God is frequently described throughout the scriptures as a King. And, it is in this understanding of Gods, as the king over all that we see, that his kingdom is unfolded in the scriptures.
Everything belongs to God. He created it, and it's only by his mercy and grace that anyone gets to be a part of HIS creation, HIS KINGDOM.
Psalm 29:10 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
When Israel came out of Egypt, God said that Judah would be his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion, (or kingdom.) Look at Psalm 114:1-2.
Psalm 114:1-2 1When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people, of strange language; 2Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.
The New Living Translation and the Bible in Basic English render the word dominion, as kingdom.
Exodus 19:5-6 5Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all, people: for all the earth is mine: 6And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
The people of Israel were His kingdom. They began to be God's kingdom through entering into a covenant with Him at Mount Sinai, shortly after they had escaped from Egypt through the Red Sea.
In response to their willingness to keep this covenant, they would be unto (God) a kingdom... and a holy nation.
After entering into this agreement, Israel traveled through the wilderness of Sinai and settled down in the promised land of Canaan. As God was their King, they were ruled over by "Judges" (e.g. Gideon and Samson) rather than kings.
These judges were not kings, but divinely guided administrators who governed certain parts of the country rather than ruling over the whole land.
They were often raised up by God for specific purposes, e.g. to lead Israel to repentance and deliver them from their enemies. When Israel asked Gideon to rule over them, Gideon knew the time had not come for a king, so he refused.
Judges 8:22-23 22Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. 23And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.
God ruled as the king over the nations through judges. During the days of Samuel the prophet, the last judge, Israel rejected the theocracy and prematurely demanded an earthly king.
I Samuel 8:4-7 4Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. 7And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign, over them.
Because of the hardness of their hearts, and their impatience, the best God could do for them was Saul. God will not overstep man's free will. The time had not come for a king, but the people wanted a king, and they wanted him yesterday. So, God did the best he could; however, this was not according to God's timetable. There would be a time for a king. It was recorded in God's Word that his people would have a king ever since Genesis 3:15.
NLT Genesis 49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will obey.
These are prophecies all concerning a coming king. Look at Deuteronomy 17.
NLT Deuteronomy 17:14-15 14You will soon arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you, and you will conquer it and settle there. then you may begin to think, "We ought to have a king like the other nations around us." 15If this happens, be sure that you select as king the man the LORD your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite, not a foreigner.
Israel knew this, however, it had to be the man of God's choosing, and it had to be according to God's timetable and not man's.
NLT Deuteronomy 17:16-17 16The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself, and he must never send his people to Egypt to buy horses there, for the LORD has told you, 'You must never return to Egypt.' 17The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will lead him away from the LORD. And he must not accumulate vast amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself.NLT Deuteronomy 17:18-20 18When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy these laws on a scroll for himself in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19He must always keep this copy of the law with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way, he will learn to fear the LORD his God by obeying all the terms of this law. 20This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. This will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.
If our leadership in our country would adhere to this instruction, we would be in much better shape. Instead we outlaw the Ten Commandments, get rid of God's Word in the schools, throw out the Bible, and make laws to protect the evil in our country. Then, when a disaster happens like 9-11, most people turn to God and say "how come this is happening?" Or, "Why did you let this happen?" When the truth of the matter is HOW COULD IT NOT HAPPEN? We drive God out of our lives and them we blame him for turning his back on us? It is we who, for the most part, have turned our backs on God.
Psalm 89:3-4 3I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, 4Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.
You can't have a throne unless you have a king.
I Chronicles 29:23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed, him.Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
This time is still future, but it will come to pass.
Matthew 2:1-2 1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
This is God's timetable, not man's.
Revelation 19:11-16 11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress, of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
We live in exciting times and the day is coming when we will live forever more.
Romans 5:17 For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
The fullness of this promise is yet future when we reign in the kingdom of God with our Lord Jesus here on a new Earth forever!ÿ
Note: All scripture is from the King James Version unless otherwise noted. NIV indicates The New International Version, NLT indicates the New Living Translation, NAS indicates the New American Standard version, NKJV indicates the New King James Version, ASV means the American Standard Version, NJB means the New Jerusalem Bible, BBE means the Bible in Basic English, DBY means the Darby translation, NAU means the American Standard Version, 1995 Edition, and NAB means the New American Bible translation. For more information, go to the Works Cited page.