The
Kingdom Come
John 18:31 “Then said Pilate unto them,
Take ye him, and judge him according to your law.
The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful
for us to put any man to death:
32
That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which
he spake, signifying what death he should die.
33 Then Pilate entered into the
judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto
him, Art thou the King of the Jews?
34
Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of
thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?
35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew?
Thine own nation and the chief priests have
delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?
36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is
not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world,
then would my servants fight, that I should not be
delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not
from hence.
37 Pilate therefore
said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered,
Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I
born, and for this cause came I into the world, that
I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that
is of the truth heareth my voice.
38
Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he
had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and
saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
39 But ye have a custom, that I
should release unto you one at the passover: will ye
therefore that I release unto you the King of the
Jews?
40 Then cried they all
again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now
Barabbas was a robber.”
1. The King
2. The Kingdoms Of This
World
3. A Kingdom Not Of This World
4. The
Real Mission
5. The King’s Voice
1. The King
Verse thirty-three: “Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?”
HE certainly is a King.
When Jesus Christ made HIS entry into Jerusalem in Matthew chapter twenty-one, it was in fulfillment of prophecy. “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.” [Matthew 21:5]
The mouth of babes declared what is certain truth. With these, GOD perfected praise. Jesus Christ is KING! “And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” [Matthew 21:16]
2. The Kingdoms Of This World
The kingdoms of this world [revealed in the Bible in the book of Daniel] run their course in “the times of the Gentiles.”
“And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” [Luke 21:24]
We will see the times of the Gentiles “fulfilled” [or brought to close] at the end of the Great Tribulation which event is coming soon. [Matthew 24:21]
The “times of the Gentiles” began with the reign of Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon … the kingdom of Babylon. It was revealed to the prophet Daniel in 603 BC the interpretation or the meaning of the great image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream [in Daniel chapter two] that it would represent four major successive kingdoms.
1. The Kingdom of Babylon [the Babylonian Empire]
2. The Kingdom of Medo-Persia [the Medo-Persian
Empire]
3. The Kingdom of Greece [the Greek
Empire]
4. The Kingdom of Rome [the Roman Empire]
In the decay of the last empire [the Roman Empire] there would come many minor kingdoms until there would be a great amalgamation, or revival, of a world-wide kingdom that will be in opposition to another KINGDOM [that GOD will set up in the 21st century].
We read about this in Daniel chapter two in verse forty-four: “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” [Daniel 2:44]
The kingdoms of this world are the very same kingdoms that the DEVIL offered the SON of GOD in the book of Matthew chapter four, verse eight: “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;” [Matthew 4:8]
These kingdoms will, in fact, become the kingdoms of Jesus Christ. “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” [Revelation 11:15]
The first part of verse thirty-six: “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews:” [John 18:36a]3.
A kingdom Not Of This World
The last part of verse thirty–six: “but now is my kingdom not from hence.”
When Pilate asked Jesus [in verse thirty-seven] this question: [“Art thou a king then?”] it showed that Pilate was concerned only about one thing! Is this man standing before him trying to take over the government?
Is HE here to effect a Coup d'état?
Is HE trying to proclaim HIMSELF king over Israel?
Pilate wanted to know if he was dealing with an insurrectionist. Once Pilate heard Jesus answer with these words [“but now is my kingdom not from hence”], Pilate relaxed. Pilate knew then that whatever this “kingdom” was that Jesus Christ was talking about had no relevance to him, or was no threat to him, or to the authority of the Roman government [which is a kingdom of this world].
The SON of GOD came not to this earth to reign over a kingdom of this world in 33 AD.
33 AD was not the right time.
However, there will be a time. The time is coming soon. The KINGDOM that Jesus Christ will be KING over is the very kingdom that is referred to in the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew chapter six: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” [Matthew 6:10]
This is when the will of Jesus Christ will be “done in earth.”
This will be HIS GOVERNMENT in the seventh millennium of time.
Turn with me to the book of Isaiah chapter nine and see it! Verse six and seven: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” [Isaiah 9:6-7]
4. The Real Mission
In verse thirty-seven, we find this: “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.”
Jesus Christ came into this world to “bear witness unto the truth.”
“Pilate saith unto him,” [in verse thirty-eight] “What is truth?” The truth is the WORD of GOD! [John 17:17] “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” We are therefore, made clean by the word of God!
There is something else here we can learn about Bible: “thy word is truth”, and it is that Jesus Christ HIMSELF is the Word of God [according to John 1:14]. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
Furthermore, Jesus Christ came into this world to minister to us who were dead in sins. “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” [Ephesians 2:5].
We are dead without HIM
ministering to us and dying for us on the Cross of
Calvary. “For even the Son of man came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give
his life a ransom for many.” [Mark 10:45]5.
The King’s Voice
In the last part of verse
thirty-seven: “Every one that is of the
truth heareth my voice.”
Only those ... who have their hearts tuned to hear will hear what the Spirit of God says in the Bible.
How do we know that men in their natural state [carnal] are hard of hearing? We know this to be true because the Bible tells us it is true.
Seven times the Spirit of God in the book of Revelation chapters two, and three, said: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith …” [Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29, 3:6, 13, 22]. Not everyone can hear! “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” [1 Corinthians 2:14]
To hear the VOICE of the Son of God, you and I need to be BORN of the Spirit.
Then, if we be BORN of the SPIRIT, you and I will be of the TRUTH.
And if we are of the TRUTH, then we will HEAR the SON of GOD.
And WHO is The SON of GOD?
The SON of GOD is Jesus Christ … WHO is GOD come in the flesh.
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not
that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
[John 3:5-7]