The Kingdom’s Inward Reality Becomes Manifest
“The kingdom of God is…righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). Today the Spirit in us is the inward reality of the usually invisible kingdom of God. When the Lord Jesus returns to earth visibly His kingdom will be clearly visible to the whole earth. Then in New Jerusalem the kingdom’s manifestation will be much greater.
In Matthew 16:28 the Lord told the disciples “There are some of those standing here who shall by no means taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Then the Lord took three of them up a mountain “And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as the light.”
This was a short-term preview of the Lord’s coming to establish His kingdom over the whole earth. At His coming, people “will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:26).
The kingdom’s manifestation begins at the announcement in Revelation 11:15, “the seventh angel trumpeted; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.”
This portion of God’s eternal kingdom, without the presence of Satan, will last a thousand years, as presented in Revelation 20:2-7. It will be followed by God’s last judgments. Then New Jerusalem will come down out of heaven “and He will reign forever and ever”!
Posted by Don on March 25, 2022
