The Kingdom of God is not of this evil age.
The Kingdom of God is not of this evil age. It is not defined in the ways that the kingdoms or even the institutions of this age are defined.The Isaiah shaped worldview is the correct worldview for the people of God. It is a worldview which God will vindicate over against all others. People immersed in other worldviews can use the language of the scriptures to present faulty views to the general public but those who know the mysteries of the kingdom should recognize the dissonance. This perspective is centered on Israel and therefore it is centered on Jesus as Israel's Messiah. Again we see the importance of the observations of an earlier post in which we noted that Jesus came for Israel, He came to be Israel and He came to ultimately define Israel around Himself. We made these observations while studying the first four chapters of Matthew. From the same gospel, a hidden truth about the very nature of the kingdom of God is revealed. The Kingdom of God is not communicated or defined at the institutional level, but is realized at the level of individual response and fidelity.
"Hear then the parable of the sower. "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. "The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. "And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." (Mat 13:18-23)
This Kingdom of God is for the saints, and the saints are those of Israel set apart by loyal recognition of Jesus the Messiah.
"Hear then the parable of the sower. "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. "The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. "And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." (Mat 13:18-23)
This Kingdom of God is for the saints, and the saints are those of Israel set apart by loyal recognition of Jesus the Messiah.
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