KINGDOM AND “THE END TIMES” – Ron McGatlin
The eternal everlasting kingdom of God in Heaven has been planted into the world by Christ Jesus the Savior, Lord, and King of all things in this world.
For over two thousand years, through much violence, the seed of the fullness of the kingdom of God, also known as the Kingdom of Heaven, has sought to grow into place and fill the earth with the Kingdom of God to the glory of God.
THE END TIME
There appears at this time a consensus among prophetic people that the world is approaching or has to some degree perhaps already entered the “end time.”
The phrase “end time” is interpreted to mean or suggest many different scenarios to different people. Numerous different and often opposing eschatological systems of beliefs regarding the “end time” have been developed and propagated from scripture.
A limited study of the Hebrew and Greek words that are translated as “end time” in the Bible indicates that they may not mean the complete final dissolution of all life or time or earth. The original words have the impression of continuing after the fixed end of something. Some mean the reaching of a goal or a point sought after.
Personally, I am not into eschatology. God’s purpose and focus for my life has been on the revealing of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven and how our lives now on earth affect the kingdom and how we are affected by it. I was not taught the kingdom reality by teachers but by the “rhema” or spoken word of God and the confirmation of the written word of God.
On a different subject, I was taught some of the different versions of eschatology by different denominational systems. These many different interpretations have become a source of church debates and denominational splits dividing the Body into many church systems.
THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM
The focus on God’s kingdom of love is a much higher matter that brings into order all things of life and godliness now and future. Focusing on the kingdom of God by “seeking first the kingdom of God” can bring the Body of Christ back together in love and agreement. Focusing on the various end-time teachings separates or divides the people into less powerful groups.
Jesus spent more of His short time of ministry on earth speaking about the kingdom of God than anything else.
I sincerely believe with all my heart that if we truly become one in love with God in Christ by the Holy Spirit now in this life that He will fully provide and take care of us now and in the future. No matter how the future events work out to be we will be taken care of in Him if we truly seek first the kingdom of God in love with Him in His righteousness, peace, and joy in THE HOLY SPIRIT.
God is THE HOLY SPIRIT, the one SPIRIT that is HOLY and ALL MIGHTY above all else now and forever.
Our preparation for the tribulation and resurrection and all future events is to become one in every way with God in Christ and Christ in us. Losing our life and no longer living but Christ living His life in us is the way of God in this life. (Galatians 2:20) (Ephesians 5:30-32).
As we live by the Spirit and walk in the Spirit, we will know all things that we need to know when we need to know them. (Galatians 5:25).
When we need skills for natural life, preparation or education will be available to us. When we need a new immortal body lifting above the fray of the great tribulation, we will have it in Him. Whether we are delivered from or delivered through anything now or future, we will have all we need and be in perfect peace.
As we truly seek first the kingdom of God and follow the calling and leadership of God, all things will work together for good. (Romans 8:28) (Matthew 6:33).
I know by the voice of God, His written word, and a lifetime of experience about the kingdom of God. And I only have knowledge of what others have said about the many doctrines of end-time theology. I know that what God has said to me about the kingdom in direct Spirit revelation is fully confirmed by the written word. (1 John 2:27).
Therefore, this article is about the kingdom of God and life now, not a theological end-time discussion.
Personally, I see no evidence from scripture and have no word from God by the Spirit that the season of extreme change that the world has entered now is the end of the existence of Planet Earth nor of the annihilation of mankind on Earth.
It is a time of the end of the works of the devil and darkness ruling on earth and the manifesting of Christ in His people establishing the rule or kingdom of God on earth by the love and works of Christ Jesus.
THE END OF AN AGE AND THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA
There does seem to be evidence from Scripture and from the Spirit that the world is now experiencing the end of an era or dispensation and the beginning of the new era of the kingdom of God coming forth on earth.
During the past century, significant changes have occurred toward the end of the massive lukewarm religious systems and the beginnings of the Spirit fire of God in deep personal love relationships with God.
A passionate love for God in mankind has restored an intimate connection with God through the life of Christ now abiding in the hearts and lives of many of His people, by the Holy Spirit.
There are more people alive on earth now that are in love with God than there have ever been at any time before. The light of God and His kingdom is brighter now than ever before.
The intense passionate growing remnant of the people of God had to be in place before the world could begin to be restored to God’s original design as it was before the fall of man in Adam.
ALL THAT IS NOT OF GOD IS DISSOLVING AS WITH FIRE
The powers of darkness know that the end of the false principality of the devil functioning as a kingdom of darkness over this world is over when the new love sons of God are fully matured. (Romans 8:19-22).
The great division of peoples and nations now happening in this world is the powers of darkness fighting to their end attempting to stop the advancing kingdom of light and love from growing into place. (Revelation 12:10-12).
Because God now has a growing remnant of people prepared to rule and reign with Him and establish His ways of love and light on the earth, He has now begun to increasingly destroy or dissolve all that is not of Him in this world. The act of this happening is referred to in the Bible as a time of great tribulation. (Matthew 24).
As these earth-cleansing cataclysmic events are progressively taking place, many unbelievers and Christians will truly turn to God with their whole hearts and fall in love with God in the reverent fear and great awe of God.
Many will be snatched out of the fire in the great harvest. Many believers who are born again but are not able to move into the next era of the fullness of the kingdom of God will be mercifully taken to heaven. (Revelation7:9-17).
God dwells with those who have passed on in heaven and with those alive and now living in the life of heaven on earth. There will no longer be a great difference or distance between heaven on earth and spiritual heaven.
This is all part of that which God has been moving toward and is now doing in this world from its beginning in the Garden of Eden and throughout history.
THE KINGDOM AGE
The end of the church age is the beginning of the kingdom age on earth as it is in heaven. The church age was focused on preparing mankind to enter the kingdom age. By the work of Christ Jesus, mankind had to be born again, filled with the Spirit of God, sanctified or “set apart to God” and “lose his life,” by falling passionately in love with God.
The preparation of man has been the focus and the assignment of the passing church age. Surely this preparation will continue in the new era. However, the now beginning new era is the manifested mature sons of God coming forth to lead us into the Spirit reality of the kingdom of heaven on earth.
This new era no longer involves only preparation but now is the time of the greater fullness of love bringing forth the mature workers and leaders of every facet of natural and spiritual life in the world to become the kingdom of God. (Matthew 6:9-10)
In the kingdom age, the focus is loving, praising, worshiping God, and tending or taking care of the world to the GLORY of God. It is the glory of God covering the earth as Father God and Christ Jesus reign on earth in and with mankind.
SPIRITUAL AND NATURAL
There is spiritual and there is natural life and order of existence.
All natural or physical existence is created from and governed by the spiritual.
There is one original and eternal realm of Spirit and one anti-realm of Spirit.
The rebellion or sin of man in partaking of the fruit of the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil released the devil, the anti-God spirit, into the world. The anti-spirit was released to rule with darkness in this world. Christ Jesus became the sacrifice to provide redemption of man to the Spirit realm and return the world to the light of Spirit God.
WHICH SPIRIT REALM WILL RULE ON EARTH?
THE CHOICE IS OURS.
Only mankind has the authority to choose whether the anti-spirit of darkness will continue to rule or if the True Spirit of Holiness and Light, the kingdom of God, will rule in this world.
Spirit God is the Father, Son Jesus, and Holy Spirit.
The Spirit God that is holy, ruling by love in and through man is the kingdom of heaven come to earth.
The anti-spirit rule of darkness is simply the lack of the light of Spirit God flowing into the world in man. It is the personification of anti-spirit, the devil in man.
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18.
“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32.
Ron McGatlin
OpenHeaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net