0:00 [Music]
0:02 Believe it or not, Satan, the devil, has
0:04 deceived most of the churches of this
0:07 world to virtually avoid the very heart
0:10 of Jesus Christ's message to the world,
0:12 the good news of the coming kingdom of
0:15 God. As a result, most who consider
0:18 themselves Christian don't even
0:21 understand what the kingdom of God is.
0:23 If you want to defeat Satan's plan to
0:25 keep you in the dark, this edition of
0:28 Tomorrow's World is for you. Join us
0:29 today as we answer the question the
0:33 devil wants you to ignore. Just what is
0:42 Welcome to Tomorrow's World, where we
0:44 help you make sense of the world through
0:46 the pages of your Bible. Today we're
0:48 going to explain in plain and simple
0:51 terms the kingdom of God. A mystery
0:54 which almost no one understands today,
0:56 including those who call themselves
0:59 Christians. What is the kingdom of God?
1:02 Is it just a feeling in your heart? Is
1:04 it the church or the collection of
1:06 Christians throughout the ages? Is it
1:09 only in heaven? And why is it a mystery
1:12 at all? Why is there such confusion over
1:15 the kingdom of God in the first place?
1:16 We'll also be offering you a free
1:19 resource that explains why today's
1:21 churches are in such utter confusion.
1:23 It's titled Satan's Counterfeit
1:26 Christianity. Keep an eye out for the
1:28 information you need to get your free copy.
1:29 copy.
1:31 Constantly in the churches of the world
1:34 or in videos online, you will find men
1:37 and women preaching about Jesus, who
1:40 they think he was, the story of his life
1:43 as they understand it, the miracles he
1:46 performed, some of the things he said or
1:49 did, his crucifixion and resurrection.
1:53 It all seems to make sense. And to be
1:56 sure, Jesus Christ is the savior of the
2:00 world. It is by his shed blood that we
2:03 are forgiven our sins. But we have to
2:06 ask ourselves. Is the message preached
2:10 by these churches the same message that
2:12 Jesus preached? As we'll see in a
2:15 moment, Jesus did not come to only talk
2:19 about himself. The heart and soul of the
2:21 message, preaching, and teaching of
2:23 Jesus Christ was about the kingdom of
2:25 God. Now, that might surprise some of
2:27 you because we don't hear much about the
2:29 kingdom of God today. Yet, it is
2:33 mentioned around 150 times in the New
2:35 Testament. Let's take a brief but
2:37 sweeping journey of the ministry of
2:40 Christ and his disciples and see for
2:44 ourselves. In the book of Mark 1, we
2:46 read at the very beginning of Christ's
2:48 ministry, right after the imprisonment
2:51 of John the Baptist. Here in verses 14-
2:53 15, Mark writes,
2:56 "Now after John was put in prison, Jesus
2:58 came to Galilee preaching the gospel of
3:02 the kingdom of God and saying, "The time
3:05 is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is
3:09 at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel."
3:10 gospel."
3:13 Jesus came preaching the gospel of the
3:16 kingdom of God. In fact, look at Jesus
3:18 statement in the book of Luke in chapter
3:21 4. Jesus makes a very explicit statement
3:23 about his purpose and his mission about
3:26 why he was on earth in the first place.
3:30 In verse 43, we read, "He said to them,
3:33 I must preach the kingdom of God to the
3:35 other cities also because for this
3:39 purpose I have been sent." Jesus tells
3:42 us that his purpose, the very reason he
3:45 was sent by God was to preach about the
3:48 kingdom of God. The kingdom of God was
3:49 so central to Jesus' message to
3:52 humanity, to you and me, that he told us
3:54 that seeking that kingdom should be the
3:57 number one focus of our lives. Read it
4:02 with me in Matthew 6 and verse 33.
4:04 But seek first the kingdom of God and
4:07 his righteousness, and all these things
4:10 shall be added to you. That same chapter
4:12 of the Bible contains the famous passage
4:15 commonly called the Lord's Prayer. In
4:17 that model prayer, Jesus mentions the
4:20 kingdom of God twice at the beginning
4:22 and the end. In fact, the four gospels
4:25 are full of teachings and parables from
4:28 Jesus about the kingdom of God. So many
4:30 we don't have time on today's program to
4:32 read them all. Instead, let's turn to a
4:34 passage in the book of Acts that may
4:36 surprise you. Many people don't know
4:39 that the Bible says Jesus actually spent
4:43 almost six weeks with his disciples
4:45 before ascending to heaven to remain
4:47 with his father until his return. Six
4:50 weeks of teaching them and preparing
4:53 them for their mission. And what did he
4:56 focus on during that time? Acts 1 and:3
4:59 tells us that Jesus presented himself
5:01 alive after his suffering by many
5:04 infallible proofs, being seen by them
5:06 during 40 days and speaking of the
5:11 things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
5:13 That's how important the topic was to
5:16 Jesus Christ. And his disciples took his
5:18 instructions seriously. Consider the
5:22 famous Apostle Paul. Acts 14:22 pictures
5:23 him speaking of the difficulty of
5:27 entering the kingdom of God. Acts 19:8
5:29 says he spent three months in the
5:31 synagogues of the Jews quote reasoning
5:35 and persuading concerning the things of
5:39 the kingdom of God. Acts 20:25 shows him
5:42 testifying to Christians in Ephesus that
5:45 he has been among them quote preaching
5:48 the kingdom of God. The list goes on and
5:50 on and on. At the very end of the book
5:52 of Acts, we find Paul in a state of
5:54 house arrest and receiving visitors.
5:58 Acts 28:es 30 and 31 tell us what he was
6:02 doing there. Then Paul dwelt two whole
6:04 years in his own rented house and
6:07 received all who came to him, preaching
6:09 the kingdom of God and teaching the
6:11 things which concerned the Lord Jesus
6:14 Christ with all confidence, no one
6:16 forbidding him. The testimony of the
6:19 Bible is unanimous and deafening. The
6:21 message of Jesus Christ and the message
6:24 of his church must be about the kingdom
6:27 of God. If the kingdom of God was at the
6:30 heart of Jesus' message, why do most
6:32 people who consider themselves faithful
6:34 Christians not hear about it more? Why
6:38 do so many not even know what it is?
6:39 Because the Christianity we see around
6:42 us today has been long corrupted by the
6:45 devil and influenced to ignore or change
6:49 many vital and inspiring truths of God,
6:51 including the truth about the kingdom of God.
6:52 God.
6:55 I know that might be shocking to hear,
6:58 but it is unquestionably true. There is
6:59 a reason the modern Christian church is
7:02 shattered into a thousand pieces. All
7:04 teaching doctrines and practices that
7:06 differ in ways great and small from the
7:09 teachings of the Bible. Satan, the
7:11 devil, has been working to corrupt
7:14 Christianity from its beginning. Men
7:15 make the Bible complicated and
7:18 confusing, but God is not the author of
7:21 confusion. When God speaks plainly, why
7:24 not simply take him at his word instead
7:26 of adding our own ideas to his
7:28 teachings? If we want to understand the
7:31 kingdom of God, we need to consider what
7:35 makes a kingdom a kingdom. By seeking
7:37 that plain understanding and allowing
7:40 the Bible to answer our questions, we
7:42 can cut through the devil's confusion to
7:45 see the beautiful simple truth. When we
7:47 consider it carefully, we find that four
7:50 elements make up every kingdom,
7:54 including the kingdom of God. A king, a
7:58 territory, laws, and subjects.
8:00 Looking to the Bible's insights with
8:02 these four elements of a kingdom in mind
8:04 will reveal the answer to today's
8:07 question and reveal the kingdom of God.
8:10 Let's first consider the king. It may
8:11 come as no surprise to you that the king
8:14 of the future kingdom of God will be
8:17 Jesus Christ. He will literally rule the
8:19 world. People often get sentimental
8:22 about the words of Isaiah 9 and:es 6 and
8:25 7, but they rarely actually look at what
8:29 it says. Let's read it together.
8:33 For unto us a child is born, unto us a
8:36 son is given, and the government will be
8:40 upon his shoulder. Now, pause for a
8:42 moment. Did you catch that? The
8:45 government will be upon his shoulder.
8:47 The first part of the verse is not a
8:50 metaphor. Why would this be one? Jesus
8:53 Christ was born to govern. Let's
8:57 continue. And his name will be called
9:00 Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
9:04 Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. of
9:07 the increase of his government and
9:10 peace. There will be no end upon the
9:13 throne of David and over his kingdom to
9:16 order it and establish it with judgment
9:19 and justice from that time forward even
9:22 forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts
9:25 will perform this.
9:28 King David ruled in Jerusalem over a
9:31 real kingdom. So too, Christ will rule
9:35 in Jerusalem over a real kingdom, but
9:38 this time a kingdom without end. He will
9:40 be exactly what he's called in
9:44 Revelation 19 and:e 16, King of Kings
9:46 and Lord of Lords. But he will not be
9:49 ruling alone. For instance, Matthew 19
9:52 and verse 28 tells us that his 12
9:54 apostles will be ruling under him in the
9:57 kingdom, judging the 12 tribes of
10:00 Israel. Even more than that, each and
10:02 every Christian who has suffered and
10:05 struggled in this world to overcome sin
10:07 and follow in the footsteps of Jesus
10:10 Christ will directly rule the world
10:14 under Christ as well. So many verses
10:18 speak of this future. Daniel 7 18 and 27
10:21 talk of the kingdom being given to God's
10:24 people. Revelation 20 and 6 speaks of
10:26 the saints reigning with Christ for
10:31 1,000 years. Turn to 1 Corinthians 6 and
10:34 verse 2 where Paul talks of the reign of
10:37 the future glorified Christians very
10:40 plainly. Do you not know that the saints
10:43 will judge the world? And if the world
10:45 will be judged by you, are you unworthy
10:48 to judge the smallest matters? Do you
10:51 not know that we shall judge angels? How
10:53 much more things that pertain to this life?
10:55 life?
10:59 Judge the world. Judge angels. What an
11:02 incredible destiny ahead for the true
11:05 followers of Jesus Christ. The reward of
11:07 the saved is not a heavenly retirement
11:10 home. It is ruling tomorrow's world in
11:14 glory under Jesus Christ. Here we see
11:17 the second element of a kingdom, the
11:20 territory. The saints will rule the
11:23 world under Christ. That's this world,
11:25 not heaven or some fuzzy feel-good
11:28 kingdom in your heart. I know it's hard
11:31 to unlearn some things. But shattering
11:33 the deceit of the devil to learn the
11:36 real truth of Jesus' message is worth
11:38 it. And the truth is plain for those
11:40 willing to read and believe their
11:43 Bibles. True Christians can proclaim the
11:46 clear words of Revelation 5 and:e 10 and
11:48 say, "You have made us kings and priests
11:52 to our God, and we shall reign on the
11:54 earth." It doesn't get more
11:56 straightforward than that. Those who
11:59 follow Christ now shall reign on the
12:01 earth. And earlier in Revelation in
12:05 chapter 2 and:es 26 and 27, Jesus
12:08 encourages us. And he who overcomes and
12:11 keeps my works until the end, to him I
12:13 will give power over the nations. He
12:17 shall rule them with a rod of iron.
12:20 Power over the nations means authority
12:24 on this earth. Is Jesus lying to us? Is
12:25 he saying something he doesn't really
12:29 mean? Satan would have you believe that?
12:32 Why can't people just trust the Bible
12:35 for what it says? Today, we're unlocking
12:37 the mystery of the kingdom of God. And
12:39 we're doing so by simply believing the
12:42 Bible for what it says. In our last
12:43 segment, we highlighted that those who
12:47 follow Jesus Christ now will rule the
12:49 world alongside him. Which may be a bit
12:51 of a surprise to many of you who simply
12:53 expected Christians to die and go to
12:56 heaven. But if you think about it, the
12:58 truth of the saints coming world rule
13:01 has been in front of you all the time.
13:04 Write in your Bible. Even many atheists
13:06 are familiar with Jesus' promise
13:09 recorded in Matthew 5 and verse 5. The
13:12 meek shall inherit the earth. There are
13:13 so many verses that we're skipping for
13:16 the sake of time. But I want to ask you,
13:18 aren't some of these verses and passages
13:21 beginning to make sense? Jesus really
13:23 did mean what he said. The meek are
13:27 going to literally inherit planet Earth.
13:29 When we sweep away the devil's ideas and
13:32 embrace the plain truth of the Bible, so
13:35 much becomes clear. Let's continue.
13:37 We've covered the first two elements of
13:39 every kingdom, including the kingdom of
13:42 God, a king and territory. Let's now
13:44 look at the third element every kingdom
13:48 possesses, a collection of laws. The
13:50 Bible is clear from beginning to end
13:52 that the future kingdom of God will be
13:54 ruled by the laws of God embodied in the
13:57 Ten Commandments. So many sincere but
14:00 confused pastors, preachers, and priests
14:02 will tell you that Jesus somehow did
14:04 away with his father's commandments. But
14:07 this simply is not so. For example, you
14:10 can read for yourself in Matthew 19 16
14:13 and 17 how Christ replied when a young
14:15 man came to him asking to receive
14:18 eternal life. Jesus answered, "If you
14:22 want to enter into life, keep the commandments."
14:23 commandments."
14:25 Many prophecies speak of Christ's reign
14:28 on earth and how the law of God will
14:30 form the basis of that reign. For
14:32 instance, Isaiah
14:36 2 and:e 3 tells us, "For out of Zion
14:39 shall go forth the law and the word of
14:41 the Lord from Jerusalem."
14:43 In fact, if we take a look at the larger
14:46 passage there in Isaiah 2, we see the
14:49 fourth element every kingdom possesses.
14:52 Subjects. The subjects of Jesus' reign
14:55 will comprise the entire world. Let's
14:56 read the larger passage beginning in
14:58 verse two.
15:00 Now it shall come to pass in the latter
15:02 days that the mountain of the Lord's
15:04 house shall be established on the top of
15:07 the mountains and shall be exalted above
15:10 the hills, and all nations shall flow to
15:13 it. Many people shall come and say,
15:15 "Come, let us go up to the mountain of
15:17 the Lord, to the house of the God of
15:20 Jacob. He will teach us his ways, and we
15:23 shall walk in his paths. For out of Zion
15:27 shall go forth the law and the word of
15:30 the Lord from Jerusalem. Zechariah 14
15:33 tells us that this globe covering reign
15:35 will take some time since some will
15:37 refuse at first to be subjects of this
15:40 kingdom and come under the laws of God.
15:42 But those nations will find that
15:45 resisting this new world ruler is harder
15:47 than they imagine. For instance, when
15:49 the glorified Jesus Christ calls for all
15:51 the nations of the world to keep the
15:53 biblical feast of tabernacles in
15:56 Jerusalem, some nations will apparently
15:59 resist. Zechariah records that Christ
16:02 will not take such refusals lightly.
16:04 And it shall come to pass that everyone
16:07 who is left of all the nations which
16:09 came against Jerusalem shall go up from
16:12 year to year to worship the King, the
16:15 Lord of Hosts, and to keep the feast of
16:17 tabernacles. And it shall be that
16:18 whichever of the families of the earth
16:21 do not come up to Jerusalem to worship
16:24 the King, the Lord of Hosts, on them
16:28 there will be no rain. With the new King
16:30 of Kings controlling nature itself,
16:33 it'll not be long before all the world
16:35 learns to submit. And they will learn
16:37 that resisting only postpone the
16:40 blessings that come from yielding to a
16:42 loving God. The result of Jesus Christ's
16:45 reign over the entire world and the
16:47 people of the world will be the kind of
16:49 world we've always wanted, one of peace
16:52 and prosperity. As recorded in Isaiah
16:57 chapter 2, he that is Christ shall judge
16:59 between the nations and rebuke many
17:01 people. They shall beat their swords
17:03 into plowshares and their spears into
17:06 pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up
17:08 sword against nation. Neither shall they
17:11 learn war anymore.
17:13 Completely understanding the mystery of
17:15 the kingdom of God and the role it plays
17:18 in salvation. The heart of the real
17:21 gospel of Jesus Christ has changed more
17:23 lives than I can count. And it is only
17:25 the start of a beautiful journey of
17:28 walking fully and closely with God.
17:30 We've been explaining the simple truth
17:32 of the kingdom of God that it isn't a
17:34 matter of living among the clouds of
17:37 heaven or a feeling in your heart or the
17:40 church. Rather, it is a real kingdom
17:44 with a king, Jesus Christ, ruling a
17:47 territory, the entirety of planet Earth,
17:50 possessing laws, the Ten Commandments
17:53 and the laws of God, and reigning over
17:56 subjects, the people and nations of the
17:59 entire world. Regardless of how much
18:02 Satan, the devil, seeks to obscure this
18:04 truth, it is at the very heart and soul
18:06 of the message that Jesus Christ brought
18:09 to this earth. Jesus has commissioned us
18:12 to preach about the kingdom of God. Not
18:15 merely a gospel about Jesus or about his
18:19 person or about his life, but the gospel
18:22 of Jesus. And we here at Tomorrow's
18:25 World are devoted to doing just that. In
18:26 fact, you can see the mission of
18:28 tomorrow's world reflected in Christ's
18:33 prophecy recorded in Matthew 24 and:14.
18:36 And this gospel of the kingdom will be
18:38 preached in all the world as a witness
18:42 to all the nations and then the end will come.
18:44 come.
18:46 And that gospel of the kingdom along
18:48 with the whole council of God that goes
18:50 with it is what we strive to deliver to
18:53 you at tomorrow's world week after week.
18:55 The world that Jesus Christ will
18:57 establish at his return and that will
18:59 spread to cover the entire earth will
19:02 truly be amazing beyond comprehension.
19:04 His saints will rule with him for a
19:06 thousand years, reigning in power and
19:09 glory alongside their savior and finally
19:12 teaching the world all the truths that
19:14 have been hidden by Satan the devil for
19:17 so long, including the remarkable
19:20 purpose of man and the way of life that
19:23 truly leads to life. But you don't have
19:24 to wait until the return of Jesus Christ
19:27 to begin experiencing the benefits of
19:29 the kingdom of God. You can begin to
19:32 enjoy them to some degree in your life.
19:34 Now, I know that there are people all
19:36 over the world watching this program
19:39 right now. I know because so many of you
19:40 write to us each week and request our
19:42 literature or to visit with one of our
19:45 ministers. God is calling some of you
19:47 listening to this message today to
19:50 understand more of his truth. And if God
19:54 is calling you, you need to act. You can
19:56 begin a completely new and more dynamic
20:00 walk with God right now. Psalm 34:8
20:03 tells us to taste and see that the Lord
20:06 is good. And you can begin doing that
20:08 today. If anything in our messages here
20:10 at Tomorrow's World has begun to prod
20:12 you to consider that there's more to the
20:14 Bible than you realized and that there's
20:16 more to God's way of life that you had
20:18 previously imagined, feel free to
20:20 contact one of our representatives. You
20:22 can find a minister near you on our
20:24 website at tomorrowsworld.org or reach
20:26 out to one of our regional offices
20:27 listed in our magazine, which you'll
20:30 receive with today's free offer. If you
20:32 have questions, we want to help with
20:35 God's answers. Those who will be ruling
20:37 with Jesus Christ after his return,
20:39 making this planet the beautiful,
20:41 peaceful paradise that God always
20:43 intended it to be will be those who
20:45 learn to let him rule their hearts and
20:50 minds now. Those who rule with him then
20:52 will be those who are willing to be
