A Tale of Two Kingdoms

21 And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the Lord do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest.

Body

One Kingdom

In the beginning, there was no rebellion against God

God was the Supreme Ruler of everything. Period

At some point rebellion entered into the heart of Lucifer, and he removed himself from under the umbrella of God’s authority

Lucifer convinced a third of the angels to join him in his rebellion, which was not successful, but they became a kingdom unto themselves

“Kingdom” vs. “Church”

The word “Church” is mentioned a lot in the N.T., and its usage is, in my opinion, synonymous with “Kingdom of God”

Later in church history, we find the term “Church” being redefined to mean:

“A specific congregation” - I belong to the first free church. I go to trinity Lutheran church on such-and-such street

A building set apart for congregational activities - Our church needs some updating. We need to build a new church to accommodate more people

These definitions serve to move us away from the idea that we are part of a larger Kingdom

In fact, these definitions only serve to fragment us, separate us, and adopt an “us and them” or even an “us vs. them” mentality.

We all serve the same King. We all belong to the same Kingdom. OR WE DON’T!

What’s a Kingdom?

A Kingdom is VERY DIFFERENT than a government of elected representatives. FUNDAMENTALLY different!

A Kingdom has a King

Absolute authority

Cannot be questioned

Controls all the resources of the Kingdom

Must provide for and protect the citizens of the Kingdom

A Kingdom has citizens

Subject to the King

Will do what the King commands

Will work and serve where the King places him

Swears allegiance to the King

Must fight on the King’s behalf

Must work to promote and to expand the Kingdom

A Kingdom has laws that detail:

Rights

Responsibilities

The Schism

Between God and Lucifer

Ezekiel 28:11-18 “11 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground. I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

Isaiah 14:12-17 “12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; 17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; That opened not the house of his prisoners?”

Between God and man

Genesis 1:27-28 “27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

Genesis 2:15-17 “15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

Genesis 3:6-7 “6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”

Matthew 4:8-10 “8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Ephesians 2:2 “2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”

The Kingdom of God

God Rules over all earthly kingdoms

II Kings 19:15 “15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.”

II Chronicles 36:22-23 “22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.”

Jeremiah 1:10 “10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.”

Psalm 22:28 “28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s: And he is the governor among the nations.”

Psalm 103:19 “19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; And his kingdom ruleth over all.”

Psalm 145:13 “13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.”

Daniel 4:17 “17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.”

Daniel 4:25-26 “25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.”

Daniel 5:26 “26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.”

Daniel 5:28 “28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”

God’s People are a part of His Kingdom

Exodus 19:6 “6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”

God’s Kingdom is an Everlasting Kingdom

Psalm 45:6 “6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: The sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.”

Daniel 2:36-45 “36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. 37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. 39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. 40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. 41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. 44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up 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. 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

Daniel 4:3 “3 How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.”

Daniel 7:14 “14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”

There is War between the Two Kingdoms

Genesis 3:15 “15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Daniel 10:11-14 “11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. 12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.”

Revelation 11:15 “15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”

The Kingdom of God was the focus of Jesus and His Disciples

Matthew 3:2 “2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 4:23 “23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”

Matthew 6:33 “33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Matthew 9:35 “35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”

Acts 1:3 “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:”

Acts 8:12 “12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”

Acts 19:8 “8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.”

Acts 20:25 “25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.”

Acts 28:23 “23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.”

Acts 28:31 “31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.”

Conclusion

Our King and His Kingdom is our focus

We are here to advance His kingdom

We are to serve in the King’s armies

We are here to love, serve, and obey the King

We must swear our absolute allegiance to the King

We must never allow ourselves to doubt Him, mistrust Him, contradict Him, or disobey Him

We must strive to live up to the responsibilities of the Kingdom while at the same time rejoicing in all the privileges that we, as citizens of the Kingdom of God, continually enjoy

Psalm 33:12 “12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; And the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.”

Psalm 146:5 “5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God:”

Psalm 144:15 “15 Happy is that people, that is in such a case: Yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.”

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