Christ and His Kingdom

Not of this world

“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world” (John 18:36).

The kingdom of Christ is one of the most misunderstood concepts in the New Testament. Literally millions of people are expecting the return of the Lord to establish His kingdom upon the throne of David in Israel. This, they argue, will begin His millennial reign upon the earth, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Jesus reject an earthly kingdom

It is usually argued that because the Jews rejected Him as king our Lord’s plans for the kingdom were delayed and the church was substituted until God’s plan for the kingdom could be carried out. But, the fact is that the Jews did not reject Him as an earthly king. John says they (the Jewish people) sought to take Him by force and make Him a king, but Jesus rejected their efforts (John 6:15). It was Jesus, not the Jews, who rejected the concept of an earthly kingdom. In a passage which many people apparently have overlooked our Lord said specifically that His kingdom was not “of this world” (John 18:36).

The kingdom is a reality now

When the New Testament came to a close the kingdom was a reality, not a distant event. Jesus was the “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). To be a king one must have a kingdom. Christians were delivered from the power of darkness and translated “into the kingdom” of God’s dear Son (Colossians 1:13). One cannot be translated into something unless that thing exists. Furthermore, the epistle to the Hebrews speaks of the early disciples “receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved” (Hebrews 12:28). Obviously, these New Testament writers understood the kingdom to be a reality, not a future promise.

The Church and the kingdom are the same

Jesus taught that the church and the kingdom were the same (Matthew 16:18-19). The church, the kingdom, and the body of Christ are all synonymous terms for God’s spiritual family. Citizens of the kingdom and members of the body wear the name “Christian” (Acts 11:26).

Jesus next coming is to judge, not establish the kingdom

Those expecting Christ to come to establish His kingdom in Israel are going to be sadly disappointed. Jesus is coming again. We know not when, but we do know why. It will be to judge the world in righteousness, not to establish His kingdom (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). If we are not citizens of His kingdom when He comes, we never will be!