Saturday, May 19, 2007

What IS the Kingdom of God?

First things first: all those who live in the Western hemisphere and have somehow stumbled across this blog need to come to terms with a dual reality. One side of that reality is this: we don't have a clue what a "kingdom" is. We see kingdoms in movies, we read about them in books, we hear about them in other countries, and sometimes we play games like "king of the hill." But our reality--at least here, in the USA, is one called democracy. It is our way of life. We assume that we have choices and authority in our land. By vote or protest we can support the leaders we want. We have a say (though a very small say) in the kind of taxes we pay, the laws we live under, and much more.



The other side of that reality is that human beings always dwell in kingdoms of some kind. It has been said that people always worship something, and I tend to agree. Even the most independent of us give our allegiance to something, even if it's a cause, a band, or a political party. Beyond those, I submit that there are two Kingdoms that control everything that is: one is a false, temporary kingdom called "the kingdom of darkness." The other is the true, eternal Kingdom to which everything that is must ultimately give allegiance. This is called the Kingdom of God. In this blog, I will return to the subversive reality of the Kingdom of God often, and in great detail. But the basic defintion of the Kingdom of God is this: The Kingdom of God is anywhere, anything, or anyone who is under the righteous rule and reign of the one true God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.