Tuesday, March 11, 2014

The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God

Matthew 13:34-35, 36-43 All these things spoke Jesus to the multitude in parables; and without a parable spoke He not to them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret (Deuteronomy 29:29, Psalm 78:2; Mark 4:11, 22, Luke 8:10, 17, 11:33) from the foundation of the world. (Romans 11:25, 16:25, 1Corinthians 2:7 and Ephesians) 

Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and His disciples came to Him, saying, Declare to us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered them, He that sows the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who has ears to hear, let him hear. (parallel passages Genesis 3:15, Daniel 12:1-3; Matthew 24:14, 28:19, Mark 4:33-34, 16:15, 20, Luke 24:47, John 8:44, Revelation 14:6)

Matthew 19:23-26 Then Jesus said to His disciples, Verily I say to you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When His disciples heard this, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? Jesus said to them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. (parallel passages Matthew 13:22, Mark 10:24; 1Corinthians 1:17-31, 1Timothy 6:6-12)

The following passage I am cutting short because of what I said before about the warnings and how they apply to us, I will pick the rest up in the section dealing with warnings.

Matthew 21:23-32 When He was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, By what authority do you these things?* and who gave you this authority? Jesus answered them, I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; H will say to us, Why did you not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. They answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. He said to them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

But what think you? A man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered, I'll go, sir: and went not. Which of the two did the will of his father? They said to Him, The first. Jesus said to them, Verily I say to you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and you, when you had seen, repented not afterward, that you might believe him. (parallel passages Mark 11:27-33, Luke 20:1-8; *Exodus 2:14, Acts 4:6-7, 7:14-29)

Mark 1:14-15 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time* is fulfilled**, and the kingdom of God is at hand***: repent, and believe the gospel. (parallel passages Matthew 4:12-17, 23, Luke 4:14-15, John 4:1-4, 5-42, 43-45)
*A due measure of time, a limited point of time, when things are brought to a crisis, usually an appointed end, a decisive epoch waited for.
**to render full, to complete, to consummate to end or number of, to bring to realization, realize, to fulfill, that is to say to cause God’s will (as made known in the law of God, Faith and Love, in Grace and Truth) to be obeyed as it should be, and God’s promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfillment (not in a material since but in the spiritual essence of the law).
***is at the ready, to bring near, to join one thing to another.

Turning to Webster's 1828 Dictionary and looking at the word consummate we find this: To end; to finish by completing what was intended; to perfect; to bring or carry to the utmost point or degree.
Then the word consummation: Completion; end; perfection of a word, process or scheme. The end or completion of the present system of things; the end of the world. Consummation of marriage, the most intimate union of the sexes, which completes the connubial relation.
Here the word connubial means knowledge, to make known together, the breaking of a blockage, a blockade.
This is what took place at the Lord's last supper as it is also the Marriage Feast of the Lamb of God when all who have heard His voice and correctly respond to Him have entry into the kingdom. For this is in answer to this phrase: only through death can you be reborn. (John 12:24-28a)           

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