A Kingdom Which Shall Not Be Moved

Recently I wrote an article about Jesus being King.  To go along with that, let us discuss His kingdom.  It is unfortunate that there is so much confusion pertaining to the kingdom of Jesus Christ.  Many false teachers have misused and mistaught parts of the Bible.  As such, there are multitudes who believe things that are not true.  Let us notice some verses of Scripture that make things clear for those who desire the truth.

The first reference to the coming of the kingdom of Christ is found in the book of Genesis.  Moses wrote, “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Gen. 49:10).  In the Hebrew language, the term Shiloh is a Messianic term.  The Messiah would be from the tribe of Judah.  For the sake of space, we will work on the basis that Jesus is accepted as the Messiah (Matt. 1:1-17).  Long before He walked the Earth as a human being, it was recorded that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would be a king.  One is not a king unless he has a kingdom over which he reigns.  Hence, the kingdom of Jesus was still in the future when Israel/Jacob spoke of such long ago.

Continuing through history, we come to a statement made to David, who used to be the king of Israel.  “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever” (2 Sam. 7:12-13).  Also, in the book of Psalms, it is recorded, “The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it;  Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne” (Psm. 132:11).  Some might believe that the seed of David in these texts is simply a reference to his son, Solomon.  However, by inspiration, Peter affirmed that these are actually references to Christ.  “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.  Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne” (Acts 2:29-30).

Later the prophet Daniel revealed that there would come “…a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed:  and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (Dan. 2:44).  This kingdom of which Daniel wrote, was to come into existence “…in the days of these kings” (Dan. 2:44).  Closely examining the dream that Daniel interpreted will show that Daniel was speaking of this kingdom coming during the time of the Roman Empire.  Which empire was in power when Jesus died?  The Roman Empire!  The only kingdom that will never be destroyed is the kingdom of Christ, and it had to come into existence during the time of the Roman Empire.  This is important because many believe that the kingdom of Jesus Christ has yet to be established.  That cannot be true and be in harmony with the Scriptures.

Moving forward in time, when Jesus was on the Earth, He made some statements concerning His kingdom.  First of all, Jesus once said, “…My kingdom is not of this world:  if my kingdom were not of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews:  but now is my kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36).  The kingdom of Christ is not a physical, earthly kingdom.  Instead, it is spiritual in nature.  Notice also that Jesus told Peter, “And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven:  and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:  and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:18-19).  Jesus used the terms church and kingdom interchangeably.  His kingdom is His church.  That is why Paul could write, “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 3:17).  First century Christians were already in the kingdom of Jesus Christ, which means the kingdom was already in existence during that time.  The writer of Hebrews also stated, “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Heb. 12:28).  The kingdom of Jesus Christ/the church of Christ was established in the first century during the time of the Roman Empire, just as was prophesied.

Friend, do not allow yourself to be left out of Christ’s kingdom.  Jesus is currently reigning over His kingdom as the King of kings (1 Tim. 6:15).  He will add you to the church/kingdom today, if you will obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:47; Rom. 1:16; cf. 2 Thess. 1:6-10).
~ Corey Barnette