What does it look like?
Good question!
I am not sure that to many people have really thought about this to much to even describe it. What probably is the main issue here is what does it look like When Christ comes to take the body of Christ to God to unite us with Him. This will be the re-unification of the players in the Garden of Eden.
Mark 4:11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables;
Matthew 6:33 (ESV): 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Mark 1:15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Matthew 12:28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Luke 8:1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,
Luke 10:1 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’
These are but a few of the descriptions of the kingdom of God, Jesus’s ministry was one that His being within their midst(Apostles) was quite exasperating to Jesus, I am sure, let alone the disciples and the followers. But It is ironic that Jesus saying to the crowds that his Apostles should of known what He was describing of what the Kingdom of God was, but still had to describe to them what the parable of the seeds meant. It was the parables that was for the ones that did not ‘know’ the gospel of God that he was saving them from this world of sin.
There many episodes that the disciples where in that was beyond their sight(seeing) or hear(hearing) Jesus in what he actually said or what He stood for in the many walks with him thru the countryside. One instance was the journey in the ship with all the disciples aboard, traveling to the other side of the lake and the storm’s were raging against them, and they were stricken with fear of death, when they had God with them all the time. This is the reality that the disciples were still unaware who Jesus was.
Luke 7:41-50 when Jesus tells the story of two debtors that owe a moneylender, and tells the disciples that the moneylender forgives the debtors for the money,one for 10 times the amount of the other. It is when, Peter is asked by Jesus that who should be loved more, the one of the smaller or larger? He says, “the larger”, He then tells him because the woman of the house has kissed him and cleaned his feet and gave him water, and anoint him with oil,that he will forgive her sins first, for over his love for him is little.
Another note to also consider in the ‘knowing’ of what God’s gospel was for the people of Israel, were their leaders during this time, the Sadducee’s and the Pharisees the keepers of the Jewish law. It was if they were blind to ultimate vocation from God, to be the ‘first fruit’ of the gospel. (The reason for this will be another blog into why this was)
Getting back to the understanding of the Kingdom, Jesus took under his wing, disciples to learn and ‘know’ and ‘see’ who Jesus was, what Jesus represented, why were his ways were different, who was his ways for? This was alot for them to swallow about a man that called himself ‘the son of God’, it was only shadowing Jesus for 3 years in the time frame. The disciples were being hard pressed for the knowledge of this man, It was going to take time. I don’t know if they really honestly ‘knew’ or ‘saw’ what ‘Jesus’ was or stood for even before He died. I believe that even after He died that only a few were close to what the purpose was.
The Kingdom of God, the Rule of God, The Government of God, Garden of Eden, New Jerusalem,Zion are just a few descriptive phrases that are of the scriptures that are use. To what we believe or understand about this is very hard to understand about this but it is also very easy to understand. God is the Creator,King,Savior, of the the world. His Authority is the utmost,Holy, and righteous act for mankind there is. He is the reason, for everything.
The Eternal Purpose 