Friday: Further Study (The Kingdom of God)
Of the poor in spirit Jesus says,
-Ellen G. White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 8.Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
This kingdom is not, as Christ’s hearers had hoped, a temporal and earthly dominion. Christ was opening to men the spiritual kingdom of His love, His grace, His righteousness. The ensign of the Messiah’s reign is distinguished by the likeness of the Son of man. His subjects are the poor in spirit, the meek, the persecuted for righteousness’ sake. The kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Image © Jim Work from GoodSalt.com
We are now in God’s workshop. Many of us are rough stones from the quarry. But as we lay hold upon the truth of God, its influence affects us. It elevates us and removes from us every imperfection and sin, of whatever nature. Thus we are prepared to see the King in His beauty and finally to unite with the pure and heavenly angels in the kingdom of glory. It is here that this work is to be accomplished for us, here that our bodies and spirits are to be fitted for immortality.
-Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, pp. 355,356.
Discussion Questions:
- Physicist Steven Weinberg, talking about the cosmos, famously (or infamously) wrote:
The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless.
His words made quite a stir, and he eventually tried to soften what he said. Some, though, didn’t see any reason for the controversy about the universe not having a point.Why should it have a point?
asked Harvard astronomer Martha Geller about the universe.What point? It’s just a physical system, what point is there? I
ve always been puzzled by that statement. The universe, just a system, and a pointless one at that? As a Christian awaiting the second coming of Jesus and the full and complete establishment of the kingdom of God, how would you respond to the ideas behind these statements? - Every generation of Christians has expected Jesus to return in their time, and some pastors/evangelists have set specific dates. But each has failed. What is wrong with time setting?
(18)
Time setting seems arbitrary when life is so fragile. I myself don't see the point in focussing on 'when' given that our mortal hearts may stop beating at any moment. When this happens, Christ's coming will seem like a moment away. I see it like Christ's second coming is at the end of every lifetime. Therefore, it's not the date that's important so much as the relationship we forge with The Father and our neighbours in the limited time we have here on Earth.
Amen. And to piggy-back off what You said, as well, "the science behind manipulating time (for our own benefit) is impossible" anyways, to quote one of the villain's shape-changed characters in the kids movie called "megamind"
As I review this week's lesson I realize how much the concept of the kingdom of God means to us who are redeemed and scheduled to be transported to Heaven at the Second Advent. At the same time I am forced to consider everything from the standpoint of the great controversy and to think in terms of the kingdom in that way. When I do that kingdom becomes much more inclusive than just this earth and one that has existed from the time the first intelligent beings in the universe were created and will continue throughout eternity.
We indeed tend to think that we are it, that God's entire attention is on us and everything was done just for us. I think that kind of egocentric mindset has truncated and culled out the grander aspects of the controversy that started in Heaven rather than earth and has caused us to think in narrow self centered ways.
While I choose not to undo the idea that God would have died for only one being we need to be aware that that aspect of the cross means the same for all created beings whether they have sinned or not. The fact that God so loves each individual to that extent completely debunks Satan's lies about God being selfish.
So, to me the kingdom of God on earth is like the Adventist church planting a new church in a dark area. The new church is not the entire Adventist church - it is only a branch of the main body of the Adventist church that was established long before the new church was even thought of. As a part of the kingdom of God we are welcomed into fellowship with the rest of the kingdom and as Paul said, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:4-7 NKJV). Look at the dynamics of what he is saying, it is as though we were already there.
Tyler, those are very comforting and encouraging thoughts. If we could only keep them foremost in our minds, rather than the distractions that this world forces on us, our hope and longing for that Kingdom would be a reality. Grace is taken for granted too often.
More than anything. I thank God for letting me to be the member of SDA which He bless with rich lessons day in and day out. Our God is True God.
We thank God for the revelation of His kingdom of glory, yet to be given to those who held precious the kingdom of grace and sought God's kingdom with all their hearts and treaures.
Indeed Jesus Christ cometh soon