Over the last few weeks, I've introduced the subject of God's Kingdom and begun to build a framework for future study. Here are some key parts of that framework:
1. God is a King, and His Kingdom is Universal.
2. God intended for the earth to be a place where His rule would be fully honored and obeyed.
3. Through the Fall, the earth became a place of rebellion against the rule of God.
4. God is still King of the Universe, nonetheless, and He intends to restore the earth someday as a place where His rule is fully honored and obeyed.
5. God's plan to do this centers on His provision of a virgin-born Savior-King, the Lord Jesus Christ.
6. Jesus came to the earth the first time many years ago and offered His kingdom to Israel. But Jesus was rejected and put to death on the cross.
7. However, God the Father raised Jesus from the dead and then highly exalted Him at His right hand as Lord. From this exalted position, Jesus began to build His Church, which consists of people from every nation, people who will rule someday with Jesus in His earthly kingdom.
8. Jesus will return to establish with His physical presence a literal kingdom here on earth.
9. Ultimately, Jesus will hand His kingdom over to God the Father, merging it with God's Universal Kingdom. Thus, the earth will be fully restored as a place where God's rule is fully honored and obeyed.
As we study together, it may prove helpful to refer to this framework regularly. It will help with locating what the Scriptures teach in the part of the overall framework where it belongs. For example, soon we are going to begin studying the Kingdom parables in the Gospels. Jesus began teaching in parables after the leaders of Israel formally rejected Him in Matthew 12. Many of them reveal new information about God's Kingdom that had not been previously revealed. It's just one illustration of how this framework may come in handy as we study.
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