Question
Why did God want to bring His kingdom to earth to begin with? How long had it been in heaven? What was wrong with it staying where it was?
Response
First off, it is my understanding that God’s kingdom has not always existed. Now let me explain what I mean by that so that what I am saying is not misunderstood. Sometimes when people talk about God’s kingdom they are simply referring to His sovereignty; i.e., His right to do whatever He wants, seeing that He is God. In other words, they speak of His kingdom in the sense of His kingship, and by it they are simply denoting that there is none higher than He.
But this is not what I am talking about when I say that it is my understanding that God’s kingdom has not always existed. I’m not talking about an attribute of God, or an aspect of His character or essence. In other words, I am not using the word “kingdom” in an abstract, or figurative, or spiritual sense. What I am referring to when I speak of God’s kingdom is the literal and physical issue of what God provided for when He brought His creation of the heaven and the earth into existence, and what His stated purpose is with respect to literally and physically ruling and reigning over His creation. And in this sense God’s kingdom has not always existed. Rather it came into existence in connection with His plan and purpose for creation. A literal and physical kingdom has actual territory to it in which authority is exercised and in which the purposes and wishes of a ruler are administered and carried out. It also has subjects within it over whom the ruler rules, and who are involved in the administration of the ruler’s purposes, and the like. And a literal and physical kingdom naturally has a supreme ruler, or king, who by his active rulership in it is what actually provides for the establishment and existence of his kingdom in the territory in which he resides and rules.
With this being what is involved in a “kingdom,” we know what God means when He speaks of His kingdom. It means therefore, that when God created the heaven and the earth, He brought into existence a literal and physical territory in which He planned and purposed for His authority to be exercised, and in which His purposes and wishes would be administered and carried out. He also created subjects within it over whom He would rule, and who would be involved in the administration of His purposes and the like. And by His active residence and rulership in His creation. God would bring to pass the actual establishment and existence of His kingdom within creation.
Now once again I have stated this to underscore what I am talking about when I say that God’s kingdom has not always existed, but also to provide a simple and proper frame of reference regarding creation and God’s kingdom in connection with it before answering your questions.
Regarding your first question: “Could you at least answer why God wanted to bring His kingdom to earth to begin with?”
Briefly put, my understanding is that it is God’s intent and purpose to rule and reign over His creation from within it, and not from without, or outside of it. Just as any king dwells within the territory of his kingdom and rules and reigns over it from within it, so also is it God’s intent to dwell within His creation; to rule and reign over it from within and not from without. The earth He specifically created to be the physical place of His residence; of His capital city and of His throne, in the midst of His overall creation. Hence, God reproved Israel for failing to properly perceive His greatness and the greatness of His plan and purpose with the earth. He made reference to His purpose when He said, “Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.” (Isaiah 40:21-23) As God said, He spread the heavens out “as a tent to dwell in.” It is God’s intention to dwell within His creation, on the earth in its midst, with the heavens being spread out as a tent around it with Him dwelling on the earth in the midst.
Regarding your question: “How long had it been in heaven?”
In view of what I have previously said about the issue of God’s kingdom being directly connected with His purpose in creating the heaven and the earth, my understanding is that God created the physical structures for His kingdom and that would be involved in the establishment of His kingdom, (i.e., things like His city the heavenly Jerusalem; His throne within it; the physical environment of His city, and the like), at the same time when He created the heaven and the earth.
Regarding your question: “What was wrong with it staying where it was?”
Again, if my understanding is correct, then it is God’s intention and purpose to dwell in the midst of His creation; to establish His kingdom within it; to rule and reign over it from within it and not from without it. Hence, this is what would be ‘wrong’ with it staying where it is; it does not fulfill God’s original purpose if He is dwelling outside of His creation.
Keith Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries
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