THE ETERNAL KINGDOM | THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

1. The Eternal Kingdom

a) This is final in the Times of Israel series. We have been on a long journey through time. Now we stand at the gates of eternity. One day, when its King returns, this kingdom will be taken from earth and into in heaven forever.

2. The Kingdom Of Heaven

a) In the first century of the Christian era, the message of the gospel was preached to "the whole creation" (Colossians 1:23) just as Jesus commanded (Mark 16:15-16).

b) By the time that the New Testament scriptures were complete, and the miraculous signs had ceased, the gospel had become known across the world in every nation. God's kingdom, Israel, was no longer a worldly kingdom, but rather a spiritual kingdom. This kingdom of heaven, the new Israel, was spread throughout the world. It was a kingdom to which people of every nation belonged whether Jew or Gentile.

c) The king of this wonderful kingdom is Jesus Christ, who reigns from heaven. The new spiritual kingdom of God became a world wide kingdom just as Daniel had predicted when he interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream. A stone struck the feet of image that Nebuchadnezzar saw. The image became dust, and the stone "became a great mountain that filled the whole earth" (Daniel 2:35,44). This mountain represents a kingdom more powerful than all earthly empires, a kingdom which would endure forever. This is the church of Christ (Colossians 1:12-20).