Author Comments: This topic ‘The Kingdom of God‘ is so big and important to a Christian it cannot be ignored. If you study the New testament you will see Christ’s main focus was to introduce, explore and teach on the Kingdom of God. He knew the importance of understanding the Kingdom as it relates to our salvation and walking in faith. I chose this topic because I believe the Holy Spirit has been taking me on a journey of discovery in this area. All my recent hours of bible study, books I’ve read, research into studies by people such as Kenneth Hagan, Myles Munroe and Ron Carpenter, has pointed to this topic. I can no longer ignore the need to speak about this on my blog. It is long and detailed, so I separated it into three parts. This may seem long and unnecessary since this is a topic not commonly preached in churches, but I assure you at the end of this study you will have another perspective on the Kingdom that can potentially change your life as a Christian. It did mine and now I think and live differently, Kingdom minded.

KINGDOM:

In order to begin this study we need to first conform our minds to the concept of Kingdom and how it functions. God is a King in fact the King of Kings and he has referred to himself as King on many occasions in the bible. In our lifetime we are only familiar with governments based on Democracy, Socialism or Communism. None of these governing structures function like the Kingdoms of old and in order for us to relate to God and his word we need a definitive understanding of King and Kingdom. The best way is to start with the definition:

Kingdom:

• A country, state, or territory ruled by a King or Queen.
• A realm associated with or regarded as being under the control of a particular person or thing.
• The spiritual reign or authority of God.
• A politically organized community or major territorial unit having a monarchical form of government headed by a King or Queen.
• A realm or region in which something is dominant,
• An area or sphere in which one holds a preeminent position,

An example of what was described in the above definitions is the country of England. They have a queen and royalty who prior to Parliment, functioned as the decision makers for the country. Everything in the country and outside of it, belonged to the royal family as their domain to rule. In addition the people within their domain were considered their subjects. Nothing in their domain actually belonged to any of their subjects, the concept of citizen ownership was false within their domain. Land was given as a freehold or leasehold. This means they had conditional ownership to do with the land as they pleased free of taxes, but at any moment the Crown (King or Queen), could as the untimate owner buy back the land without the owner’s objection.

The point I am trying to make is, in a Kingdom, the King is the ultimate rule maker and owner of all within his domain. The King’s decrees are final and is not up for debate. Now that we have some understanding of what a Kingdom is, we can begin exploring the characteristics of a King, the central figure in a Kingdom.

Characteristics of a King:

1. Kings inherit Kingship by birth.
2. Kings must be trained for their role and responsibilities.
3. The glory of a King is all that expresses his nature.
4. The word, edict or decree of a King is law and unchangeable in his Kingdom territory.
5. A Kings authority is inherant in his sovereignty.
6. The home of a King Expresses his standards.
7. The reputation of a King is determined by the state and condition of his Kingdom Citizens.
8. Kings embody the government of their Kingdom.

Wow seems like alot of characteristics, but Kings are important people and in some cases the only pillar that maintains the stability and frutifullness of his domain. Check out Christ’s claim to Kingship below;

John 18:37 – “Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a King For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

In order to understand the Word of God and the message of Christ, we need to grasp the concept of Kings and Kingdoms. Ignoring this concept can lead to misunderstandings in the word of God, which leads to wrong believing. Concepts are more important than facts in the bible, because they paint a different picture based on the concept or purpose it was written. Its the same as the spirit of a law is different than the written law as fact. The spirit or main purpose of the law can be lost, if only the factual nature of a law is acknowledged. Outside of the concept or purpose, the law has no real meaning and can lead to religiousity. This is why we need to expore each of the characteristics listed for a King. This will help in renewing our minds from worldly concepts, so we can gain understanding of God’s will (The King of Kings) in the Word.

Kings inherit Kingship by birth:

Kings transfer power, wealth and the right to rule based on birth right. Having the King’s blood directly as children or through relatives instantly gives you royalty status and affords you a certain lifestyle and authority in his Kingdom. The power, wealth and prestige becomes greater the closer you are to the King in blood relations. This is why the King’s children are more highly favored and considered next in line to inherit his throne rather than the King’s own siblings. It is common for Kings to gift parts of his domain to his children as theirs to rule and keep. In some cases as seen in our recent history, some Kings and Queens gifted countries (in the caribbean) to their children or close relatives to rule as their own.

Kings must be trained for their role and responsibilities:

When a prince or princess is born, they grow not truly understanding the gravity of their status and are no different from a commoner in the kingdom. They know that in some way they are special only because of the treatment they receive from the surrounding subjects that serve the King. It takes tutors and trainers to teach a young prince and princess who they truly are and the gravity of the responsibility they will soon bear as they mature. All royalty are required to be trained for their roles in the Kingdom. Why? Not only do they need to know what they are required to do, but how to assist in ruling over the domain of the King. They gain an understanding of what they have access to and control of in the kingdoms domain in order to fulfill the will of their King. In other words through their tutoring they gain an understanding of the authority they possess.

The Glory of a King is all that expresses his nature:

The Glory of a King is in his name and his reputation. His Glory is an expression of his works, that reveal much about his character and convictions. A King will act in order to protect his reputation, how he acts also determins the nature of the reputation he gains. In some cases there were Kings whose names were feared, because of the cruel acts they engaged in with their people and places they conquered. Their glory (honor and praise) was given out of fear of death or from others as cruel as him, that admired the shrewdness by which he ruled. There are other Kings who became known for their lavish treatment and absolute protection of their people. Shrewdly running the kingdom to benefit the citizens. Honor and praise are showered on such Kings by their people and by others that witness the goodness of the King. In many cases it resulted in migration of subjects from one Kingdom to another resulting in an increase in the Kings kingdom. This was accomplished as countries and people were willing to submit to the Kings rule in order to be included in his graces. Such Kings amassed power and Glory from just their reputations. They became responsible to uphold anything that their name was ascribed to, in order to maintain the Glory their name gained as their reputation preceeded them. A good example of this is King Solomon.

The word, edict or decree of a King is law and unchangeable in his Kingdom territory:

In a Kingdom the King is responsible for passing laws and decrees in order to govern the subjects that he owns in his kingdom. Breaking the laws and decrees of a King were usually punishable by death or life altering consequences. These rules were issued by the King to maintain order in his Kingdom and ensure his will for the people and territory is carried out. Dependent on the kind of King, decrees and laws passed down could create more oppression or provision for the people. One thing is certain a decree or a law enacted by a King was absolute. The army of the kingdom and all officials were responsible to comply and enforce the requirements of any decree from the King. This means the lives of the people in the Kingdom were subject to the will of the King at all times. We’ve seen this before in the bible where Kings would issue orders to have soldiers and officials commit genecide as Pharaoh did almost killing Moses. This unbrideled power was abused in history by irresponsible Kings and royalty (men), which led to a revolt by the people in the kingdom in later centuries.

A Kings authority is inherant in his sovereignty.

In order for a King to exercise his authority and have others comply, his sovereignty has to be established in a firm foundation. In most cases birth right was used to create the foundation for the sovereignty of a King to rule. What is this sovereignty?

Sovereignty-

• Supreme power especially over a body of politic.
• Freedom from external control.
• Controlling influence.
• One that is soverign, autonomous.

In other words based on the definition provided above the more a King could show his sovereignty beyond birth right and alliances, made him an even more powerful King. Massive wealth, great armies and large dominion/ownership can all serve as supreme power to a King in influencing people and nations. The King’s overwhleming proof to support his rule, is what gives him complete authority in a Kingdom.

The home of a King Expresses his standards.

This is typical of any Kingdom in the early centries. Any visiting emmisary would attempt to determine the type of King they were about to meet based on their Kingdom’s condition and their palace. The grander the palace and more organized the kingdom, the more people understood the kind of King that was in power. If the Kings palace was small, simple and unassuming then, that King’s standards would be likened to a simpleton. If the King’s kingdom was litered with soldiers that occupied defensive positions and his palace resembled a fortress. It would be assumed the King was militant. The King’s kingdom is his home and its condition is an expression of his standards(what he values). Today our homes(domain), the way we organize our belongings can tell alot about us as well. It is not the things we have that give us value, but the way we use, organize and value them, tells alot about us. This is why we can wear sandals and they are called sandals, but a prince can wear the same sandals and they are called royal sandals. Who we are is expressed on the things we own and gives them value.

The reputation of a King is determined by the state and condition of his Kingdom Citizens:

You cannot be crowned a King without ownership. In order to be a King(ruler) you need a domain to rule over, a kingdom. So the state and condition of a King’s kingdom expresses the ability and success of that King’s rule. In centuries past there have been many Kings who have failed to successfully manage and rule their kingdoms causing their citizens to suffer. Then another King more gifted and efficient in ruling and protecting the kingdom restores the countries greatness. The defining difference between a failed dynasty and a successful dynasty is the condition of the kingdom. The extent to which the citizens are cared for, protected and prospered, determins the sucess of a ruler. Even the happiness and loyalty of their citizens is considered when deciding if a King was a good King. To a King his name is everything, his rule is a tool to improve the glory of his name and dynasty in the world. This relationship between his Glory and kingdom directly affects the condition of his citizens.

Kings embody the government of their Kingdom.

Since the rulership of a King is absolute, then the governing bodies of that kingdom are subject to his rules and decrees. Nothing that is done in a kingdom can be done without the King’s seal of approval. That means all decisions to manage the kingdom and its citizens rests on the shoulders of the King. This is totally opposite to the Constitutional Republic of the US, Democracy or even Communism. None of these governing structures have one person making all the decisions with absolute authority. They all have some checks and balances within their governing bodies or by the people that elect them. This is why all the mentioned governing systems are set up to include more than one person voting for the best options. Hence our concept of a Kings governing autonomy is skewed by our current ideology of rulership. Our minds need to be transformed to a Kingdom mindset in order to understand the bible, God and Jesus Christ.

Now that I have defined to the best of my ability and limited time, the concepts surrounding Kingship and their kingdoms. I can move on to the next section and apply these new found kingdom concepts to the bible. This will change your view of God as a King, performing works to not only reveal his Glory and his name, but also to regain and restore kingdom rule. To re-assert his ownership over the earth.

I hope to see you in part two of this study.