Day 21

“He appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the Kingdom of God.” —ACTS 1:3

“Boldly and without hindrance he preached the Kingdom of God...” —ACTS 28:31

What and where is ‘The Kingdom of God’? This is a recurring theme in the teaching of Jesus and the preaching in the book of Acts, but the New Testament never defines the term. I presume from that, it didn’t need defining to that generation. They knew exactly what it meant.

There are a few ‘kingdoms’ in the world today - the kingdom of Nepal, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and so on. What makes them a ‘kingdom’ as apposed to a republic is that they are ruled by a hereditary monarch – a king or queen. Politically, a ‘kingdom’ is a territory, ruled by a monarch.

Israel had once been a kingdom, but the kingdoms of Israel and Judah had been demolished nearly 600 years before Christ. During those centuries, there had developed a strong expectation that when the Messiah came He would re-establish the kingdom by restoring the line of David to the throne. They longed and looked for a nationalist, physical, and geographical kingdom.

But the kingdom Jesus came to establish would be much bigger than that. In Luke 17:20, when asked about the kingdom, Jesus said, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say ‘here it is’ or ‘there it is’ – In other words, it will not be on a map with boundaries and a capital – “for the kingdom of God is within you”. It is not physical but spiritual, not national but international, not geographical but universal.

The kingdom of God is the sphere of the kingship of Christ. Though He is universally King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He awaits our submission to Him, and our dependence on Him. Only then has the kingdom of God come. He exercises His kingship in the hearts of His people.

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, I am so blessed and privileged to have the Kingdom of God reign in my heart. You are my Lord, and I pray that my life reflect your kingship in all I do. Thank You, Lord.

TO REFLECT UPON: How would I best describe the “Kingdom of God” to someone who is seeking Him?