Book: Mark
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Mark 9:1                         The Kingdom of God

I. What is the Kingdom of God?
        A. It is the kingdom where God reigns.
                1. Thus the kingdom of God is in heaven. The kingdom of
                   God and the kingdom of heaven are thus synonymous.
                   Matthew is the only writer that uses the term kingdom
                   of heaven.
                2. The kingdom of God can be in you.
                        a. If God reigns in your heart then is the
                           kingdom of God within you.
                        b. Jesus said, "Not all who say Lord, Lord are
                           going to enter the kingdom of heaven, by he
                           that doeth the will of the Father.
        B. When Jesus comes to reign over the earth, the kingdom of God
           will then be here on earth.
                1. Right now this earth is under the rule of Satan thus
                   is presently the kingdom of Satan. Jesus said to
                   certain Jews you are of your father the devil, and
                   the desires of your father you do.
                        a. Jesus called him the prince of this world.
                        b. Paul called him the god of this world.
                        c. When they came to arrest Jesus He said, "This
                           is your hour and the power of darkness.
                        d. Jesus called Paul to go to the Gentiles to
                           turn them from darkness to light and from
                           the power of Satan unto God. i.e. to bring
                           them from the kingdom of Satan to the kingdom
                           of God.
                        e. Col. 1:13 "Who had delivered us from the power
                           of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son."
                2. There are thus two vastly opposing kingdoms in the
                   world today, and everyone is living in one of the two.
                        a. Those who have submitted their lives to the
                           lordship of Jesus Christ are living in the
                           kingdom of God. But they are living in a world
                           that is governed by Satan.
                        b. They are thus aliens, and often treated like
                           aliens.
                        c. It was the desire of our forefathers to come
                           to America and establish a nation that would
                           be governed by God's laws. One nation under
                           God. It was a beautiful dream. They sought
                           to establish a form of government that
                           would guarantee the perpetuation of that
                           dream by the separation of the legislative
                           and judicial branches of government.
                        d. There dream was to establish a constitution
                           that would insure the domestic tranquillity,
                           provide for the common defense, promote the
                           general welfare, and secure the blessings of
                           liberty to ourselves and our posterity.
                        e. This could only be guaranteed by remembering
                           that we were one nation under God that had put
                           it's trust in God.
                        f. When the courts began to declare that to talk
                           about God or Jesus Christ in a favorable way
                           in the public schools was against the
                           Constitution they took us from a nation under
                           God to a nation under the edicts of the
                           men and women on the Supreme Court, they began
                           to allow liberties that our forefathers never
                           dreamed of. The liberty to create, distribute
                           and sell pornographic materials of the most
                           explicit sort. The liberty to abort babies.
                           The liberty to exploit children in pornographic
                           materials. No longer the liberty to pray in a
                           public school. No longer the liberty to read
                           the Bible in public school. No longer the
                           liberty to post the ten commandments in a
                           public school.
                        g. The tragic results are that we no longer have
                           domestic tranquillity. We are ruled by men who
                           are for the most part ruled by Satan, and we
                           are seeing the tragic consequences. Once again
                           we are aliens, and are being called the
                           radical religious right, and have become the
                           victims of bashing by the media and the heads
                           of government.
                        h. Paul said, "For our citizenship is in heaven
                           from whence we look for our Lord and Savior
                           Jesus Christ, who when He comes shall change
                           our vile bodies, that we might be fashioned
                           after His own glorious image." But being
                           a citizen of heaven living in a world
                           controlled by the powers of darkness takes
                           real commitment.
                        i. Look at how all of the forces seem to be
                           determined to tear down any moral values. The
                           movies, the music, the talk shows, what the
                           Bible declares is evil is looked on as good
                           and what the Bible declares as good is looked
                           on as evil.

II. What did Jesus mean, that some of those who were standing there would
    not taste of death until they had seen the kingdom of God coming with
    power?
        A. The next verse tells us that Jesus took Peter, James, and John
           into a high mountain and was there transfigured before them.
                1. There they got a glimpse of Jesus in the power of His
                   kingdom.
                        a. His raiment became shining.
                        b. It was exceeding the whiteness of snow.
                        c. Moses and Elijah appeared and were talking
                           with Him.
                2. John later in the book of Revelation had a vision of
                   Jesus in the glory in which He will appear when He
                   comes in the power of His kingdom.
REV 1:13    And in the midst of the seven candlesticks [one] like unto
            the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and
            girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
REV 1:14    His head and [his] hairs [were] white like wool, as white as
            snow; and his eyes [were] as a flame of fire;
REV 1:15    And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a
            furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
REV 1:16    And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth
            went a sharp two edged sword: and his countenance [was] as the
            sun shineth in his strength.
REV 1:17    And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid
            his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the
            first and the last:
REV 1:18    I [am] he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive
            forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
                3. Jesus spoke of the Son of Man coming in His glory with
                   all of His holy angels, then shall He sit on His throne
                   of glory.
                4. The book of Revelation tells of the time when the
                   kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our
                   Lord and of His Messiah.

III. What will His kingdom be like?
        A. Heaven on earth.
                1. No more tears, no more suffering, no more pain, no more
                   sin, no more sickness, no more physical infirmities,
                   no more wars, no more poverty, no more exploiting of
                   others.
                2. The kingdom of God is not meat or drink, but
                   righteousness peace, and joy.
                        a. Righteousness. Sin is that which destroys,
                           it destroys love, joy, goodness. It brings
                           death and destruction.
                        b. Peace. It is sin that brings envying, strife,
                           wars, disputes.
                        c. Joy, the end result of sin is sorrow and pain.
        B. The kingdom of God will be marked by love.
                1. Love for God manifested in our love for our fellowmen.