Israel had been chosen by God. They were his inheritance (Deut. 32:9), and therefore they were set apart from all other nations. This setting-apart was demonstrated by Israel through obedience to the Mosaic covenant established at Mount Sinai.
It is important to point out that Israel was never referred to in the Old Testament as the Kingdom of God. In fact, the phrase "Kingdom of God" is not in the Old Testament. However, "Kingdom of the Lord" is found one time in 2 Chronicles 13:8 and Daniel refers to God's Kingdom.
In spite of this, the idea of God as king is found throughout scripture, and the kingdom of God was a well-defined idea by the time Jesus began his ministry. His first sermon was, "the Kingdom of God is at hand." Nothing in the Gospels gives us any indication that He was promoting a brand new idea.
Instead, He proclaims the proximity of this kingdom. He preaches about its peculiarities - "the Kingdom of Heaven is like... ." And, at one point, He tells the Pharisees that this kingdom will be taken from them and given to a people producing its fruit (Matt. 21:43).
From this we can see that dividing wall Paul talks about which separated the Kingdom of God - located physically within the physical nation of Israel, since God dwelt in the temple there - from the Gentile nations around them. This was never the fulfillment of God's plan. It was a temporary measure God set up so He could use Israel and his covenant with them to point to the redemption He would bring for all the nations.
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| Crowns |
When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.Deuteronomy 32:8-9
These verses are packed with information we typically don't talk about in church, but I just want us to focus on the last part, where Israel becomes God's inheritance. It sounds like this is set for all time. The nations are divided according to the sons of God, then God takes his portion. Done deal. But wait, there's more.
In Psalm 82, we once again see this idea of sons of God ruling nations, and in verse six, God says "You are gods, sons of the Most High all of you, nevertheless, like men you shall die" (because of their sin spoken about in the previous verses). After this, the psalmist adds, "Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations." God's plan for the Kingdom was never just about Israel.
In Christ, the wall that divided Israel and the nations, and in essence the Kingdom of God from the kingdom of darkness was torn down. The covenant from Sinai, with its "law of commandments" was abolished, so in him one new man (the body of Christ, which Paul speaks of later) can be established.
One thing that is somewhat confusing is Paul's easy movement between metaphors and similes. In chapter two alone, he contrasts life and death, and Israel and the nations, then leads right into one new man and then to one house. While they may sound very different, each one is tied to the others in Christ, and all these ideas give us different glimpses of being in him.
While the explicit phrase might not be found, the idea of the Kingdom of God runs through the entire Bible, and, in my opinion, is one of the most important, but least taught subjects. God is not anyone's homeboy. He is the omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing) King over an eternal kingdom, and He is sovereign (in complete control) over ever aspect of it. Jesus is seated at his right hand, and we have been placed in him.
With this understanding, we can see that physical Israel was never the Kingdom of God, but God chose to temporarily reign from there - at least here on earth. When Isaiah had his vision (Isaiah 6), God was in the holy of holies in the temple, while still being on his throne in heaven. When Christ died and the temple veil that separated God in the holy of holies from the people outside was split in two, God moved residence.
If the King moves into new territory, the kingdom expands, hence Jesus words, "the Kingdom of God will be taken from you." At Pentecost, God the Holy Spirit began to reign from the hearts of his people, and soon after that, the kingdom began to spread throughout not only the Jews who believed, but to the lost sheep of Israel (the northern tribes that had been scattered among the nations) and to the Gentiles.
God began reclaiming his inheritance, all of it. This process is ongoing, and He has given you the opportunity to partner with him in this endeavor. We must work, because the day will come, when loud voices in heaven will be shouting, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever" (Rev. 11:15).
One interesting note about this last verse. It says, "the Kingdom of the world," not kingdoms. Not everyone from every nation comes into the Kingdom of God, only those who are his, and despite differences in nations, tribes and tongues, we are all from this world. But God is not. His kingdom is over all. Sometimes we think God's story is all about us, but the Kingdom of God on earth is only a small part of the whole Kingdom of God.
There is a battle in the spiritual realm that has been raging for ages. There are angels - faithful and fallen, heavenly creatures we have seen only glimpses of through the written Word, and who knows what myriad other beings might exist of which God has not even let us know about. And then there are the puny people made from dirt; the ones that only live seventy years or so. The big story doesn't just revolve around us.
However, you are vitally important. Jesus Christ was willing to leave all of the eternal, spiritual business of heaven behind to come and establish that eternal, spiritual kingdom here among us. While even in that part of the story, we are not the main character, we are important, and it is truly good news. God came down to squash a rebellion by dying for the rebels, so they could join the Kingdom of God. In Christ, you are living alive with dual citizenship on earth and in the Kingdom.
How will you serve the King today?
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