2014.06.15_The Kingdom That Can Only Be Taken By Force

The People of God Gathered Through the Law and the Prophets

God definitely accomplishes the will that He has purposed. He had given the Law and the prophets to fulfil the will He had set in Heaven. The purpose of sending the Law and the prophets was to make Himself and His kingdom known to man, that is, to gather a people of God.

The nation of Israel is a people of God. They were taken to be His people according to His purposed will. In the beginning God told them, “I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people” (Lev. 26:12). He promised that His tabernacle will be with them and He will dwell among them (Ez. 37:27).

So what does it mean to be ‘a people of God?’ God defined it saying, “‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel” (Ex. 19:5-6).

The fundamental characteristic that marked the status of Israel was that they were nurtured by the word of God. For instance, when Korean citizens are residing in Korea, they would not actually follow foreign laws. Every country has its own legal system and everyone abides by the law of the country they belong to. The Law is a law that the people of God must follow. The purpose of God giving the Law is clearly shown in Jeremiah 7:22-23, “For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’” The most essential attribute for the people of God to have was obedience to God’s word rather than their offerings or any ceremonial rites associated with them. Although the Israelites were under regulations of the flesh, they were certainly a people of God, people belonging to the kingdom of Heaven, not that of the earth.

The way that God ordained the Law to be observed was unilateral. It was by force that the Israelites became God’s people. In most cases when people failed to observe God’s law, they were immediately punished with sickness or plagues. Such punishment even lasted to the third and fourth generation. If anyone was caught violating God’s law, he was stoned to death at the scene. Hence, the Israelites had no choice but to obey God’s law in fear. Regardless of how burdensome the law was, they had to obey in order to be God’s people. And they could not renounce their status as God’s people either because that would be bringing a curse upon themselves.

The authority of the prophets did not vary from that of the Law. They were like two sides of the one coin. It is with any law that when a law-abiding person happens to violate it even once, he must quickly turn back his ways. Otherwise, his heart would become numb and indifferent to the law, even unable to remember it. And when that concerns God’s law, the consequences are very serious. A person that fails to remember God’s law loses his love for God’s kingdom, and his heart becomes filled with only man’s desires and selfish greed. God sent the prophets for such situations. For God’s law to be restored with its rightful authority, it was necessary to censure the person who has breached the law or is about to, so that he may turn. And the prophets undertook this role.

In this way, God called the Israelites as His people, and after having trained them in the wilderness He nurtured them by the Law. Then, He sent the prophets to firmly set the people’s hearts toward the Law, and shape them to be a fine people befitting God’s kingdom. Thus, the Law and the prophets played a vital role in gathering the people of God’s kingdom.

Expanding the Extension of the Concept of ‘God’s People’

It was only until John the Baptist that the roles of Law and the prophets had such a bearing. After that, a change has taken place in God’s administration. Simply put, this change is that man is no longer compelled to become a people of God’s kingdom. While the people of the past were immediately punished upon breaking the law, this no longer happens. Therefore, God’s law has lost the power by which it governed the people of the past, neither are there any prophets since John the Baptist. Now, there is nobody that can censure and restore the people again when they go on sinning and be led astray.

Just as He did with the household of Abraham, David and the virgin Mary who was pledged to be married, whenever God used someone in the past, He came to them unilaterally without even knocking on their door. But ever since John the Baptist, God first knocks on their door and only enters those that open the door to Him (Rev. 3:20). There is no punishment imposed on those that refuse to open the door either. As regards this change, there may be some people of Israel thinking, ‘What a relief! It’s been too hard. Let me take it easy now that there is nobody to interfere in with my life.’ However, this is a huge misunderstanding.

When John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus and asked, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matt. 11:3-5). Why did Jesus give this unexpected answer? He was showing that Prophet Malachi had prophesied about Jesus Himself when he said, “But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves” (Mal. 4:2). Again Jesus made reference to Malachi’s prophecy (Mal. 3:1) and said, “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You” (Matt 11:10). Likewise, the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 11 certainly cannot be separated from Malachi’s prophecy.

Malachi 3:1 says, “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming.” This prophecy came to fulfilment through the appearance of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. Verse two then says, “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap.” A refiner’s fire implies punishment while the launderer’s soap signifies cleansing. This was a prophecy of what Christ would later fulfil.

Concerning those who were unaware of how God was watching their hearts and actions, Malachi 3:13-16 says, “Your words have been harsh against Me,” says the Lord, “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the Lord of hosts? So now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; they even tempt God and go free.’ Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name.” The point God was making here was, ‘Are you not reluctant to obey the Law? Are you not ignoring God’s word?’

But then there was a different group of people. Malachi 3:16-18 says, “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. ‘They shall be Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.’ Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.” In the past, Israel and God’s people were taken purely to be of the same meaning. However, a new criterion was being introduced that would replace such an approach.

A fierce judgement is forewarned of Malachi 4:1, “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” says the Lord of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch.” Malachi 4:4-6 says, “Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” According to these verses, the people cannot escape judgment if they do not turn when Prophet Elijah appears. And here, the prophet Elijah is referring to John the Baptist.

The people in the past always obeyed God’s law with fearful hearts. The appearance of John the Baptist in such times did not signal an end to their fear but an impending time of great suspense. The prophet Joel prophesied about this, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls” (Joel 2:31-32). The curse and punishment that these prophecies are warning about do not just apply to the local region but will affect the entire world. Therefore, we must escape that great and dreadful day.

God is saying that the degree of notion of ‘the people of God’ once confined to the nation of Israel will be extended to all mankind and every one of them is the object of salvation. As this was God’s original plan, He had said to Abraham, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 22:18).

Hebrews 8:1 says, “Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.” A high priest should be in the tabernacle in the wilderness or the temple in Jerusalem. If such high priest is said to be seated on the throne in Heaven, it is suggesting something different to what the people had known under the Law. This is not surprising because Hebrews 8:5 says, “who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things.” Then verse 9 says, “not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt,” and then verse 10, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” God was seeking to establish a new people through a new covenant.

The Law had a role to play until the promised Seed should come. Before faith came, everything was bound under the Law. It was a tutor that guides us to Christ, awaiting the day we would be justified by faith (Gal 3:19-24). Though previously it was only the descendants of Jacob who were God’s people, now the descendants of Abraham by faith are the people of God.

Yearning Heart

Before the punishment takes place in the world, we must quickly escape. Just as refugees flee across the borders to seek asylum amid a civil war, we too need to find a way to live. But there is a problem. Who is going to guide us to a place of safety?

Matthew 11:12 says, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” A rather unexpected language is being used here. In the NIV translation, this is written as ‘forcefully advancing’ and ‘forceful men,’ to demonstrate that the people who advance using force will take possession of Heaven. In the KJV, the expressions ‘suffereth violence’ and ‘the violent’ are being used. This means that the kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and that the violent will take by force.

These expressions remind us of wars. The word ‘advancing’ in the NIV is also used in the battlefield to move soldiers forward. When they hear the cry “Advance!” the soldiers have to go forward even if it is against their will. This is much the same as saying ‘you might die while fighting.’

The one that desires to take over another country declares a war. Anyone that desires the kingdom of Heaven would seize hold of it. Jesus has opened the gates of Heaven by coming to the earth and bestowing His grace on us. He tore His flesh that is like the veil in the temple and thus opened up the small gate that leads toward Heaven. In the past, God forced even the reluctant ones to become His people and led them as so. However, since the days of John the Baptist, those that desire the Kingdom of Heaven can take possession of it.

In a way, there is a greater responsibility for those that seek to become a people of God, in contrast to the past because they have to do everything without the help of the Law and the prophets. Jesus Christ does not lead anyone by force. Now for each person that relies on His merits, one’s faith becomes the Law and one’s fervor towards his faith becomes the prophet. The day of salvation, the time of grace has come when each person must take action (2 Cor. 6:2).

A person wishing to enter Heaven must be yearning for that kingdom. Of course simply yearning will not be enough. We must risk our lives and advance towards it violently. We have to advance with our tithe, dedication and service as our weapon. How difficult is it for the people of underdeveloped countries to find jobs and enter leading industrial countries? From the making of passport, they go through all the complicated process in between and when they finally arrive in the foreign land, they are left nothing but a passport in their hands. In the same way, we need the determination to pay any price to enter the kingdom of Heaven. This is a war; this is an emergency. For this, there should not be any distinction of night and day, and every resource must be employed.

Many people try to make conservative legalism, the righteousness of their hearts or the cleanness of their spirit, as a measure of faith. We need to have a yearning even when we are reading the Scriptures. If our focus is not on yearning for God’s kingdom, we would not be able to understand the Scriptures nor have a sound foundation of faith in the end.

A yearning is an expression that fittingly describes the attitude that a person should have if they desire to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Just say that a person loved someone. However, they are not together yet, and it is possible that they may never be together. He is afraid that she might refuse him. Watching her from afar tears his heart, and yet when he cannot see her, just the thought of her makes him happy. This is a yearning.

There are many words in the Scripture that speak about this yearning or longing. A bride longing for her wedding date, a groom bearing each day while longing for his bride, a father endlessly waiting for his lost son, and a son thinking of his home while suffering in a foreign land – their hearts are all filled with a yearning and longing. When Abraham was commanded by God to offer the son he received at the age of a hundred, he was able to obey without hesitation because his heart was filled with a longing for God. An intense longing filled Abraham’s heart, like the heart of a farmer awaiting harvest. Jesus who had washed His disciples’ feet and said to them, ‘wait in Jerusalem; I will be with you forever’, even His heart was filled with a yearning and longing.

The Church Life of the Longing Soul

Our spiritual life is a life of yearning. It is impossible for someone who is not longing to lead a spiritual life. And even if he does, he can only be hypocritical. Such a person regards his spiritual life as a waste of money and time, and believes that his church life intrudes on his personal life. Those people judge the aspects of our spiritual life based on what society deems right. This is the resulting outcome when there is no yearning. On the contrary, a longing person goes beyond himself to serve devotedly and thus adorns his spiritual life with glory.

Some people have been commissioned in the church and even blessed by the pastor for that office. Yet, he simply abandons his position on account of some trouble between the members. Such a person regards the church with contempt. When people with longing hearts are gathered together, they accept and make sacrifices for one another, and even suffer unfair treatment with joy. A longing person’s heart is filled with the desire to help, to make sacrifices and even suffer loss for others. To abandon one’s office in the church means to abandon the essence of faith, and proves one’s lack of yearning.

The trees during winter may be alive but they cannot produce sprout, leaves or flowers. However, the trees in spring are like a hungry newborn that they actively draw up the sap from the roots and likewise take in the sunlight. A winter tree that is afraid of being bruised and remains idle like a dead tree has no vitality, responsibility, or yearning and does not bear any fruits. But a tree in spring uses up all of its vitality and sacrifices itself. God is the farmer, Jesus is the vine and we are the branches (John 15:1-15). God has given us grace so that we may become the longing souls. Otherwise, God would have accomplished all things by force.

God is also full of yearning. He accepted us who were low and cowardly. God’s Son longed for the coming joys and thus endured the cross, undeterred by shame (Heb. 12:2). Because of the longing in His heart, He bore with the sinners who rejected Him. He battled against sin to save us, even to the point of shedding His blood. He wants to shelter us from our insufficiencies and weaknesses. He has bestowed us with grace by His own sacrifice. He could not come out of the grave until the Father raised Him to life. But finally God raised Him, and by this He has become our confidence, our strength, our future and the kingdom of Heaven for our spirit.

Those who are longing do not lose their hearts to the pleasure of this world. Even if something may not be a sin, they distance themselves from it even just for the reason that it may become a seed of sin. A yearning is even more precious than our own selves, which so easily submits to the flesh. It is the yearning within us that determines our true worth.

It would be unreasonable to demand someone who does not love the Lord, “Keep the Lord’s commands! Die for the Lord!” Even though the Lord has given us faith and His word, the people who are not longing will only judge in view of their financial situation and criticize from worldly perspective. The Lord wants our hearts to be filled with the kingdom of God. He desires to take His place and rest in the heart full of yearning. In the past, our hearts were set in the world but now, we must forcefully advance into the kingdom of Heaven.

Who are the people of God? The Scripture has already made known to us of the coming events. Revelation 2:2-3 says, “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.” While only the Israelites used to be considered as God’s people, now those who have received God’s grace are His everlasting people (1 Pet. 2:10).

First Peter 1:8-9 says, “Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” Although we have never seen Jesus with our eyes, we love Him and also long for the salvation of our souls. We do not have a prophet. Therefore, we ourselves must fight and overcome. We need to endeavor to have the Holy Spirit work within us. We must be able to overcome the great and difficult obstacles in this and the coming generations.

The Lord is the head and the church is his body. The way to love the Lord, receive and serve Him is to serve the Lord’s body. We should long to be used for the work of the church. We must not shun the little things but offer ourselves for those works. In order to be used even greater, we may not be used right away. However, we must avoid doing anything that takes the church in contempt. We have to go beyond our flesh and emotions. A change must take place in our faith with a yearning heart for the Lord. Since the Lord has opened the gates of Heaven, we must forcefully enter it. We must truly yearn for God, yearn for His kingdom and hold steadfast to the opportunity of salvation given us in this time of grace.