Transferred into Christ’s Kingdom
Colossians 1:13:
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Something wonderful happened to you when you were born again. You were taken out of the kingdom of darkness, where Satan rules, and into the kingdom of Christ, where Christ rules. Satan is not your king anymore and you are not his subject anymore. Jesus is your King and you are His subject now.
Paul testified to this transfer in front of King Agrippa when he told how Jesus had sent him:
Acts 26:18:
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
You are now subject to God’s power and not subject to Satan’s power.
If the Body of Christ could just grasp that truth, it would act a lot differently. Gone would be the devilmonies in church about how badly Satan is beating someone up this week. We would be spared some of the prayer gimmicks that supposedly break the devil’s power over Christians when his power has already been broken. Christians need to wake up and realize which kingdom they’re in rather than looking for someone to pray the devil off of them.
In Christ’s kingdom, you are seated with Him in heavenly places far above all principality, power, might and dominion and every name that is named (Satan has a name!). The two verses below, when put together, prove this.
Ephesians 2:6:
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Ephesians 1:20-22:
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Is It the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Christ?
I have heard teaching that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are distinct, but Scripture reveals that you can use these terms interchangeably. Jesus did.
For example, check out the following two verses:
Matthew 19:14:
But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Mark 10:14:
But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Then check out these two verses:
Matthew 10:7:
And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Luke 10:9:
And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
Then check out these two verses:
Matthew 19:23:
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mark 10:23:
And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
Now what about Christ’s kingdom? It’s also the same kingdom!
Ephesians 5:5:
For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Christ’s kingdom is also spoken of in other verses:
2 Timothy 4:1:
I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Peter 1:11:
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Now stop and think for a minute how ridiculous it would be to divide these “kingdoms” into two or three separate kingdoms. How could you be in three literally distinct kingdoms at the same time? Is there such a thing as a kingdom where God is the King and two other kingdoms where someone else is? What sense would it make to be in one kingdom that heaven rules, another one that God rules, and a third one that Christ rules? Clearly these are all terms for the same kingdom that you are in now if you are a Christian.
Preaching the Kingdom
We see a lot more religious preaching today and preaching of rules and regulations than we do preaching about the Kingdom of God, but I’m trying to help change that, and so should you.
Jesus preached the kingdom:
Matthew 4:17:
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 4:23:
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Matthew 9:35:
And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
Mark 1:14:
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
Luke 4:42:
And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
Luke 8:1:
And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
Luke 9:11:
And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.
We already saw that Jesus commanded His followers to preach the kingdom. Here are more references:
Luke 9:2:
And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.
Luke 9:60:
Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
Matthew 24:14:
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Philip preached the kingdom:
Acts 8:12:
But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Paul preached the kingdom:
Acts 20:25:
And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
Acts 28:31:
Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
So YOU should preach the kingdom too!
What Is the Kingdom That We Are to Preach?
Given that we should be preaching the Kingdom, it makes sense to define what exactly that is so that we know what to do! That’s a little harder than it seems at first, and there are competing definitions depending upon whom you ask.
A kingdom has a king who rules it. In the kingdom of God, God is that King. Some earthly kingdoms were set up under the rule of a particular king. The king has final authority in his kingdom. In the most basic sense, the kingdom of God is something that God rules.
The Greek word translated kingdom in the New Testament (basileia) means royalty. So it refers to a ruler’s influence. It would not be farfetched to say that we preach the royalty of God – that He rules. His kingdom is not the only one – the devil has one – but God’s kingdom has priority.
Psalm 103:19:
The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
The Kingdom is not just a set of rules to live by. Paul addressed this issue.
Romans 14:17:
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
While I don’t see that Paul was attempting to formally define the kingdom of God in this verse, he made it clear that the kingdom’s characteristics are about spiritual life, not keeping rules under the Law.
A decent working definition is that preaching the kingdom of God is preaching that God reigns. He reigns over sickness, depression, lack, confusion and anything else that could degrade your present life – if you take Him at His Word and allow Him to have His way.
One source of possible confusion is that Jesus told His disciples to pray that God’s kingdom would come.
Matthew 6:10:
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as it is in heaven.
Yet in other verses (some of which are cited above) He told His disciples to preach that the kingdom was here. He even said that the kingdom was within His followers.
Luke 17:21:
Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
If the kingdom is here, why pray for it to come? The context makes it clearer as Jesus added the prayer that God’s will be done. God’s kingdom is here, but participation in it is voluntary. God gave man authority over the earth (Psalm 115:16). Therefore, God requires man’s cooperation. God’s will is not done automatically. If it were, there would be no need to authorize God to do it through prayer! What the kingdom of God offers is available right now, not at some distant point in the sweet by-and-by. However, the benefits are accessed on demand. The violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12), so God does not force it on anyone.
The difference on the future new earth is not that the kingdom of God will be better than it is now, but rather that it will be unopposed. Only the will of God will ever be done because Satan will be absent, suffering forever in the lake of fire.
When you are born again, you become part of Jesus’ kingdom immediately – not when you die, as we saw earlier in Colossians 1:13. Anyone who is NOT born again is NOT part of His kingdom.
Preaching the kingdom is preaching something better than Moses, Elijah, Isaiah or any other Old Testament prophet ever had. If what you’re preaching doesn’t fit that description, what you’re preaching isn’t the kingdom!
Matthew 11:11:
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
See also: