There are two kingdoms before us; the Kingdom of God that leads to life and the Kingdom of the World that leads to death. As believers, we are born into the Kingdom of God, a heavenly kingdom ruled by the scepter of God’s righteousness. The Kingdom of the world, on the other hand, is an earthly kingdom given to mankind and in part to Satan who is the god of this world. We are steadily moving into the generation that will experience the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit and simultaneously an unprecedented shaking of the earth. For God said, “Yet once more will I make to tremble, not the earth only, but also the heaven” (Hebrews 12:26). This outpouring and shaking will end in a clear division between the two Kingdoms just as light is divided from darkness.
The two Kingdoms are inherently opposed to each other as one is of the light and the other of the darkness.
The typology for these Kingdoms begins in Genesis with the Tree of Life and the Tree of Good & Evil. In the garden Adam and Eve fellowshipped with the Lord and freely ate of the Tree of Life. However, once they ate of the Tree of Good and Evil, they could no longer fellowship with the Lord because they had partaken of the spirit of the world, so God drove them out of the garden. Paul explained this point when he said that you cannot eat at the Lords table and the table of devils (1 Corinthians: 10:21). The Lord confirmed this in Revelation when He said, “because you are lukewarm, neither cold (spirit of world) nor hot (Spirit of God) I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3: 16). Just as there was no middle ground in the garden there is no middle ground in the Kingdom of God.
The two defined Kingdoms continued (Genesis 3:15) with Cain and Abel who were not just the sons of Eve, but also procreators of the Kingdoms. When Abel’s blood offering was considered righteous and Cain’s offering of the earth rejected, the tension between the kingdoms escalated until Cain murdered Abel. Cain’s nature was corrupt and under the influence of the spirit of the world so that he killed his own brother. God rebuked Cain by saying, “you are like your father the devil who was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own for he is a liar and the father of it (John 8:44). The dichotomy between the Kingdoms continued through scripture when godly men like Enoch, communed with God and lived righteously and in accordance with Gods ways. While many of the seed of Cain performed works of the flesh and rejected the commandments of God. Eventually God addressed those who were corrupt when He said, “Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers” (Acts 7:51).
Graciously, salvation came to the world in the body of Jesus, who in the image of God, rescued us from the Kingdom of the World and transferred us to the Kingdom of God (Col 1:13). Jesus as the Messiah came to earth to establish His Father’s Kingdom. This Kingdom is not found in a place, but it is of the Spirit of God and it expands and grows (Luke 17:20) as we allow Jesus to reign in us through the leading of the Spirit (Romans 8:14). With His Kingdom, Jesus brought to the earth His authority over the god of this world, and this created a great shift in power. Never before in biblical history had any man demonstrated dominion over the powers of darkness, “If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come to you” (Matthew 12:28). My Kingdom is here, He said, and the proof is in the power. The Kingdom of God is demonstrating Jesus’s authority over Satan’s rule and Jesus gave this power to His disciples, so they could overcome the world and the powers that influence it. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world (1John 4:4).
With His Kingdom in us there is a warning not to be double minded by loving the spirit of the world.
I received a dream after I asked the Lord to explain this spiritual principle to me. In the dream I saw a man whom God described as having loved the world. Then the man found salvation and he loved God and served Him. After a time, the man thought to himself that he could have both God and the world. So, God gave the man over to seducing spirits in the hope that the man would eventually repent. I then saw a vision of the man confined to bed with broken limbs that were immobilized by splints and traction. I understood that the splints represented the seducing spirits and demons that held the man in bondage. God had permitted this to happen in the hope that the man would see his spiritual state and repent.
James 4:4. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? 5 Or do you think that the scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? 6. But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble”. 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleans your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
With the shift in spiritual authority it should be expected that Satan would oppose the Kingdom of God, through an outpouring of darkness that will precipitate a great falling away (2 Thessalonian’s 2:3).
When Jesus was crowned King of kings and the Lord of lords, Satan’s authority and power became subordinate to Christ’s authority. Although a tremendous blow to Satan it didn’t stop his acts of usurpation by trying to draw believers away through seducing spirits and doctrines of devils (1 Timothy 4:1). Seduction and deception led to the fall of Adam and Eve when they gave heed to Satan’s lies. As the Holy Spirit moves to establish His Kingdom in believers, Satan is concurrently growing his Kingdom through enticements of darkness infiltrating the carnal nature of man. This is where the war of the Kingdoms is being fought in the hearts and spirits of believers. We are encouraged to win this fight by putting to death the flesh, which is susceptible to temptation and seduction. If we continue to walk in darkness we lie and do not practice the truth (light) (1 John 1:6) however if we overcome the world and the enticements thereof we will share with Jesus His authority in the Kingdom. As partakers of the Tree of Life there is a requirement to keep His commandments so that we abide in Him and obey Him as He speaks to us (1 John 2:27). For those who overcome so that they walk in the light there is a promise, that they will do even greater works than Jesus did because Jesus now sits on His throne (Rev 3:10-22).
Deuteronomy 30:14
15: See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.
16 In that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments and the Lord your God will bless you in the land (Kingdom of God) you are to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them,
18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land, which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.
There is no spring that brings forth salt and fresh water!
Just as the garden had two Trees, there are two Kingdoms before us, and we are being warned not to be double minded. As with Eve, there is a choice to be made as to which voice we listen to and follow. One spring is of the Spirit of God and leads to righteousness, the other spring is of the World under the influence of Satan and leads to death. Jesus says in Revelation 2:7 that if we overcome and don’t do the works of the spirit of the world, He will grant us to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. The current shaking of the earth, although a tumultuous period for many, will have the effect of dividing the wheat from the chaff. Some, as chaff, will fall away as they depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons (1 Timothy 4:1). While the wheat, will cling to the Truth thereby discarding the world and the flesh (corruptible), so that they can be led of the Spirit of God (incorruptible). Since, we have been given a kingdom that is “unshakable” let us follow God with thankfulness in the ways which please him, but always with reverence and holy fear (Hebrews 12:28).
Let us hold fast to the Truth so that when the shaking stops, we shall find ourselves positioned in the Kingdom of God.
