Moving Forward with the Vision of the Coming Kingdom of God

Do you have the vision of being in the Kingdom of God? This question is very important because it will determine the path that you should take. Having the vision of God’s Kingdom will give meaning to your life and ultimately, the driving force to help you endure until the end.

Developing the vision of God’s Kingdom

Imagine yourself during the second coming of Jesus Christ. The great tribulation mentioned in Matthew 24:21-22 is about to end. The seventh and final trumpet has just been blown and you witness the graves of the saints are being opened. One by one, they are rising from the dead.

Then suddenly, your physical body just changed and you become a spiritual being. You cannot feel physical pain anymore. Afterward, you begin to elevate. In amazement, you also see other saints around you elevating and moving towards heaven. As your heart starts to beat faster in excitement and curiosity, the cloud suddenly opened and there, the glorious Christ is heading towards the earth (I Corinthians 15:52-58; I Thessalonians 13-17).

You and all the saints meet Him in the air. From there, the restoration of all things commenced. Jesus Christ has made us kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth with Him (Revelation 5:10). Jesus finally turns to you and said these beautiful and comforting words:

“Well done my good and faithful servant… Enter into the joy of the Lord” (Matthew 25:31).

Capturing the Vision of God’s Kingdom

Brethren, this is the vision that God wants all of us to have.

How CLEAR do you see yourself being in the Kingdom of God?

How BAD do you want to be in the Kingdom of God?

What are the things that you are willing to sacrifice just to be part of His eternal Kingdom?

Are you willing to exchange eternity with the temporary pleasures sin has to offer?

Brethren, if you don’t have the vision of being in the Kingdom of God, you will lose direction and eventually lose your way. Instead of getting into the Kingdom of God, you might end up somewhere else. This is a frightening and dreadful thought.

Having the vision of God’s Kingdom will help us to develop a sense of direction in life. It will help us to make the right decisions so that we will come closer, instead of farther, from the Kingdom of God.

Suffering turns to Glory

II Corinthians 4:16 has this to say for us Christians:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are TEMPORARY, but the things which are not seen are ETERNAL.

If we don’t have the vision of God’s kingdom, all of the sufferings that we encounter in our life don’t have any meaning. We often ask, “Why we are suffering?” “Why is this happening to me?” “I don’t understand why things should be this difficult.”

Having this frame of mind forces us to limit our hope within the physical dimensions of life. As Paul have said, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable (I Corinthians 15:19).

However, if you have the vision of God’s kingdom, the suffering you encounter suddenly will have meaning. You will soon realize that each suffering has its purpose — the purpose of developing our character and preparing us for the Kingdom of God.

With the vision of God’s kingdom, we will suddenly have the reason and motivation to endure until the end because we know, at the end of it all, we will be there in the Kingdom of God.

Having the vision of God’s Kingdom means having the right goal in life.

Verse 18 tells that the things that are seen are temporary and the things that are not seen are eternal. Without the vision of God’s kingdom, it is very easy to interchange these things. We see our house, possessions, college education, power, position, career, and everything this world could offer as those that are eternal.

However, during the time when the final trumpet is blown and you don’t find yourself elevating, you will soon realize that all of those things you thought were eternal, the things you thought would last forever, the things you have worked for so hard are nothing, and borrowing the words of the Apostle Paul, those things are just “cow’s dung” (Philippians 3:8).

Using the eyes of faith

Let’s turn to Hebrews 11:13-16 and let us learn lessons from the life of the heroes of faith.

Verse 13 tells us, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having SEEN them afar off were assured of them…” They have used their eyes of faith to see the heavenly rewards.

Capturing a vision of God's Kingdom

When they saw the Kingdom of God, what happened? They were assured of them! For them, there is nothing in the world that is more powerful than the Kingdom of God. They have realized that the Kingdom of God is the real deal. Nothing in the world could ever be compared to the glory of God’s Kingdom! They did not just stare at the Kingdom of God, but they were assured of it and they EMBRACED it.

Once they have found the pearl of great price, they don’t want to let go of it. The Kingdom of God is far important than anything else in the world.

Verse 14 continues, “For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.”

We are all called out from this world and to be honest, we all have the opportunity every day to come back to the world and live our old ways.

But do you know what prevents us from doing that brethren? Do you know why we are still here? Do you know why that in spite of all the bad things that may happen, even in the church of God, We still keep on hanging on to our faith?

The answer is that we have developed the vision of God’s kingdom. We badly want to be part of that glorious Kingdom that we are willing to sacrifice our convenience just to get there.

Verse 16 states, “But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”

Now that you have a vision of God’s Kingdom, how bad do you want to be there? Could a person in the church prevent you from getting there? Will gossip or offense discourage you? Will you let your boss, peers, and even your family keep you from getting into the Kingdom? Will you let the pleasure of sin drive you farther and farther away from God?

Moving forward with the hope of God’s Kingdom

I hope we will not be like Esau who sold his birthright for just a bowl of soup. We, as Christians, must be better than that! We have an awesome and indescribable destiny that awaits us and the only thing that may come between us and that destiny is ourselves.

Does your decision today bring you closer to the coming Kingdom of God? This is a question we must all face.

To end this discussion, let me leave you this encouraging and powerful verse that I believe we all need to stop and meditate upon:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him”

(I Corinthians 2:9).

NO MATTER what life throws at you, just endure until the end. Keep the VISION of God’s Kingdom clear and vivid in your mind and let it drive, MOTIVATE, persuade and encourage you to stay strong in fighting the good fight. As what the Bible says, the reward waiting for us is way amazing and incredible that no human heart and mind can comprehend it. This is the plan of God for you. Will you respond to His call?

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