King of Kings

I Chronicles 29:11
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.  Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exhalted as head over all.

When I first read the Bible through for myself, I was struck by the number of times the kingdom was talked about in the book of Matthew alone.  This sent me on a search with my handy concordance of every Bible reference to the kingdom.

Of course, in the Old Testament, God's kingdom was the nation of Israel.  Because God is the eternal King, he has always had a kingdom.  Here is what God told Moses to commuicate to Jacob's descendants in Egypt:

Exodus 19:6
"....you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."  These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.

When Jesus was predicitng the coming of his kingom he was referring to the church.  In his first recorded sermon, which we often refer to as the Sermon on the Mount, he mentioned the kingdom 7 times.  (Matthew 5:3, 10, 19, 20; 6:10, 33; 7:21), and in his last words to his disciples before his ascension into heaven, the kingdom was also the theme of his conversation.


Acts 1:3
After his suffereing, he showed himself to these men over a period of  forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God (aka, the Kingdom of Heaven) is simply made up of citizens of the kingdom--those who have pledged allegiance to the King--no matter the era or the law of God in force at the time (Law of Moses or Law of Christ). 

Here's the deal--Elizabeth is queen of England.  I sincerely believe it and it is verifiably true.  But belief in that truth doesn't make me a citizen of her country/knigdom.  I have not pledged myself to be obedient to her laws or loyal to her sovereignty.  In order for Elizabeth to be my queen, I would have to go through the process of learning and pledging obedience to the laws of England. 

It is the same with the kingdom of God.  I have to learn his laws and pledge obedience to the King.  And what a king!

I Timothy 6:15
...God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.  To him be honor and might forever.  Amen.