Page 40 - TH130 Kingdom of God A4 Final

The Kingdom of God

From the table note that this age began with creation and will continue
until the second coming of Christ. The age to come will begin at Christ’s
second coming and will continue forever. During this age, Jesus has
already invaded the kingdom of Satan in the power of the Spirit. There
remains, however, a future completion of the Kingdom in the Last Days.
Then Satan will be defeated and there will be a complete victory over all
evil. This final destruction of Satan’s kingdom will occur at the beginning
of the age to come.

It is helpful to know that the two ages correspond to the two
manifestations of the Kingdom. This age is the present manifestation of
the Kingdom. The age to come is the future manifestation of the Kingdom.

The kingdom of God, while present now, will also be manifested
in the future. Three key issues concerning the future coming of the
Kingdom are:

• The nature of Jesus’ coming to set up His future kingdom.
• The character of the future Kingdom that Christ will establish.
• The time of Christ’s coming to establish His future Kingdom.

The Nature of Jesus’ Coming to Set Up His Future Kingdom

Two things can be said about Jesus’ coming to establish His
future kingdom:

His Coming Will Be Apocalyptic

Jesus’ second coming to establish His everlasting Kingdom will be
apocalyptic. It will be accompanied by great cataclysmic events, including
signs in the heaven and on earth. For instance, His coming will be
sudden and unexpected. Jesus said, “For as lightning that comes from
the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son
of Man” (Matthew 24:27). You can read about His glorious coming in
Revelation 19:11–21. It will be in mighty conquering power. He will come
with the armies of heaven and lead them as “King of kings and Lord of
lords” (v. 16).

No one knows the time when Jesus will come (Matthew 24:36). We
must therefore be ready at all times (Matthew 24:44, Luke 12:33–48).

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