Citizenship in an Established Kingdom
Citizenship in an Established Kingdom CITIZENSHIP IN AN ESTABLISHED KINGDOM
By Luther G. Roberts
I. Introduction
1. Blessings which we enjoy as citizens of this nation, the United States of America.
We, as citizens of the United States, are wonderfully blessed in this fair land of ours. The constitution of the United Stales says that there are certain inalienable rights which every citizen may claim, namely, the rights of liberty, life and the pursuit of happiness. These are God given rights. Here we have freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, and freedom to worship God as his word directs. In the United States we have the prerogative to live a life of useful service to our fellow men, and that brings happiness and joy to them and to ourselves. We have the privilege of owning our homes, comfortable places of shelter, privilege of earning a living, and the privilege of assembly to worship. We have the protection of the great government. of ours. We should truly be thankful for these and the many other privileges and blessings we have. But as grand and great as are the blessings and privileges which we possess as citizens of this nation, there are more glorious privileges which we may enjoy here. We may be citizens of a higher and holier gov-ernment or kingdom.
2. Higher privileges in a greater kingdom.
In this higher government we may enjoy freedom that is freedom indeed; freedom from sin, freedom from fear of death; we have the right to the remission of sins and the hope of eternal life. Here we may be the children of God, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Here we have fellowship with Christ, the communion of the Holy Spirit, fellowship with the saints, sharers in the grace of God, and fellow-worlcers with the Creator of the Universe. It is in this higher kingdom where we have “joy unspeakable and the peace that passeth all understanding.” All this we have in the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This kingdom is an established kingdom now, over which Jesus Christ rules as “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
3. Men deny the fact that the kingdom is now established.
There are many, some who claim to be members of the church of Christ, who deny the existence of the kingdom of Christ in fact. There are vague theories advanced by those who deny that the kingdom is in existence now, that at some future age the kingdom will be set up on earth, and Jesus will reign a literal thousand years on earth in a millennial age. They deny that the kingdom exists in fact now, and likewise deny that we are actually in the kingdom at the present time. The purpose of this sermon is to show that the kingdom is established and that we may be citizens of it.
II. Discussion.
1. Prophetic declarations concerning the establish-ment of the kingdom of Christ.
(1) In the Old Testament we find the following prophecies, among others, relative to the kingdom's establishment.
Centuries before the incarnation of Jesus in human flesh, God, through the mouth of his holy prophets, foreshadowed the establishment of the kingdom. Isaiah foretold the establishment of this spiritual kingdom over which Jesus Christ rules as King, some 750 years before the birth of Christ. “And it shall come to pass in the latter (last) days, that the mountain of Jehovah’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it and many people shall go and Bay, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:2-3). From this prophecy we learn that the time of the establishment is to be in “the latter or last days”; the persons who are to compose the Lord's house are to be "all na-tions"; and that the place of the beginning of the house is Zion or Jerusalem. But again, we hear Isaiah speaking concerning Jesus Christ the king. “For unto us a child is bom, unto us a son is given; and the government is to be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7). In this prophetic declaration we have set forth the birth of the king, his character and power, as seen in the names given, the fact of the government, its establishment, the rule or reign on David’s throne, the character of the reign— with peace and justice, and the duration of the king-dom—"even forever.”
Another prophet, Daniel, one of God’s servants, a captive in Babylon, under King Nebuchadnezzar, about 600 B. C., interpreted a dream which the king had dreamed and in doing so he predicted the time of the establishment of the kingdom of Christ. Nebuchad-nezzar in a dream had seen an image of gold, of silver, of brass, iron and clay. This was an image of man with his head of fine gold, his breast and arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Daniel gives the meaning of the image to represent four kingdoms. They were Babylon, the head of gold, which lasted until 538 B.C. Following Babylon was the Medo- Persian kingdom from 538 B.C. down to 336 B.C., the breast and arms of silver. This kingdom was inferior to Babylon. After that there was to be a third represented by the belly and thighs of brass, and it was to bear rule over all the earth. This was the Macedonian kingdom with Alexander the Great, the head, from 336 B.C. to 146 B.C. Then there followed the Roman Empire. The seven-hilled city was builded and from 146 B.C. to 476 A.D., the Roman Empire ruled the people of the earth. In Daniel 2:44 the statement is made, “And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and stand forever.” Daniel tells when this kingdom would be established, “In the days of those kings.” What kings? The kings of the last nation—Rome. Rome fell in 476 A.D. Therefore, that kingdom of which Daniel prophesied has been established.
Moreover, there was another event that the prophet Joel foretold would occur in this same period “the last days.” Joel said, “And it shall come to pass afterward, (or in the last days—Acts 2:17) that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, etc.” Joel states an event that is to occur in the last days, when we find this event actually happening we shall have the period “the last days,” which is the “last days” or age of God’s kingdom on this earth.
Once more we call attention to Daniel and a vision which he saw. “I saw in the night—visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even unto the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14). This is a vision of Jesus Christ, the Son of man, coming unto God, and receiving a kingdom which shall stand forever, which Daniel saw in 555 B.C. Zechariah gives another prophecy in 520 B.C. of the building of the true temple of Jehovah. “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: and he shall grow up out of his place; and he shall build the temple of Jehovah; even he shall build the temple of Jehovah; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both” (Zeeh. 6:13, 14). Here we learn that the man whose name is the Branch will build the temple of Jehovah and shall sit and rule upon his throne and be a priest upon his throne.
(2) Prophecies in the New Testament concerning the kingdom.
In the year 30 A.D. we read a number of utterances concerning the kingdom (Matthew 3:1-2). “And in those days eometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wil-derness of Judea, saying, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus says, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15). The twelve apostles were commissioned by Jesus, “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of iieaven is at hand.” The seventy disciples were sent out and charged, “say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you” (Luke 10:9). In 31 A.D. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, saying, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth” (Matthew 6:10). On the earth was the place where the kingdom was to come. Again in the year 32 A.D. Jesus made the promise, “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19). It is to be done on earth. How can Peter use the keys of the kingdom to bind on earth if the kingdom itself were not on earth, and that in the lifetime of Peter? This statement shows that the building of the church or kingdom was at that time in the future, but the cir-cumstance that shows it was in the not too far distant future is, that it was to be in the lifetime of the apostle Peter. Shortly after this incident Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, there are some here of them that stand by, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God come with power” (Mark 9:1). The kingdom of God was to come with power in the lifetime of some of those who heard him make this statement. All of those who heard the statement are dead, and therefore the kingdom has come. In the year 33 A.D. Jesus said at the institution of the Supper, “I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come” (Luke 22:18). Also there were some who “thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear” (Luke 19:11); and some, “who also waited for the kingdom of God” (Mark 15:43). Jesus died, was buried and raised from the dead the third day, and was with his disciples about the "space of forty days, and speaking the things con-cerning the kingdom of God.” "They therefore, when they "were come together, asked him, saying. Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father hath set within his own authority. But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be my witness both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:6-8). Jesus had stated prior to his death that some of them should see the kingdom come with power. Just before his ascension he informs them that the power should come with the Holy Spirit. Jesus then ascended into heaven. Ten days later we have the account of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, “And he was numbered with the eleven apostles. And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 1:26 to Acts 2:4). The Holy Spirit came on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus, the power came then, and at that time, that day, the kingdom of God, of heaven, of Christ, was established. Peter preached the first complete gospel sermon and about three thousand were added in that day.
(3) Prophecies fulfilled.
On the day of Pentecost mentioned here in Acts 2:1, the prophecy of Isaiah 2:2 was fulfilled. This was the beginning of the last days, for Peter said, speaking of the coming of the Holy Spirit, “This is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel: “And it
shall come to pass in the last days, saith God.” This was the right time, "the last days,” the required place, "Jerusalem,” and the proper persons, "all nations.” This was in the days of the Roman kings as required by the prophecy of Daniel. Jesus had ascended to the Ancient of days and received the kingdom as Daniel saw in the niglit-visions (Daniel 7:13-14; Acts 1:9). This was the time of the beginning of the reign of Christ, hence his kingdom had its establishment at this time. In that memorable sermon on Pentecost by Peter, he said, "Brethren, I may say unto you freely of the Patriarch David, that he hath died and was buried and his tomb is with us unto this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins he would set one upon his throne, he foreseeing this spake of the resurrection of Christ” (Acts 2:30-31). In verse 34 he states that Christ was at the right hand of God exalted. Since he was raised to sit on David’s throne, and was then exalted at God’s right hand, it is inescapable that Christ sat on David’s throne when he went to heaven. This is in perfect fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah. He was to sit and rule upon his throne at the same time, but he was to be a priest on his throne, but he was made a priest when he ascended to heaven, he could not be a priest on earth (Hebrews 8:4), hence he began to sit on his, David’s, throne, (Isaiah 9:6), when he ascended and sat at God’s right hand. But his reigning was simultaneous with his sitting, therefore his reign started at his exaltation at the right hand of God. This was on Pentecost 33 A.D. at which time the kingdom was established, and people had citizenship in it. Jesus is now “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16); “the ruler of the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:5). “He must reign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be abolished is death” (1 Corinthians 15:25-26). When death is abolished by the resurrection, then the reign of Christ will end, not begin (1 Corinthians 15:24; 1 Corinthians 15:28). After Pentecost there is not a statement in the New Testament pointing to the coming of the church or kingdom in the future, but the kingdom and church are spoken of as in existence in fact. “And he made us to be a kingdom, to be priests unto his God and Father” (Revelation 1:6). “I, John, your brother and partaker with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patience which are in Jesus” (Revelation 1:9).
Paul to the church at Thessalonica, said, “To the end that ye should walk worthily of God, who called you into his own kingdom and glory" (1 Thessalonians 2:12). Again, in Hebrews 12:22-23, Paul writes, “But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,” then in verse 28, he follows this with this truth, “Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” In writing to the church in Colossae, Paul admonishes the saints, “Giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet to be parkers of the inheritance of the saints of light; who delivered us out. of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins” (Colossians 1:12-14). They were in the kingdom. So, Paul preached “the kingdom of God” in Rome (Acts 28:31). Also, Philip the evangelist preached the “good tiding concerning the kingdom of God” and when the people believed they were baptized, The Lord added the saved to the church (Acts 2:47). The church, the kingdom of Christ on earth, was established on Pentecost in 33 A.D. and has been in existence since that time.
If people are bom again now, they are in the kingdom of God for Jesus said, “Except one be bom of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” ( John 3:5). To be bom of water and the Spirit is to enter into the kingdom of God, therefore, if people are bom of water and the Spirit in this age they enter into the kingdom of God, and the kingdom exists in fact.
2. Some consequences to people today if the kingdom is not established.
First, if the kingdom is not established now, in fact, our citizenship is not in the kingdom of Christ, and we do not enjoy the blessings of citizenship in the heavenly, spiritual, kingdom. Ne do not enjoy the re-mission of sins, and we cannot eat the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper was to be eaten in the kingdom, when the kingdom should come, if the kingdom has not been established, we cannot eat the Lord’s Supper. But the church at Corinth had the right to eat the Lord’3 Supper, if they would do so in the proper spirit and manner, therefore the members of the church in Corinth were in the kingdom of God.
Again, if the kingdom is not an established institution, the Gentiles, we who are assembled here, have not, and our fellow-Gentiles through the earth of every century of the Christian era did not have the privilege of seeking the Lord and enjoying salvation. In the council at Jerusalem regarding the question of requiring the Gentiles to be circumcised, as recorded in Acts 15, Peter related how he had been chosen to preach to the Gentiles that they might hear and believe, and Paul and Barnabas told of their work among the Gentiles. Then James made a speech in which he made the statement found in Acts 15:14-17). The expression, “After these days,” is a part of the quotation from Amos the prophet. This does not mean that after the Gentiles had heard the word the tabernacle would be rebuilt, but after the things Amos had
mentioned in his prophecy had occurred. Why was the tabernacle of David to be rebuilt ? “That the residue,” that is the remainder, “of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called.” They could not seek after the Lord until the tabernacle of David was rebuilt. But the Gentiles were already, at this time, seeking after the Lord, and the Lord had directed Peter to go and preach to and baptize them. Therefore, the tabernacle of David was rebuilt. The kingdom was established before Peter preached to the Gentiles as recorded in the 10th chapter of Acts. But remember that if the tabernacle of David is not rebuilt, plainly if the kingdom of Christ is not established, the Gentiles caimot enjoy remission of sins. But Christ commanded that the gospel be preached to every creature, and that repentance and remission of sins be preached in his name among all nations, and promised that, “he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:15). But the great commission is nullified and void if the kingdom is not established. But the commission of Christ is in effect. Gentiles are subjects of it, and may obey the gospel and have their sins remitted. The kingdom is an established fact.
3. Responsibility in the kingdom as a consequence of being citizens of the kingdom.
Citizenship in the kingdom naturally carries with it a certain responsibility and obligation. The first of these duties as a consequence of citizenship in any govern-ment is to support the government. We support the civil government which gives us protection and freedom by paying taxes and obeying the laws of the kingdom. Likewise, we are obligated as citizens of the kingdom of Christ to support it with our money, material possessions and with a life in harmony with the demands of the king. Being a citizen means more than entering the kingdom. One is not an influential citizen for Christ’s kingdom unless he is a good law abiding citizen in the civil kingdom. The best citizen of the spiritual kingdom, however, should be the best citizen who is in the civil kingdom. We render service to the spiritual kingdom and king by serving our fel- lowmen in the civil kingdom. There are some worthwhile citizens found in the civil kingdom who, sad to say, are not in the spiritual kingdom. Some are members of both the spiritual and civil kingdoms who are of little value or worth to either. But the greatest citizen, the one the most useful and helpful, in the civil kingdom, is the one who is likewise a citizen of the spiritual kingdom of Christ and who is incorporating the principles of the kingdom of Christ in his daily life as a citizen of the civil kingdom. The person who receives the respect, esteem and honor of his fellowman is the one who exhibits in daily life the characteristics of the head of the spiritual kingdom—Christ Jesus, our Lord. Poor living, living according to the principles of Satan’s kingdom, hurts the cause of Christ more than even poor preaching in the pulpits. The demands of the spiritual kingdom are set forth in the following scriptures (Micah 6:8; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Titus 2:11-12; Matthew 7:12; 2 Peter 3:11).
Let Christians resolve to support the kingdom of Christ with their lives, and money, as well.
Another responsibility involved in citizenship in the kingdom of Christ, as in a literal, material kingdom, is to defend the kingdom against all enemies. It is the duty of the citizen of the earthly kingdom to defend the government against its avowed enemies, saboteurs, fifth columnists, law violators, and all enemies subversive of the best interest of the nation. In the spiritual kingdom we must defend the kingdom against the enemies of the truth, the avowed enemies, saboteurs, fifth columnists, and ungodly. Jude admonishes, “Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3). Paul gives the nature of our weapons, the armor of our warfare, and recommends the wearing of the armor, and the use of the weapons against the enemy (1 Corinthians 10:3-6; Ephesians 6:10-18). The kingdom of Christ must be defended against false teachers of false doctrines from within or from without (2 Timothy 4:1-7; Acts 20:28-32). A third obligation resting upon the citizens of the spiritual kingdom is to extend the kingdom; that is, to gain new converts, and take new strongholds, from Satan’s kingdom or territory. Jesus, the king, gave the orders for enlarging the kingdom when he said to his apostles, his ambassadors, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Again, when he instructed his disciples, “The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2). Paul, by the Holy Spirit, said to Timothy, “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly, but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:14-15).
Again, he makes known the plan of God to the faith-ful in Christ Jesus at Ephesus concerning the work of the church, “To the intent that now unto the princi-palities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 2:10-11); “Unto him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph, 3:21). In writing to the church of the Thessa lonians, Paul stated, “For from you hath sounded forth the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and in A chain, but in every place your faith to Godward is gone forth" (1 Thessalonians 2:8). The Philippians were “seen as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life,” “in the midst of a crooked and perverse genera-tion.” So, as citizens in the kingdom, we should, “Go out in the waving fields and gather some sheaves today.”
Since the kingdom is established in fact, people may enjoy citizenship in it in fact. Becoming a Christian, a citizen of the kingdom in fact is a serious matter. We understand this idea in matters of citizenship with reference to civil governments, in contracts, and member-ship in fraternal orders. Being a Christian in fact, is more than being a Christian in judgment and heart. Is one a citizen of the United States because he has decided it is the greatest nation on the earth, and because his sympathies, and desires are all with the U. S., if being a foreigner here, he has not complied with the laws of naturalization? Certainly not. Is a man the husband of a woman, though he has decided she is the only one for him, and his sympathies are with her, when he has not taken the vows of matrimony? No. Then from the same reasoning one is not a citizen of the kingdom of Christ if he has not been “born again" by complying with the conditions of Christian citizenship. Again, we do not think it unreasonable for a king or government to demand that one comply with certain laws of naturalization to become a citizen. Then why think it unreasonable that Christ demands compliance with certain regulations in becom-ing a citizen of his kingdom?
Finally, one may have a nominal faith in God, the Bible, in Jesus Christ, in the church and benevolent works, which are the fruits of Christianity, but refuse to comply with the laws of adoption into God’s family and never become a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. One may partake of and enjoy many of the blessings resulting from Christianity and yet be lost, for not obeying the gospel of the Son of God, and becoming a citizen in the established kingdom, becoming a Chris-tian, in fact. May those who hear the gospel, or those who learn it, by reading a gospel sermon, obey that gospel and become heirs of eternal life, citizens of the kingdom of heaven, the church of Christ on earth. One must believe in Jesus as the Christ, must repent of his sins, confess his faith in Christ, and be buried with him in baptism and raised to walk in newness of life, to obtain citizenship in the kingdom of Christ.
III. Conclusion.
Kingdoms of the earth rise to power of a world-wide extent, sway the scepter of authority over the peoples of the earth, and then slowly, but surely, yield to the mutations of time and perish from the earth. Lordly Babylon lifted her proud head to rule the people of earth, but then, in her fatness and revelry was over-thrown and soon forgotten. Imperial Rome raised her head sublime and from the seven-hilled city ruled the nations of the earth, but then crumbled and ceased to be. Napoleon, with his ambitions of world-wide domin-ion, though conqueror for a time, yielded to time, his kingdom toppled and he, the man of destiny, became an exile on a lonely isle. Kingdoms of this earth pass away, they cannot endure; but the kingdom of Christ shall endure forever and shall not pass away.