When The Kingdom Of God Comes To Earth

I want to talk about the invasion of the Kingdom of God in our world through miracles, signs, and wonders.

Atheism

Atheism is a belief that an explosion took place in a printing press which caused a book to appear. They hold that billions of years ago, there was a big explosion from which we got intelligent life and the laws of the universe – all from chaos. It is like me saying that an explosion happened in a printing press in Seattle and my new book just appeared. All the colours, the words, the paper and images. To make their view even more presumptuous, they say anyone who doesn’t believe their theory is not educated. But even an uneducated person can tell you that order and beauty do not come from chaos. Chaos does not bring forth anything. There has to be a being that is bigger than what was created to bring forth all we see today.

In the age of enlightenment, when universities began to flourish, there was a break away from the major organized religion of Catholicism and people started to elevate reason above the revelation of God’s Word. Science became more important than scripture. If anything did not fit into the explanation of science, it was to be rejected as unreal and impossible.

Deism

This shift in thinking led to the rise of a new religion which did not reject the idea of God, the Creator but rejected Jesus Christ and the Bible, called Deism. Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States was a big proponent of this religion. Deism states that God is like a watchmaker in the sense that once He created everything, He left it to run on its own and doesn’t interfere. The devil added this idea that God is distant from His creation and therefore, Jesus Christ was not God and the scriptures of God’s intervention in people’s lives are a bunch of fables. Deism is heresy. God speaks; He communicates through our conscience, other people, dreams, visions and through angels. Jesus Christ who is God died on the cross for our sins and God till today, intervenes in human affairs with miracles.

There are a lot of people who try to discredit or doubt miracles. However, there are a great number of medically documented cases of things science cannot explain but have undeniably happened.

David Hume On Miracles

A notable figure from the age of enlightenment was Scottish philosopher David Hume. Hume outlined four points that he claimed disproved all miracles.

1. No miracles have been proven true by smart and logical people.
2. People often like to believe surprising or spectacular things.
3. Miracle stories often come from less-informed and developed areas.
4. All religions say miracles happen, so it is hard to say which is more true.

“A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature; and as a firm and unalterable experience has established these laws, the proof against a miracle, from the very nature of the fact, is as entire as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined.”

David Hume

To summarize, Hume believed that miracles violate the law of nature. Since the laws of nature cannot be violated, miracles do not happen. It might seem to make sense at first, but it is not true. Just like throwing and object up in the air and catching it; you are not violating or breaking the law of gravity because you intervened and caught the object.

Philosophers For Miracles

“Those today who claim that science or  historiography denies the possibility of miracles are repeating not scientific observations but philosophic premises stemming from Hume.”

Craig Keener (Leading New Testament Scholar) 

What this means is that anyone who rejects miracles today is not coming from the viewpoint of scientific observation but from the philosophical mainly propagated by David Hume. Keener went further to say that science deals with the observation of repeatable studies and cannot give judgment on pertaining to history.

“Science as science involves repeatable events, so it normally cannot as science pronounce judgment on specific unique events in history, such as many define miracles to be.”

Keener, Miracles

Miracles are not a violation of the laws of nature; they are an invasion of God’s kingdom.  Share on X

“If there is no God, then the laws of nature are the ultimate determinants of what happens.  But if there is a God, then whether and for how long and under what circumstances laws of nature operate depend on God. Any evidence that there is a God, and, in particular, evidence that there is a God of a kind who might be expected to intervene occasionally in the natural order, will be evidence supporting historical evidence that he has done so.”

Richard Swinburne, Oxford Philosopher

In other words, what these two philosophers agree on is that miracles are outside of scientific investigation, but they are not outside of historical research. For example, how did you know that Alexander the Great lived? It was not science that told you that; history did.

Science and History

When 500 people saw Jesus Christ ascend into Heaven, it is impossible to say that all 500 people were illogical, hallucinating, or stupid. you might be able to argue that one or two people were but not all 500 at the same time. The Scriptures have a lot of verification from witnesses who saw the things we place our trust in.

Recently in our church, we saw a man whose blood was filled with cancer. After prayer, the cancer stops in its tracks and disappears without a trace. The doctors were amazed and gave the man a clean bill of health. Science cannot tell us about this but history can. You can investigate the facts, speak with the people experiencing the miracles and come to the conclusion that there is a God who intervenes in human affairs.

The Case For Miracles

God’s Name

The first reason why we believe in miracles is God’s name. His name is Jehovah Rapha, which means the God who heals us (Exodus 15:26). His name is Jehovah Nissi – our banner and God who fights for us; He is Jehovah Jireh – our God who provides. When God says He is our Healer, that is not something He only does on weekends; that is who He is.

God’s Nature

The second reason we believe in the miraculous is the nature of God. God wants to do miracles in our lives. Jesus Christ was moved with compassion to heal the sick during His earthly ministry. Although miracles were a witness to Jesus’ divinity, and a sign of those who believe in Him, the Bible gives us the motive for the miracles, which was love. Jesus loves us, He is good and wants to do miracles in our lives. We should expect miracles when we follow Jesus Christ. Jesus said My Father is always working (John 5:17). He loves to provide and hear our prayers. Our prayer do not annoy God. We are the children and He is a good Father.

The Cross

The third case for miracles is the cross. Isaiah 53:4 and Matthew 8:17 show us how Jesus Christ was not only bearing our sin but our sicknesses, and curse on the cross. Therefore, they were no longer ‘legal’ in their lives. The Jewish people enjoyed forgiveness of sins, healings, miracles, and the supernatural intervention of God before they were paid for by Christ on the cross. Today, we stand on the other side of the cross, where everything has already been paid for and we are able to partake in them all. Healing and deliverance are the children’s bread because they were purchased by Jesus.

You can contend for healing because your sickness was placed on Jesus. Share on X

You can walk in complete freedom from guilt and sin because God did not just clear the record, He paid it in full. The phrase Jesus said on the cross in the original language was paid in full. That means our sins were not just swept under the carpet; they were paid for. That is why we can believe for healing, forgiveness, deliverance from demonic oppression and generational curses, and the miraculous. Jesus was cursed so that I can be blessed. He died so that I can live. Jesus was rejected so that I can be justified and accepted. He experienced poverty so that I can be enriched.

Sickness is not legal in your body. Your sickness belongs on the cross. Jesus took it. So you can receive healing and walk in it permanently.

God’s Kingdom

The fourth cause for miracles is the invasion of God’s Kingdom in our realm.

“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Matthew 12:28

I want you to notice that Jesus did not say He cast out demons because He took our curses and sins on the cross. Here, Jesus gives us Heaven’s perspective of why God is interested in doing miracles in our lives.

Understanding Of The Kingdom

Jesus’ main message was the message of the Kingdom of God. To give you perspective, in the Gospels, the word salvation is mentioned twice, saved is mentioned ten times but the word kingdom is mentioned 127 times. Jesus told us that the new birth was coming into the Kingdom. He told us to pray for the Kingdom to come. He preached the Kingdom. Jesus Himself came as a King. Herod felt threatened by Jesus because He was not just a baby but born a King. When a King speaks, his word is law. That is the power itself.

The Kingdom of God is not so much a realm as a reign. That means a person – Jesus Christ. So, when Jesus came, the Kingdom came. Jesus tells us to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. That means the Gospel is not our message. The Gospel is a description of our message, which is good news.

The gospel the apostles proclaimed was that Jesus' reign as Lord ushered in a new era of peace and salvation, transforming everything. Share on X

“And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”

Matthew 10:7-8

Jesus taught His disciples that God’s Kingdom doesn’t have sickness; therefore, they should heal the sick. God’s Kingdom doesn’t have demons, therefore, cast them out wherever you go. And God’s Kingdom doesn’t have death, therefore, we raise the dead. It doesn’t have leprosy, that’s why we cleanse the lepers. It doesn’t have greed which is why they freely received and were to give freely.

Jesus wanted His disciples to give people a foretaste of the Kingdom of God that was not yet visible. Miracles, signs, and wonders are the invisible kingdom of God bursting into the visible realm.

Miracles, signs, and wonders are the invisible kingdom of God bursting into the visible realm. Share on X

Already And Not Yet

The Kingdom of God is both already here and not yet here at the same time. Jesus inaugurated or announced that Kingdom at His first coming but He will consummate it at His return, (Mark 13:26–27). It is like an engagement and a wedding day by comparison. A lot of things are prophesied to happen before the consummation of the Kingdom but that is the day we, as Christias, should focus on and look forward to. Our wedding day draws near; we are the Bride and Jesus is the Bridegroom.

Satan was defeated in the ministry of Jesus and at the cross, but his final destruction awaits the end. Complete salvation and the full kingdom inheritance are awaited in the future. (Ephesians 1:18; 5:5; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10; 15:50; 2 Timothy 4:18). 

The church lives simultaneously in both ages when salvation has been accomplished but not consummated. That is why you can read in the Scriptures where it says we are saved and we are going to be saved. We are saved in that the penalty of sin is dealt with and the power of sin is broken but the presence of sin has not yet been removed. That is the consummation of the Kingdom, the wedding day we are looking forward to.

In Judaism, they believed that the Kingdom of God was something that was only going to happen at the end. They were shocked when Jesus told them the Kingdom is here with His arrival. To put it in this way, they were thinking only of the wedding but Jesus came with the engagement.

The Consummation Of The Kingdom

Sometimes, we go through things that make us lose focus on where we are going. A lot of people believe that God is going to restore the Garden of Eden in the last days. But He is not a God of the past; He is always the God of the future. Here are more contrasts of what the beginning of the Kingdom was compared to how it will be in the end.

In the beginning, we are shown a garden into which defilement entered (Genesis 3:6-7). By the end, we are shown a city into which nothing that defiles shall enter (Revelation 21:27).

In Genesis, people were naked but in Revelation, they are clothed with righteousness. Also, a man fell in love with a woman but in the end, Jesus weds the Church. We see day and night started in Genesis but in Revelation, the Bible says there will be no more night, (Genesis 1:5, Revelation 21:25).

In Genesis, we have the appearance of the serpent but in Revelation we have the final destruction of the serpent and victory of the Lamb of God, (Genesis 3:13, Revelation 20:10). This also applies to pain. In Genesis 3:16, we see pain being multiplied but in Revelation 21:4, the Bible promises that there will be no more pain. God is not going back. God is not going to restore what Adam lost; He is going to make it better than it has ever been before.

Miracles are God’s preview of His coming Kingdom. Share on X

The In-Breaking Of The Kingdom

Miracles are a foretaste of the coming restoration of creation. They are a sneak peek into what God’s kingdom is like. Miracles are appetizers for what’s to come. To put it more eloquently, miracles are future facts becoming a present preview. They are like a trailer to a movie, just an idea of what it is going to be like. Healing is a divine sample of the Kingdom you are moving into: righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost 24/7!

Why does God want to do miracles today? Because God wants everyone to have a sample, preview, or foretaste of what is to come. When you experience miracles, deliverances, provision, supernatural invasion and healings, it is the invisible Kingdom bursting onto the scene of the visible. The eternal is bursting onto the scene of the temporal. God uses miracles to whet your appetite and prepare you for what is to come.

Martha Meets The Resurrection

“Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Martha said to Him,Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

John 11:20

Martha was distracted by her disappointment at first – Jesus didn’t come on time and He didn’t answer my prayer. The future resurrection wants to make an appearance in your present reality. Let it.

It all depends on how you view Jesus. Is Jesus just somebody you love and feel comfortable with or is He the King of Kings? Just because you prayed and nothing happened doesn’t mean Jesus didn’t hear. But because of experiences like that, many people abandon their faith and trust in the God of miracles now and put their hope only in what will happen at the end of all things. They hope for the future because they have too much disappointment with their past that they cannot believe for the present.

Don’t allow your faith to be crucified between the disappointment of the past and future that you don’t have control over. Have faith for today because this Jesus who will raise people from the dead when He comes in His glory is standing in front of you, saying I am the resurrection, your Healer, Your Provider, Your Savior. Hope says tomorrow, faith says now.

Have Faith For Now

Jesus wants you to trust that He can move in your situation now. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus is not just a good, moral teacher, He is the King of the Universe. He carries an embodiment of His Kingdom with Him. That is why it is not hard for Him to heal wherever He went. He looked at Lazarus who had died and said Lazarus is sleeping. What you look at as death, Jesus sees as sleeping because that is the superior power of His Kingdom. Jesus is standing with you today through the power of the Holy Spirit and wants you to believe for the impossible.

Faith takes God without any ifs.

D.L. Moody

Faith is allowing what is to come to arrive now. We are called to be a triumphant church. We will see the glory of God, the Lord healing, delivering, and changing people, we will see God’s Kingdom bursting forth, and there is nothing the devil can do to stop it for even the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church. The Kingdom will manifest. The King will show His power and the Spirit of God will flow. All you have to do is reach out by faith and let the King worry about how it will happen.

Jesus Loves You Now

Don’t put your faith in healing, put your faith in the Healer. Jesus’ love is not found in that He always answers every prayer; Jesus’ love is found in how He died and resurrected for you and I. He hears our prayers. Jesus desires to answer our prayers. He loves us and He is good. Sometimes things happen that we cannot explain but let us not focus there. Let us focus on the things Jesus has explained already: He is a King, He brought us the Kingdom and this Kingdom wants to manifest in your life today.

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