Kingdom Of God Within The Believer – Lorraine Cruikshank

Keeping in mind Jeremiah 31:31-34 "The time is coming when I will make
a New Covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah...This
is the Covenant I will make with the House of Israel...I will put my
law in their minds and write it on their hearts, I will be their God,
and they will be my people...No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, because they will know Me, For I will forgive
their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

This verse is also KEY: Luke 22:29 "And I confer on you a kingdom,
just as my Father conferred one on me."

And this verse: Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and
His righteousness,"

In Bible dictionary "Thousand year reign: see Kingdom of God."

Here is what it states: "Kingdom of God: We may now define the Kingdom
of God as the sovereign rule of God manifested in Christ to defeat his
enemies, creating a people over whom he reigns and issuing in a realm
in which the power of his reign is experienced."

Millennium Kingdom within The Believer

What is the millennium? A thousand year reign...in spiritual language,
thousand has the meaning of "maturity, mature judgment."

Jesus said "the Kingdom of God is within you," [Luke 17:21] ...AND,
"some of you standing here will see the Son of man coming in His
Kingdom," [Matthew 16:28] which is referring to His return in them at
Pentecost. Christ returned "in power" to indwell the believer, so that
He could conquer the enemies, self with its many vices, within the
believer, which is the land of his heart; and to sit upon the throne
of the believer's heart, to rule in power within the believer to bring
to maturity.

The Kingdom of God was ushered in when Jesus resurrected and ascended
into Heaven, then in the believer when He returned as The Holy Spirit
of Christ Glorified in power to indwell the believer, which was at
Pentecost. We too have a personal Pentecost, and a fuller measure in
our personal Sukkot, the season of our Joy.

Thus, the New Covenant is ushered into the believer bringing with Him
His Kingdom rule and reign in power to conquer our enemies within.
Believers are The Israel of God as Paul says in Galatians 6:16. Thus
the New Covenant is with The Israel of God.

“The Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16 — Paul invokes peace and mercy
upon all who walk in conformity to the new creation: “that is, upon
the Israel of God.” The spiritual church or individual believer is a
new creation, neither Greek nor Jew, thus, the “true Israel.”  And
Paul wrote "For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel,"
[Romans 9:6] meaning the spiritual new creation Israel of God versus
those in the flesh who call themselves Israel. [Romans 9:6]

In its context, the New Covenant Kingdom of God mature [millennium]
rule is held as a future for every believer when Christ comes in power
to reveal our flesh nature, self. Self sits on the throne of our heart
ruling and reigning in its power. A greater power is needed, who is
Christ in power indwelling in a fuller measure. Our personal
Pentecost. 

When we first believe we do not know this self nature.
Knowing Him in power is a future for the believer. We do not know
Romans 7 when we first believe, that is why it is said to be future
for us.

Should we press on to know Him and the power of His resurrection, we
can experience Romans 7, and know Him more fully in Romans 8. Even
though all the facts were accomplished at the Cross, however, all the
promises are yet for us to take hold of. It is held out with
conditions to be met.  Until we pursue Him wholeheartedly and start
the journey of obedience in the little in order for obedience in the
greater, we can not know the greater promises.

The Lord wants believers to press on to know Him in His power, to
mature, not rest in what we first believed but to finish the race.

Added notes:

The book The Two Covenants by Andrew Murray is most helpful to explain
how a believer can yet be in the Old Covenant spirit while in the New
Covenant age. The book The Holy Spirit Indwelling by Andrew Murray is
also a help in explaining.

The New Covenant by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee is also an
explanation and help.

Praying for spiritual eyes and ears to open more fully as believer
seek Him wholeheartedly and His Kingdom within.