A Brief Sketch of the Kingdom of God

     My new friend Tom has encouraged me to write a little overview of the Kingdom of God. While i have alluded to this topic in this blog previously, I believe it is so central to God's purpose that this will not prove redundant.
   The original plan for Adam includes dominion or rule over the creation. (Genesis 1:26,28). He is told to be fruitful and multiply in order to provide those who will help him in this rule. ( Gen. 1:28) Through sin and disobedience to the direct command of God, he loses his kingdom. ( Genesis 3:6ff) Satan takes over the kingdom. ( Luke 11:28)
   But God's sovereign purpose will not be thwarted. In the "Davidic Covenant," ( 2 Samuel 7:12-16) David is promised that from his seed the throne of the kingdom will be established forever. "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever." ( 2 Sam 7:16 NKJV)
   Thus it is instructive that Jesus comes not preaching just the gospel, but the gospel of the kingdom. ( Matthew 4:23, 9:35, 10:7, 24:14,Mark 1:15, Luke 9:60 et. al.) In fact there are about one hundred and thirty references to either the kingdom of God, or, in Matthew, the kingdom of heaven. Many of the parables of Jesus are introduced as "The Kingdom of God is like..."
    But what is the kingdom? Some point to Romans 14:17 which says that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." While this is true there is more to be revealed here. Luke 11:17-22 forcefully demonstrates the invasion of the kingdom of darkness by the Kingdom of God.
    Matthew 7:21 says that those who do the will of the God enter the kingdom of heaven. The example given in Matthew 21:27-31 speaks of those doing the will of the father entering into the kingdom of heaven. Hebrews 5:9 says that Jesus is the author of eternal salvation for those who obey Him.
    In the words of George Ladd, "The Kingdom is primarily the dynastic reign or kingly rule of God... The Kingdom is the rule of God; the church is a society of men." ( Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem p.863) This is why Jesus says that the kingdom of God is "within you." ( Luke 17:21
    So we enter the kingdom of God by His grace through faith that produces obedience and surrender to the will of the King.