Did the Kingdom of God come?

“Come Reason”
Newsletter of Denise Smith
Volume no.03-07
March 7, 2007

Did the Kingdom of God come to the earth?

We can see from reading the Old Testament that God promised a Messiah that would come, and would deliver the people… however what we do not see is any deliverance or salvation that is not done here on the earth, among the people. We see from reading the Old Testament accounts that each time that God delivered His people from their enemies, it was always here on the earth where they were, even to the point of having angels come and remove the righteous from cities that were to be destroyed by God, so that they were spared while the lands were destroyed and yet not one place do we find in the whole record of the Old Testament that God ever delivered His people or provided for them salvation, in any other place than on the earth right where they were. Even the sacrifices for their sins were done here on the earth…

I’m not going to give you a lot of bible scriptures to support what I am sharing with you here. God says that those of you that know Him will recognize His words, those that are very familiar with the bible will and for those that don’t, I will ask each of you to read the bible as it is stated, and not based on what you have been taught that it means, or heard that it says, and then to ask God! This is essential…

So, if we read all the accounts in the Old Testament we see that the salvation of God, the deliverance of God’s people from their enemies, as well as from their sins, was always done here on the earth. We also see from the bible that God was here on the earth, walking with them, speaking to people, and making his power and presence known to them. The Israelites were waiting on the Messiah to come, to rid them of their enemies and to give them peace on earth, and yet why is it that today many have been convinced that the Kingdom of God is not here on the earth?

The bible shows us where Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. This is clear… that the will of God is to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Then Jesus goes on to forgive the sins of men here on the earth! Jesus tells the Pharisees who question him, that those things were done so that they would know that God has given the power to forgive sins unto men.

We see people being healed.. their sickness and diseases leaving and where was that happening, according to the bible? Was it in heaven after they die and get a glorified body? No, that was going on right here on the earth. The blind were receiving their sight? Where?? When they go to heaven in the future or when they were here on the earth? The lame were walking, and unclean spirits were being cast out. Where though, in heaven, or here on the earth? What was it that the people seen that convinced them that God was here with men, and that the power of God was upon the earth, and had come upon men? It was just what the bible shows us… they were seeing the will of God being done on the earth as it is in heaven.

They were seeing sickness go, diseases go, unclean spirits cast out, sins forgiven, the burdens on people’s live lifted, and all of it was happening while they were right here on the earth. We find no record at all from the bible that these things were being promised to happen in some future time, or in “heaven” rather than right here on the earth. We even see Jesus himself speaking of being in heaven in John 3:13, himself while here on the earth. So did the Kingdom of God really come to earth? Is the bible an accurate account of what men and women were seeing and hearing, while here on the earth, not being told to wait for those things to happen some time off in the future?

God says that this is what we need to see. That it is not in the here after that these things were to be available to mankind. We are to see the manifestation of His power here on the earth…and it has been His will the whole time. We are to know Him and that His kingdom came and His will is to be done on earth as it is in heaven. That there was to be no separation between what was going on in heaven and what was going on in the earth and that the manifestation of the power of God was with the faithful to God since the beginning.

So what has happened? Have we allowed people to convince us that the events of the bible were only one time events for one group of people to see so that they would believe? Is it one time events that were to be written about so that we would read about them later on and believe that they happened, then but don’t now? Was it so that we’d believe it was possible for those things to have happened in the first century, when Jesus was here, but that they will not happen again? Or is there another answer all together that explains this?

What we need to realize is that all through the record of the Old Testament and the New Testament that man had power that exceeded his natural abilities. Men and women were experiencing all sorts of things that to each of them, individually, confirmed to them that they had an encounter with the Almighty, or one of His messengers, and there was no question in their minds as to whether it was God or not. They knew it was… and the way they knew it was because what they seen happening, they knew that there was no power within a man or woman to orchestrate those things without it being GOD. That’s what all the writers of the New Testament that spoke of Jesus and His disciples speak of. The ability that they seen these men and women having that they knew man doesn’t have within himself. That was the evidence to them that God was with that person. They seen it for themselves. It was not what they were promised to see later, or that would come, it was what had come and they seen it and recorded that they had. The were witnesses to it!

What we also need to note here is that all of those that these powers were seen manifested in were all recorded in the bible to have been faithful servants of God. They did what God told them to do, they went where God said for them to go, and they did all they could to be totally faithful to what they knew God expected of mankind, even to the point of leaving their families, friends, and even willing to sacrifice their own sons, in obedience to the words they heard God speaking to them. Those are the ones that seen the power of God manifest in the earth. Those are the men and women that not only heard God, but were obedient to what God said to them, even when it didn’t seem possible… or what would be thought to be unacceptable by others, they still knew who they had heard from and were going to be faithful to what God said to them, and did exactly what they were told to do! It was THOSE people… that seen the power of God, not in heaven… not in a promise to come in the future… but right here on the earth where they all were… and not only did they see it… but others seen it as well and knew that God was with them. That was witnessed in their own lives, as well as was the evidence to others that were in their day, that seen it as well.

So what is the missing element in all of this? Is the bible a lie, and the record of those that heard and seen this power of God in the earth and the evidence to them that the Kingdom of God and the power of God was in the earth with men all just myths? Do we just read the bible and believe that those things happened then, and that God is unchanging without considering why that no longer happens today? Do we discount the bible as being false and just stories, or do we dig deeper and try to determine why it is that if the will of God is to be done on the earth as it is in heaven, and it was happening in the first century according to the bible… why it is not happening today?

Do we examine the foundational elements of the record of the bible… casting aside and forsaking all the traditions of our fathers, and the doctrines of our churches, and the things that we have been taught for many years, and figure out what is missing and why those things, if they did happen in the first century are not happening today, when God has not changed? When there is no place in the bible where God says that it was only being done so that a few or a group would see the evidence and believe.

I challenge each of you that honestly believes that the bible is an accurate record of what men and women who knew God and seen the evidence of God in their own lives, as well as those that record seeing the evidence of the power of God in the lives of others, including the disciples of Jesus, to ask yourselves this question… did the kingdom of God come to earth as the bible says? If so, what is missing? What is the missing element that is preventing us from seeing today these things happen as they did in the first century? Is it because the bible is not to be trusted? Did it happen only for a brief time, never to happen again… or was it something that had been seen in the lives of men and women for years, so that when they seen it happen, they knew surely this was of God, that man has no such power, so it was God’s power seen in the earth. Or was it that the power of God is only manifest, as the bible shows us, in those that are faithful servants to God, that keep His commandments, and follow His statutes, and judgements, and only to those?

Do we see clearly from the bible.. that Jesus himself gave the power of healing and over unclean spirits to only those that were His disciples? Only to those that had been faithful to come when He called them, and left all that they had to come follow Him and do exactly what it was that He told them. Do we see clearly a continuation of the Old Testaments record that the power of God for such things is only given to those that are faithful to God’s word, and come to Christ when they are called, forsaking all, to be disciplined by His teachings, and when they were…. He gave them power to heal, and cast out unclean spirits… and that they were doing that along with Jesus right here on the earth…. not later… not in the future… but right here on the earth, knowing for sure… that the Kingdom of God had come in power upon men here on the earth!

I ask each of you to give some consideration to what God has directed me to share with you. God wants us to know that the power to overcome temptations and to be sin free is not waiting for us in heaven…. we won’t need it there.. it’s right now that we need that power. It is not in heaven that we will need the power of healing for our bodies, nor will it be in heaven that we will need to have our sicknesses and diseases taken… our blind eyes to see or our lame legs to walk. That is what is needed now, right here on the earth and that is the evidence not only to you, but to those around you that in fact, God is here with us.

Notice that the bible does not mention Jesus or any disciple ever needing healing from sicknesses, or diseases, or unclean spirits cast out of them, or their lame legs to walk, none of that was upon them, however the power given to them was for others… so that the people would know that surely God was with them… that the power of God was with men, and that it was men and women that this power was given to by Jesus and God, that were faithful to His commandments, so that others would see that Christ (the anointing of God) had truly come in the flesh of man…. and the Kingdom of God was here on the earth as it always had been.

So don’t let someone convince you that the bible is not true and that the evidence of the power of God in your life to accomplish what is beyond your own abilities is for you only after you reach heaven. Don’t let anyone convince you that you will not be able to have those things, until after you die, for that is not at all what the bible shows us.. and if the bible is not true and it’s record is not to be trusted today as those did in their times who penned it and seen the evidence of it …. then we need to realize that now… and toss it for sure!

However, we will never know that for sure… until we first trust God enough to find out for ourselves what the missing link is and what element of all of this is lacking that is stopping the manifestation of the power of God in such an awesome way that multitudes of people can see it and know for sure that it is clearly the power of God, nothing else and know for themselves that not only is God with people, but the Kingdom of God and the power of God is in the earth, with men as it always has been given by God to those that trust Him and are faithful to His commandments!

Luk 8:17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

Jhn 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Jhn 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

Jhn 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Act 4:16 Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them [is] manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny [it].

Mar 9:1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

Luk 9:43 And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples,

Act 8:10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.

Act 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Mat 9:6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

Jhn 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

The biblical record makes it pretty clear! Those that keep the commandments of Jesus Christ, is who Jesus will manifest himself to, and gave the power to heal and cast out unclean spirits… and only to those. We see also clearly stated by Jesus that those that keep His commandments, that Jesus and God will come UNTO HIM, and make their abode with him. It does not tell us that God or Jesus will take us anywhere… it says that they will come and make their abode with us, right here on the earth, as the biblical record shows us clearly had always been done. So do we toss out the bible.. and it’s record … and say that it is not true…. or do we realize that the reason that we are not seeing the power of God manifested in the earth today is because we do not have people willing to be faithful to the commandments of God given by Jesus Christ. Do we realize that the missing link is… and was in the days of Jesus… which was that there was a lack of faithful servants to the words of God, and that it is God himself that confirms His words with signs and wonders and if there is no one keeping the word of God, there is nothing for God to confirm with signs following….

Mar 16:17-20: And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with [them], and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

ASK GOD, HEAR GOD, KNOW GOD!