목회자 칼럼

아래 내용은 영어권 성도들을 위해 쓴 글입니다. 하나님의 왕국은 성경전체의 주제이며, 우리의 가슴을 뛰게 만드는 주제입니다. 영어가 편하신 분들을 위해 썼으니 참조바랍니다. When I hear the term, kingdom, my imagination goes to a land or place where a palace is located and wherein a king and queen and their subjects are, discussing or having a party. But the term kingdom (Greek basileia) actually means ‘reign’ or ‘rule.' It is an abstract noun or gerund of a verb. So it points to an abstract/physical area or a state of being where the reign is actualized. So kingdom of God is an area or state of being where God reigns or rules. So sometimes it indicates the actual land or whole earth where Jesus, the God in flesh, will reign and rule when he comes again on the earth in the future (1st facet). It sometimes indicates our heart or a state of our heart when the Holy Spirit (God) reigns [hence, kingdom of God] when I am filled with Holy Spirit in my morning devotion (2nd facet). It sometimes indicates the third heaven where actually God resides (4th facet). It indicates sometimes Jesus Himself where God fully reigned (Jesus obeyed Father completely) when Jesus was walking on the land at His first coming (Lk. 17:21). So it also refers to the theocratic kingdom of Israel where God reigned through mediators representing Him (kings etc.). Though the Christendom includes Fundamental baptists together with even Roman Catholic or Mormons (thus categorized by the world), this Christendom is also ruled by God somehow (5th facet) since the Christendom is also included in the 3rd facet, Universal kingdom, because the current ugly form of mystery kingdom (Christendom) would have never come into being without God’s providential permission.