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"he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ." (Mark 8:29).
One prophecy concerning the kingdom of the Messiah was written some 700 years before the birth of Jesus by the prophet Isaiah:
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." (Isaiah 9:6,7).
The Child spoken of in Isaiah 9:6 is the LORD Jesus Christ. It was prophecied that He would have a govenment. In order to have a government He would first have a kingdom. The kingdom spoken of is described as an evertlasting kingdom; this means it cannot be destroyed; it is a spiritual kingdom. It is the eternal church, all true believers who make up the body of Christ and who are HIS people:
"fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:20b,21).
"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were 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. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." (John 18:36,37).
"And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20,21).
The very essence or nature of Christ's kingdom is salvation. This is what makes the body of believers spiritual, although they still live in a fleshly body while here on earth. One cannot physically see this kingdom in the sense of castles or great buildings; its fruits are evidenced in the hearts and lives of every true child of God. It is within each of us as true believers.
Christ came to earth to bring salvation to His people. His kingdom is made up of those who trust in Christ through the faith of Christ; because of His grace, His sheep will seek His mercy:
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3-12).
Wonderfully, our LORD is still bringing salvation today. Dearest reader, is your heart heavy this day? The LORD knew it would be. Look to Jesus and rejoice in the fact that the door to this marvelous kingdom is still opened no matter how sinfully tainted your past is; should He give you ears to hear, listen for His voice!:
"And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain-- for He says, "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU." Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION"-- giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things." (2 Corinthians 6:1-10) nas.
" "Listen! My beloved! Behold, he is coming, Climbing on the mountains, Leaping on the hills! "My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he is standing behind our wall, He is looking through the windows, He is peering through the lattice. "My beloved responded and said to me, ' Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along. 'For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. 'The flowers have already appeared in the land; The time has arrived for pruning the vines, And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. 'The fig tree has ripened its figs, And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along!' " "O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the secret place of the steep pathway, Let me see your form, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, And your form is lovely." "Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, While our vineyards are in blossom." "My beloved is mine, and I am his; He pastures his flock among the lilies. "Until the cool of the day when the shadows flee away, Turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle Or a young stag on the mountains of Bether." " (Song of Solomon 2:8-17) nas.
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