The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God

In the last portion of our targeted passages, that is to say in verses 16-21 of Galatians 5, Paul there says this; “Be understanding what the Will of the Lord is” to get a small taste of what this is I want to look at 1Kings 3 and what was said to Solomon there. First what did he say to the Lord in Gideon, this may prove of interest: “Solomon said, You have showed to your servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before You in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; and You have kept for him this great kindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as this day. Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of David my father: and I am as a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge these Your so great a people? The speech pleased the Lord, God said to him, Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for thyself long life; neither have you asked riches for thyself, nor have asked the life of your enemies; but have asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to your words: lo, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like you before you, neither after you shall any arise like to you. I have also given you that which you have not asked, both riches, and honor: so that there shall not be any among the kings like to you all your days. And if you will walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David did walk, then I will lengthen your days. And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream.”

From here I want to look at Job because I do not use him much but in chapter 28 verse 28 we find this starting in verse 12; “But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Man knows not the price thereof; neither are they found in the land of the living. The depth said, They are not in me: and the sea said, They are not with me. They cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. They cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal cannot equal them: and the exchange of them shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold. Whence then come wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? Seeing they are hid from the eyes of all living, and kept closed from the fowls of the air. Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.

God understands the way thereof, and He knows the place thereof. For He

looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole heaven; To make the

weight for the winds; and He weighs the waters by measure. When He made

a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder: Then did He

see it, and declare it; He prepared it, yea, and searched it out. And to man He

said, Behold, the fear (the worshiping of in spirit and truth, with honor

and respect in reverence) of the Lord, is  wisdom; and to depart from evil

understanding."

 

From here we can turn to Paul and Romans 12 where he says this to us: “be not conformed to this world*: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, Will of God (John 12:24). For I say, through the grace given to me, to every man that is among you, not to think more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Before I go on the Lord has been dealing with me about this passage found in Luke 18 and verse 8 part b, which states this: I tell you that He (God) will avenge them speedily. (b)Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on the earth? To due this rightly I will look at this later towards the end of this study.

From here I want to turn to Colossians 1:9 for another example because it states this: “For this cause we also, since the day we heard, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you be filled with the knowledge of His Will in all Wisdom and spiritual Understanding; That you walk worthy of the Lord to all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, to all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks to the Father, Who has made us meet (fit) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in Light: Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image (Genesis 1:27) of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist (John 1). He is the head of the Body, the Church: Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all He has the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all (things) to Himself; by Him, whether things in earth, or things in heaven (Genesis 1, 2 and John 1).”

Earlier I placed a (*) by, “be not conformed to this world”, in the following, and we are still in Colossians 1, is what it means: “you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works (thoughts and imaginations, bond by mans religion), yet now has He reconciled all In the Body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight. (To get a clear picture of what is here said, a good book to look at would be Hebrews. Because it is written to believers and receivers of the ontological essence of Christ, the first and earliest assemblage, who have forsaken and turned their backs towards religion in Judaism and all of their roots by repentance to turn whole heartedly to the Lord, Christ Jesus.)

If you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard, which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God; the mystery which had been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: To whom God would make known what the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereto I also labor, striving according to His working, which works in me mightily.”

Meditate on these things for awhile.