Building the Kingdom of God; God’s Kingdom is EVERLASTING

May 16

Read: Daniel 2:44,45, 6:26, 7:13-14, John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11, Col 2:15

Building the Kingdom of God;

God’s Kingdom is EVERLASTING

“And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people.” (Dan. 2:44)

“His (The Most High God’s) kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation.” (Dan. 4:3)

“…His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one

that shall not be destroyed.” (Dan. 7:14)

The Kingdom of God is everlasting. It will never end. It will never be destroyed. It will never be dismantled, collapse, nor be overtaken by another. I think we need to be reminded of this. This clear biblical truth may not be as obvious to the people of God as one may think. This Kingdom of God that we are building is unstoppable… eternal… it has no end. Sometimes we are duped into thinking that the enemy is winning… he is NOT. Sometimes it seems like the Devil’s reign will go on forever… it WON’T. In fact, the Devil is on the run… he is against the ropes… the King of Kings and Lord of Lords has come which means his time is drawing to an end. The Kingdom of God is everlasting, but the empire of the Devil is fleeting, temporary, and crumbling before us … right now as we speak.

Can you think of a time in human history when an evil, tyrannical dictator was overthrown? Oftentimes, the process begins by that dictator being displaced from their position of power and then they flee into the countryside in a desperate final attempt to avoid destruction. More often than not, they seek to rally those who are still “loyal” to them in an ill-advised effort to wage a counter-attack and try to take back their position on the throne. The dictator is then hunted by the liberating forces… the ones who are bringing relief and freedom to the people…delivering the people out form under the tyrants evil reign! Although these displaced tyrants may still be alive and wage a war… resisting the liberating force… it is foolish to pretend that while they are on the run they sit in the same position of power they once held. They have been displaced! Even though they may still be alive… they are no longer in control overall. They may rule their guerrilla jungle encampment… but they no longer rule the country as a whole. THIS IS THE DEVIL WHEN JESUS SHOWED UP. He is no longer in charge. Don’t believe me? Let us look at the scriptures:

God triumphed over the Devil and disarmed him… putting him to shame in Jesus; take a look:

“He (God) disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him (Jesus).” (Col. 2:15)*

The Devil with his demonic cohort were disarmed and put to shame… triumphed over. Death was the weapon that the Devil would wield against us and Jesus conquered over it! (cf. Heb. 2:14) We see this theme again in 1 Corinthians 2:8; “None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” When Jesus speaks of his death - it is clear that the Devil is actually the one behind his killing. It is the Devil that entered into Judas and it was the “prince of this world’ that came for Jesus. (John 6:7, 13:2, 14:30, etc.)  You see, If the Devil knew the destruction and defeat he would suffer by killing Jesus and what it was going to mean for him… he would not have done it! God beat the Devil at his own game. God paid the Devil in kind - deceiving and tricking the deceiver! So the “rulers and authorities of this age” are not primarily a human matter, and they have been triumphed over in Christ!

Jesus says this as well, in John 12:31 he declares:

“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.”

The ruler of this world - the Devil - was displaced and cast out when the True KING showed up! Jesus declared this was taking place “NOW”… not at some future point in time… but NOW. The evil tyrant - the Devil - was put on notice when Jesus showed up. The Devil’s empire and his time of unchecked havoc was about to come to an end. His “expiration date” is fast approaching. The “ruler of this world” has “no claim” on Jesus. (cf. John 14:30) In fact, when the Holy Spirit is unleashed and poured out on the people of God, the “ruler of this world” will actually receive “judgment”… he will be put in his place. (cf. John 16:11) It is no coincidence that the Devil is called a prince… but Jesus is The KING. What authority does a prince have when The King shows up?!

When we see the language of Jesus, the New Testament testimony regarding triumph and displacement, and the everlasting nature of God’s Kingdom alongside each other- the picture is clear: God’s Kingdom is everlasting and he reigns victorious over the Devil. When The King - Jesus - showed up he displaced the Devil from his previous throne. The Devil is on the run… trying to avoid his destruction… and seeking to rally whomever he can to try and make one last stand against God Most High. The Devil is no longer ruling this world like a tyrant even though he has his competing “empire” that wars against The Kingdom of God and King Jesus. Everything changed when Jesus showed up! Through Christ, the people of God have been redeemed, transformed, and filled with the Holy Spirit. This was God’s plan all along. In fact…he said so through the prophet Daniel centuries ago:

“But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.”  (Daniel 7:18)

When Jesus talks about “all authority” being given to him… this is the sort of stuff he is referring to. This is the Kingdom in us. So why do we act as if the Devil is still in charge? Why do we get so discouraged as if Jesus is losing? Why do we give the Devil and his cohorts more credit than they deserve? Jesus is on the move… the King is with us. His Kingdom is everlasting and WE have been given that Kingdom in us… we are “fellow tiers with Christ” of this very Kingdom! Let the Devil run and hide… his days are numbered! Love you guys. - JDP

* cf. Eph. 1:21,2:2,3:10,6:12 to see use of rulers /authorities