A King with Two Kingdoms
October 18, 2010
Dear Friends,
One of the basic tenets of the faith is “that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.” (Deut. 4:17). This idea is again repeated in the twenty-fifth verse in this same chapter. This verse is used to prove that we are not citizens of the nations of this world, but that our citizenship lies elsewhere and as such we should not participate in the politics and wars of this world.
There are a couple of other salient points that I believe need to be understood in relation to this verse beyond these basic truths.
1. God is the King of the Kingdom of Men: The Kingdom of Men stands opposed to the Kingdom of God, but God rules over them both. This verse declares this plainly. ‘The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men.” God is not a president, prime minister or a prince. He is a king. Furthermore, the Psalmist declares the same idea.
- For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth. (Ps. 47:2)
- For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.” (Ps 47:7)
- Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens. His kingdom rules over all.
God is not king of some, but ALL.
Some have said that if God is ruling this world now, He is doing a lousy job. Let me suggest that this sort of talk is blasphemous. God is working out His plan in this earth and it includes all of the sin and false religion that this world presently offers to those who choose to partake in it. God can and will stop all of this nonsense when the time is right. In the meantime, God knows exactly what He is doing and is doing it perfectly both in the Kingdom of Men and in the Kingdom of God. All of our present troubles are working toward Yahweh filling this world with His glory whether or not He is doing it in the way we would do it in our “wisdom.”
2. A key difference is the subjects: In this present age, it is difficult to distinguish between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Men because the Kingdom of Men has yet to be supplanted in “the day of vengeance of our God.” This Day is yet future and, by God’s grace, soon.
The psalmist declares:
The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.(Ps. 115:16)
God is working through the children of men even though they do not willingly submit to their King. The subjects of the Kingdom of God do submit to Him. Each is known by the fruits they bear and the love they have for one another. (Matt. 7:16; John 13:35)
Next week, Lord willing, we will look at some parables which clearly demonstrate how this works.
3. God has always been King and His Kingdom has always existed: In 1 Samuel 8, as Israel asks for a king, God tells the prophet,
And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. (1 Sam. 8:7)
God was reigning as King over Israel in a theocratic state prior to the establishment of the earthly Kingship that would eventually come from the line of David. He was ruling even though they didn’t know it or acknowledge it. In fact, God still reigns over not only Israel, but also over all mankind. How do we know this? Because God reigns over ALL.
The Lord announces the everlasting nature of His rule over and over again in the Scripture:
- He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. (Ps. 66:7)
- The LORD is King for ever and ever. (Ps. 10:16)
- The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
- But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. (Jer. 10:10)
- For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. (Ps. 95:3)
Some struggle with the idea that God is a king now over this earth or that His Kingdom exists in any form whatsoever. This stems, I believe, from a healthy emphasis on the future Kingdom of God on earth. While we want to be clear that Jesus will return and exercise a new form of dominion over the Kingdom of Men, we don’t want to miss these simple truths in the process. Belief in both God’s future and present kingdoms and His rulership over both are not in any way contradictory or mutually exclusive.
Have a great week,
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