(2) The Fall Brought Chaos Back Into Creation
(3) The Kingdom: God’s Plan to Restore Peace to the World
(4) Jesus Was Sent for This Purpose
(5) What is the Kingdom?
(6) Patterns of the Kingdom in Scripture
- The Garden of Eden
- The Wilderness
- The Promised Land
- The Kingdom of Solomon
- The Days of the Apostles
(7) Attributes of the Kingdom
- Prosperity and Joy
- Peace
- Righteousness
- Holiness
- Knowledge of the LORD (Part - 12)
(8) The Life and Ministry of Jesus
(9) The Millenium Kingdom
(10) The Believer’s Responsibility to Progress the Kingdom
ATTRIBUTES OF THE KINGDOM: Knowledge of God
"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.” (Hab 2:14)(Isa 11:9)
Prosperity, health, long life, and peace are all given to provide the opportunity for the greatest gift of all, “full…knowledge of the LORD,” (Isa 11:9).
When the LORD’S kingdom on earth reaches its greatest fulfillment, “All your sons will be taught of the LORD,” (Isa 54:13). Jesus quoted this prophecy alluding to His own teaching saying, “It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught of God,’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me,” (John 6:45). Because the disciples were taught by God, “many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it,” (Matt 13:17).
Because the LORD Himself will be teaching mankind, “the earth will be full of knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” During these days, the words of Jeremiah will reach their greatest fulfillment,
"‘This is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’" (Jer 31:33-34)
“Know” comes from the Hebrew word, “yada,” which means an intimate relationship, as in “Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain,” (Gen 4:1, ESV). So great will be the knowledge of the LORD in these days that all other times in history will pale in comparison. Jesus was alluding to this future time when he said, “I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he,” (Matt 11:11). In what way will those in the kingdom be greater than John? One possible explaination is greater in knowledge of God, i.e., prophecy, as Jesus said, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see?…A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet,” (Matt 11:7-9).
The knowledge of the LORD will be great when the “Perfect comes,” a reference to Jesus (Heb 5:9). In those days, prophecy will no longer be needed, as Paul has foretold,
“If there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away…For we know in part and we prophecy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with…For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.” (1 Cor 13:8-12).
The fullness of the kingdom is a time of miraculous transformation on the earth. Zechariah speaks both metaphorically and also physically about the world being changed “Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate,” (Zech 14:10). The knowledge of the LORD will be great “And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be one, and His name one,” (Zech 14:9).
(to be continued - Scott)
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