Jesus' teaching and ministry center on the Kingdom of God. He told us likewise to put the Kingdom of God first.
I'm wondering what we know of the Kingdom: and if we see the Church currently teaching the Kingdom as God's central message ?
I'd sincerely welcome comments and thoughts about the Kingdom.
In Jesus, Steve
Dear Steve;
This is something I posted a few months ago on another thread, but it fits here as well.
The Kingdom of God:
Here is a link to a diagram of the layout of the tabernacle:
http://www.bibletrack.com/notes/image/Tabernacle_layout.gif
We know how in the O.T., it was just a shadow of what was to come in the N.T. with the New Covenant.
Heb 8:Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
Heb 9:
1Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
2For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
3And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 4Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
COURT
Consider the diagram: a curtain surrounds the Court; within the Court is Altar and the Laver. When you repent and get your heart right with God, you enter the Court; you make sacrifice upon the altar giving your life to God along with everything you own; it all given to God, then you go to the Laver where you cleanse and purify yourself going through the Foundation of God where you will be Born of the Spirit or Born Again.
THE HOLY PLACE
Now you will enter into the Holy Place; on your left is the Table of Incense, on your right is the Lamp Stand with seven lamps; in front of you is the Table of Show Bread which is the Body of Christ. You will go through a long time of trials and testing in the Holy Place, and here you will learn from God as you mature and are being made perfect.
This is entering the Kingdom of Heaven.
Holy of Holies
After you have been tried, tested and disciplined of the Lord, you will enter through the Veil into the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant is ; in this place you will have access to all the wisdom and mysteries of God there is no end to what you can learn in this place, and will give you access into the Temple of God in Heaven, where you will be one of the few who are worthy to stay there, learning about God for ever.
This is entering The Kingdom of God!
Called, you enter into the Court, begin your walk with the Lord and begin to walk with the Lord. Once you have dealt with/cleansed yourself of all your sins and are no longer habitually sinning, put on your new man, you enter into the Holy Place AND The Kingdom of Heaven.
CHOSEN: Here is where the Lord really begins to open up the mysteries of the Bible to you. The shewbread is bread, now representing Jesus Christ, our bread of life. You are now chosen of God and your salvation is sure. Only God knows how long you will be tested and tried into perfection. You are producing the fruits of the Spirit and doing only His will.
FAITHFUL: You have continued on in obedience, FAITH with the Lord. You have been perfected. Your garment is spotless and without wrinkle. You've made it through the veil into the fullness of all of God's Glory and Wisdom! Into the Kingdom of GOD!!!
I can at least see it off in the distance, keeps one pressing onward and forward to DO all that is required of us to reach our full potential in Christ.
God Bless;
Susan
PS: Here is a link to that thread as well that is more expounded upon than what I have above called "THE GATE, DOOR, AND VEIL OF THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES":
http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/bbpress/topic/194/page/4
Blessings
Hi, Susan:
You have obviously studied long, and in detail !! Those qualities are what I value greatly among the brothers and sisters on this site: hearts diligent toward The Word of God and the word of God. That diligence is also evident among others in the thread you linked to, and thanks for your post and link.
I hope to get there as well in understanding the Kingdom. For the moment, however, I'm in "start-up" mode: trying to get a good definition to work with, so when scripture says "the Kingdom of God" I'll understand what God exactly means by that phrase.
Let me submit three scriptures I take as definition (there may be others), and solicit your comments:
"Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)
I can't remember the name for the figure of speech, but it's saying the same thing in other words as explication: so "Your kingdom come" equates to "Your will be done." I take this to mean God's Kingdom is manifest as God's will being done: i.e., that God rules. Which makes sense, since "kingdom" is a form of rule/government. (Or am I complicating unnecessarily what's simple and clear ?)
"...the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17)
"For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power." (I Corinthians 4:20)
So far so good. Do you know of other "definition" scriptures for "the Kingdom" ? For now I'm trying to meditate on those three, and see what God's teaching us there that the Kingdom IS.
Thanks for your post, and I'll look forward to hearing your (and anyone else's) thoughts.
In Jesus, Steve
My apologies Steve...I must have missed this and did not ingnore you. Sometimes the posts move to the next page so quickly.
I see nothing wrong with what you have posted above.
Here are some other scriptures for you, Steve:
Matt 7:20Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
John 3:3Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Matthew Chap 13 is Jesus speaking parables about the Kingdom of Heaven.
I use the http://www.BibleGateway.com. It has just about every translation available listed there. My favorite is the English Standard Version as it has cross references in the verse to click on and go to other scriptures of the same subject. You can view the same scripture in different translations, even Young's Literal Translation. I find this helpful.
Blessings,
Susan
I would just add one thing here to this issue today that verifies we are to enter into this kingdom right here, according to what others have shared about it. Most seeing it as something in the so called sweet by and by, but no. Scripture clearly says it is for the here and now, in what is written in John 3:10-12, but particularly what Jesus said to Nicodemus in verse 12 concerning all that Jesus told him in verses 3-8, having to do with the earthly thing. And how this happens has to do with the heavenly thing that comes down from father God out of heaven to making it possible for us to enter into that kingdom at all.
I was shocked when the Lord first revealed this to me. My having been taught for years we are to be born again, in order to enter into Heaven at the end. But nope, entering into that kingdom is also the earthly thing too according to what Jesus said there anyways.
The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are not one and the same, YET.
Jesus possesses the Kingdom of God
The Father possesses the Kingdom of Heaven.
At the END, Jesus will hand over the Kingdom of God to the Father, and the two Kingdoms will become One.....The Kingdom of Heaven.
1Cr 15:19 NASB - If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
1Cr 15:20 NASB - But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.
1Cr 15:21 NASB - For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.
1Cr 15:22 NASB - For as in Adam all die, so also inChrist all will be made alive.
1Cr 15:23 NASB - But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming,
1Cr 15:24 NASB - then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
1Cr 15:25 NASB - For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
1Cr 15:26 NASB - The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
Of course these TWO Kingdoms would be SIMILAR, but they are NOT IDENTICAL TO ONE ANOTHER.......YET.
Jesus was clear that the kingdom of God does not come with observation, Behold the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:20-21.
Heaven is the place God resides; this is His abode, His kingdom His dwelling place, the place He rules. Jesus was very clear that it isn’t a place you observe, it isn’t a place that you go to. It is within you. Heaven and hell is the state of the man. He really does reside in His kingdom, His heaven, His temple, His vessel. Finding out where that kingdom is is paramount if one is to ever witness it. A mirror is a good start. If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.
New Jerusalem, if you thought I said they were the same you are mistaken. I think that verse 12 proves they are not one and the same thing at all.
I was simply saying that Jesus brought to us via the cross a kingdom we are to enter into right here. And it is this kingdom that Jesus was speaking of written in John chapter 3.
And that kingdom is also described in Rm. 14:17. I probably should have added that, but didn't. That describes the kingdom we are to enter into right here on this earth for now. And Gary also describes in his post where that kingdom is at today, for all that are walking in it, written in the scripture He gave.
Actually, he was telling them it had already come. They just didn't know it. And it is this kingdom that we are told to pray for to come within others also right here, in what is known as the Lords prayer, so that His will can be done in our lives.
Susan..you need to revise your comments below
you posted:
THE HOLY PLACE
Now you will enter into the Holy Place; on your left is the Table of Incense, on your right is the Lamp Stand with seven lamps; in front of you is the Table of Show Bread which is the Body of Christ. You will go through a long time of trials and testing in the Holy Place, and here you will learn from God as you mature and are being made perfect.
On the left is the lampstand and in the Old Testament directly in front of you in the Altar of Incense. There is no such thing as a table of incense. And the Altar of Incense is longer is in the Holy Place. In the New Testament the Altar of Incense has been moved into the Most Holy Place.
Heb 9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holy of holies;
4 having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was a golden pot holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
Hello Doc,
This is something I wrote a few years ago. I agree with what you have posted about the incense being in the Holy of Holies. Thank you for picking up on that.
I also agree with your study/thesis on the Jesus and the Christ Thread:
This is what Jesus referred to as being “born again” which enables us to see the Kingdom of God from a distance. Preaching the Kingdom to those who have NOT been Born Again is generally unfruitful because they can’t see the Kingdom and they have no idea what we are talking about.
...The Bible only identifies the Church He is building as the “Lampstand Church” which is in the Holy Place in the Tabernacle of God.
...The Outer Court groups are those who are “designed by God” to be processed ( by the seven Outer Court experiences) to be prepared as priests of God to function in the Holy Place Life and Ministry. However, every priest of God must come to a full anointing ( be the anointed ones) and to function in a full consecration to do the whole will of God.
...God is raising up a Kingdom of Priests NOT a Kingdom of Outer Court believers
...calls this a “Royal Priesthood” to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God. This REQUIRES that every believer pass into and through each actual and essential experience in the Outer Court dimension. Remember the need for absolute obedience! After this is a genuine experience to then pass through the Second Veil, which wasn’t torn, and begin to participate in the Holy Place Life and ministry to God. That means (1) to Stand before Him (2) Minister to Him (3) and Burn Incense, in the vertical dimension, then to (4) to be His Minister and function in the horizontal ministry in the Outer Court. We should understand that the seven Outer Court experiences are ONLY preparation for the Priesthood ministry. No “ministry” begins in the Outer Court. All “ministry” begins in the Holy Place where we find the Lampstand church. This limits “ministry” to those who have passed out of the natural realm of understanding and into the spiritual realm of the Seven Spirits of God. From the pattern it is clear that the “natural man” has no business being “in the ministry” because he can understand NOTHING of the Spirit of God.
If everyone who professes to be a believer could see this layout of the tabernacle and how it applies to our spiritual growth in HIM. Everyone would complete the 7 steps (stones I call them) of the outer court (Hebrews 6:1 plus the cornerstone), then we could all move into the power Jesus said we would receive to "even greater works" than He did...to move on into that Holy Place of truly being born again then on into perfection and the Holy of Holies!
Most minsters out there have not left the outer court, I agree and that is why we hear so much about "fallen" ministers - they have not died in the flesh, cleansed in the laver in the outer court. Some/most will remain there forever unless they can grasp this Truth.
Blessings,
Susan
Blessings,
Susan
Susan I have a 10¢ question for you.
Why did the writer of Hebrews move the Altar of Incense from the Holy Place to the Most Holy Place?
If you fail to answer correctly you have to move back three spaces.
Would the answer be that we are to be a living sacrifice and there should be a gratitude offered as a sweet smelling incense unto the Lord, for what He has done.
4Jesus: I'd agree that the Kingdom of God is "here and now." I'd link that back to Jesus' definition in the Lord's Prayer: where God's will is obeyed on earth, His kingdom has come, even into the midst of the rebellious worldly realm that surrounds us now.
I'd consider that's what Colossians 1:13 indicates when it says "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son..." Paul's obviously addressing believers who are still alive in this world, and speaking of them having already been "transferred" into Jesus' Kingdom.
Not to downplay the great day of culmination, when His rule is fully over and in ALL: but we who obey His rule, here and now, are living in His Kingdom here and now.
In Jesus, Steve
Steve says:
"when His rule is fully over and in ALL: but we who obey His rule, here and now, are living in His Kingdom here and now."
Me says:
Living in His Kingdom means Living 24/7 under the Authority of Jesus, the King of the Kingdom of God....the Ruler, Master.
We CANNOT live in the Kingdom of Heaven NOW unless our physical body dies.
BUT, The Lord's Prayer is asking the Father for HIS KINGDOM OF HEAVEN TO COME HERE ON EARTH so that ALL CREATION WILL BE IN HIS KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.....thus becoming the NEW EARTH AND THE NEW HEAVENS.
2Pe 3:13 KJV - Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Rev 21:1 KJV - And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
That is when the TWO become ONE KINGDOM.
1Cr 15:24 NASB - then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
Doc,
The most holy place was entered by the high priest only on the day of atonement, once a year in the OT. Jesus became the sacrifice once and for all. He is now the High Priest seated at the right hand of the father to intercede on our behalf continuously. No longer does the high priest enter but once a year. Jesus is now replacing the Old way/covenant with a New and better way/covenant.
In the OT the golden altar of incense was just before the veil in the Holy Place separating it from the ark of the covenant. In Exodus it tells us “in front of the mercy seat that is over the ark of the testimony” When Jesus died, the veil was rent and no longer a separation between the golden altar of incense and the ark.
"Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." (Heb. 6: 19, 20).
"For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:" (Heb. 9:24)
In Revelation 8:3, 4. "And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand."
Blessings,
Susan
Gary, when you say:
He really does reside in His kingdom, His heaven, His temple, His vessel. Finding out where that kingdom is is paramount if one is to ever witness it. A mirror is a good start. If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.
..are you now saying you are Christ..?
New Jerusalem wrote:
"BUT, The Lord's Prayer is asking the Father for HIS KINGDOM OF HEAVEN TO COME HERE ON EARTH so that ALL CREATION WILL BE IN HIS KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.....thus becoming the NEW EARTH AND THE NEW HEAVENS."
Right. It is a prayer for others to also enter into the kingdom of God, that Jesus Was speaking of written in in Lk. 17: 20-21.
In other words, Jesus said, ye must be born again in order to seethe kingdom of God in John 3:3. Then in John 3:5, Ye must be born of water and of the Spirit in order to enter into the kingdom of God.
Essentially He was saying there we must be born again first to see, and then to enter into righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost within, which is where the kingdom of God is at for all that are born again NJ. I realize this is not what any of us were most likely taught. I know I wasn't. Until the Lord opened my eyes to what He said in verse 12.
So please, if what I am saying is wrong, then explain to me what verse 12 is saying then.
As I see it Jesus is telling Nicodemus if he cannot understand all that He told him to begin with, written in verses 3-8, then how was he ever going to understand how this could happen which had to do with what Father in Heaven provides for those that are born again right here.
Meaning He differentiated between the kingdom of God, calling it that, which is what he brought to all of us to enter into right here, that Susan is describing, between how it has begun to come for all of those that are born again, which comes from Father in Heaven of course.
And as for our still being told to pray for this kingdom to come which He describes here for others, we are to pray for them also to be born again, also beginning to enter into also.
He was telling the same thing to those Pharisees and Scribes that was asking him about this issue, but not doubt they was not able to see what He was saying there in Luke.
Nor does that eliminate our entering into heaven in the end either of course. He simply differentiated between the two by calling what He brought for us to enter into right here in the here and now on earth as the kingdom of God, by how it happens is by what comes down to us from heaven.
Which is why I am asking you what you your self see Jesus saying in verse 12 then. As I need to know in order to determine if I am wrong about what I am seeing that scripture to be saying. As true, I was taught the same thing your telling me you believe.
But no, it will not be finished on this earth until God says it. But it did begin, beginning to take place for whomsoever will on the day of Pentecost as I see it.
Which is why we are to pray for his kingdom to come as it is in heaven still to this day. Because true, it is not finished at all.
