the Church building or figuratively in our hearts. Others, recognizing that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" (i Corinthians xv:50), say it is not nonetheless hither.

"And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will gear up a kingdom which shall never exist destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall suspension in pieces and swallow all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever" (Daniel ii:44). The Kingdom of God will thus replace the governments of this world.Acknowledging the difficulty in agreement His bulletin regarding the Kingdom of God, Jesus termed it a "mystery."

Speaking to His disciples, Jesus said, "To yous it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that 'Seeing they may see and non perceive, and hearing they may hear and non understand; lest they should plow, and their sins be forgiven them'" (Marking four:11-12).

So what did the disciples understand? What did Jesus and the prophets foretell? The Bible answers the question, What is the Kingdom of God?

• The Kingdom of God is a literal kingdom. God gave Male monarch Nebuchadnezzar a dream of an image of a human being with a head of gilded, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of statuary, legs of iron and anxiety partly of iron and partly of clay. God revealed the meaning of the dream through Daniel, showing that at that place would be 4 world-ruling empires (Daniel 2:31-43). History has shown these to be the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greco-Macedonian and Roman empires.
  Concluding this caption, Daniel wrote: "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never exist destroyed; and the kingdom shall not exist left to other people; it shall interruption in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand up forever" (poesy 44). The Kingdom of God will thus replace the governments of this world.
• The Kingdom of God will exist established on globe when Jesus returns. The time that the Kingdom is established will be after Christ's render to globe. Revelation 11:fifteen states: "Then the seventh affections sounded: And there were loud voices in sky, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'"
  Jesus told His disciples that when the Kingdom is established, they will "sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28, also compare Luke 22:30).
• We prepare for the Kingdom by living co-ordinate to the rules of the Kingdom now. Explaining how one might enter the Kingdom of God, Jesus told Nicodemus that one must exist "born once more" (John 3:one-8). This process begins with baptism, which signifies the decease of the former sinful man and the start of a new life dedicated to Christ (Romans 6:1-4). Information technology culminates in a change from mortal mankind and claret to immortal spirit at Christ'southward return (ane Corinthians 15:fifty-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:xvi-17).
  Once we embark on this process, we are symbolically "conveyed" into the Kingdom (Colossians 1:13), and our "citizenship" is now described every bit being in heaven (Philippians iii:20). At the completion of the process of being born again, nosotros volition be changed into immortal beings and become kings and priests serving in God'due south Kingdom on earth (Revelation 1:vi; Revelation 5:ten). For a more in-depth explanation, see our commodity "What Does It Mean to Exist Born Once more?"

God's Kingdom on earth

Old Testament prophets, while under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote almost the Kingdom of God being established on world (2 Peter 1:xx-21).

The prophet Zechariah noted that Jesus volition render to the Mount of Olives, a mountain ridge adjacent to and e of Jerusalem's Onetime City. "Behold the twenty-four hours of LORD is coming. … And in that day His feet volition stand on the Mount of Olives" (Zechariah xiv:1, 4).

The prophet also explained that Christ's return volition not be welcomed. Instead, Jesus volition take to fight against a coalition of armies from multiple nations effectually the earth (verse 3).

Why volition people fight against mankind'southward Savior, the being who just wishes the best for every human being? Because Satan, through His demons, will deceive the nations into fighting confronting Jesus when He returns (Revelation 16:13-xiv).

Armies volition assemble to oppose Christ at Megiddo as He returns to institute the Kingdom of God. Photo: AVRAM GRAICER [CC BY-SA three.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Because of this deception, armies from the nations will get together at a place called Armageddon, a Hebrew word meaning "Mountain of Megiddo" (Barnes' Notes on the Bible, Revelation xvi:16). Megiddo, located to the due north of Jerusalem, will be the staging area for the armies before they move due south to Jerusalem, where they will exist defeated past Christ (Revelation 19:xi, 19-21).

Having conquered those who resisted Him, Jesus will and then establish Jerusalem as His capital letter city, from which He will rule the world for 1,000 years (Zechariah xiv:9; Matthew 5:35; Revelation 20:4).

Prophesying this event, God said, "'Behold the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'That I will heighten to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth'" (Jeremiah 23:5).

What is the Kingdom of God like?

The Kingdom of God will be the utopian realization of all that humans long for. An insightful overview of Christ's rule in the coming Kingdom of God is found in Isaiah two:2-four:

"Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mount of the LORD'south house shall be established on the summit of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall catamenia to it.

"Many people shall come and say, 'Come, and let u.s.a. go upwards to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach usa His means, and we shall walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

"He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they larn war anymore."

This prophecy—as well repeated in Micah four:ane-iii—describes a time when God's laws will be the standard of conduct for all peoples. People will want to learn God'south ways because they will see the many benefits of doing and then.

The world will be at peace; homo sicknesses and ailments volition exist healed (Isaiah 35:5-6); and the footing will become abundantly productive (Isaiah 35:1-2; Amos ix:13).

More importantly, Christ's rule on earth will offer all humans the opportunity to receive God's Spirit and have a relationship with Him leading to eternal life (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

Worship of God during this 1,000-twelvemonth period volition include the aforementioned basic practices God expects of people today. God states that the seventh twenty-four hours of the calendar week, Sabbatum, will be the weekly twenty-four hour period of worship.

Speaking of this time, God says, "And it shall come up to pass … from one Sabbath to some other, all flesh shall come up to worship before Me" (Isaiah 66:23).

God'southward almanac holy days, the ones given to ancient State of israel and the ones observed by Jesus and His apostles, will also be observed. As Zechariah notes, "And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came confronting Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the Male monarch, the LORD of hosts, and to go along the Feast of Tabernacles" (Zechariah 14:16).

For boosted information on what the Kingdom of God will be like during the one,000-yr reign of Christ on earth, run into the article: "1,000 Years—the Millennium."

How to enter the Kingdom of God

In the Kingdom parables of the Bible (ones that often brainstorm, "The kingdom of sky is like …"), Jesus explained what the Kingdom will be like and what we must do to enter the Kingdom.

Some of the lessons include understanding the universal rule of God's coming Kingdom (Matthew 13:33) and the importance of valuing one's invitation to be in that Kingdom (verses 44-46).

Assertive and following Jesus' instructions about how to live is our pathway to eternal life (John 3:15-16; 14:fifteen; Matthew 19:17). Understanding this point is vitally of import in terms of entering the Kingdom of God because "flesh and claret cannot inherit the kingdom of God" (i Corinthians fifteen:fifty).

Even though Jesus will institute the Kingdom of God on globe and dominion over physical human beings, only those who have been changed into spirit will be able to actually inherit His Kingdom.

At present that you know what the Kingdom of God is, yous need to understand how to follow Jesus' command to seek showtime the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). Your task is to acquire what God's laws are and then to begin living in accord with the rules of His Kingdom.

Exist sure to read "'The Kingdom of God Is Within You'—What Did Christ Mean?" and "Seek Beginning the Kingdom of God."

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Source: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/kingdom-of-god/what-is-the-kingdom-of-god/

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