A.      We concluded the previous lesson by stating that the kingdom of God is better understood as a state of being rather than a place to go.

B.      In our present lesson, let us build on this understanding by considering the establishment of the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

II.      WHEN WAS THE KINGDOM OF GOD ESTABLISHED?

A.      In the previous lesson, we briefly noticed the prophecy of Daniel concerning the kingdom that God would establish during the days of the Romans.  Let us consider a more thorough explanation of that prophecy.

                                                             1.      Daniel was among those taken in captivity from Judah to Babylon in 586 B.C.  It was a short time later when Daniel gave the prophecy of the kingdom by interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.

                                                             2.      King Nebuchadnezzar had not told his dream to anyone, but God revealed the dream to Daniel, and Daniel proved his insight by telling it to Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2:5-6, 19, 30).

a.       Nebuchadnezzar had seen in his dream a great statue comprised of various materials: a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay (Dan. 2:31-33).

b.       Nebuchadnezzar had also seen a stone strike the statue and crush all of its materials into chaff so that no trace of them remained.  The stone then became a great mountain that filled the earth (Dan. 2:34-35).

                                                             3.      Daniel then gave the interpretation of the King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream by the revelation of God.

a.       The parts of the statue represented four kingdoms (Dan. 2:36-43).

i.         The head of gold represented Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon.

ii.        The silver and bronze represented two other kingdoms that would follow Babylon in ruling the earth (known world).

iii.      The iron represented a fourth kingdom that would be so strong that it would crush the others.  However, it would become a divided kingdom (iron and clay).

b.       History reveals the fulfillment of the figures of the statue’s parts in four world empires.

i.         The gold represented Babylon as Daniel said plainly.

ii.        The silver represented the Medo-Persians who conquered Babylon in 539 B.C. (see Dan. 5).

iii.      The bronze represented the Greeks who ruled from about 336 B.C. (Alexander the Great) to about 146 B.C. (see Dan. 11:2-3).

iv.      The iron represented the Roman Empire, which later in its history divided into western and eastern empires (iron and clay).

c.        The stone that grew into a mountain represented the kingdom of God, which would be established during the days of the kingdom of iron, the Roman Empire (Dan. 2:44-45).

i.         Daniel said, “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever” (Dan. 2:44).

ii.        Notice that Daniel began his explanation and interpretation of the dream by telling Nebuchadnezzar that God had revealed “what will take place in the latter days” (Dan. 2:28 – compare this with Isa. 2:2-4; Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:16-36).

B.      Now notice what the New Testament says about the timeframe for the establishment of God’s kingdom.

                                                             1.      Notice first of all that all of the events of the New Testament occurred during the time of the Roman Empire.  Consider this in light of the prophecy of Daniel 2.

                                                             2.      Consider that both John the baptist and Jesus preached the message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2; 4:17).

a.       “At hand” means “near” or “soon.”  Notice Christ’s words in Mark 1:15 – “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

b.       The Lord also sent others to preach that the kingdom was at hand, such as the apostles in the limited commission (Matt. 10:7) and the seventy (Luke 10:9,11).

                                                             3.      On one occasion, the Lord said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power” (Mark 9:1).  This gave a definite timeframe for the kingdom’s establishment (within that generation in the first century).

                                                             4.       Later, the New Testament speaks of the kingdom of God as having been established.

a.       Peter preached that Jesus had ascended to the right hand of God and had taken His seat on the throne of David (Acts 2:22-36).  The Lord thus assumed His place as King over the kingdom of God.

b.       Paul told the Colossian Christians that they had been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of the Son of God (Col. 1:13).  Obviously, the kingdom of God had to be established for them to be in it.

c.        John wrote that God “has made us to be a kingdom” (Rev. 1:6; 5:10).

                                                             5.      Therefore, the New Testament confirms that the eternal kingdom of God was established in the first century during the Roman Empire as foretold through Daniel.

III.   HOW WAS THE KINGDOM OF GOD ESTABLISHED?

A.      The establishment of the kingdom of God was concurrent with the coming of the King, Jesus Christ.  Consider the evidence of the prophecies.

                                                             1.      Jacob prophesied that the scepter (symbolic of kingly authority) would not depart from Judah, whom he called “a lion’s whelp” (Gen. 49:9-10).  According to Revelation 5:5, Jesus is the Lion (symbolic of royalty) from the tribe of Judah.

                                                             2.      In a prophecy concerning Solomon and the temple on one level and Christ and His kingdom on another level, God told David that He would establish the kingdom of David’s descendant forever (2Sam. 7:4-17).  About 1,000 years later, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy regarding the Christ and the kingdom (Ps. 132:11; Acts 2:30-32).

                                                             3.      Isaiah prophesied that the kingdom would be established by the birth of a child who would rule from the throne of David (Isa. 9:6-7).  Micah prophesied that this child would be born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2).  Jesus was the child that fulfilled these prophecies (Luke 1:32-33; 2:11; Acts 2:29-36).

B.      The borders of the kingdom of God are expanded by the preaching of the word of God, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the message about the coming of the King and His kingdom.

                                                             1.      Jesus described this in the parable of the sower (Matt. 13:1-23).

a.       The word of God (“word of the kingdom” – v. 19) is spread to many hearts by the preaching of the gospel, and it bears fruit in those who hear it and understand it.

b.       Remember how the Lord said, “The kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:21).  It is the word of God that produces the kingdom within the hearts of those who hear and believe.

                                                             2.      Notice in the book of Acts that gospel preaching was the same as preaching about the kingdom (Acts 8:12; 19:8; 28:23, 31).  To teach about Christ and His church is to teach about the King and His kingdom.

C.      Like a small spark that starts a great fire, the kingdom of God has grown from small to great.

                                                             1.      Recall how the stone in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream grew into a great mountain that filled the earth (Dan. 2:35, 44-45).  This was symbolic of how the kingdom of God would begin small and grow into a worldwide spiritual dominion.

                                                             2.      Jesus described this growth in the parable of the mustard seed (Matt. 13:31-32).  He compared the kingdom of heaven to a tiny mustard seed that grew into a great tree.

                                                             3.      Jesus also compared the growth of the kingdom to the effect of leaven (Matt. 13:33).  Just as a small amount of leaven affects a whole lump of dough, so also a small spark of the kingdom of heaven has affected the whole world.

                                                             4.      Indeed, the kingdom of God started as small as it possibly could, which was from one man, Jesus Christ, and then it has proceeded through the apostles and all believers to spread around the world.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      It was the coming of Christ and His work of salvation that established the kingdom of heaven within the hearts of His believers.  It is the message of these things that continues to increase the kingdom to this day.

B.      In the next lesson, we will consider how one may enter into the glorious kingdom of God.