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Acts 1:3 ... To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: ...
The Kingdom vs Grace Way of Living
The focus of this study, (based on scriptures from the book of Acts), is to look deeper into the statement of Luke where he writes of Jesus speaking of 'things pertaining to the Kingdom of God'. What are these 'things' Jesus spoke of? What things pertain to the Kingdom of God? What is the Kingdom of God?
Let's see what the scriptures say.
When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God (or when the Gospel of Matthew mentions the Kingdom [which is] of Heaven), it is a reference to the Earthly Millennial Kingdom of Christ's 1000-yr reign. This Kingdom, and the doctrine regarding it is directed to and relevant ONLY for the Jews (and proselytes) – Isa.49:5-6; Gal.4:4; Matt.10:6; Matt.15:24.
So, during the 3-years of Jesus earthly ministry, and also during the 40-days between his resurrection and ascension, Jesus spoke about that glorious Millennial Kingdom, the inheritance of the Jews, the physical and tangible Kingdom on earth where Jesus would be THE KING, the benevolent dictator, the sole authority, reigning from David's throne in the heart of Jerusalem. Since this Kingdom is a Jewish inheritance, all of what Jesus spoke was for the Jews and we, as members of the Body of Christ, who are under a completely different dispensation, cannot grab those truths and bring it into our dispensation, twisting its concepts to make it fit our lives and dealings today. What Jesus taught was something physical and for the future. We cannot spiritualize it and apply it in our times. This lesson will bring clarity regarding it, and also show us what our doctrine is today, how we are to live today as opposed to the constitution of rules and judgements of that coming Kingdom.
The Beatitudes
When Jesus taught the beatitudes in Matt5-7, it was to paint a picture of what a typical citizen of the Kingdom would look like. All the "blessed are those who..." statements provide some insights into how a citizen of the Kingdom should behave, and how their attitudes and behaviour, if lived according to the beatitutes, would be pleasing to the King. Though the beatitudes have some nuggets of truth that we can apply today, the true context of these lessons were for the Jews to understand what living in the Kingdom would look like, and what would be acceptable and law-abiding behaviour during His reign. If one understands it in this way, it provides you a much more real and accurate understanding of the context of Jesus teaching.
Let's have a look at some of the beatitude statements, reading them in the proper context as described above,
- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Paraphrase: "Blessed are those who humbly recognize their need for God, for they will enter into his kingdom." - Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Paraphrase: "Blessed are those who are sorrowful for their sins, for they shall receive forgiveness and life eternal." - Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Paraphrase: "Blessed are those who submit to God as Lord, for they will inherit everything he possesses." Rev.21:7 says God's children will "inherit all things". (The meek are also imitators of Jesus Christ who exemplified gentleness and self-control.) - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Paraphrase: "Blessed are those who passionately long for Christ, for he will satisfy their souls." (Ps.42:1 As the deer pants for the waters, so my heart...) - Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Paraphrase: "Blessed are those who show mercy through forgiveness, kindness, and compassion, for they will reap what they sow by receiving mercy." - Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Paraphrase: "Blessed are those who have been purified from the inside out, being made clean and holy, for they will see God." In Heb.12:14 it is written that without holiness, no one will see God. - Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Paraphrase: All the Jews (the priests of God, ministering His Word), sharing the gospel of peace, will be God's children." In Isa.52:7 and Nah.1:15, it says that 'blessed are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of peace'. - Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Paraphrase: "Blessed are those daring enough to openly live for Christ and suffer persecution, they will inherit the kingdom." (Those who endure by faith rather than hide their faith to avoid persecution are genuine followers of Christ.)
Raising the Bar
In addition to painting a picture of a good citizen in the Kingdom, Jesus also, on a number of occasions, raised the bar of living to almost impossible heights. He was able to do this because He is the King of this Kingdom. Jesus was setting NEW RULES for the Millennial Kingdom. He was writing His constitution and proclaiming how He was intending to govern during that time. Jesus mentioned that the prophets said something specific in the past, but that He was NOW saying something new, declaring how it was going to be in HIS Kingdom.
Have a look at these verse examples,
Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:
Matthew 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Matthew 5:31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away [divorce] his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away [divorce] his wife, saving [except] for the cause of fornication [sexual immorality], causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself [deceive, mislead], but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
One must understand that the bar of living could be raised to these heights because at that time, at the fulfilling of the new covenant out in the future, after the tribulation, the Jews would be empowered by the Holy Spirit to live according to this standard. When God takes out their stone heart and replaces it with a heart of flesh, He will write His laws on their heart and they will be able to obey them,
Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. (1 Jn.3:8-9)
As you can see, these lessons were never intended for us today. It is outside our scope and ability to obey this at our present time.
Jesus Parables
Many of Jesus parables were to do with the Kingdom. They portrayed various aspects of Kingdom life and of concepts for that time, such as the following,
Mark 4:26-29 – God's Power and Providence
And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head.
Matthew 13:44-46 – The value of the Kingdom
"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Mark 4:30-34 – Supremacy and Safety in the Kingdom
And He said, "How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade."
Matthew 13:47-52 – Judgement at and in the Kingdom
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous,
Matthew 25:14-30 – Entrusted Work and Positions
"For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.
Matthew 25:1-13 – Judgement and Readiness
In the parable of the ten virgins, the ten virgins are waiting for the Bridegroom to come. When you read verse 13, it identifies who the Bridegroom is – the Son of Man (Jesus Christ). This is a parable concerning Jewish Kingdom saints looking for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The five "wise virgins" refer to the Jewish saints who enter the Millennium and the five "foolish virgins" are unbelievers taken into judgment. The Olivet Discourse has nothing to do with the Church, the body of Christ. This is instruction for the Little Flock (Lk 12:32), the Kingdom church, as to how they are supposed to wait for the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
Matthew 18:21-35 – Attitudes and Living in the Kingdom
Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.
Matthew 22:1-14 – Judgement and Readiness
Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.
Matthew 13:24-30 – Judgement and Readiness
Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.
Matthew 20:1-16 – Rewards in the Kingdom
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place;
Again, here is the need to recognize the lessons being taught here. These provide insights into that 1000-yr Kingdom at the end of the tribulation. There is no need to try and force them to work in today's grace dispensation. They were never intended to be spiritualized or pulled out of context. The glorified Lord gave a unique and completely different message to Paul, our Apostle, and it is his writings that provide us the insights and way of life that we are to live today.
Conclusion
While most of this post dealt with the doctrine of the Kingdom, spoken by Jesus of things that pertained to the Kingdom, it proves to us that these teachings are directed to the Jews and are designed to lead them to, and provide them information about, the King and His Kingdom. As for us, as members of the body of Christ, we have a different destination and a different doctrine altogether. Our grace doctrine is one of liberty subject to personal conviction before God and love for our brother.
Since this is a whole new topic, it's best that I point you to a post dedicated to this. I encourage you to follow the post link below and read about how our Grace way of living is so different to the Kingdom way of living. You can read all about it here.
May God's grace be with you as you continue to learn and grow in His Word.
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