The Kingdom and the Church

The Kingdom of Heaven /Kingdom of God vrs. The Church

A. The Kingdom is the authority of God
Kingdom 932 basileia {bas-il-i'-ah}
from 935; TDNT - 1:579,97; n f
AV - kingdom (of God) 71, kingdom (of heaven) 32, kingdom (general or evil) 20, (Thy or Thine) kingdom 6, His kingdom 6, the kingdom 5, (My) kingdom 4, misc 18; 162
1) royal power, kingship, dominion, rule
The one thing, which we see we understand the term “kingdom” is power. The king rules his territory. Many Christian’s think that the kingdom is referring to the people. Therefore they believe that the people have the authority of God. This is referred to today as theocracy.


The Church is the people under God’s authority
Church 1577 ekklesia {ek-klay-see'-ah}
from a compound of 1537 and a derivative of 2564; TDNT - 3:501,394; n f
AV - church 115, assembly 3; 118
1) a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly
The church literally means assembly or congregation. It is the people under the authority. The word “church” is not the most accurate translation. It comes from the word “kirke” meaning circle of the earth. His comes from the pagan worship in a circle open facility like that of Stone Hinge. The Greek word ecclesia is best-translated assembly or congregation. The first Greek to English translation by William Tyndale used the word congregation instead of church.


B. The Kingdom is invisible
Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
The church is to be visible
Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
This is the heart of the issue, which we must understand. The Kingdom is invisible and we do not need to build it. The church is visible and people need to be visibly gathered.
Too many religious people want to build an earthly kingdom while neglecting the church the visible body of Christ. If the church is Christ body it must therefore be physical.


C. The Kingdom is in heaven
Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

The church is here on earth
Joh 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.



D. The Kingdom will take over
Psa 2:5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Psa 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Psa 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Psa 2:8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Psa 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.


The church is under the authority of Christ
Eph 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.



E. The Kingdom is coming
Act 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
Act 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

The churches are already here.
Act 9:31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.


F. The Kingdom was preach by John the Baptist
Mat 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
Mat 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The Church was built by Christ
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.


G. The Kingdom of God will rule all
Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

The church was adopted as royalty of the kingdom.
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
However we must be careful to remember that we do not have the inheritance of this kingdom yet..
Gal 4:1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
Though we do have authority on the spiritual plane.
Gal 4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Gal 4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
Gal 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Luk 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Luk 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
Notice, also that our authority is only maintained in the humility of our need for salvation.




Niocolaitanes
Rev 2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.

Rev 2:15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.

There is a group of false teachers within the New Testament Church known as the nicolaitanes. Many scholars believe they must have antinomians because they appear in judgement next to those who teach the doctrine of balaam, which is antinomian. However, the sentence structure in Rev. 2:16 tells us that this group is separate, connected only by the fact that they were false teachers. So what did the nicolaitanes teach?
By their name we have the first clue. Nicolaitanes means “overcomers of the people.”
Ephesus was against the nicolaitanes. Their virtue was testing and finding false apostles. So it would seem likely that they hated the nicolaitanes because they were a group claiming apostolic authority.
Pergamos was a group that accepted nicolaitanes. Their weakness was allowing others to slip in orthodoxy in order to focus on persevering in faith.
So the Nicolaitanes were probably a group of professors in Christianity who claimed apostolic authority and took advantage of secular Christians becoming a type of priestly class.
It is the glorified Jesus Christ himself who hates the Nicolaitanes. The word for hate is “miseo” hate.
3404 miseo {mis-eh'-o}
from a primary misos (hatred); TDNT - 4:683,597; v
AV - hate 41, hateful 1; 42
1) to hate, pursue with hatred, detest 2) to be hated, detested

This an incredible statement since the Author of Revelation John elsewhere states that God is Love.
Why is this so?
Because…
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exo 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
Deu 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

God’s church does not take authority.
Luk 22:25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.
Luk 22:26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
Luk 22:27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.
Luk 22:28 Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.
Luk 22:29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;
Luk 22:30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Here we see the world system operates on philosophy of temporal power. Those who support the system are called “benefactors”.
benefactors 2110 euergetes {yoo-erg-et'-ace}
from 2095 and the base of 2041; TDNT - 2:654,251; n m
AV - benefactor 1; 1
1) benefactor 2) a title of honour, conferred on such as had done their country service, and upon princes, equivalent to Soter, Pater Patriae
This empirical system of top down authority is opposed to the Kingdom of Christ. Therefore the church must be the servants of all in obedience to the Kingdom.