I have absolutely loved the kingdom of God message ever since I first encountered it in class at Atlanta Bible College. I had grown up like most people in America: we know God exists and have a very vague hope of eternal life in heaven when we die. Unfortunately, that “hope” never seemed very exciting to me and never motivated me to change my life. In fact, a high school friend once told me that hell sounded much better to him because he didn’t want to sit on a cloud playing harp all day long; at the time, I agreed with him! Why on earth would I ever want to go into the sky and play an instrument for all eternity? Is there something more that I was missing?
What’s amazing about the true kingdom of God message is how much is involved with it, like a rich tapestry. Not only is there a promise of eternal life, but so many more layers of amazing promises that are just not available in the typical “heaven” presentation that is in most churches. The message about the soon-coming kingdom of God, that Jesus will reign on the throne of David at Zion over a renewed earth for all eternity with his saints in complete paradise, has absolutely changed my life, and I have seen it change others as well. Thankfully, this message is so complex and beautiful that it can speak to every human being that we come across.
The Bible made much use of the multi-layered nature of this gospel message, and it is presented in various ways to different audiences. In Mark 5, a demon-possessed man encounters Jesus and is finally freed from his demonic, spiritual oppression that plagued him for so many years. To this man, the gospel meant freedom from his suffering. In John 11, as Mary and Martha are mourning the death of their brother Lazarus, Jesus comes to them and announces that he is the resurrection and the life, giving them hope of the restored life to come. To them, the gospel meant resurrection and seeing their brother alive again. In Galatians 3, Paul presents the gospel to a group of believing Jews and Gentiles who had a difficult time getting along. However, he shows that the gospel means the unity between the two groups, as they both have become children of Abraham in the Messiah Jesus. To them, the gospel meant a new, unified family where everyone could experience God’s blessings and peace.
The good news of the kingdom of God still speaks volumes today, to all the various needs that we find around us. The true beauty of this message is that it never grows old or stale. It is always alive and active (Hebrews 4:12). This means that the individual struggling with COVID-19, cancer, or any other serious illness has great reason to rejoice since all those illnesses will finally be healed forever (Isaiah 35:5-6). Justice will finally come to those who have been victims of sexual assault, terrorist attacks, and oppression from various institutions (Isaiah 9:6-7). Those dealing with addictions of all kinds can hope to finally being free from their spiritual oppression forever (Isaiah 61:1-2). Everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, or background has reason to believe in the coming kingdom of God.
Unfortunately, our presentation of the message sometimes gets in the way, and it falls on deaf ears when we lack an understanding of their situation. Too often we are preaching the right message to the wrong crowd. We are offering bread to the thirsty and a hammer to remove a screw. The older gentleman who has just suffered the loss of his wife of 50 years does not need to hear about how there will be absolute peace among God’s animals (Isaiah 11:6), but that his wife will live again (John 11:25- 26). The young woman who is abusing her prescription medication in college to continue making her grades on time does not need a message about how Jesus is going to be seated on David’s throne forever (2 Samuel 7:12- 16). Instead, she needs to hear about how Jesus offers her a rest unmatched by anything else, where she can no longer feel anxious about her deadlines (Matthew 11:28- 30). The foster child that has moved from house to house does not need to hear about how war will never again be a reality for God’s creation (Isaiah 2:4). However, he/she does need to know that God has adopted him/her into the eternal family, something this child has been searching for through many years of rejection (Romans 8:14- 16). Although everything mentioned above will come true in the kingdom of God, it will not communicate well to different audiences that need to hear something about their situation. The challenge for us as believers is to find the correct way to communicate the kingdom of God to the specific situation in front of us.
Believers also struggle on a personal level, and most of the time it is because we too are focusing on the wrong aspect of the kingdom of God for our own situation. The promises of the kingdom of God can lose their flavor for believers if they are not presented in the most appropriate situations. The former soldier who dedicated his life to Christ overseas, but still struggles with PTSD from the horrors of war, needs to find peace in knowing that war will finally be abolished forever (Isaiah 2:4). The single Christian mother of three young children needs to hear that she is not alone in her struggles, but that Jesus is available to assist her along the way until he returns (Hebrews 2:17-18). The pastor who is struggling to make hard decisions for his/her congregation during the COVID -19 pandemic needs to know that his/her work is not done in vain, and will be rewarded for the service shown to God’s people (Hebrews 6:10).
My prayer is that, as new situations find us in all walks of life, that we would be able to respond appropriately with the same kingdom message that Jesus had. Although the way we communicate it may look different, it will have its fulfillment in the same event when Jesus returns. I hope that you will find comfort in Jesus’ message today for yourself and for those around you. May God bless your efforts in bringing the kingdom light to those in darkness.
Written by Talon Paul (IN) and edited by Bruce Lyon
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