Title: Where is the Kingdom of God?
Contents
The kingdom of God, who exists, is not in all the worlds made by the Son. All the kingdoms that exist in time and space are the kingdoms of creatures, not the only true kingdom of God.
According to the words of the prophet, "I, the LORD, can hide himself in a secret place, so that no man may be seen from me, saith the LORD, Am I not full of heaven and earth" (Jeremiah 23:24). is not a country that says it is here or there.
Therefore, concerning the kingdom of God, “When the Pharisees asked when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus answered and said, The kingdom of God does not come with sight, nor can it be said that it is here or there, for the kingdom of God is within you. ’ (Luke 17:20-21).
We are also here and there. We are from the beginning of God and are in Christ Jesus. As it is written, “You are from God and in Christ Jesus, who came from God and became to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). It comes from this Lord, and returns to him by him; to him is the glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).
Therefore, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, is the kingdom where the dead will hear the voice of the Son and believe in him who sent him, and rise again and dwell with Christ forever in the name of the Son.
Therefore, concerning the kingdom of God, it is written that it will come wherever it is, and it also testifies that it will enter. It is the same evidence as it is written, “From this time on, Jesus began to preach and say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Heaven is near to those who believe in the Son, and hell is near to those who do not obey the Son. That is, it is the same as the words of the testimony, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life, and whoever does not obey the Son will not see eternal life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).
Since all heaven and earth created by God through His Son belong to time and space, many people know that God also belongs to time and space, and gather at a certain time and place to worship God in vain at that time.
Therefore, it is written, “Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place of worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know, and we worship what we know, for salvation is of the Jews. The hour is coming and is now, when those who truly worship the Father will worship Him in spirit and truth God is a Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:20-24), the place to worship God is not in time and space, but in spirit and truth. There is.
Paradise, where the holy saints are now sleeping in Christ, cannot be said to be here or there. It is written of Paradise, “It is useless, but I boast, and I will tell you visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man who is in Christ, who fourteen years ago was taken up into the third heaven (whether he was in the body or out of the body, I (I do not know whether he was in the body or out of the body, but God knows) He was taken into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, words that cannot be uttered. I will boast for such a person, but for myself I will not boast except in weak things” (2 Corinthians 12:1-5) clearly indicates that the third heaven, or paradise, refers to the realm of God that does not belong to time and space. In other words, “Jesus said to me, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
For this reason, heaven is where God's love is, and hell is where God's hate is. This is why he testified about the kingdom of heaven, saying, "He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins" (Colossians 1:13-14).
All who will know this truth and will dwell in the kingdom of God with Christ our Lord Jesus Christ, “We have known and believed the love that God has for us; God is love. He who lives in love abides in God, and God in him. ’ (1 John 4:16) Amen, I will. Thank you Lord.