"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2:14 NIV).

It stands behind every utopian dream; every desire for social justice; all longing for relational harmony, material prosperity and inner contentment. The kingdom of God is what we were made for: the Creator-Redeemer extending His loving rule over all of creation and through all creation-- "peace on earth and good will towards all men" .

Ever since Eden, where humankind opted for autonomous living apart from active submission to God, human history has been a flawed quest to recapture that forfeited destiny of fulfillment. Instead of grasping the kingdom of God, we have built false kingdoms of nationalistic and technological pride, sectarianism of all kinds, humanistic and mythological world-views that make no room for the rule of the self-revealed God of history and Scripture. Our hearts remain 'unquieted' and longing for what we were made to experience, but were too proud to receive. As in Babylon of old, humanity's efforts to express its creative and governmental instincts have been tainted by a desire to make a name for itself (Genesis 11:4) rather than bring glory to the Creator (Romans 1:21). The carnal nature of man has been subject to the 'dominion of darkness', the rule of Satan, the god of this present age despite all of his attempt to rise above it (2Corinthians 4:4).

Meanwhile God has been initiating His redemptive mission to restore humanity to His rule. Jesus declared that the kingdom of God has been forcefully advancing through history. Human beings have been attempting to grasp it with their carnal nature still subject to Satan (Matthew 11:12). The result has been that God's kingdom-initiatives have suffered resistance, counterattack and counterfeit movements. The kingdom of God ultimately breaks through in Jesus. God's rule is perfectly apprehended and expressed there. Through Christ, God's rule is both demonstrated and extended. Just as the law concluded that all humanity is subject to sin, Jesus, the Living Torah (the perfect articulation of the spirit and letter of the law) proves that we cannot be free to express the righteousness God requires unless we are released from subjection to the strong man (Satan), redeemed from the curse of the Law and restored to function in the power of resurrection life. This is why Jesus came: to bind the strong man, to destroy the works of the evil one and seek and save the lost (Hebrews 2:14-15; Matthew 12:29; 1 John 3:8; Luke 19:10).

Why don't we see the perfection of God's rule today? Where on earth do we find lasting peace and selflessly motivated good will expressed towards men? The kingdom cannot be received on our own terms. The carnal nature of flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Though the full price of our redemption was paid by Jesus' substitutionary sacrifice on the cross and Satan was overpowered and struck with what will prove to be a fatal wound when Jesus broke the chains of death, the hearts of men and women must go through the process of repentance and faith to be born again with a new spiritual nature. This spiritual work begins when the gospel is received in faith, effecting a change from the inside out, that will ultimately effect all of life.

The perfection of God's rule will be revealed when the Lord Jesus Christ returns. For those of us who have been released from the kingdom of darkness and born from above of a new nature, the kingdom is both present and future. The kingdom is both 'now' and 'not yet'.

The mystery of this 'in-between age' is revealed in the parables of Matthew 13 to those who have a heart to enter into the meaning of it. The kingdom begins with our personal receptivity to the Word, as illustrated in 'The Parable of the Sower, the Seed and the Soils'. God's Word is a powerful life-giving seed that reproduces the life of Christ in the hearts of those who make room for His rule. Those born of this seed inwardly become children of the kingdom and eventually manifest the fruit of a Christ-like character and a Spirit-empowered ministry. They have a strategic role to play in reaching the lost and edifying the church that the Lord is building. Although they may not be obviously distinguishable from those who only espouse religion and good works, their authenticity will be proved at the end of the age when the genuine wheat will be separated from the counterfeit tares. Presently we are not to despise the potential of our tiny (mustard-seed) initiatives to advance God's kingdom purposes. We are to be patient because the rule of God, effective now in our hearts, will one day effect the whole earth, even as leaven effects a whole bowl of dough. Although the kingdom of God has come among men in humble and hidden form, it is a prize (a treasure, and a pearl) worth the investment of all we have and all that we are. At the end of the age, this treasure will be seen for what it is! Those who live for the kingdom of God will not be disappointed! A great apocalyptic event of judgment is coming, and we do not want to be disqualified for the prize through our carelessness or negligence (1Corinthians 9:27).

Let us be sure today we are engaged in the work of the kingdom! Pray as Jesus taught us: "May your kingdom come and your will be done, (in my home, in my relationships, in my work, in my workplace, in my recreation, in my community, in our schools, in our hospitals, in our fellowships, in our governments) on earth as it is in heaven."

And He shall reign forever and ever,