The Kingdom of God Articles

Nowhere does the Bible say the gospel is that Jesus Christ came to die for our sins! Instead, the true gospel tells us why He did so. More than that, it reveals the momentous purpose that God is accomplishing, what it means to be born again, how to receive eternal life, what salvation is, and the reason reconciliation through the blood of the Lamb is necessary.


'Behold, He is Coming with Clouds' 
Summary: Jesus Himself instructs us to live by every word of God (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4), advice that is also useful when we study the Bible. Most of the passages that describe Christ's return to earth in power and glory at the end of the age contain the same detail: that He will come in, on, or with clouds. David Grabbe provides biblical background to help us understand why this detail is significant. 

'I Will Come Again' 
Summary: The meaning of the Feast of Trumpets can seem enigmatic due to the Bible's seeming lack of information on it, but with a little detective work, we find it anticipates the most significant event in human history: the coming return of Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords! Richard Ritenbaugh explains why this keystone holy day should be one of great joy for the church and for the whole world! 

1335 (Part Two) 
Summary: What prophetic principle should we be most concerned about? Is it knowing the timing of the fulfillment of certain prophecies? Is it putting prophetic events in the right order? The apostle Paul, writing to his protege, Timothy, suggests something far different: that we love Christ's appearing. Charles Whitaker takes a unique, spiritual perspective on the enigmatic 1,335 days mentioned in Daniel 12:12. 

A Heavenly Homeland (Part Three) 
Summary: In Christ, our earthly citizenships are essentially inconsequential. Paul writes in Philippians 3:19 about the enemies of Christ who "set their minds on earthly things" or "side with earthly things." One area in which we can evaluate how much our heavenly Kingdom means to us is how much we set our minds on earthly kingdoms. 

A Heavenly Homeland (Part Two) 
Summary: The congregation at Colossae was being troubled by people who likely once had spiritual understanding but who had become enemies of Christ, having chosen to focus on the physical and temporal rather than the benefits and obligations of their heavenly citizenship.. ... 

All in All 
Summary: The apostle Paul uses the enigmatic phrase "all in all" a handful of times in his epistles. It is an expression of the fantastic oneness that the Father and Christ are working to produce in the people God has chosen. John Ritenbaugh explains how Christians play their parts in unifying the Body of Christ and preparing for an eternity of oneness in the Kingdom of God. 

Basic Doctrines: The Reward of the Saved 
Summary: Before going on a trip, it is a good idea to have a destination in mind, and so it is with Christianity. Just where do true Christians go after they die? What is their reward? Where is their reward? 

Born Again or Begotten? (Part One) 
Summary: Throughout its recent history, the "born again" or "begotten again" doctrine has time and again been a point of controversy in the church of God. Clearly an important principle, it is the subject of Jesus' first discourse in the book of John, a gospel made up of our Savior's expansions on vital, spiritual subjects. John Ritenbaugh explains that "born again" is entirely a spiritual matter, a fact that Nicodemus misunderstood and one that continues to elude many even today. 

Do Angels Live Forever? 
Summary: While the subject of the demons' ultimate fate is not a salvation issue, many people wonder how God will deal with them at the end of the Millennium. John Ritenbaugh tackles four assumptions that Bible students and scholars tend to make when dealing with this issue, showing that none of them holds up under biblical scrutiny. 

Do We Remember Who We Are? 
Summary: Back when many of us were called, it all seemed so simple. Our big tests were keeping the Sabbath and holy hays, attending church, and making sure that we tithed and gave offerings ... 

Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom 
Summary: After the Jewish leadership tried to indict Jesus with false testimony, the high priest asks Him directly, 'I adjure You by the living God that You tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.' Christ's affirmative answer raises more questions than it answers. David Grabbe uses the Old Testament sources of Jesus' answer to explain just what He conveyed to the chief priests, elders, and council members. 

From Dust to Dust 
Summary: A friend of mine lost her father about a year ago. She loved him very much, and his sudden death distressed her. Mary (not her real name) is pretty religious, ... 

God's Kingdom in the Parables (Part Four): The Pearl, the Dragnet, and the Householder 
Summary: The eight parables of Matthew 13 form a structure called a chiasm, in which the individual parables form pairs (first and eighth, second and seventh, etc.) that correspond to and resolve each other. Utilizing the prevailing theme of God's Kingdom, David Grabbe shows how Jesus' parables of the Pearl of Great Price, the Dragnet, and the Householder resolve the problems raised in their corresponding earlier parables. 

God's Kingdom in the Parables (Part One): Sower and Seed 
Summary: Many Bible teachers have their perspectives on Jesus' parables, but they are too often more flights of spiritual fancy than Bible-based interpretations. David Grabbe focuses on both the context of the parables of Matthew 13 and the fact that they are "kingdom parables," identifying their perhaps unexpected subject. 

God's Kingdom in the Parables (Part Two): Tares, Mustard Seed, and Leaven 
Summary: Jesus' parables in Matthew 13 center on a repeated phrase, "The kingdom of heaven is like . . .," and thus they are often called His "Kingdom Parables." David Grabbe expounds on the Parables of the Wheat and the Tares, the Mustard Seed, and the Leaven, keeping this theme at the forefront and showing that Jesus' original audience could easily understand that He spoke directly to them. 

God's Plan and the False Immortal Soul Doctrine 
Summary: Most nominal Christians and their denominations believe in the Doctrine of the Immortal Soul, but it is a weak reed on which to lean. The Bible does not support it; instead, it teaches the exact opposite, contradicting Satan's argument to Eve that she will not surely die. Craig Sablich explains that it also fails to mesh with God's revealed Plan for humanity, based on God's perfect judgment and His gift of eternal life. 

Hope and Refuge (Part Three) 
Summary: The author of Hebrews writes in Hebrews 6:17-18: "Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things ..." 

Immigration and the Kingdom of God 
Summary: Many of the problems of present-day Europe have their source in the governments' tolerant, multicultural policies regarding immigration. David Grabbe, seeing parallels between immigration and a Christian's entry into God's Kingdom, shows that, unlike Europe, God ensures that all His potential citizens will conform to His culture. 

Is Heaven the Reward of the Saved? 
Summary: Most of Christianity believes humans go to heaven or hell after death, but is this so? This belief does not originate in the Bible—and in fact, the Bible reveals a very different Christian destiny. 

Is the Christian Required To Do Works? (Part Five) 
Summary: Jesus Christ came to this earth with a message of salvation, which the Bible calls 'the gospel of the Kingdom of God.' John Ritenbaugh, in setting up the final article in the series, describes just what Christ's gospel is and its relationship to Christian works. 

Is the Kingdom of God Within You? 
Summary: Luke 17:21 has tripped up Protestants for centuries. Using the context and the meaning of the Greek, Richard Ritenbaugh explains that this verse's meaning is very plain! 

Is There a True Church? 
Summary: With many "churches of God" around the world claiming to be part of or even the only church of God, the question "Is There a True Church?" is a pertinent one. John Ritenbaugh examines, not their claims, but what the Bible reveals about the makeup of God's church, especially as time draws near to the return of its Head, Jesus Christ. 

Jesus, Paul, and the Christian Right 
Summary: The pages of history are amply sprinkled with records of clashes between church and state over who should bear the greater authority in the land. ... 

Leadership and Covenants (Part Two) 
Summary: When a society falls into chaos and blatant immorality, as the Western world seems to be on the verge of doing, it is evident that there is a crisis in leadership. While warning us of the times just ahead, John Ritenbaugh turns the focus of leadership toward the church, exhorting us to learn the lessons of godly leadership now because our positions in the Kingdom of God will require their use. 

Like a Growing Seed (Part One) 
Summary: Mark 4 contains a parable that is not often discussed, probably because it does not appear in Matthew 13 or among those well-known parables that Luke alone records, like the Parable of the Good Samaritan. ... 

Making the Cut (Part One) 
Summary: Golf is hard. It may seem easy enough to imagine hitting a little, white ball a few hundred yards down a fairway into a four-and-a-quarter-inch hole on a distant, manicured green, but ... 

Making the Cut (Part Two) 
Summary: Part One introduced the scriptural concept that, while a person is justified only by God’s grace through the blood of Jesus Christ, God expects His called-out ones to respond to His merciful election with obedience to His commands and .. 

National False Witness 
Summary: In a letter to subscribers, WND.com’s David Kupelian writes: "Half way through 2014, it’s incredible to behold what has happened to America. ..." 

Our Way Forward 
Summary: As God’s instruction manual for His people, the Bible contains the answers and guidance Christians need in times of trouble. Scripture reflects His mind more than any other resource on earth ... 

Parable of the Great Supper 
Summary: The Parable of the Great Supper is Jesus' response to a fellow dinner guest exclaiming, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!" In the parable, Jesus exposes and corrects the ignorance of those who, in their pride, misjudge their true moral condition. 

Preparing to Rule! 
Summary: Have you ever considered what it will be like right after Christ returns? What will you do, as a king, to help and govern the people placed under you? Believe it or not, you are already developing those skills! 

Reaching for the Goal 
Summary: God set human beings on this earth to thrive and progress, and more importantly, He has called some out of this world to grow into the image of Jesus Christ. As with any project, such a grand goal demands a plan, a strategy, for making it a reality. Gary Montgomery provides a seven-step plan for attaining goals - a plan we can use to do our part in pressing for the ultimate goal of eternal life in God's Kingdom. 

Sanctified by Truth 
Summary: In His John 17 prayer before His arrest, Jesus asked His Father to sanctify His disciples by His truth, His Word. Indeed, believing and observing the revealed truth of God not only makes the elect holy but also separates them from those of the world around them! John Reiss reviews five fundamental truths that distinguish the church of God from other religious organizations. 

Seeds and Seasons (Part Two) 
Summary: In Part One, we learned that God teaches His children important lessons through the seasons of the year, particularly in the harvest seasons during which He has placed His appointed times . . .  

The Binding of Satan 
Summary: Revelation 20:1-3 prophesies a mighty angel taking hold of the Devil and casting him into the bottomless pit for a thousand years. While this is not depicting Satan's ultimate judgment, Richard Ritenbaugh explains that the binding of Satan for a thousand years will relieve humanity of a huge weight of spiritual oppression. 

The Branch of God's Planting 
Summary: God's Word often employs the metaphor of grafting a branch into a rootstock, the best known of which is Paul's use of it in Romans 11. Bill Onisick describes the process of grafting and the measures that must be taken to ensure a healthy plant, comparing them to what God does to graft His elect into His spiritual Family, to the rootstock of Jesus Christ our Savior. 

The Clock Stopped and the Whole World Changed 
Summary: Sometimes, while out and about, you hear something that grabs your attention. I recently heard an elderly lady remembering a certain event in her life. ... 

The Crown of Life 
Summary: In these times of democracy and self-rule, we do not think of crowns very often. We may gape at the crowns of monarchs around the world, but they play little part in our lives. However, if we are true Christians, crowns await us if we continue in the faith! Martin Collins researches the two main kinds of crowns seen in the New Testament, both of which we will receive upon entrance to God's Kingdom. 

The Crowns of Success (Part One) 
Summary: In the New Testament, the Bible speaks of five crowns God promises to faithful Christians that He will give them after Christ’s return as King of kings. Some who advocate for this idea view these ... 

The Crowns of Success (Part Two) 
Summary: In Part One, we began examining the biblical idea of five heavenly crowns and what these rewards mean for Christians. We will continue our examination by considering the fourth of these, the ... 

The Elements of Motivation (Part Six): Eternal Life 
Summary: If you knew you would live forever, how would you live? John Ritenbaugh explains that, biblically, eternal life is much more than living forever: It is living as God lives! 

The Fall Holy Days 
Summary: In keeping God's Sabbath and annual holy days, the church of God has gained considerable insight into the biblical appointed times. While the springtime festivals primarily focus on Christ's work for and with His elect, the final four holy days, all occurring in the autumn, represent God's plan of salvation for humanity in general. John Reiss provides a theological and prophetic overview of the fall feasts of God. 

The Final Harvest 
Summary: Are the unconverted dead lost? John Ritenbaugh answers that there is hope for them! This part of God's plan is typified in the meaning of the Last Great Day. 

The Harvest Is Almost In! 
Summary: I used to work with a man named Bill. He was a good salesman and, as I recall, a good pilot as well. He liked to sell, and he seemed pretty well-adjusted ... 

The Law Continues 
Summary: Deuteronomy 29:29 contains one of the final thoughts of Moses before he went up Mount Nebo to die and before Israel crossed the River Jordan into the Promised Land: “The secret things belong to the LORD ..." 

The Model Prayer (Part Four): Your Kingdom Come 
Summary: The third line of Jesus' Model Prayer deals with both the present reality and the expectation of a future Kingdom of God. Its mention immediately after the salutation adds another trait of the divine nature: God's sovereignty over all things. Richard Ritenbaugh suggests that, in this part of the prayer, Jesus is helping to align the supplicant with God in the outworking of His plan for humanity. 

The Scepter of the Kingdom of God (Part One) 
Summary: From early times, a staff or scepter has indicated secular or religious authority. Scepters were used in Egypt as early as the fifteenth century BC and in Cyprus as early as the twelfth century BC. ... 

The Scepter of the Kingdom of God (Part Two) 
Summary: In Part One, we saw that God’s scepter promise, given to the tribe of Judah in Genesis 49:10, descended from monarch to monarch of the royal house of David. ... 

Thy Kingdom Come! (Part One) 
Summary: We understand that the Kingdom of God stands at the center of the gospel message Jesus Christ brought, but while we are well aware of its future rule over mankind, many do not realize it also has past and present aspects. This article explores the ancient history of God's Kingdom, as well as its current reality to His people. 

Thy Kingdom Come! (Part Two) 
Summary: We must always remember one important fact: If God says a thing will happen, it will happen! God's Kingdom will come, whether or not we as individuals inherit it when the time comes. Despite so-called evidences to the contrary generated by the Deceiver, this age will end to be succeeded by the glorious reign of Jesus Christ. 

Truth and God's Governance (Part Three) 
Summary: ... Another aspect of reality, then, is that God puts people where He wants them and gives them the responsibilities that He desires them to fulfill. That was true for Israel, just as it is true for the Body of Christ. ... 

Walking in Our Father's Footsteps 
Summary: As most of the United States is going through one of the most relentlessly brutal winters in many years, it brings to mind the famous and oft-quoted words of William Shakespeare, spoken by his King Richard, which begin the soliloquy that opens the play, Richard III: "Now is the winter of our discontent" ... 

What, Me Worry? 
Summary: It is not uncommon to worry about one's financial situation. It has never been easy for most people to make ends meet, causing anxiety. Yet, in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ commands us not to worry about our lives, food, drink, or clothing. Considering what life was like in His day, Mike Ford explains, Jesus' simple solution to this common problem will work for Christians just as well now as then. 

Why Must Satan Be Released? 
Summary: Have you ever wondered why the Bible prophesies that God will release Satan from the bottomless pit near the end of the Millennium? Would that not be counterproductive to the purpose of Christ's reign on the earth? David Grabbe explains that Satan's release will reveal the Devil's unrepentant rebellion against God and test the character of humanity one last time. 

Why Preach the Gospel to the World? 
Summary: On a street corner of a crowded city, a young man in threadbare clothes stands on a pine box, a worn Bible clutched in one hand. He shouts at the hustling passersby, "God is not mocked! We will reap what we have sown!" ... 

Worthy to Take the Scroll 
Summary: When reading the book of Revelation, we often pass quickly through chapters 4 and 5, perhaps because very little of significance seems to happen in them. To many, they contain just a fantastic description of God's throne room. David Grabbe, however, explains that chapter 5, especially, narrates an event of tremendous magnitude for those whom God has chosen. 

Would Jesus Christ Vote? (Part One) 
Summary: America's presidential primary season has brought voting in political elections to the fore once again. Because it is not directly mentioned in Scripture, people often ask if voting is biblically condoned. Martin Collins, beginning a short series of Bible Studies, re-asks the question in its most basic form for a true Christian: Would Jesus Vote? 

Would Jesus Christ Vote? (Part Three) 
Summary: As the election approaches in the United States, many are proclaiming this to be the most important election in generations. While it may seem to be the height of patriotism to cast a ballot, Martin Collins shows that Christians are urged to refrain from interfering in the politics of this world, following the example of Jesus during His life and ministry.  


For more on the true gospel, God's plan, mankind's destiny, and the coming Kingdom of God, see the Gospel Sermons page.



 
 
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