When God created the heavens and the earth, the Kingdom of God was in ruling power until the Fall of Adam & Eve. When they sinned, they gave the legal permission for the devil to begin ruling on the earth and sin permeated every aspect of creation including humanity. The regime of bondage and darkness began to govern the earth. However, God had a plan through Jesus to take back His Kingdom!
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12
Fighting for freedom is a battle both at the natural level and at the spiritual level. Naturally, those who control people with rules and regulations don’t want to lose territory. Those who run a dictatorship expect no interference with their opinion from those who disagree with them.
Spiritually, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day didn’t want to lose control of people and their allegiance to the established rules and regulations. The kingdom of heaven came against direct opposition of the kingdom of darkness. There was great forcefulness from those who opposed the truth preached by Jesus. On the other hand, Jesus exerted his force and authority by remaining perfect and not backing down on his teachings and his principles.
The confrontation of power came down to Jesus dying on the cross and conquering the dictatorship of Satan. He was able to regain the territory lost to the devil due to the Fall. This was a spiritual transaction that took place in the heavenly realm.
When we accept Jesus and his work on the cross, it gives us the opportunity to enter His Kingdom and forsake the kingdom of darkness. Jesus came to set people free from oppression and bring liberty to the captives. We don’t need to live in fear nor are we indebted to the kingdom of the devil any longer. The battle is won, and we are citizens of the heavenly Kingdom. What an extraordinary privilege to become citizens of this new kingdom!
The principles of the kingdom of God are opposite of the natural world. Jesus didn’t fight His battles like an ordinary ruler does. Nations and religions are guilty of fighting others by brute force and bloodshed, but Jesus came to show us a different way to live and fight.
In the next devotional, I will share about significance of the Kingdom of God!
