By Paul Alberts
Recently, when I was thinking of the Lord Jesus Christ and the “kingdom,” the first Bible passage that came to my mind was about the Lord Jesus’ entering Jerusalem prior to His death – commonly celebrated today as “Palm Sunday.” The crowds welcomed Him “shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!’” (Mt. 21:9 NASB). Just days later we see the same crowds crying out for the Lord to be crucified, showing hatred rather than love and proving that their public recognition of Him as their King (seen in their expression “Son of David”) had no real meaning in their hearts.
This presents a challenge for all of us who have professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as we consider the kingdom of God and its significance today. Do we truly live as those who are in God’s kingdom, bowing as loyal and faithful subjects with hearts filled with adoration?
The kingdom is presented in several different ways in Scripture. The two most frequent expressions are “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven.” The Concise Bible Dictionary tells us that “in many respects the two expressions are identical, but the ‘kingdom of heaven’ occurs in the gospel of Matthew only, and stands in contrast to the Messiah on earth. It refers to the rule of that which God has set in heaven, and commenced when Christ went to heaven. It may be illustrated by the lights which God set in the heavens to give light and to rule the earth. The ‘kingdom of God’ is more connected with the moral state established in man.”
“Moral,” we are reminded, is concerned with what is right – the behaviors and beliefs related to what is and is not acceptable according to God’s Word. In other words, the awesome aspects of the kingdom of God are directly connected with what we view as being right and how we behave. They become very practical.
May we take note of the lessons that God gives to us in this month’s articles so we may act and think rightly, bringing honor and glory to our God and King! Let us bow before Him in every way.