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WELCOME
TO THE
KINGDOM
By
Richard E. Bieber
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WELCOME TO THE KINGDOM
Vanishing churches---What’s going on?
One Sunday morning, while visiting my home town, I decided to attend the family church. What a shock to find the place was closed up tight! No cars in the lot. Not a soul in sight.
It’s happening all over the country. Congregations are shrinking. Churches are dying. The very word, “church” is fast becoming a relic in many circles. Are churches facing extinction along with all the other endangered species?
In the early days
When the gospel of Jesus first began to spread across the Roman world, followers of Jesus used the word “church” very differently from the way it is used today. There was the “church” in Jerusalem, the “church” in Corinth, the “church” in Philippi. “Church” simply meant a gathering of believers in Jesus. Each gathering was its own little Temple of living souls, inhabited by the Lord’s Spirit.
These believers thought of themselves as an extension of the Lord’s resurrected body. Jesus said as much when he appeared in a vision to Saul of Tarsus.
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
(i.e. “Why are you persecuting my body, my people?”)
In those days, “church” was simply people gathered around the Lord Jesus, empowered by him to do what he did during his days in flesh and blood. Joyfully they brought good news of the Kingdom of God to the poor, opened eyes to the Kingdom, freed captive souls, as a sign of the coming glory.
But why was the word “church” hardly ever used by the Lord Jesus? In the New Testament gospels, we hear that word on Jesus’ lips on only two occasions.
“Church” in Matthew 16
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them,
"But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied,
"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matthew 16
“On this rock I will build my church.”
Is Jesus telling us that he will build a world-wide institution on the shoulders of this man who first proclaimed him the Messiah--- an institution, owning billions in real estate, controlling media outlets, publication houses, universities, hospitals? (Under the brand of Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox Evangelical, or an off-shoot sect)
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
Do the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven belong to Peter alone? Is he the only one who can “bind and loose?” Or is Peter the first in a long line of clergy who possess the gift of “apostolic succession,” exclusively empowering them to “bind and loose?”
Clergy? Did Jesus institute such a thing as clergy? Didn’t Jesus command his disciples not to be called “Rabbi” or “Master” or “Teacher”?
Jesus is indeed building his church. But his church is not a religious institution. It’s simply a Temple of living souls founded on the first person to proclaim Jesus the Messiah. A temple built by the Lord, not with money, or human ingenuity, but by the mysterious power of his redeeming cross.
“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth (on the cross) will draw all people to myself.”
John 12
Those who are drawn to Jesus’ cross, who then take up their cross and follow Jesus, are his Body on Earth. These people alone are built by the Lord into his church---which transcends all our faltering Christian institutions.
The “keys of the Kingdom,” the power to bind and loose, overflowed from Peter into the whole Body of Christ, as we see in the second passage where Jesus uses the word, “church.”
“Church” in Matthew 18
"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
Matthew 18
“If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.”
i.e. Tell it to the assembly. Let all the sisters and brothers know about this. Because….
The church, the whole church, has the power of the Keys of the Kingdom, since Jesus is in their midst.
To the whole church Jesus says…
“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
Jesus gives to his church the Keys of the Kingdom, making clear that the church is at the service of the Kingdom--- Always at the service of the Kingdom.
Jesus’ focus is always the Kingdom…
Which includes not only redeemed human souls, but angels, archangels and all the company of heaven.
The Kingdom of Heaven
When Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven (or the Kingdom of God), he is not talking about an institution or an organization with headquarters in Brooklyn or Hong Kong. He is talking about a totally different world---in contrast to this world of greed, lust, deceit and despair that surrounds us and enters us with the air we breathe.
The Kingdom of God is a world where God’s will is done as it is done in heaven.
It’s a world of peace.
A world of unspeakable joy.
When Jesus emerged from the wilderness to begin his work, his very first act was to announce that the Kingdom of God was now approaching.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the good news."
Mark 1
A Garden of Eden with no serpent
“Repent and believe the good news!”
So what’s the good news?
Simply that God’s Kingdom has now begun…
to penetrate this world of sadness.
And what does God’s Kingdom, look like?
It’s a Garden of Eden without the serpent.
It’s a world where things are the way they should be.
A world where God’s will is done with joy, and his sons and daughters live in peace.
No more lies.
No more sickness.
No more death.
No more despair.
No more hatred.
No more hunger.
No more thirst.
No more pain.
Jesus tells us that one day soon this planet will be such a place.
He teaches us to pray,
“Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,”
to focus our lives on living in the light of the Kingdom.
Jesus came among us to prepare us for the Kingdom….
Through his signs.
Through his teaching.
Through his suffering and death.
Through his resurrection.
Through the outpouring of his Spirit.
Jesus’ presence on this earth… was the Kingdom in essence.
As disciples began to follow him… they became the Kingdom in essence…
until the Day of its final arrival.
Every time we consciously gather in the name of Jesus (as opposed to a half-hearted “church service” or a flesh-driven “praise service”) …
The Kingdom of God is in our midst…
but only in essence.
The Kingdom’s fullness is still to come.
Revealing the Kingdom through his signs.
But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons,
then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Luke 11
When Jesus approached the pool of Bethesda, with sick souls crowded to the water’s edge, why did he single out one man for healing? Why didn’t Jesus wave his hand over the suffering group and heal them all?
Because the Kingdom of God has not yet arrived in fullness.
Jesus was giving a sign of the Kingdom each time he healed.
He was showing us how it will be for us all, if we choose to enter this new Garden of God.
In the Kingdom, sickness will be no more.
The man who was healed walked through the Temple carrying his pallet. It was the Sabbath. The religious authorities, horrified at the sight of a man breaking the Sabbath in the very Temple of God, stopped him for questioning. These pompous men thought they were dealing with a “Sabbath breaker,” while they were actually encountering the Kingdom of God. Jesus was giving these hypocrites a sign of God’s Kingdom, but they hardened their hearts and pursued their own vain agenda.
Peace! Be still!
And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on a cushion; and they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?" Mark 4
Peace! be still!
In the Kingdom, where God’s will is always done, there is peace.
No sudden storms.
No squalls.
No confusion.
The King of the Kingdom was showing his disciples how it will be. Every time Jesus performed a sign, the “laws of nature” gave way to the laws of a superior universe---God’s Kingdom.
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?" And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk. Lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear. The dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news preached to them.”
Matthew 11
John the Baptist found it hard to grasp. Jesus’ revelation of the Kingdom was not what John was expecting. It was something much more wonderful than a “Victorious Israel,” as these signs revealed.
Revealing the Kingdom through his teaching
The Sermon on the Mount.
Listen to Jesus give us his overview of Kingdom life in the Sermon on the Mount.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Our Father, who art in haven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come!
Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5, 6, and 7
(Why does Matthew use the term “Kingdom of Heaven” instead of “Kingdom of God”? It seems that for Mathew, a devout Jew, the name “God” was too holy, too awesome, to use with frequency.)
The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ “Handbook of Basics” for those who choose to join him as servants of the Kingdom. His teachings in Matthew 5, 6, and 7 describe the way we are now being called---and empowered---to live.
The Parables
In every parable Jesus gives us a window into the reality of this other world—the Kingdom. As we soak up the parables, the Spirit of God opens our eyes to its glory.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Matthew 13
Once we discover the Kingdom, we joyfully let go of everything we have, in order to “buy the field.” Nothing in this world compares with it. It becomes the only thing to live for, the only place to dwell.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
"Have you understood all this?"
They said to him, "Yes."
Matthew 13
When the Kingdom arrives in fullness, everything will be “sorted out.” We will be judged on the basis of what we did with the grace we were given (through the mercy of the cross).
The ultimate Kingdom Parable comes at the conclusion of Jesus’ long discourse about the end of the age in Matthew 24 and 25. Jesus begins by describing the ones who will enter the Kingdom “prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those at his right hand, “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee?
And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?'
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'”
Matthew 25
According to Jesus everyone who ever lives on this earth will be given a clear invitation to the Kingdom. “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth (on the cross) will draw all people to myself.”
John 12
All people.
Muslims, Buddhists, anarchists, atheists.
The final judgment is waiting until somewhere somehow all have been drawn to the cross and offered grace.
The sheep at the King’s right hand are the ones who received God’s grace and walked in it. In thanksgiving to God, they showed to the people around them the same kindness God had shown to them.
They were ruled by the love of God.
Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;
for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Matthew 25
The goats on the left hand of the King also had their invitation to the Kingdom Banquet. They too were visited by grace. But they sent it away. Or they received grace, but kept right on living only for themselves.
Opening the Kingdom door through his suffering and death.
And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Luke 23
Our Lord’s gospel of the Kingdom would have been for nothing, had he not opened the way for us to enter.
It looked like just another Roman execution. Everybody knew that the man hanging on that cross was innocent of any crime. What no one understood was that this man was innocent of all sin.
Not one soul understood that this dying man was the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world.
The man hanging on that cross is God’s broken heart.
He is being baptized with fire.
A fire so holy, so terrifying that it consumes the sin of the world.
"I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!
Luke 12
The door to God’s Kingdom can be opened in no other way.
The mystery of the presence of evil on this sad planet is beyond our comprehension.
Evil is simply here.
In the Garden of Eden evil was confined to a serpent. But in this world evil is everywhere.
For a person to enter God’s Kingdom, evil has to be burned away;
For in the Kingdom, there is no evil, there is no serpent.
At the cross God took all our evil… and consumed it in the flames of his holiness.
The cross is the place where the redeemed are refined by God’s consuming fire, washed clean by the Lamb’s blood.
Every soul who ever lives on this earth is somewhere, somehow offered cleansing at the cross.
The cross is the magnet of the Kingdom, the Welcome Door.
It’s as if the Lord Jesus is standing at the door saying, “Lay down your burdens, let go of your old life, and come on in.”
“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth (on the cross) will draw all people to myself.”
John 12
Entering the Kingdom Door through his resurrection.
When Jesus rose from the dead, he turned Calvary’s consuming fire of Judgment into grace---for all who come to him.
The crucified and risen Lord is now the door to God’s Kingdom---- The only door.
“The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear shall live.”
John 5
When we enter the Kingdom of God here in this life, it’s not like joining a club, or becoming part of a movement.
It’s like rising from the dead.
We rise from the grave of self-preoccupation…
and enter a world where God has finally become real to us.
"Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.”
John 17
We enter the Kingdom by rising from the dead…
into a life of faith in our Father God.
All people who share the Kingdom with us have likewise been raised from the dead into a life where God is no longer an idea, or a feeling, or an idol we control…
But our Father.
We are getting to know our Father, who…
“understands our thoughts afar off.”
And we are beginning to know Jesus
“in the power of his resurrection.”
Jesus is no longer confined to a distant time and place.
He is closer to us than our breath, even while he rules the universe.
Jesus of the gospels is our Teacher and Example.
Jesus of the cross is our Savior.
Jesus of the Resurrection is our living Lord---
Lord of all creation.
Jesus is King of the Kingdom.
Revealing the Kingdom through the outpouring of his Spirit
So, when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth."
Acts 1
Like Jesus, the apostles were all Jewish. In spite of everything Jesus had taught them, they still saw the Kingdom as a Jewish Kingdom. To them the Kingdom was Israel restored, Israel vindicated, as they understood the message of the prophets. But now, in his final encounter with the disciples Jesus makes clear that their witness to him (and his Kingdom), while beginning at Jerusalem, would spread across the whole earth.
Ten days after Jesus’ departure, the Spirit fell on the gathered believers amid the sound of rushing wind, tongues of fire hovering above them, and a sudden change in their powers of speech.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2
Praising God in languages they had never spoken, these people spilled out into the square, flooding it with contagious ecstasy. The crowd of onlookers was stunned. “Galileans speaking Greek? Galileans speaking Latin? Farsi? What’s going on?”
They were looking at the Tower of Babel in reverse,
the Kingdom of God!
They were breathing air from the world to come; hearing God speak through men and women who had never spoken in public before.
“I have come to cast fire on the earth…”
Luke12
From that hour the fire of grace began to spread, a fire that heals, cleanses, restores, but also judges.
A fire that divides good from evil like a flaming sword.
Down to this moment, the Kingdom of God is present in essence wherever the Holy Spirit is moving among the followers of Jesus.
And the Spirit moves among us, when we back off, and allow him to “call the shots.”
Welcome to the Kingdom
In the rush and scramble of daily life men and women look out over the landscape and shake their heads. Is this all there is? The vanity world of the rich, the suffering world of the poor, the sterile world of the middle class—is this all there is?
The average churchgoer is plagued by the same question. We hear endless talk about healing and forgiveness and “spiritual power,” and the wonders of salvation, yet we live lives that are as earth-bound and vanity-driven as that of any pagan. Is this all there is?
Then comes the moment when disenchantment reaches its peak. We say, “I don’t belong here! Lord, where do I belong?”
Perhaps we don’t use those words. But our appeal goes up to heaven.
“Hear my cry, O God, attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I!”
Psalm 61
Now, at last, we may be ready to leave the world of futility behind, and seek the Kingdom of God.
A daily resurrection
We enter the Kingdom by rising from the dead. And our resurrection is not a once-and-done event.
It’s a daily miracle.
Just as surely as God gives us our lives a day-at-a-time;
Life in his Kingdom is lived, as each day anew…
We rise out of our vanity-graves and enter into life with God.
Each new day we take up our cross…
and press on with our Lord Jesus.
It’s a daily repentance.
Daily presenting our body as a living sacrifice to God.
Daily turning our mind away from the darkness and opening it to the light of God’s Spirit…who empowers us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves.
Daily trusting God in all things.
Daily serving God wherever he puts us.
Daily we rise out of our false strength into God’s strength,
which is made perfect in our weakness.
Rising with a single eye
"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is single, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is shifty, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Matthew 7
The man who found treasure hidden in a field had eyes to recognize the treasure.
The merchant in search of fine pearls had eyes to recognize the pearl of great price.
It’s the difference between the “single” (focused) eye and the “shifty” (roving, lusting, covetous) eye.
Philip found Nathaniel, and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathaniel said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"
Nathaniel said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathaniel answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."
John 1
Lord, give us eyes like Nathaniel’s
Rising with ears to hear the Shepherd’s voice
How often we hear the Master say, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear!” Jesus never gave labored explanations. He never used a “hard sell” of a “soft sell” or made any attempt to rope us in.
He put the simple truth out there.
If you have ears to hear, pay attention!
Each morning when we rise from the dead, we tune our ears to hear the Shepherd’s voice amid the clamor that surrounds us.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give to them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.”
John 10
Rising with integrity
How do we pass from our vanity mind-set to live and walk and speak the truth?
By repenting of ourselves.
It is impossible to live with integrity…
so long as we are full of ourselves.
God’s kingdom belongs to those who give up their pretenses.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Matthew 5
Remembering who’s in charge
Why does God allow that wicked man to rule?
Why does God permit those false prophets to prosper?
A handful of billionaires exploit the whole world, and heaven allows it?
Behind our questions is the presumption that we know what’s going on, that we know how things should be done.
Actually, we haven’t a clue.
And don’t expect an explanation from heaven as to why fools rise to the top and hypocrites dominate the world.
The heavenly Father doesn’t owe us an explanation.
Nor would we understand the ways of heaven if they were laid out before us.
All we need to know is that the door of God’s Kingdom is open.
We can rise daily and enter the Kingdom, even as we walk this troubled earth.
And in God’s kingdom, even now, there is a flame of joy that never goes out.
Joy
In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will.”
Luke 10
In the passage above we get a glimpse of what kept Jesus going as he journeyed through this world of hard hearts and blind unbelief…
Joy!
Joy in knowing that his Father is in charge.
Joy that all things are unfolding with mysterious precision,
amid the chaos of this sad, lonely world.
The joy of the Kingdom sustains us,
as we trudge through dark valleys.
With chaos around us and uncertainty within us,
we look up and remember who is in control.
And we rejoice.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice.
Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand.
Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4
Friends
Even in its present incomplete state, the Kingdom of God is the place where we begin to find true friends.
The first friend we get to know is Jesus himself.
“Greater love has no man than this; that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”
John 15
We work while it is day
Rising daily into the life of the Kingdom,
we find rest for our souls,
but never idleness.
We work wherever the Lord puts us in his Vineyard.
“We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work.”
John 9
The Father works, the Son works, and we work.
Following our Lord’s example, our primary work is prayer.
Everything we do rises from the work of prayer and intercession.
Once we begin to learn from the Spirit how to labor at prayer, everything else unfolds as we wash the feet of those God sends our way.
No lofty agendas.
No grandiose strategies.
No tainted ambitions.
Just simple serving in the place God puts us, among the people God sends our way.
There will be suffering.
There will be persecution of one kind or another.
Chaos will accelerate as the hour of the Master’s return approaches.
Some of us will be martyred for the name of Jesus.
Through it all we will be sustained by heaven,
as long as we do things the Lord’s way, trusting the outcome to him.
At last, whether we are on this side or the other side of death,
we will hear the Master’s call.
The Kingdom, no longer in essence but in full.
Then the King will say to those at his right hand, “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Matthew 25
The Lord is talking about the final resurrection, the final judgment, --- the final Garden of Eden, free of serpents and scorpions.
The day is coming when the Kingdom of God will be more real to us than the blazing sun, which will be outshined by the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There shall no more be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall worship him; they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads. And night shall be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they shall reign for ever and ever. And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. And behold, I am coming soon."
Revelation 22
And then the King will say to each one who walked in his light,
“Welcome to the Kingdom!”