10 Key Bible Verses on the Kingdom of God

This text is a part of the Key Bible Verses collection.

All commentary notes tailored from the ESV Study Bible.

1. Mark 1:14–15

Now after John was arrested, Jesus got here into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the dominion of God is at hand; repent and imagine within the gospel.” Read More

These verses summarize Jesus’ preaching ministry. The gospel is the “excellent news” that the dominion of God is at hand, that means that God’s rule over folks’s hearts and lives is now being established, and folks ought to repent and imagine within the gospel. The dominion is greater than merely the rule of the Spirit inside folks, for the reason that kingdom will in the end embody the restoration of all creation (see Rev. 21:1). Nevertheless, Jesus has not but revealed the truth that the dominion will are available in phases. How Jesus pertains to this kingdom shall be seen within the following chapters. Initially, he’s the one who proclaims the approaching saving rule of God.

2. Matthew 6:33

However search first the dominion of God and his righteousness, and all this stuff shall be added to you. Read More

The righteousness of the dominion of heaven works out within the particulars of 1’s private life. Jesus calls his followers to decide on their grasp, both God or wealth (Matt. 6:19–24), and to decide on their outlook on life, both religion or fear (Matt. 6:25–34).

3. Luke 6:20

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and mentioned:
“Blessed are you who’re poor, for yours is the dominion of God. Read More

Blessed are you who’re poor. This implies “blessed are these of you who’re poor in materials issues and who’re additionally my disciples and thus are placing your belief in God.” Within the OT, “the poor” (the identical Gk. phrase, ptōchos, within the Septuagint) continuously referred to the pious poor who appeared to and relied on God. Jesus will not be saying that poverty in itself is a state of happiness or blessing; it’s a blessing solely when accompanied by belief in God. Jesus’ assertion elsewhere that he was anointed “to proclaim excellent news to the poor” (Luke 4:18) is a citation from Isa. 61:1, which has a powerful religious dimension as nicely: excellent news would come to the poor who lengthy and await God. for yours is the dominion of God. Such folks belong to the dominion and can obtain the blessings of the dominion. Jesus constantly gave particular care to these on the fringes of society—individuals who bear God’s picture however who’re handled as trivial and the objects of oppression (see Luke 14:13, 21; Luke 18:22; cf. James 2:3–6; Luke 5:1–6).

4. Mark 4:26–29

And he mentioned, “The dominion of God is as if a person ought to scatter seed on the bottom. He sleeps and rises night time and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he is aware of not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the complete grain within the ear. However when the grain is ripe, directly he places within the sickle, as a result of the harvest has come.” Read More

Because the farmer sleeps and rises, the fruit grows by itself (Gk. automatē, lit., “routinely,” “by itself”; that’s, with out human effort). Fruit for God’s kingdom grows from soil that’s hospitable to his Phrase. First the blade, then the ear goes in opposition to the favored expectation on the time of Jesus that God’s kingdom would come instantly and unexpectedly. Jesus teaches that the messianic rule of God commences inconspicuously, grows slowly however steadily within the midst of a lot adversity, and reaches its superb fruits level on the second coming of Jesus. There may be nice hope right here.

5. Luke 13:18–21

He mentioned subsequently, “What’s the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I examine it? It is sort of a grain of mustard seed {that a} man took and sowed in his backyard, and it grew and have become a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

And once more he mentioned, “To what shall I examine the dominion of God? It’s like leaven {that a} girl took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” Read More

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven. Luke concludes his first part on Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51–13:21) with two parables emphasizing the arrival of the dominion. They distinction the dominion’s modest starting and its superb remaining state.

The mustard seed would have been the smallest recognized seed to Jesus’ viewers. turned a tree. The mustard “tree” refers to a big natural plant that grows to the peak of 8 to 12 ft (2.4 to three.7 m). The birds . . . made nests emphasizes the shocking supernatural outcome—i.e., the big dimension of the ultimate plant compared to the very small seed from which it grew. The Jews anticipated the dominion to come back with apocalyptic energy, bringing God’s judgment on all evil, and therefore Jesus’ educating that it could arrive in such an “insignificant” means was shocking.

Much like the mustard seed (v. 19), a minute amount of yeast can permeate a considerable amount of dough to provide a considerable amount of bread (cf. observe on 1 Cor. 5:6–7). Three measures would have produced sufficient bread to feed 100 folks. Some assume these parables train solely the distinction between the small starting and huge finish outcome, and never the gradual development means of the dominion between begin and end. Others argue that the expansion course of can be in view. Either side agree that the parables distinction the apparently small and unnoticed arrival of the dominion (the “already now”) with its intensive and superb consummation when the Son of Man returns (the “not but”).

6. Daniel 7:13–14

I noticed within the night time visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
     there got here one like a son of man,
and he got here to the Historical of Days
     and was introduced earlier than him.
And to him was given dominion
     and glory and a kingdom,
that each one peoples, nations, and languages
     ought to serve him;
his dominion is an eternal dominion,
     which shall not go away,
and his kingdom one
     that shall not be destroyed. Read More

The Coming of the Son of Man. The one like a son of man combines in a single particular person each human and divine traits. Elsewhere, this phrase “son of man” usually distinguishes mere human beings from God (e.g., Ps. 8:4; Ezek. 2:1). Nevertheless, this son of man appears additionally larger than any mere human, for to “come on the clouds” is a transparent image of divine authority (cf. Ps. 104:3; Isa. 19:1). This “son of man” is given dominion and glory and a kingdom (Dan. 7:14; cf. ESV footnote at v. 27; that is parallel to God’s dominion, Dan. 4:34), which at current resides within the fingers of human kings corresponding to Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 5:18). However he’s far larger than Nebuchadnezzar, as a result of he’ll rule over all the world ceaselessly: all peoples, nations, and languages will serve (or worship) him, and his dominion . . . shall not go away (7:14). Thus, he should be way more than a personified consultant of Israel (cf. Dan. 7:18, 27), and definitely greater than a mere angel, for no created being would have the proper to rule all the world ceaselessly. Jesus claims he’ll fulfill this position (cf. Mark 14:61–62), and it’s in the end fulfilled in Rev. 19:11–16 when Jesus comes on the finish of the age to evaluate and rule the nations. Jesus refers to himself as “son of man” greater than another title (see notes on Matt. 8:20; John 1:51). This title was used within the OT in two alternative ways, first, to check with a mere human being (see esp. Ezekiel, the place it’s used over 90 occasions referring to Ezekiel), and second, to check with the son of man in Dan. 7:13, who’s a divine being dwelling in heaven with the Historical of Days. When folks heard Jesus use the time period “son of man” for himself, they needed to resolve which kind of “son of man” he was. Technically he was each, nevertheless it took religion to imagine he was just like the “son of man” in Daniel. On the finish of Jesus’ ministry, when he claimed to be this heavenly “son of man” predicted in Daniel’s imaginative and prescient, his opponents mentioned he had dedicated blasphemy.

7. Luke 17:20–21

Being requested by the Pharisees when the dominion of God would come, he answered them, “The dominion of God will not be coming in methods that may be noticed, nor will they are saying, ‘Look, right here it’s!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the dominion of God is within the midst of you.” Read More

The Pharisees apparently want to know the cosmic indicators previous the approaching of the kingdom in order that they are often positive to not miss it. Jesus replies that the dominion is not going to come in methods that may be noticed (a phrase that interprets a Greek phrase paratērēsis that happens solely right here in all the Bible). In mild of vv. Luke 17:21–37, Jesus apparently implies that the arrival of the dominion of God is not going to be accompanied by spectacular indicators within the heavens however relatively that the dominion will come quietly, evident solely within the change in folks’s lives.

8. Matthew 19:24

Once more I let you know, it’s simpler for a camel to undergo the attention of a needle than for a wealthy particular person to enter the dominion of God. Read More

camel. The biggest land animal in Palestine. the attention of a needle. The smallest opening discovered within the dwelling. Jesus paints an image of one thing not possible so as to illustrate that even the seemingly not possible is feasible with God. There is no such thing as a proof for the favored interpretation that there was a gate in Jerusalem known as “the attention of the needle,” which camels needed to stoop to their knees to enter. Such an interpretation would miss the purpose: it’s not merely tough for the rich to be saved; with out God’s grace it’s not possible (cf. Matt. 19:26).

9. 1 Corinthians 15:50–53

I let you know this, brothers: flesh and blood can’t inherit the dominion of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I let you know a thriller. We will not all sleep, however we will all be modified, in a second, within the short while, on the final trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the lifeless shall be raised imperishable, and we will be modified. For this perishable physique should placed on the imperishable, and this mortal physique should placed on immortality. Read More

Corruptible our bodies (flesh and blood) can’t inherit the dominion. Therefore, the necessity for resurrection.

thriller. Christians who’re alive on the time of the resurrection shall be remodeled in order that their our bodies turn into religious and immortal just like the our bodies of those that are resurrected from the lifeless. (See 1 Thess. 4:13–18.)

10. Luke 7:28

I let you know, amongst these born of girls none is bigger than John. But the one who’s least within the kingdom of God is bigger than he. Read More

none is bigger. John’s greatness amongst all of the OT prophets, all those that got here earlier than the arrival of the dominion of God, comes from his operate as direct forerunner of Jesus the Messiah. However John was not a part of the dominion of God that Jesus was proclaiming and bringing to actuality, for he was nonetheless a part of the previous covenant system. Due to this fact the one who’s least within the kingdom of God (one who has believed in Jesus and has turn into a member of the brand new covenant kingdom) is definitely larger than John, for many who come after John dwell within the age of success, following the approaching of Jesus. This underscores the qualitative distinction between the previous age and the dawning of the brand new kingdom age.

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