MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM ©
by Steven Lambert, ThD
INTRODUCTION
|
This entire world is about to be
thrust into a chaotic period in which everything that can be
shaken, will be. All the kingdoms of men shall be toppled, and in
the midst of the rubble, another Kingdom shall rise up, a Kingdom
of all majesty and glory -- the Kingdom of God. For a brief time,
the eyes of the world shall be upon this spectacular phenomenon,
the exaltation of a people, a nation, what is called, "A
Holy Nation," the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in all her
glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, a mighty
throng, clothed in white garments, girded about with the Truth
and the golden breastplate of righteousness, having the
high-praises of God in their mouths and a two-edged sword in
their hands.
Every former event and move of God throughout history shall be eclipsed by what is about to take place. The hearts of men everywhere shall be stirred, supernatural signs and wonders shall abound, the dead shall be raised, the captives set free, the blind shall see, the deaf shall hear, the lame and paralyzed shall walk, the diseased shall be healed, hoards of devils shall be cast out, and multitudes shall receive Everlasting Life and an enduement of supernatural power. |
|
But, God is now orchestrating the prelude to this exaltation of the Church into "all her glory," which is the prerequisite that she come to the place in which she has "no spot or wrinkle or any such thing." To bring the Church to this place, God has begun to effect a kind of judgment of the Church, a period a judgment which must precede judgment of the world, for "judgment begins with the Household of God" (1 Pet. 4:17). However, this is not the kind of punitive judgment that will come upon the unbelieving world, but rather a judgment for purging, refining, and pruning, which God foretold He would bring upon the remnant of true believers:
"And it will come about in all the land," declares the Lord, "that two parts in it will be cut off and perish; but the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is my God.'" (Zech. 13:8,9)
God has already begun to take believers through this refinement process, toward the end that He might reproduce within them the Kingdom of God, that they might bear fruit corresponding to Eternal Life and the Kingdom of God, and that they might do the works of Jesus in these last days. All of this, which this volume points out, is a Divine requisite for everyone desirous of attaining unto Eternal Life and inheriting the Kingdom of God.
Central to all this is one particular parable of Jesus, the Parable of the Sower, which Jesus indicated contained the essence of "the mystery of the Kingdom." Within this one parable is an allegorical revelation, in capsulized form, of how the Kingdom of God is reproduced in the hearts and lives of believers. Jesus Himself indicated that understanding this parable was the "key" to understanding all His other parables concerning the Kingdom of God. In it, He reveals the "secret" to bringing forth fruit of the Life of God in this world. No other single passage of Scripture so effectively captures and depicts the essence of "the mystery of the kingdom" and how it operates. The Parable of the Sower is profound in scope, touching upon all the most essential elements of the Gospel of Christ, nevertheless, it is simple and easy to understand.
Notwithstanding its simplicity and understandability, the parable itself as well as its import is, however, multi-faceted. Its immediate focus is on four categories of hearers of the Word of God, but its import extends beyond the immediate focus to an entire range of matters related to the Gospel and interrelated to one another. Thus, in order to be able to expound upon all these matters inherent in the parable with clarity and without confusion, I have divided this volume into seven parts.
I truly believe every believer can greatly benefit from a study of this very rich and ingenious parable of Jesus, in which He reveals "the mystery of the Kingdom" of God. In fact, I will take it a step further and say that, based on Jesus' own comments regarding the parable to the early disciples, no disciple of Jesus can expect to understand the Kingdom of God, how it operates, and how to bring forth Kingdom-fruit without understanding this parable.
With that in mind, I invite you to join with me in learning all we can about "the mystery of the Kingdom."
|
Steven Lambert, ThD is an ordained minister, author of numerous books and teaching publications, an editor, and publisher of two newsletters, The Real Truth Digest and Prophetic Perspective Bulletin. Insight concerning Church government/order, the coming restoration, and ministry issues are the hallmark of his ministry. This is a sample chapter from his book, Mystery of the Kingdom, which may be ordered through this site using the PayPal® payment service or by mail/fax using our order form. Dr. Lambert may be contacted by E-mail at: slambert@slm.org. |
All Real Truth Publications publications are copyrighted, all rights reserved, and may not be republished in any form, including electronic, without the permission of SLM, Inc. Direct all inquiries to the SLM Inc at: info@slm.org. This is one of many articles posted on the SLM website at: <http://www.slm.org>.