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What is God's Kingdom?
- Thread starter rusra02
- Start date
It's the totality of all that is His.
oldbadger
Skanky Old Mongrel!
Yeshu was speaking to his own, the working Jewish people, who had lost their Lord's kingdom, rules, laws and culture to a pack of aristo semi-jewish quisling traitors, who were sucking up to the invaders, taking for themselves and growing fat at the expense of the common people. Over taxation by client kings, loss of field borders as common land for food, loss of widow's rights. Oh... the whole list of crimes...
If they would only unite together as one, they could win it all back, just as their Lord had layed down.
And so.....
'Let your kingdom come!'
'Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom'.
I believe the Lord's kingdom was (first) Galilee and (second) Palestine.
Walkntune
Well-Known Member
His will on earth as it is in heaven.
psychoslice
Veteran Member
The kingdom is your higher Consciousness, its not your mind, or self consciousness, when we are in the kingdom we see all as One, we are now perceiving through the Christ Consciousness.
Walkntune
Well-Known Member
If you read scriptures under this light you may be amazed at the real truth that is revealed without the influence of the western religious church and traditions.
JayJayDee
Avid JW Bible Student
rusra02 said:
Good question. :yes:
Additionally, what dream did Daniel interpret in the account in Daniel ch 2?
The King of Babylon had a divinely inspired dream which he could not remember and which none of his conjurers could reveal. It was interpreted by Daniel according to what was revealed to him by God.
In the dream, the king saw the march of world powers in the form of an immense image made of various metals in descending order. Beginning with Babylon Daniel foretold all the future kingdoms that would interact with God's people down through time. In the days of the last ruling king, Daniel spoke of a huge stone crushing all these earthly kingdom's out of existence and replacing them with a kingdom that was to become earth's only rulership for all time to come.
And in the days of those kings [the last ruling king represented by the feet of the dream image] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite" (Dan 2:44)
This is what God's kingdom will do......so what is it? And How does it "come"?
How are all earthly kingdoms "crushed" by it?
How does it bring them all to an end and stand in their place "to times indefinite"?
We need to know the answers to these questions.....
psychoslice
Veteran Member
Yes you are so right, its a big deference and makes a lot more sense, well at least spiritually
.
Plato
Member
'MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS EARTH'...quote of Jesus. We are all mortal. In my belief and by the evidence... we are all God's children.....and we are 'spirits (or souls) in mortal bodies. Every single one of us was born...to die later. All and every human dies, your lives on this planet are limited...All of you...reading this now ...'will'... die. God's Kingdom is what.....comes next...for your spirit. Jesus I think was talking about the 'kingdom' we spend are existence in after the few lucky decades we have as humans on this earth, and I think he made this clear in the Gospels.
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johnhanks
Well-Known Member
Wishful thinking.
JayJayDee
Avid JW Bible Student
Actually, "Jesus answered My kingdom is not of this world (kosmos).....my kingdom is not from here
John 18:36 MOUNCE - Jesus answered,
The world (kosmos) is not the earth, but the world of humankind. Jesus said his kingdom was not from humans inhabiting this earth, but was heavenly. Even though he was human for this part of his assignment, Jesus was not from the kosmos either.
He came from heaven and returned there.
May we have scripture to back this assertion? We are indeed mortal, but where does it say that 'we are spirits in mortal bodies'?
The Bible does not convey the idea that "spirits" and "souls" are the same thing at all.
Nor does it convey the idea that spirits and souls continue to live after death.
Spirit means "breath", so the 'spirit' in man is the breath that keeps him alive. It is the activation of the breathing process that makes one a "soul". Breathing is the first thing humans do at birth. Souls breathe.
Adam was not "given" a soul when God created him, but he "became" a soul when God 'breathed the spirit (or breath) of life' into him.
When breathing stops, souls die. The sin we inherited from Adam makes death inevitable. (Ezek 18:4) But we do not continue to live on after death in another form, in another place. Can you show me a scripture that says so?
This may have been what you were taught, but it is not what the Bible teaches.
We all die because of inheriting sin and death, but the kingdom is not what 'comes next'. There is no immortal part of man that survives death. Life does not continue in a conscious existence.
Solomon wrote...."For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. 6 Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the grave) where you are going." (Eccl 9:5, 6, 10)
You call life in this sin-riddled strife-torn world "lucky"? Seriously? Can I ask what bubble you live in? :faint:
Why did God create humans in the first place? Where did he put them? What kind of life would they have lived if no one had disobeyed God's command? What was the "tree of life"? (Gen 3:22-24) Why was access to it denied?
You see....no eating of the forbidden fruit would have meant no sin. No sin would have meant no death. (Rom 5:12) No death would have meant that the human race needed no savior, no sacrifice, no kingdom and no mediator. Adam's sin precipitated the need for all of those things.
Have you never imagined what would have happened if Adam and his wife had simply told the devil to get lost?
What do you think?
JayJayDee
Avid JW Bible Student
I love the way you love chinu.Its... LOVE, its everywhere, even in this question of yours
Love is the basis for everything Jehovah does. He is patient and kind and long suffering with us sinful humans, but his patience has limits as Peter stated...
"Jehovah is not slow respecting his promise, as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with you because he does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance." (2 Pet 3:9)
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
If only we would all listen and do as the Creator asks of us. :sad: There are two outcomes outlined by Peter and John here. One is repentance and salvation....the other is disobedience and destruction.
It is God's love of righteousness that impels him to eliminate those who willfully practice unrighteousness.
It is God's kingdom that will reconcile sinful humans back into a beautiful relationship with their Father. That is what Adam lost...that is what Jesus came to give us back.
I think it refers to a state of being, a state of connection with all that is, which is a state of peace and well-being -- both within a person and among people.
I think the additional teaching that "the kingdom of heaven is within you" is a teaching that if enough people understand and apply to themselves would tend to create a community of peaceful living -- because people at peace with themselves do not tend to attack others. Peace may be found internally, even among the constantly changing and sometimes chaotic situations of life.
IMO, seeking first the kingdom of heaven establishes an orientation point from which to view the situations of life, and helps in establishing personal priorities that include and support the well-being of all others. Once one has established that, what one desires while in that place will be in harmony with one's own well-being, and that of others. So, it is then rather "safe" to desire and to follow one's heart's desire, because one would only desire (in that state) what actually serves love and well-being of all.
As I see it, there is often a danger present within the subject of desire because so many desires can be the product of the ego, and of attachment. I think there is an intensity of energy from the heart center that may fuel our desires. If we fuel desires that spring from the ego, it may likely produce negative situations. Therefore, in my understanding this idea is part of an instruction that one should seek first the kingdom of heaven, and then the desires of the heart will be fulfilled (not the desires of the ego, which is usually agenda driven) but one must first drop away the desires of the ego by establishing a connection with the "kingdom", with God, internally.
Additionally, as an example of the difference of what I mean, I think the ego is likely to view desires as a list of particulars, which may create the need for an agenda -- like "I want this thing, or THAT person, etc." The experience one may really be seeking, if viewed from the heart, otoh, may simply be a desire to experience abundance in life, or a loving personal relationship. There is a sense of peace that comes with approaching life with a connection to the "kingdom" because one is not to attached to the form associated with the desire, and is likely to be open to may various ways in which the desire may manifest within one's life, within a natural flow of life -- rather than trying to force one's will in a specific situation.
The desire leads a person to obtain what is desired. The ego which is selfish will win every time if the person has not put God's will ahead of her own will. Who is more important? God is. What is more important? God's way is most important.
God's Kingdom means God Rule. Personally it means allowing your heart to be rewritten with The God Rule.
Hebrews 8:10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
What will it do? I don't know. When a person has accomplished the replacing of God's will for one's own will, it is then, God leads the person. To be claiming you know how God is leading everyone is to be god imo.
For me it is by Yehoshua Messiah that I am led. How do I know God does not lead by anyone else? I don't. Yehoshua Messiah is the one who will succeed. He is The Kingdom.
(my highlighting)
Do you think I am doing that?
I'm not sure that I am interpreting your response correctly, so I just want to check with you. It seems to me that you are disagreeing with me, and I think you and I are essentially saying the same thing with different words -- that when one, and one's will is in harmony with the will of God, one will be lead to desire and act in accordance with that will.
Thank you. It is what forum should be.
The first pragraph is about what you said. Yes, we agree. (I do not think you are doing that) Then I went off on a tangent.
There are teachers who claim Kingdom rights. I believe the only one with Kingdom rights is Jesus.