What Is The Kingdom Of God Like, Can We Know Now?

It’s widely believed and accepted that the Kingdom Of God and the Kingdom Of Heaven are one in the same when mentioned in the Bible so from this point on I will be referring to the Kingdom Of God and the Kingdom Of Heaven as one, let’s get started…

The Kingdom Of God Is Like

Three times in the book of Matthew, 13th chapter Jesus makes this statement, “the Kingdom Of God is like”. I want to take a closer look at what Jesus said and what He meant by this statement. In the twenty-fourth verse of this same chapter, we find Jesus speaking, “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way”.

Now we know from His explanation of this parable that He’s the man who sows the good seed, and the good seed is the children of the Kingdom. The tares are the children of the wicked one, and the wicked one is the devil. The field is the world and the harvest is the end of the world. All of that is clear enough but one thing that I think slips by us when we read this verse is that all of this is going on right now! Many wonder why there’s evil in the world but the answer to that question is right inside of this parable. we are witnessing the growth of the Kingdom Of God right before our eyes every day.

This is what Jesus meant when He said the Kingdom Of God doesn’t come by observation, that’s because it’s growing amongst us at this very moment. The Kingdom Of God is a spiritual organism growing larger and larger every second of every day right before our eyes, this one aspect of what the Kingdom Of God is like.

The Kingdom Of God Is Like A Grain Of Mustard Seed

In the thirty-first verse of this same chapter Jesus puts forth another parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof”. This parable gives us another look into another aspect of the Kingdom Of God. The characteristics of the mustard seed are that they are small, insignificant, and unassuming.

The mustard seed starts off so small that it’s barely noticeable but when it has run its course it becomes one of the large trees to see. So it was when Jesus came to earth as the Son Of God. He didn’t come as a king although He is one. He didn’t demand respect and service although He had every right to. His ministry was constantly attacked by the Pharisees and yet He quietly pressed on. Just as the mustard seed grows into a very large tree where birds lodge in its branches for comfort, the same can be said for Christianity and its growth over the last two thousand years.

Christianity started with one man, the Son Of Man who simply walk up to His soon-to-be disciples and said, follow me. Those two words turned into a worldwide belief. This aspect of the Kingdom Of God shows how it began on the earth and how it has and continues to grow. This is what Jesus meant in Matthew 3:2 when He stated, “Repent, for the Kingdom Of God is at hand”. The birth of Jesus was also the birth of man’s access to the Kingdom Of God.

All of these verses give us a better look at the Kingdom Of God and what it’s like. I think a lot of people still think of the Kingdom Of God as a physical place that you can go to. That can be considered partly true. Although it is a place we can go to and access, it’s not in the physical, earthly realm at all. As I said in another post First Corinthians 15:50 says, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”. We are spirit beings wrapped in a fleshly body. The apostle Paul states clearly in second Corinthians 5:8 that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

It is only the spirit portion of a man that can access the spirit realm where God and His Kingdom dwell.

What Is The Kingdom Of God Like And Who Will Enter?

In the book of Luke, the thirteenth chapter beginning at the twenty third verse these words are recorded, “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able”. Here Jesus gives us another glimpse into what the Kingdom of God will be like to enter. A bit of a warning if you will, notice the word strive which indicates effort and willingness.

Friends, everything that is required to enter the Kingdom Of God must be done right now. Jesus is warning us that we can not wait until the end of the world and decide at that time to turn to Christ. What’s interesting about this scripture is that Jesus indicates that there will not only be people who have not prepared themselves attempting to enter, but also there will be people who believe they are worthy to enter but are not.

Jesus warns of those who will be thrusted out of the Kingdom and will be knocking asking to enter at which point He will say to them depart from me, I never knew you. Many people spend their time wondering what the Kingdom Of God is like instead of preparing to enter it. This is what is meant in Matthew 6:33-34, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof”.

The last point I’ll make is that Jesus says in Luke 13:30 that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Honestly, I’m always bothered when I hear a person tell another person that your going to hell. I once had a person tell me that I would bust hell wide open. This is a very dangerous thing to say because the statement in and of it self suggest I’m smarter, better and higher than you. It’s also quite rediculous to think anyone but God knows who’s ultimately going where. Only God knows the heart of man and it’s whats in the heart that determines how we are judged.

My friends what ever it takes avoid this type of judgmental attitude at all cost, God is fully capable of judging the world much more accurately than we could ever attempt to.

The Complete MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 33 Volumes By John MacArthur / Moody Publishers Intellectually stimulating and personally relevant, this commentary series is ideal for pastors, teachers, and laypeople alike. With practical illustrations and clear verse-by-verse exposition, John MacArthur avoids becoming overly technical, even while tackling problematic topics such as the role of women, spiritual gifts, and the rapture. Using a dispensationalist approach, his purpose is to provide life applications.