It’s quite notable that the Kingdom of God located in the heavenly realm is something that Jesus had a lot to say about during His earthly ministries. He came primarily to reveal it to humanity who was lost in their sins under the pervasive dominion of the kingdom of darkness. The core foundation of His teachings along with His sacrificial death on the cross was centered specifically on making it possible for mankind to enter God’s Kingdom by pulling them by force out of the kingdom of darkness.
However, one thing that we should realize is that Kingdom had already been into existence way before Jesus’ ministries even started. Moreover, that Kingdom had already been established before the kingdom of darkness was. In short, that Kingdom took root from eternity; therefore, it’s an eternal Kingdom.
The main purpose of the coming of Christ Jesus in this evil world was to reestablish that Kingdom on earth. Why? The physical realm that was created by God for humans to dwell in was nothing more than an expansion of that Kingdom. The physical realm in its original state was a visible manifestation of the Kingdom of God on earth.
The reason that God created the physical realm was to further expand His reign and rule of His spiritual Kingdom located in heaven to a physical kingdom on earth. He created the human race for the purpose of ruling that physical realm with the very same principles found in His spiritual Kingdom, thus enabling both realms to be in sync with each other. God’s original plan was for the spiritual Kingdom to dominate every aspect of that physical realm through the obedience of mankind.
God’s Kingdom Was Replaced By Satan’s Kingdom
Man as a physical being was made to be connected to God in order for him to have had the ability to exercise his God-given dominion on the physical realm. Man was made in such a fashion that would have allowed God Himself to dwell and operate through Him within his own human spirit. The ability of man to have fulfilled His God-given purpose was totally dependent on him being reliant upon God through an intimate relationship.
But something tragic happened that literally repelled the Kingdom of God on earth. Mankind has chosen to rebel against the very law that had sustained the atmosphere of God’s Kingdom on earth, the law of obedience. When that happened, there was a huge void that had to be filled. Therefore, the enemy quickly seized that great opportunity by establishing his kingdom of darkness by usurping mankind’s dominion.
Sin Caused Mankind To Lose It All
You see, at one point man had belonged to God shortly after being made. His spirit was connected to God, meaning that he was in perfect standing with God. The life of God was flowing mightily through every fiber of his being. He was enshrouded with the glory of God. He was given dominion over the entire creation. Even Satan was subject to man’s dominion since he was already an enemy of God.
Sadly, man had chosen to submit himself to the authority of Satan by sinning against God. He rejected the Word of God by doing what the enemy wanted him to do under the pretension that he was going to become God. As a result, He lost His God-given dominion.
He also lost the great privilege that the Creator has given him by being cast out of the garden of Eden, which was a replica or the atmosphere of God’s Kingdom on earth. Then Satan as an accomplished opportunist usurped that dominion and became the god of man and this world. In other words, Satan took over the very atmosphere that once used to dominate the physical realm.
The formula for the devil’s dominion over mankind was very simple. Man sinned against God under the influence of Satan, he was separated from God as a result, and a tendency toward evil has developed within his heart. Since he was made to be reigned over by someone, the sin which was found in his life has given Satan the legal right to take control of his life. Man’s life has come under the control of the devil; thereby, everything that he initially had the authority and ability to have dominion on has automatically come under the rulership of Satan.
Mankind Became Part Of The Kingdom Of Darkness
Since that fall, man found himself living under the complete authority and possession of Satan. In other words, man has become part of the kingdom of darkness. Man has also been a strong proponent of that kingdom either unknowingly or knowingly. And the enemy has infused him with his nature. His way of thinking and behavior were just an expression of the kingdom ruling over him by Satan.
Man has lost his status in the sight of a holy and righteous God. The sin that man had committed has perpetrated different types of consequences into his life, such as spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical consequences. Most of them have impacted his life while here on earth.
But there was one that would have overtaken him eventually if he were to die in his sin, which was spending his eternity in hell. So that sin was committed against an eternal God; consequently, the ultimate consequence had to be eternal in order for God’s justice to have been served fully.
Jesus Was Sent To Reestablish What Was Lost
Jesus came to make it possible for mankind to reestablish their original status with God by granting them legal right to enter His Kingdom. But since there was another kingdom that has already been established firmly and ruling over mankind; therefore, this has created such a massive conflict in order for God’s Kingdom to be reestablished among mankind. Mankind needed to be snatched from the grip of Satan and sin and brought back to God.
As a result, something unthinkable had to happen to destroy the very things found in the life of mankind that has given the kingdom of darkness legal right to possess them indefinitely. Jesus had to suffer the brutal death of the cross to destroy the power of Satan reigning over people’s lives (1 John 3:8; Hebrews 2:14). Jesus who knew no sin had to become sin on behalf of humanity as a whole in order to conform mankind to the standard of God’s Kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The blood of Jesus has redeemed mankind from Satan and sin. The blood has canceled the eternal sentence by washing away every sin. That eternal sentence was precisely what Satan was desperately hanging on in order for him to have finally won mankind forever. The blood has destroyed the power of sin by which the kingdom of Satan thrives on people’s lives. Those who are saved by believing on Christ get to become God’s own children. Therefore, Satan has lost his dominion over their lives. They are transitioned from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of light.
Conclusion
The Kingdom of God hasn’t been established fully yet. So you have two kingdoms that have been fighting each other in an ongoing raging battle for millennials over winning the souls of man. One of them is all-powerful while the other one is partially powerful. The kingdom of God is the embodiment of life while the enemy’s kingdom is the embodiment of death.
God’s Kingdom is ruled by the law of life and the other one by the law of death and destruction. The good news is that one day the glorious Kingdom of God will defeat and obliterate the kingdom of darkness once for all (Romans 16:20; Revelation 20:10). Beloved, let us look forward to that great day by inviting the Kingdom of heaven to rule over our lives by the power of God’s Spirit.
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