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Kingdom of God
1) (a) In Matthew 4:17 we read that Jesus started his ministry proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near .” (b) Jesus asks us to pray like this in Luke 11:2-4: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come .” NB: The Kingdom of heaven is to come in this world. But somebody may say that it is already among us . 2) (a) They quote Luke 17:21 that says, “For, in fact, the kingdom of god is among you,” (b) Jesus says in Luke 11:20, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. (c) But in Luke 22:18 Jesus says, “For I tell you that form now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
NB: Jesus is saying these words just before his death. Here we see that Jesus expects the kingdom of God to come. But earlier, he said, “the kingdom of god is among you”. This means that the Kingdom of God started in this world, but it is yet to come in full sense .
3) (a) Isaiah 11:6-9 describe this kingdom as follows: “The wolf shall live with the lamb , the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together , and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze , their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp , and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den . They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the L ORD as the waters cover the sea.” ( b ) Isaiah 66: 17 says, “ 17 For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth ; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.”
( c ) Isaiah66:20 says, “ 20 No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime ; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth , and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.”
( d ) Isaiah 66:22 says, “ 22 for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,”
4) (a) Zachariah 13:2 says, “On that day, says the LORD of Hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more; and also I will remove from the land the prophets and the unclean spirit .”
(b) Revelation 20:1-3 says, “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon , that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan , and bound him for a thousand years , 3 and threw him into the pit , and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while.”
NB1 : So now in this world, there is no Satan who is the root cause of all the evils in this world. This is New Era of Thousand Years that is the Kingdom of God in this world.
( c ) Zechariah 14:-9 says, “Then the L ord will be King over all the earth; everyone will worship him as God and know him by the same name .”
(d) Tobit 14:6 says, “Then all the nations in the world will come back to God. They will worship him as the only true God and give up the idols that led them into false worship.” NB2: No other God. Every one will worship Jesus as the only God . Nobody will be there to worship other gods that means idol worshipers will have no existence in the kingdom of God that is very near . So every body should come in to Jesus. Otherwise, there will be no existence for them
5) (a) Roman 10:12-13 say , “ 12… the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved .”
NB1: For the salvation of the whole humanity, It is our duty to make the world understand that the Jesus is the only Lord .
(b) Roman 10- 17 say, “ 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.”
NB2: Only through the proclamation of word of Christ the word of God, the world will have faith in Jesus Christ.
(c) Let us read Mark 16:15 : “ 15 And he (Jesus) said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation .”
(d) Jesus says in John 10:16 “ 16 have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
(e) In Mark 16 Jesus says, “ 16 The one who believes and is baptized will be saved ; but the one who does not believe will be condemned .”
NB3: Yes, if they believe they will be saved but those who reject Jesus will be condemned. No existence for them in the Kingdom of God
6) (a)Jesus says in Matthew 13:47-50 , “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown in to the sea and caught fish of every kind ; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad . So it will be at the end of the age . The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them in to the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
(b) Day of the Lord: Prior to this kingdom of God in Earth, the present Age is to be ended and then only Era of peace the new Age will be beginning. Just before the end of the present Age there will be a ‘Day of the Lord' with agony and suffering such as has never been before and never will be again. The Day of the Lord is like a purifying furnace that banishes the evil and evil ones from the world and prepares the world and humanity fit for the New Era the Kingdom of God . The Lord allows it to be taken place for the total purification of the whole world that removes the false gods , wicked people and even Satan and his comrades from the world. The Day of the Lord will fall upon the world all of a sudden in the unexpected time like a thief in the night .
[[We read in Matthew 13:24-30 , “He (Jesus) put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat; and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the wheats appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from? He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.' The slave said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest ; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned , but gather the wheat into my barn .'”
Explanation of the parable: When the disciples were with him in the house they asked Jesus to explain the parable. Let us read Matthew 13: 36-43: “Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom ; the weeds are the children of the evil one , and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age , and the reapers are angels . Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evil doers , and they will throw them into the furnace of fire . Where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father . Let any one with ears listen!” As the wheat gathered in the barn the righteous are allowed living in the kingdom of their Father where they will shine like the sun.]] (c) Revelation 21:8 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, e the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers , the idolaters, and all liars , their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur , which is the second death."
NB: Are you an idol worshipper or having acquaintance with sorcerers and astrologers ? 7) (a) Exodus 20:4-6 says, “ 4 You shall not make for yourself an idol , whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them ; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
Explain idol - Sathyathinte pragasam- A Brief note. (b) Romans 1:18-19 say, “ 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.”
(c) Romans 1:18-23 say, “ 21 for though they knew God , they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools; 23 and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles (snakes).”
(d) Romans 1: 28-32 say, “ 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done. 29 They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, f insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 They know God's decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die --yet they not only do them but even applaud others who practice them.
8) (a) Let us read Romans 7:24-25: “ 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
(b) Psalm 49:15 says, “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.”
9) (a) Romans 5:15-16 say, “ 15… For if the many died through the one man's trespass , much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ , abounded for the many. 16 And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification .”
(b) Romans 5:18 says, “ 18 Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.” Romans 5:20 says, “ 20… but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”
10)(a) Romans 6:3-5 say, “ 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death ? 4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
(b) Romans 6: 6-10 say, “ 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin . 7 For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8 But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin , once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.”
11) Luke 12:8-9 “ 8 And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; 9 but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.”
NB1: Promises of the Baptism with God - Say openly.
NB2: Now it is the time when Jesus is redeeming us!
12) (a) Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, “ Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest .”
(b) Isaiah 53:4 says, “Surely he (Jesus) has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases.”
NB: You download your burdens into Jesus, he will receive that and bear it for you and he will give you comfort.
(c) Isaiah 53:10 says, “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain ( for your sake ).”
(d) Isaiah 53:5 says, “But he (Jesus) was wounded for our transgressions , c rushed for our iniquities ; upon him was the punishment that made us whole (made our life perfect), and by his bruises we are healed.”
(e) Romans 4:25 says, “who (Jesus) was handed over to death for our trespasses
(f) Isaiah 53:8 says, “By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people.”
NB: In India , usually the school students are fined for their wrong doings by the teachers; but the parents are paying the fine for the students. Like that, Jesus sustains the vicarious liability for the whole humanity as they are his own children.
13)(a) Jeremiah 31:16 says, “Thus says the Lord: Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for there is a reward for your work,”
(b) In Jeremiah 31:13 Lord says, “I will turn their mourning into joy , I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow .”
(c) It is true that the Lord says in Psalm 50:15, “ Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you , and you shall glorify me.”
NB: Now on, do not mingle with astrologers and sorcerers
14) (a) 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 say, “ 14 Do not be mismatched with unbelievers . For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship is there between light and darkness? 15 What agreement does Christ have with Beliar ? Or what does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we b are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
(b) 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 say, “ 17 Therefore come out from them , and be separate from them , says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean ; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
15) (a) Ephesians 2:1-5 say, “ You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived , following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air , the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient . 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ a -- by grace you have been saved.”
(b) Ephesians 2:8-10 say, “ 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-- 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works , which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”
(c) Ephesians 2:13 says, “ 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
16) (a) Ephesians 1:17-19 say, 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened , you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power .”
(b) St. Paul prays in Ephesians 3:16-17 thus: “ 16 I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit , 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith , as you are being rooted and grounded in love.”
17) (a) Joel 2:28-29 says, “28 * Then afterwards I will pour out my spirit on all flesh ; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit.”
(b) Ephesians 4:11-13 say, “ 11 The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ .”
18) NB: Beware of wrong visionaries and teachings
(a) Ephesians 4:14 says, “ 14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine , by people's trickery , by their craftiness in deceitful scheming .”
(b) Ephesians 1:22-23 say, “ 22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church , 23 which is his body , the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
(c) Ephesians 3:20-21 say, “ 20 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
NB: Let us live in the Unity of Jesus thereby we are eligible to live in the Kingdom of God that is very near at hand. Beware of the Day of the Lord that is nearing.
(1) Psalm 135:2-3 [says] “ You that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God, praise the Lord, for the Lord is good ; sing to his name, for he is gracious.”
------ 2 songs of praise -----
(2) (i) Psalm 145:18 [says] “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in Truth .”
(ii) Psalm 34:18 [says] “The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit”
(iii) In Deuteronomy 4:7 [Moses asks] “For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is, whenever we call to him?”
----- Songs – God is near to us -----
( 3 ) Seek him while he is near: (i) Isaiah 55:6 [says] “ Seek the Lord while he may be found , call upon him while he is near .”
(4) (i) Psalm 73:28 [says] “But for me it is good to be near God ; I have made the Lord God my refuge .”
(ii) Psalm 146:5 [says] “ Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.”
(5) Is it true? He is faithful: (i) In 1Thessalonians 5:24 [Paul says] “The one who calls you is faithful , and he will do this. ” (give you happiness)
(ii) 1 John 1:9 [says] “….He who is faithful and just …” (iii) Hebrews 10:3 [says] “….He who is promised is faithful ”
(iv) Hebrews 11:11 [says] “ [Abraham ] he considered him [God] faithful who had promised”
NB: So Abraham found the promise fulfilled in his life even though he had lost his power of procreation .
(v) Hebrews 10:8 [says] “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.”
NB: Be hopeful in the Lord. He will make you happy .
(6) Psalm 146:1-2 [says] “Praise the Lord O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live ; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.”
----- Songs Praises -----
(7) NB: Now a day many people need peace of mind.
(i) In john 14:27 [Jesus says] “ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”
(ii) Ephesians 2:14 [says] “For he is our peace ”
(iii) Isaiah 57:19 [says] “Peace, Peace, to the far and the near , says the Lord; and I will heal them.”
(iv) NB: Our burden destroys peace. Isaiah 53:4 [says] “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases.” (mental burdens)
NB: Jesus takes away your mental burden and gives you peace of mind.
(8) NB: He also takes away the punishments of our sin and bears them in his body so that we can be relieved from the punishments and sufferings arising out of our sin.
(i) 1Peter 2:24 [says] “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross , so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed .”
(9) NB: All the types of burdens he will take away and give you comfort and rest .
(i) In Matthew 11:28 [Jesus says] “ Come to me, all that you are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest .”
(ii) Isaiah 53:5&10 [say] “But he was wounded for our transgressions crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole (perfect) and by his bruises we are healed .”
“It was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain when you make his life an offering for sin, [/explain up to this/] he shall see his offspring and shall prolong his days.” (10) Isaiah 63:7 [says] “I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praise worthy acts of the Lord, because of all that the Lord has done for us , and the great favor to the house of Israel .”
NB: The Lord is so good; let us praise him and sing to his name.
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