THE THREE KINGDOMS
It appears that most that skip through the Bible scriptures miss an awful lot of what is being told in them. For an example I give here the three kingdoms which are normally seen as one by most.
First is the Kingdom of heaven. This kingdom was for Israel and not anyone else according to the Bible scriptures. The first mention of a kingdom of the LORD (=Adonim, The Ruler).
2Ch_2:12 Huram said moreover, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who has given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that might build an house for the LORD, and a house for his kingdom.
The very next time that kingdom is used is in the latter part of the Old Testament in Mathew 3:2. Yes, the Old Testament; for the New Testament had not been established. Now continuing with the first mention of the kingdom is read from Mathew again the following.
Mat 3:1-12 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent you: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
For this is He that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of the Lord, make His paths ready (straight).
And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when He saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, He said unto them, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Bring forth therefore fruits meant for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which brings not forth good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that comes after Me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and Hith fire: Whose fan is in His hand, and he will throughly purge His floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
The Baptism of Jesus
Mat 3:13-16 Then came Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of Him. But John forbid Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of You, and You come to me?
And Jesus answering said unto Him, Permit it to be so now: for thus it becomes us to fulfill All righteousness. Then he permitted Him. And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
The Temptation of Jesus
Mat 4:1-11 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward hungered.
1st. Temptation
And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If You be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. [Made for consumption]
But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
2nd. Temptation
Then the devil took Him up into The holy city, and set Him on a pinnacle of The Temple, And said unto Him, If You be the Son of God, cast Yourself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning You: and in their hands they shall lift You up, lest at any time You dash Your foot against a stone. And Jesus said unto Him, It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord Your God.
3rd. Temptation
Again, the devil took Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And said unto him, All these things will I give You, if You will fall down and worship Me.
Then said Jesus unto Him, Get You away from here, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship the Lord Your God, and Him only shall You serve.
Then the devil left him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
Mat 4:12- Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
Gen 1:3-5 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
THE FIRST KINGDOM
Mat 4:17-20 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus Calls the First Disciples.
And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And He said unto Them, Follow Me, and I will make You fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him.
Mat 4:21 And going on from there, He saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John His brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed Him.
Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds
Mat 4:23-24 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto Him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatics, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
Mat 7:21 Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name? And in Your name have cast out devils? And in Your name done many wonderful works?
Mat 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Mat 10:7-15 And as You go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Heal the sick
Cleanse the lepers
Raise the dead
Cast out devils
Freely You have received freely give
Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. And when You come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Persecution Will Come
Mat 10:16-25 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what You shall speak.For it is not You that speaks, but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in You.
Mat 10:2-25 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And You shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endures to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee You into another: for truly I say unto you, You shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
Have No Fear
Mat 10:26-39 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach You upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear You not therefore, You are of more value than many sparrows.
Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.
Not Peace, but a Sword
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Rewards
Mat 10:40 He that receives you receives Me, and he that receives Me receives Him that sent me. He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
Ezek_2:3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
Mat_13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:47-48 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
Mat 16:18-19 And I say also unto You, That You art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
NOTE: Notice that the rock is not Peter, the Rock is Jesus Christ. His kingdom is not built upon a man but upon Jesus, the Savior of Israel. How could the spiritual kingdom be built upon an ordinary man?
Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever You shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever You shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Mat_23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For You shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for You neither go in yourselves, neither suffer You them that are entering to go in.
From all the above verses it is clearly seen that the kingdom of heaven was for the Jews and not the Gentile nations. After the kingdom of heaven is preached to the Jews, the program changes when John the Baptist is killed. It is important to notice that Jesus did not call His disciples until after John's death. Before that the program was different.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
Mar 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent you, and believe the gospel.
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
Mar 1:16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come you after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
And immediately They forsook their nets, and followed Him.
And when He had gone a little further from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And immediately He called Them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after Him.
NOTE: They knew that they were do be called by Him, for they simply left and went with Him. Here it seems is predestination. Are we all predestined?
Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit
Mar 1:21-28 And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the sabbath day He entered into the synagogue, and taught. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for He taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with You, You Jesus of Nazareth? Are You come to destroy us? I know You who You are, the Holy One of God.
And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold your peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? What new doctrine is this? for with authority commands He even the unclean spirits, and they do obey Him. And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.
Mar_10:23 -25 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto His disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again, and said unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Luke_4:43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
Luke_8:1 And it came to pass afterward, that He went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
Luke_9:27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.
Luke 13:27-30 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence you are; depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.
Lament over Jerusalem
Luke 13:34-35 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killed the prophets, and stoned them that are sent unto You; how often would I have gathered Your children together, as a hen does gather her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when You shall say, Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.
Here then is seen how the program changed from the kingdom of heaven to the kingdom of God. The first kingdom was for Israel only, the second for all of the Jews which accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. The first was nation wide, the second was for only those who chose to follow after Jesus Christ.
Now there is the third kingdom which is for the most part, overlooked, That third kingdom is the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Eph 5:5 For this You know, that no harlot monger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Heb_1:8 But unto the Son He said, Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scripture of Your kingdom.
Here are the three kingdoms, each having their own requirements. Each one of these kingdoms occurred in the time set for them. Which kingdom do you desire to be in today? Which of the requirements do you choose. Do you desire to be Jew and do the requirements of the Jews, or to be a son of God and follow after the doctrine of the Kingdom of Christ Jesus?
Andy Centek
