GOOD NEWSLETTER
Number 423 July 11, 2012
POINTS ON THE COMING OF GOD'S KINGDOM
"For truly: I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it," Matthew 13:17.
To every Jew, the KINGDOM was a huge Promise. And, as we study about the Jews – especially, the leaders, we see them looking for the Messiah, all right; but, they wanted the kingdom established at His first coming. TheKingdom is coming for sure. We pray for it's coming (See Mt. 6:9) but, men had better study it out and be ready. Hence, all points of God's kingdom are very important to know. The coming kingdom must become as huge toevery believer, as it was for every Jew.Our LORD offers much about the KINGDOM in His parable lessons of Matthew 13. Here, we have to keep in mind that Jesus is teaching about what occurs at the time of setting the kingdom up; not about being saved fromcondemnation (from Hell). Here's why: Notice verses 1-9, as the Master teaches the multitudes. Then, when the disciples asked, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" Jesus said, "To you it has been granted to know themysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted."Therefore, Matthew 13:17 is extremely important; for, Jesus explains that one may lose, while another may gain, depending upon what they do with His kingdom truth. While, the Jews doubted, His disciples were trying to learnabout the kingdom, all the time. They listened to the parables and His explanation of what they meant. Matthew 13 has to be READ very carefully by every serious DISCIPLE.Here's a couple of points to consider:1. The kingdom is both spiritual and PHYSICAL. This was a big problem with the Jews. They wanted a kingdom established, immediately. And, that remains a problem today with the Jews that are alive. They don't trust inJesus today because, they say, Jesus failed to established the kingdom. We have to receive Him before we will ever get what He is saying. Thus, it is our newborn spirits that we receive His teachings by faith; something thatthe nation failed to see. If they only had learned the parable of the sower; as well as, the other PARABLES within Matthew 13, the Jews would have understood that the kingdom is a SPIRITUAL ONE. It is received in spirit whenwe believe in Him, by faith. We get the new body at the time of the resurrection, when Jesus comes for us. Amen!!! We do know that some of the Jews believed and we rejoice in that fact.2. And, according to the parables, Jesus could not establish the kingdom at His first advent because sin had to be paid for before the Lord could bless mankind. We do see that the Kingdom was promised to Abraham and hisdescendants, according to Genesis 12, 15, 17. In the Kingdom truth, we learned that the Kingdom is based upon God's promise to Abraham; and, that it was fulfilled by Jesus. In Ephesians 3:16, we see this, clearly. Here, the Wordsays that Jesus was the Seed of Abraham; that He removed the Law by fulfilling it. After the Law was removed; that is, when it was paid by the blood of Jesus, the inheritance became available by all who trust in Jesus Christ andHis FINISHED WORK. It is in Christ that we gentiles become the descendants of Abraham (See Eph. 3:15-18). We are heirs according to the promise. But, faith goes on after we believe in Jesus. We see the importance of serving inMatthew 19:27-30. Here, Jesus tells of THE REWARD OF BEING A DISCIPLE; which, comes at the time of the REGENERATION, "...when the Son of man will sit on His glorious throne." Jesus goes on to say, "you also shall sit upontwelve thrones, judging the tribes of Israel."