Reference: Kingdom Of God
Hastings
The Biblical writers assume that the Creator of the heavens and the earth must needs be also the everlasting Ruler of the same. The universe is God's dominion, and every creature therein is subject to His power. And so the Hebrew poets conceive God as immanent in all natural phenomena. Wind and storm, fire and earthquake, lightnings and torrents of waters are but so many signs of the activity of the Almighty Ruler of the world (Ps 18:7-15; 68:7-18; 104). The same heavenly Power is also the supreme Sovereign of men and nations. 'The kingdom is Jehovah's, and he is the ruler over the nations' (Ps 22:28). 'Jehovah is king over all the earth' (Zec 14:9). 'He sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the Inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers
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From that time Jesus continued to preach and say, "Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is near."
"Blessed are those who feel poor in spiritual things, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
"Blessed are those who suffer persecution for being and doing right, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
For I tell you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven at all.
Now when John in prison heard of the doings of the Christ, he sent this message by his disciples: "Are you the One who was to come, or should we keep on looking for a different one?" read more. And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind are seeing and the crippled are walking, the lepers are being healed and the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised and the poor are having the good news preached to them. And happy is the man who finds no cause for stumbling over me."
"I solemnly say to you, of all men born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has ever appeared; and yet the one who is least important in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant must be rooted up.
I solemnly say to you, some of the people standing here will certainly live to see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."
and said: "I solemnly say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you can never get into the kingdom of heaven at all.
Jesus said to them: "I solemnly say to you, in the new order of life, when the Son of Man shall take His seat on His glorious throne, you too, who have followed me, will sit on twelve thrones, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
Jesus said to them: "I solemnly say to you, in the new order of life, when the Son of Man shall take His seat on His glorious throne, you too, who have followed me, will sit on twelve thrones, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
"But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons, He came to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in my vineyard today.' And he answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. read more. Then he came to the second and said the same thing. And he answered, 'I will not.' But afterward he changed his mind and went. Which of the two did what his father wanted?" They answered, "The second one." Jesus said to them, "I solemnly say to you, the tax-collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of heaven ahead of you. For John came to you walking in the way of uprightness, and yet you did not believe him. The tax-collectors and prostitutes did believe him, but you, even though you saw that, would not change your minds afterward and believe him.
"This, I tell you, is why the kingdom will be taken away from you, and given to a people who will pay a fair rent for it.
Then Jesus again spoke to them in stories, and said: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king, who gave a wedding reception for his son. read more. And he sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the wedding reception, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other slaves, and said to them, 'Tell the invited guests that I have my reception all ready, my bullocks and fatlings are butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding reception!' But they paid no attention to it, but went off, one to his farm, another to his place of business, and the rest seized his slaves, treated them with violence, and murdered them. Then the king was enraged, and sent his soldiers to put those murderers to death and burned their city. After that he said to his slaves, 'My wedding reception is ready, but those invited have proved unworthy. So go out to the country crossroads and invite everybody you find to my wedding reception.' And those slaves went out into the roads and gathered everybody they found, both good and bad, and the bridal-hall was packed with guests. But when the king came in to take a look at the guests, he saw there a man who did not have on a wedding suit. So he said to him, 'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding suit on?' But his lips were sealed. Then the king said to his attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot and throw him out into the darkness on the outside, where he will have to weep and grind his teeth.' For many are invited, but few are selected."
Jesus answered, "Look out that no one misleads you about it, for many will come bearing the name of the Messiah, and saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many people. read more. You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars; take care not to be scared out of your wits. They have to come, but that is not the end yet. For nation will go to war with nation, and kingdom with kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many places. But all this is but the beginning of the agonies. At that time they will turn you over to torture, and will murder you, and you will be hated by all the heathen, because you bear my name. Then many will fall by the way, and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will appear and mislead many people; and because of the increasing crime wave, most people's love will grow cold. But whoever bears up to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom must be preached all over the inhabited world, for a testimony to all the heathen, and then the end will come. "So when you see the destructive desecration, mentioned by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place" -- let the reader take notice -- "then let those who remain in Judea fly to the hills; let him who is on the roof of his house not come down to get his household goods out; let him who is in the field not turn back to get his coat. Alas for women who are expectant mothers and those who have nursing babies in those days! And pray for your flight not to be in winter or on the Sabbath, for there will be greater misery at that time than ever has been since the world began, or ever will be again. And if those days had not been cut short, nobody would have escaped, but for the sake of God's chosen people those days will be cut short. "If anyone at that time says to you, 'Here is the Christ!' or 'There He is!' do not believe it, for false Christs and false prophets will announce themselves, and they will show great signs and wonders to mislead, if possible, God's chosen people. Remember, I have told you beforehand. So if they say to you, 'Here He is in the desert,' do not go out to see. Or 'Here He is in some secret place,' do not believe it. For just as the lightning starts in the east and flashes clear to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will flock. "And immediately after the misery of those days, the sun will turn dark, the moon will not shed its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the sky will be shaken.
"And immediately after the misery of those days, the sun will turn dark, the moon will not shed its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the sky will be shaken.
"And immediately after the misery of those days, the sun will turn dark, the moon will not shed its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the sky will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the nations of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky in overwhelming power and splendor.
And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the nations of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky in overwhelming power and splendor. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His chosen people from the four points of the compass, from one end of the sky to the other.
And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His chosen people from the four points of the compass, from one end of the sky to the other.
I tell you, I will never again drink the product of the vine till the day when I drink the new wine with you in my Father's kingdom."
I tell you, I will never again drink the product of the vine till the day when I drink the new wine with you in my Father's kingdom."
As He was walking along the shore of the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets in the sea, for they were fishermen.
He also was saying: "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground, then continues sleeping by night and getting up by day, while the seed sprouts and comes up without his knowing how. read more. The ground of itself produces, first the stalk, then the head; at last there is the matured grain of wheat in the head. But as soon as the crop Will permit it, he puts in the sickle, for the reaping time has come."
but this is not to be the case among you. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to hold the first positions among you must be everybody's slave.
I solemnly say to you, I will never again drink the product of the vine till the day when I drink the new wine in the kingdom of God."
Now his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he uttered the following prophecy: "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for He has come and brought His people deliverance; read more. and He has made a mighty Saviour for us in the house of His servant David, "as He promised by the lips of His ancient prophets, deliverance from our foes and from the hands of all who hate us, to show mercy to our forefathers, and carry out His sacred covenant, the oath which He swore to our forefather Abraham, to grant us deliverance from the dreaded hand of our foes, so that we could serve Him in holiness and uprightness In His own presence all our days. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to make ready His ways, to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. Because the heart of our God is merciful. And so the day will dawn upon us from on high, to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
Now there was in Jerusalem a man named Symeon, an upright, devout man; he was expecting to see the consolation of Israel, and he was under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not die without seeing the Lord's Messiah. read more. So under the Spirit's guidance he went into the temple, and when the parents brought the child Jesus there to do for Him as the custom of the law required, Symeon also took Him in his arms and blessed God, and said: "Now, Master, you will let your slave go free in peace, as you have promised; for my eyes have seen your Salvation, which you prepared before all peoples, a light of revelation to the heathen, and a glory to your people Israel." And His father and mother kept wondering at the things spoken by Symeon about Him. Then Symeon gave them his blessing, and said to Mary, the child's mother, "This child is destined to bring the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign continuously disputed -- yea, a sword will pierce your heart -- so that the secret purposes of many hearts will be revealed." There was also a prophetess there, Hannah, a daughter of Phanuel, who belonged to the tribe of Asher. She was very old; from girlhood she had lived seven years with a husband, and now had been a widow eighty years. She never left the temple, but continued to worship all day and all night with fastings and prayers. Just at that time she came up and began to give thanks to God and to speak about the child to all who were expecting the deliverance of Jerusalem.
But when you are invited anywhere, go and take the lowest place, so that when your host comes in, he may say to you, 'My friend, come up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow-guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." read more. Then He proceeded to say to the man who invited Him: "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, stop the social custom of inviting your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors, for they may invite you in return and so you will be repaid. But when you give a reception, make it your habit to invite people that are poor, maimed, crippled, or blind. Then you will be happy, because they cannot repay you; you will be repaid at the resurrection of the upright." But one of the fellow-guests heard this, and said to Him, "Happy will be the man who is fortunate enough to be at the feast in the kingdom of God." Then Jesus said to him: "Once a man was giving a great dinner and invited many people to it. And at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to the invited guests, 'Come, for it is now ready.' But they all in the same attitude began to excuse themselves. The first one said, 'I have just bought a piece of land and I must go and look it over. Please excuse me.' Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I am on my way to try them. Please excuse me.' Another said, 'I have just gotten married, and so I cannot come.' So the slave returned and reported these answers to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his slave, 'Hurry out into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor, the maimed, the crippled, and the blind.' Then the slave said, 'Sir, what you ordered has been done, and still there is room.' "Then the master said to his slave, 'Go out on the roads and by the hedges and make the people come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, not one of those people who were invited shall get a taste of my dinner!'"
Now, when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with visible display,
Now, when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with visible display,
In like manner after supper He took a cup of wine, and said, "This cup of wine is the new covenant to be ratified by my blood, which is to be poured out for you.
For while the law was given through Moses, spiritual blessing and truth have come through Jesus Christ.
Jesus answered him, "I most solemnly say to you, no one can ever see the kingdom of God, unless he is born from above."
Jesus answered, "I most solemnly say to you, no one can ever get into the kingdom of God, unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
He continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this present world; I do not belong to this present world.
and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free."
Jesus answered him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
Consecrate them by your truth; your message is truth.
Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would have been fighting to keep me from being turned over to the Jews. But as a matter of fact, my kingdom does not come from such a source."
Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would have been fighting to keep me from being turned over to the Jews. But as a matter of fact, my kingdom does not come from such a source." Then Pilate said to Him, "So you are a king then?" Jesus answered, "Certainly I am a king. For this very purpose I was born, for this very purpose I have come into the world, to testify for truth. Everybody who is a friend of truth listens to my voice."
Then Pilate said to Him, "So you are a king then?" Jesus answered, "Certainly I am a king. For this very purpose I was born, for this very purpose I have come into the world, to testify for truth. Everybody who is a friend of truth listens to my voice."
Yet heaven must retain Him till the time for the universal restoration of which God in the early ages spoke through the lips of His holy prophets.
For the kingdom of God does not consist in what we eat and drink, but in doing right, in peace and joy through the Holy Spirit;
Now the peace-giving God will soon crush Satan under your feet. The spiritual blessing of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Do you not know that wrongdoers will not have a share in the kingdom of God? Stop being misled; people who are sexually immoral or idolaters or adulterers or sensual or guilty of unnatural sexual vice or thieves or greedy graspers for more or drunkards or slanderers or swindlers will not have a share in the kingdom of God.
for He must continue to be king until He puts all His enemies under His feet.
For I know that if this earthly tent in which I live is taken down, I have a building in heaven which comes from God, a house not built by human hands but eternal. For in this one I am sighing, because I long to put on, like a robe, my heavenly body, my future home, read more. and if I do put it on, I shall not find myself to be disembodied. For I who am still in my tent am sighing beneath my burdens, because I do not want it to be put off but to put on the other over it, so that my dying body may be absorbed in life. Now it is God Himself who has put the finishing touches on me for this change, because He has given me the Spirit as the first installment of future bliss. So I am always cheerful and confident, although I know that as long as I am at home in the body I am away from home and the Lord (for here I live by what I believe and not by what I see), and yet I am cheerful and confident, but really I prefer to be away from home in the body and to be at home with the Lord. So whether I am at home or away from home, it is my constant ambition to please Him. For we must all appear before the judgment-bar of Christ, that each may get his pay for what he has done, whether it be good or bad.
envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I now warn you, as I have done before, that those who practice such things shall not be heirs of the kingdom of God.
who is the first installment of our inheritance, so that we may finally come into full possession of the prize of redemption, and praise His glory for it.
For you may be absolutely sure that no one who is sexually impure, immoral or greedy for gain (for that is idolatry) can have a part in the kingdom of Christ and God.
and you will always be thanking the Father who has qualified you to share the lot of His people in the realm of light. It is God who has delivered us out of the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of His dearly loved Son,
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then through Jesus, God will bring back with Him those who have fallen asleep. For on the Lord's own authority we say that those of us who may be left behind and are still living when the Lord comes back, will have no advantage at all over those who have fallen asleep. read more. For the Lord Himself, at the summons sounded by the archangel's call and by God's trumpet, will come down from heaven, and first of all the dead in union with Christ will rise, then those of us who are still living will be caught up along with them on clouds in the air to meet the Lord, and so we shall be with the Lord forever. So continue encouraging one another with this truth.
As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our final muster before Him, we beg you, brothers, not to let your minds be easily unsettled or even be excited, whether by some message by the Spirit or by some saying or letter that is claimed as coming from me, saying that the day of the Lord is already here. read more. Do not let anybody at all deceive you about this, because that cannot take place until the great revolt occurs and the representative of lawlessness is uncovered, the one who is doomed to destruction, the one who keeps up his opposition and so far exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, that he actually takes his seat in the sanctuary of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that while I was with you I used to tell you this? So now you know the power that is holding him back, that he is to be unveiled at His own appointed time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work, but only until he who is holding it back has been gotten out of the way. Then the representative of lawlessness will be uncovered, and the Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of His mouth and put a stop to his operations by His appearance and coming; that is, the representative of lawlessness, whose coming is in accordance with the working of Satan, with his plenitude of power and pretended signs and wonders, and with a completely wicked deception for men who are on the way to destruction, because they refused to love the truth so as to be saved. This is why God sends them a misleading influence till they actually believe what is false, so that all who have refused to believe the truth but have chosen unrighteousness instead might be condemned.
The Lord will rescue me from every wicked work and save me to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
In speaking of a new covenant He makes the first one obsolete; and whatever is obsolete and antiquated is on the verge of vanishing.
In speaking of a new covenant He makes the first one obsolete; and whatever is obsolete and antiquated is on the verge of vanishing.
But you have come to Mount Zion, even to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless hosts of angels, to the festal gathering and assembly of God's firstborn sons enrolled as citizens in heaven, to a Judge who is the God of all, to the spirits of upright men who have attained perfection, read more. to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks a better message than even Abel's did.
Let us, therefore, be thankful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and in this way continue to serve God acceptably in reverence and fear;
Dear children, let us stop loving with words or lips alone, but let us love with actions and in truth. In this way we shall know by experience that we are on the side of the truth, and satisfy our consciences in God's sight,
And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us insight to recognize the True One; and we are in union with the True One through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.