God’s Kingdom: Satan’s Defeat and the Call to Repentance

Summary

God established His kingdom by defeating Satan and the power of death. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, victory is assured, though final judgment awaits. Until then, God’s kingdom exists alongside evil, as shown in the parable of the tares. Entry into the kingdom comes through repentance and faith in Christ, producing obedient, transformed lives under God’s reign.

God’s Purpose and the Enemies of His Reign

History is about overcoming the opposition to God’s rule on the blue planet. The devil and the power of death are the enemies (Hebrews 2:14). God’s purpose is to deliver people from both to the blessings of His reign.

The Three Stages of Satan’s Destruction

He destroys the devil in three stages. In the first stage, he mortally wounds him. The outcome has been certain since Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. A honeybee sacrifices its life when it stings. Death died when it stung Jesus.

The second stage includes chaining the devil and locking him in the bottomless pit at the beginning of the Millennium (Revelation 20:1-3).

Finally, God will destroy him in the lake of fire at the end of the Millennium (Revelation 20:10).

The Kingdom: Already Present, Not Yet Complete

There is tension between what God has already achieved and the final victory. God’s reign is present but not yet absolute.

The Parable of the Tares and Final Judgment

That is the point in the parable of the tares (Matthew 13:24-30). The good seed refers to the children of the kingdom. The tares are the children of the devil.

The harvest is the end of the age. The angels are the reapers.

Until the harvest, the children of the devil and the kingdom coexist. The tares look like wheat but do not produce anything edible.

God will remove the tares at the end of the age. Then, His reign will be universal.

Jesus and the Proclamation of God’s Kingdom

Jesus brought the kingdom. In Acts 28:23 (NIV), we read concerning Paul’s ministry, “explaining about the Kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus.”

“He proclaimed the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” (Acts 28:31 NIV).

The kingdom of heaven is the kingdom of the Father (Matthew 26:29) and Son (Matthew 16:28, 25:40).

Entering the Kingdom Through Repentance and Faith

How do you enter the kingdom? The parable of the lost sheep teaches that the shepherd searches until he finds the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7).

The parable of the two sons illustrates the hoped-for response (Matthew 21:28-32). The first son said he would work in the vineyard, but did not.

The second said he would not, but changed his mind. Repentance is that change of mind and behavior that says yes rather than no to God’s will.

To repentance, add faith. Faith needs an object. It is Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

You are born again when you repent and believe Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection were for you. That is the ticket to enter God’s kingdom (John 3:3).

The subjects of God’s kingdom show it by their obedience and commitment to the King. That is the fruit repentance produces when the kingdom of self surrenders to the Kingdom of God.

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