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Permission to see the King
“For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.”
(1 Cor. 4:20)
The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God are sometimes used interchangeably in Scripture and sometimes distinctly. For the purpose of this Post we will make the distinction our focus and the benefit thereof.
The Kingdom of Heaven is real and is the place where God resides. It is the place that Moses saw and was instructed to build the Tabernacle according to the pattern which he saw on Mount Sinai. It is the place where John the Apostle was caught up to on the isle of Patmos and shown the things which must take place. It is the place where Isaiah, in the year that King Uzziah died, saw the Lord in a vision and the train of His robe filled the temple. It is the place of Paradise where the Saints who died before us await our great gathering and celebration of eternal life. It is the place where Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place for us, that where He is, we shall be also. As one great man of God preached, “Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people”. God rules in the Kingdom of Heaven. Heaven is a Kingdom and God is its King.
The Kingdom of God on the other hand is every place where God rules. God extends His Kingdom and rule throughout the entire Universe. It is not limited to Heaven, it encompasses the earth also. Earth is a colony of Heaven’s Kingdom. Heaven is God’s throne and the earth is His footstool. The Kingdom of God is resident in the life of every true Believer. His Kingdom is within us. Once we are born again, we have perception and understanding of the Kingdom. We recognize and acknowledge its existence and live according to its standard. The very presence and power of the Kingdom within us takes dominion and transforms us into sons and daughters of the King. We’re in this world but no longer a byproduct of this world.
The world is under the sway and influence of demonic powers that work against the Kingdom of God. Whereas God is trying to save people from their sins through Jesus, the powers of darkness – demonic powers – are trying to destroy people’s lives through the sinful nature of man. This is not a science fiction movie, this is living reality.
The Kingdom of God will prevail over demonic powers and many souls will be saved as a result, but the tragedy is very few really care. We are so consumed with life that our destiny beyond this life is no longer a matter of importance. Many don’t understand that how we live and who we live for determines our destiny. Everyone (excluding atheists – they believe they will just rot in the grave) wants to go to Heaven when they die. But to get there and remain, you have to have the King’s permission. Permission to see the King.
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