The Kingdom of God - by Pastor Doug Riggs

by John Mark on 06/16/24

This message was originally recorded August 16, 2015.

My notes:

What is the kingdom of God? "The term kingdom represents a sphere and domain of the divine rule... where God rules as King... The kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God in the person of His Son, the King. The kingdom represents those that are under that rule, and those who overcome share in that rule." Not all born again Christians are going to rule and reign with Christ as kings and lords. "Kingship is gained and earned; it's a part of the inheritance... which must be possessed by conflict." "Everything that we're going through now, whatever it is, is on-the-job training for ruling and reigning with Christ."

 

Doug quotes and explains one of my favorite verses about the kingdom, Matthew 11:12, translating it as: "For the kingdom of heaven is forcefully entered; and violent men seize it for themselves." I wonder how many actually realize what this means. Instead, perhaps most of us say, 'I'm glad we don't have to do anything to get our inheritance. Jesus paid it all.' 'I'm saved, so now I just wait 'til Jesus takes me home.' As Doug has reminded us many times over the years, 'Salvation is a free gift of God; the inheritance is only obtained by conquest.' God's purpose for the church is not to get saved. God's purpose for the church is for us to rise up and dispossess the enemy squatting on our inheritance. As we disinherit him, we possess our inheritance in Christ. Not all Christians possess the inheritance God allots to them (Col. 1:12); only overcomers. It's interesting to note that the word translated 'seize' is harpaz? - same word as is used to describe the rapture (to seize, carry off by force, claim for one's self eagerly.) "That's radical faith! The kingdom of heaven is entered by faith in Jesus Christ, but it's inherited by force... by warfare and conflict."

 

Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed." Doug explains. "Wait a minute! Matthew 24, Mark 13 is filled with signs that accompany and precede the second coming of Jesus Christ. What is He talking about? He's talking about that form of kingdom that will be invisible for a time," alluding to the church age. "When we were born again, we were transferred to the kingdom of His Son, Jesus Christ." As for this kingdom, "We (the church) are royalty. The body of Christ is the only royalty on earth today." This explains my resistance to recognize the 'royal' family in England. From what has consistently been reported from survivors of generational SRA, they are anything but royal!

 

Doug once again addresses the 'Hebrew Roots' movement and those who consider themselves 'Messianic Christians', distinguishing themselves from those born as Gentiles. "You try to be perfected by the law through any practice of law, you have been severed from Christ, Christian. You haven't lost your salvation; you've been cut off from grace - you've fallen from grace" (Galatians 5:4). "That company in the end - there will be no 'Hebrew Roots' movement. There will be no one that will be identified as this Gentile group over here - this Hebrew roots movement ... that's all going to be burned off... There'll only be that which is according to Christ, and Christ in heaven today - He's neither Jew nor Gentile. He's not a Jew. When He walked this earth, He was a Jew. When He died on the cross as the last Adam, He took with Him Jew and Gentile." When Jesus was raised from the dead, "He comes out in resurrection as the second Man... That second man has no vestige of the first Adam... He's the head of a new creation." We should consider the fact that the root of our Christian identity is Jesus Christ as the second Man, the last Adam, completely separate from any Gentile or Jewish root. We are a new creation (Gal. 6:15), created in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:10). 

For those that may feel offended as they listen to Doug address this subject, be it known that there is no animosity or ill will against our brothers and sisters caught up in this movement. For those who enjoy observing certain days for worship or celebration, Romans 14 addresses this and we have the freedom to do so without judging one another, nor having contempt for those who choose not to. That's when the problem emerges with disunity and schism.

 

Link to Audio:

https://dougriggs.s3.amazonaws.com/Assemblies/8-16-15+Sunday+Assembly-1.mp3

 

Maranatha!

John Mark

...hereby committing this unto the providential care of the enthroned Head of the Church; whose Name is blessed forevermore, Yeshua Mashiach - Jesus Christ!