As we continue our journey through the depths, clefts, and mountaintops that make up God’s kingdom, let’s broaden our road map by looking more deeply at this overarching concept of God’s kingdom. The Greek word the Bible uses for kingdom means “rule” or “authority.” Thus, when we talk about a kingdom, we’re talking first about a king or a ruler. We’re talking about someone who’s in charge.
If there’s a ruler, there also have to be “rulees,” or kingdom subjects. In addition, a kingdom includes a realm—a domain over which the king rules. Finally, if there are a ruler, rulees, and a realm, there also have to be kingdom regulations— guidelines that govern the relationship between the ruler and the subjects. These are necessary so that the rulees will know whether they’re doing what the ruler wants them to do.
God’s kingdom includes all of these elements. He’s the absolute Ruler of His domain, which encompasses all of creation. Everything God rules, He runs— even when it doesn’t look as if He’s running it. Even when life looks as if it’s out of control, God is running its out-of-controlness.
God’s kingdom also has rulees. Colossians 1:13 says everybody who has trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior has been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, your allegiance has changed. You no longer align yourself with Satan but with Christ.
This was an excerpt from from Kingdom Disciples: Heaven’s Representatives on Earth by Tony Evans. Published by LifeWay Press®. © 2018 Tony Evans. Used by permission.
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