Two Kingdoms (Part Two)

Introduction

In part one of this essay, I briefly outlined my experience living the Christian life here in this physical realm within the earthly kingdom and alluded to three topics relating to the operations and mechanisms at play within it, and those of the heavenly kingdom, and how I try to maintain and balance my activities and choices while keeping true and obedient, within my human ability, to the teachings and commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ. The topics were: Allegiances, Financial Dependence and Two Distinct Economies.

After publishing that essay, I had the feeling it was incomplete, requiring that more topics be covered. Further, and more importantly, I felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit to write more about the two kingdoms and their respective governing systems. This is not to say I have a direct mode of communication with God. On my part, it is mainly through the act of prayer by which I commune. On God’s part, it is much more indirect and subtle, sent through my thoughts, emotions, intuition, and inexplicable coincidences as I’ve covered and mentioned in prior essays. And this is not exclusive to Christians.

From what I’ve seen, non-believers have this sort of thing happen in their lives quite frequently, maybe even daily. They may call it something different than I do, whether a hunch, a nagging feeling or thought, or inspiration from an unknown source, but it is still happening. Is the signal stronger in the believer than the non-believer? I do not know because I’ve never been a non-believer. Nevertheless, the signal continues to be transmitted. God’s presence and activity, overtly or covertly, breaks through into the earthly kingdom and is felt, I think, by everyone. And the stronger the operation of wisdom and discernment, the better our lives will be, because the enemy of our souls is quite the trickster, and not at all benevolent in his intentions.

Two Legal Systems

We all live under two legal systems; one is governed by earthly authorities, the other proceeds out of the Courts of Heaven. The earthly system has an assortment of officers, lawyers, judges and lawmakers who oversee the orderly and fair meting out of civil and criminal justice, as much as possible given it limitations. The heaven system of law and justice has but one Judge, Almighty God. The earthly system is ever-changing and corruptible due to its human governance, but the heavenly one never changes and is incorruptible due to its Divine origin and oversight. So where do the two systems agree and disagree? Which one supersedes the other? Again, we are back to allegiances, and it’s not easy keeping that allegiance pure and absolute.

During Christ’s incarnation, the religious leaders of the time were constantly trying to entrap Jesus to come up with legal grounds under their own law and that of their Roman rulers to destroy Him. They were relentless. The futility of this goal is fully on display throughout the writings of the four gospel accounts. Imagine, trying to outwit and outsmart God. Ironically, it was by Jesus’ declaration that He was indeed God that the Jewish leaders were finally able to have Him crucified.

On one of these occasions, Jesus is interrogated as to His allegiance to the Roman Empire by the very men who hated their oppression under Caesar. (No wonder He called them hypocrites.) The method used by the Jewish leaders was legal entrapment and brought into question which of the two kingdoms Jesus was aligned with, the earthly one or God’s. They asked Him, with pure malevolence in mind, to teach them something of God’s truth by telling them if it was lawful, under Jewish law, to give tribute to Caesar. The drama, an attempt to have a man sentenced and executed by his own words, is described in three short Bible verses:

“Shall we give, or shall we not give? But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, ‘Why tempt ye me? Bring me a penny, that I may see it.’ And they brought it. And he saith unto them, ‘Whose is this image and superscription?’ And they said unto Him, ‘Caesar’s’. And Jesus answering said unto them, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they marvelled at Him.” Mark 12:15-17.

Their malicious scheme failed, but the issue of which kingdom we are to give our full allegiance to was, although implicitly, pronounced by the Saviour in no uncertain terms. Christ gave a clear example of His expected obedience to earthly law and God’s laws. Those performing the interrogation did not get what they were after, but humanity was given a clear and simple teaching as to governmental allegiance under both legal systems within the two respective kingdoms. Both sets of laws are at play, but only one takes precedence over the other. There is no democracy in a party of two. One or the other must have final say in all matters. The Kingdom of Heaven approves or disapproves the laws of men, and no case goes to a court of appeal; none exists.

I wish I could state that I have been true and obedient to the laws of the Kingdom of God, but I have not, and the disobedience was deliberate. I was, and still am, aware of the ten commandments, and knew it was true that God had written them not only on tablets of stone, but on my heart. That is where they are most effective and disruptive upon my conscience. I cannot quote God’s laws as given through Moses, but I sure know when I’m breaking one. And just when God’s chosen people thought they fully understood the laws given to them, along comes Jesus to deliver His sermon from the mountain side as recorded beginning at the fifth chapter of Matthew’s gospel. The effects of this oration still ripple throughout both kingdoms to this day.

Foolish are those who have not read the transcript. To most theologians, whom I totally agree with, the Sermon On The Mount is the Manifest of the Kingdom of Heaven. Never had someone uttered such profound truths…never. The people were amazed at the uncompromising authority by which Jesus spoke, as though God was talking to them directly and in person; and He was. Whether they knew it or not, the very Creator of heaven and earth was standing before them speaking Divine truth, and His words were entirely as instructive and comforting as they were disturbing. I’m sure the elements around and under them quaked as the Son of God expounded upon the Mosaic Law.

The audience were well acquainted with laws of Moses. Their religion was strict not only as to in-person attendance at Synagogue but to knowing and obeying the letter of the Divinely given law. Jesus stood before them and said, generally, that absolute adherence to the law was, by humans, impossible in our present spiritual condition: we needed a perfect man who could perfectly fulfill God’s legal requirements on our behalf, delivering us from all Divine legal retribution, and that’s precisely the purpose for which He came.

Without quoting directly from scripture, here are but a few of the legal definitions, by way of examples, Jesus informed us which would bring one into judgement by God, and they would be called the least in the Kingdom of God. (And remember, if someone breaks one of the laws, he/she breaks them all. Down here, that would mean that if we were to commit an act as petty as shoplifting a loaf of bread, it would legally be considered equal to such things as homicide. We’d all be in jail, even the jailors.)

Being angry with someone without a cause is akin to murder; looking lustfully at someone is akin to actual adultery; if someone sues you for ownership of your coat, you are to give them both your coat and your cloak; if we fully obey the law of love, love thy neighbour as thyself, that includes our enemies

I don’t know about you, but I find the laws of the heavenly kingdom are much more difficult, even impossible, to adhere to as compared with those of the earthly kingdom. And what about things that are not illegal in most earthly jurisdictions? Adultery, sexual perversion, abortion, divorce, pornography (as an expression of art? Good grief), polygamy, bestiality, homosexuality, and many others, are perfectly fine, permissible, and even encouraged in the earthly realm. When you check out what the Bible says about these things, it becomes clear the laws of heaven conflict greatly with the permissiveness granted by this world.

It brings me back, once again, to the question of allegiance. Whom shall I serve? To whom shall my knee bend? Am I to be seen right in the eyes of men or of God? If I verbally and unapologetically refer to the items listed above as sins, which I do (because in God’s eyes, they are), I am sure to walk a treacherous road. Scathing rebuke will be unleashed upon me by friend, family and foe. Will I yield to the world, and place the opinions of men above the laws of my Creator? Do their views have any credence or weight whatsoever when compared to the verdicts of God Almighty? If accused of participating in hate speech, shall I yield in order to avoid going to jail, or worse? Shall I risk my place in God’s eternal kingdom by agreeing with the morals of the created that oppose those of the Creator? God forbid, and I pray it remains that way.

Conclusion

To exist in the two kingdoms as a Christian is not easy. It was never meant to be. The sword of the Word of God tears into and divides the soulish from the spiritual, the carnal desires of my soul from the desire in my spirit which is to stick with God. His help is critical for me to choose correctly.

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Daniel (Murphy) Kennedy