The Kingdom

      
     "There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles which thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  Nicodemus said unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water, and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  John 3:1-7.

     Interesting dialog here.  A man named Nicodemus has a question answered by Jesus, but the question is not given.  What did he ask?  No one knows for sure, but the answer does give shed some light on that mysterious inquiry.  "Except he be born again" was the beginning of Jesus' answer, so it can be assumed that Nicodemus was asking what he must do to enter into God's Kingdom; a question each of us should be seeking daily.  What must we do?  Legally, to receive any inheritance, one must first be an heir.  How does that work?  Let's first consider the Kingdom we seek.

     So, what is the Kingdom of God, or Zion, as used in latter day terms?  To try to define such a subject would be like trying to define God Himself; any attempt at a definition is simply pointless because we would be limiting Him.  Jesus himself gave no concrete definition of this subject, but did leave us many word pictures throughout his parables.  Jesus' use of parables was, indeed, masterful.  Not only did he reveal truth, but he also CONCEALED truth; the truth that was revealed would cause the hearer to seek that which is concealed.  Because the only way to truly "see" the Kingdom is to have it revealed.  The Lord spoke of the Kingdom as a "pearl of great price", "a sower", "leaven", and "a mustard seed" to name a few.  Interestingly, none of these defined the Kingdom, but did give us a vision into the response of the Kingdom in the lives of those whom he referred. 

     My goal, with this thread, is not to define the Kingdom, or Zion, but to place a spark in your heart and mind to seek the reality of that which is promised to return to this world.  Though my few thoughts are limited by space and understanding, I know that the Lord has the ability to transcend this plane of existence and fill each of us with His light and wisdom.  The words of Isaiah speak volumnes of the wisdom of God, and our need to seek Him: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."  In the 18th chapter of John, Jesus does give us this nugget during his conversation with Pilate: "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world;".  Two things: first, His Kingdom is not of this world-it is not present here as it is in Heaven.  Secondly, His Kingdom is not of this world-there is no kingdom present that can be used as a reference to His.  Confused?  Don't be.
     Throughout the scriptures, the Lord has given wisdom, and in this vein, I would like to offer three truths that we can glean.  First, the Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom.  The Roman letter reads "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.".  This spiritual kingdom is everlasting; its roots are in the eternal realm.  Second, Section 102 tells us that "the kingdoms of this world may be constrained to acknowledge that the kingdom of Zion is in very deed the kingdom of our God and his Christ; therefore, let us become subject unto her laws".  Wait!  The Kingdom is both spiritual AND temporal?  Yes; it has to be!  Because it fulfills a divine concept: you cannot keep a spiritual law without expressing it temporally.  If I tell my family that I love them, without expressing it temporally, such as food, water, love, compassion, etc., it remains only words.  Such is also seen in Heaven.  "For God so loved the world, that He GAVE His only begotten Son".  The instrument of love is sacrifice; something that is expected from all of us.  The third gem is that this Kingdom is a Theocratic Kingdom.  This means that this Kingdom is ruled by a King, and he gives laws to us, but allows us the choice to obey or not.  Sounds a lot like agency, doesn't it?  We too often think that agency is a devise of this world, but it's actually not.  Remember, Satan chose to rebel while in Heaven-the eternal.  The Lord sums it up best: "Even so ye must be born again, into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye may be sanctified from all sin; and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come; even immortal glory."

     A lot to think about; a lot to seek.  But let me leave you with one parting thought.  When we consider Heaven, or Eternal life, we naturally think about the next life.  Death must take us before we taste such glory.  Not so.   John 3:36 reads "he who believeth on the Son hath everlasting life".  The emphasis I'd like to place before you is the word "HATH".  Hath is present tense.  So, if we believe on Him, we don't have to wait until death to begin to experience eternal life; we start to live it here, and it continues with us through eternity.  What Joy!  May we become a beacon of light, a picture of hope, to this dark world.  Behold, He cometh quickly.  God bless.