WELCOME TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD! (KOG Seminar #1, Segment I) INTRODUCTION Welcme t the Kingdm f Gd Seminar series! Tday we embark n a jurney int a bld new wrld sn t cme t this earth. Time is f the essence because ur wrld tday is waning cming t its end befre that new wrld begins. We are privileged t live at the turning pint f an epch at the crssrads f histry! This new wrld will be lvingly gverned as ne verall kingdm the Kingdm f Gd. The whle wrld will have ne great King, r King f Kings Jesus Christ. All the natins will lk t Him. What is the Kingdm f Gd and hw will it cme t earth? As the prphecies f Gd s Kingdm unfld in the mnths and years ahead, hw will they affect America and all the ther natins? With s many earthquakes, trnads, flds, disasters, hrrendus crimes, terrrism, ecnmic uncertainty and internatinal tensins where are we nw in Bible prphecy? Hw will fulfilled prphecy abut the Kingdm f Gd affect yu and yur family? Why has mdern Christianity nt understd the gspel f the Kingdm f Gd? Hw des Jesus Christ, the King f Kings in the Kingdm f Gd, give us the inner peace f that Kingdm tday during these turbulent times? SPS This Seminar series will make clear frm the Bible the wnder and greatness f the gspel f the Kingdm f Gd, fcusing n the prphetic timing and details, plus the prfund changes it can make in ur lives persnally nw. In this first seminar tday we ll analyze this critical time in histry at the end f the age f man just befre the return f Jesus Christ at the cming f the Kingdm f Gd. This first segment in the seminar is a welcming intrductin frm Jesus Christ t Gd s Kingdm, shwing why it is a missing dimensin f knwledge in the wrld s gvernments, business, educatin, religius systems and especially why the Kingdm f Gd is a missing dimensin in the understanding f mdern Christianity. BODY 1. The Kingdm that nbdy knws 1
The Kingdm f Gd is nt understd by mdern Christianity. The Christian bkstre test: Walk dwn the aisle f the dctrine sectin and try t find bks abut the KOG r bks which have the Kingdm f Gd in the title. There will be plenty f bks abut Heaven, Hell, the Hly Spirit, Grace, etc. But there will be very few r nne abut the Kingdm f Gd. 2. Mdern Christianity misunderstands the gspel Jesus preached the gspel f the Kingdm f Gd : Mark 1:14 15 The Kingdm f Gd is nt Heaven Nineteen centuries ag traditinal Christianity replaced the Kingdm f Gd with the dctrine f ging t Heaven when yu die. Jesus stated that n ne has ascended t heaven but He wh came dwn frm heaven, that is, the Sn f Man wh is in heaven (Jhn 3:12 14). Gd s Kingdm is cming t earth: Luke 12:2 Yur Kingdm cme. The Kingdm f Heaven is NOT the Kingdm in Heaven The Kingdm f Heaven in the Bible means exactly the same as the Kingdm f Gd. The Kingdm f Gd that is, Gd the Father and Jesus Christ are presently in heaven. But the Kingdm f Gd/Heaven is cming t earth in the persn f Jesus Christ. Is the Church the Kingdm f Gd? Even the true Church f Gd in the Bible is nly the frerunner r spiritual diplmatic crps f the Kingdm: 2 Cr. 5:20 (ambassadrs fr Christ). Is the Kingdm f Gd within peple s hearts? Luke 17:20 21 The Pharisees were against Christ and the Kingdm f Gd s it wasn t in them. The Greek ents translated within is better rendered in yur midst. Jesus as King f Kings f the Kingdm f Gd was right there in their midst expunding His message, but they were rejecting His gspel f the Kingdm. When Jesus Christ returns t earth, the Kingdm will again be in the midst f mankind! Yu may knw Him as Lrd, Master, Teacher, Savir, Messiah and even High Priest in heaven, but mst imprtantly, Jesus Christ can persnally be yur King f Gd s Kingdm nw! Christ as King f the Kingdm can be in yur midst in yur life tday. 3. Jesus Christ cnstantly taught abut the Kingdm f Gd The Kingdm is f highest pririty in ur lives: Matt. 6:33 34 We need t seek Gd s Kingdm nw tday! The Kingdm is f the highest value in ur lives: Matt. 13:44 46 Like the Pearl f Great Price, mst f Christ s parables were abut the Kingdm f Gd. 2
Kingdm f heaven means exactly the same as Kingdm f Gd Matthew used the terms interchangeably. The Kingdm f Gd can and must be entered: Matt. 19:23 24 The Kingdm f Gd is the same as the Kingdm f Heaven: Matt. 19:23 24 Matthew exclusively used the term Kingdm f Heaven 32 times. He used it cmpletely interchangeably with the Kingdm f Gd. It des nt mean that peple g t heaven when they die!: Jhn 3:13 The Kingdm is a gvernment f the wrld and the universe: Matt. 19:27 28 Jesus prmised the 12 apstles that they wuld rule the 12 tribes f Israel in the millennial Kingdm f Gd n earth. There exist tday mdern descendants f the ancient tribes f Israel in additin t the Israelis and Jews arund the wrld. Requirements f a Kingdm and the Kingdm f Gd n earth Gvernment the ruling family, presently Gd the Father and Jesus Christ Territry the wrld and the universe Subjects mankind and angels System f law Gd s law and way f life The Kingdm is eternal life: Matt. 19:29 30 The Kingdm is Gd s greatest gift t mankind: Luke 12:29 32 4. The Prphets anticipated the Kingdm f Gd Acts 3:19 21 Daniel anticipated the time f Gd s Kingdm: Dan. 2:44 Isaiah, smetimes called the Shakespeare f the prphets, wrte many famus KG prphecies: Isa. 2:2 4 Muntains and hills are symbls fr gvernments. Pictures Christ ruling the natins frm Jerusalem fr the 1,000 years in Revelatin 20. The Kingdm f Gd n earth will be a time f true wrld peace. It s als a time f spiritual awakening t Gd s truth fr all natins. 5. Much f Bible prphecy fcuses n man s trubles at the end f this age: Dan. 12:1 3 and Matt. 24:22 Cde phrases fr the end time: At that time, in the latter days, in the last days, the time f the end Real ptential fr humanity t annihilate itself The wrld needs the Kingdm f Gd nw! 6. Jesus reveals signs f the end f this age frm the pivtal prphecy f Matthew 24 (verse 3) Religius deceptin and false messiahs: Matt. 24:4 5 3
Wars and rumrs f war: Matt. 24:6 Internatinal tensins, famines, pestilences, earthquakes: Matt. 24:7 Internatinal tensins and crises [insert here a list f sme] Financial crisis wrldwide Plitical tensins inside natins and between natins Revlutins the Muslim Spring likely leading t the rise f the Muslim Brtherhd in a number f Middle Eastern natins Famines [insert here cmments abut weather and ther cnditins that culd cause real fd shrtages in the near term especially items that relate t yur regin] Texas needs rain, right nw as des abut 25 percent f the U.S., which is currently beset by a drught that experts cmpare t the Dust Bwl years. Dramatic multi year drughts cntinue in suthern and part f western Africa, with famine wracked Smalis migrating int Kenya. Queensland, New Suth Wales and Victria had t much rain land mass amunting t the cmbined size f France, Germany and Suth Africa was under water in January, heavily damaging crps there. Serius flding and the threat f catastrphic flding in Missuri Mississippi River drainage cntinues thrugh this summer. Pestilence [insert here varius evidences f disease epidemics r serius ptential nes ] Earthquakes which translates frm the Greek wrd fr tumults any kind f envirnmental r human disaster [insert here a list f such tumults and disaster]. Earthquake in New Zealand in February Earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant crisis in Japan in March US trnad epidemic in April Religius persecutin, betrayal and ffence: Matt. 24:9 10 False prphets: Matt. 24:11 False prphets recent example f radi evangelist Harld Camping unwisely predicting that Christ wuld return n May 21, 2011 nw revised t Octber r thers wh say the wrld will end in 2012: Matt. 24:36 Lawlessness and lack f lve in sciety: Matt. 24:12 Tragic bmbing and mass murder in Nrway 7. Persnal and family strategy spiritual endurance: Matt. 24:13 T endure the trubles ahead requires spiritual strength Spiritual strength cmes frm Jesus Christ, the surce f strength We need Christ as King f the Kingdm in ur midst in ur lives nw. 4
8. Ecclesiastical strategy preach the gspel f the Kingdm: Matt. 24:14 This is the reasn why the United Church f Gd publishes The Gd News, Vertical Thught and Wrld News and Prphecy magazines, plus numerus ther instructive bklets and Bible study curses, plus Beynd Tday televisin. The wrld needs t be warned f the truble, encuraged by the gspel f the Kingdm and lives need t be changed fr the better tday. CONCLUSION The Kingdm f Gd has been misunderstd r ignred even thugh Jesus taught it cnstantly. Yet the gspel f that Kingdm culd infrm the wrld exactly why it s facing such truble and what the true slutins are. The Kingdm f Gd Seminar series will unfld fr yu frm the Bible this incredible truth. Jesus said, The Kingdm f Gd is at hand. We ll explre the grand design f the Kingdm f Gd and hw it will be s wnderfully different frm ur wrld and age f histry. Jesus said, Repent this seminar series will shw yu what the Kingdm f has t ffer each f us persnally and what we need t d t seek it. Jesus said, Believe the gspel. Aviding the pitfall f ur age f n faith, we ll see hw the Gd s Kingdm inspires true faith and the true Faith nce delivered by Christ. But fr tday Jesus said, The time is fulfilled. Why is the Kingdm f Gd s intensely relevant and vital t ur time and ur lives right nw? When we cme back frm ur break fr refreshments, we ll address head n the segment entitled Why Our Wrld Needs the Kingdm f Gd Nw! 5