Recently, my wife and I went out on a date to visit a local vineyard in the hills of Judea. I looked at the beautiful terraces filled with rows of vines. The guide told us that 100 years ago there was nothing here but thorns and weeds. I thought of the prophecy:
“I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they will plant vineyards and drink their wine” (Amos 9:14a, b).
I realized we are living out a partial fulfillment of the vision that Amos had described almost 3,000 years ago, when he saw a vision of the future—one that surrounds us today. Everything around us is a miracle. Everything about life in Israel is part of prophecy being fulfilled. Everything is a stage for the coming of the kingdom of God, and we have a part to play in the kingdom in our generation.
How does the kingdom of God work?
1. Yeshua is the King.
2. The kingdom is two-dimensional, both heaven and earth.
3. It is gradual, increasing in stages over thousands of years.
4. Everything in this world can be part of the kingdom if we dedicate it to serve God.
5. We as followers of Yeshua are the citizens or children of the kingdom.
6. We have ownership and authority in that kingdom.
7. We therefore have responsibility to promote and usher in Yeshua’s kingdom.
The kingdom started before Yeshua was born. We are part of the process of that kingdom gradually taking dominion over planet earth. The last stage of that process will be:
“The kingdoms of the world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ” (Rev. 11:15b).
We have a part to play in that kingdom, both individually and collectively. The kingdom of God is not separate from the things of this world. If Yeshua lives inside us, then His kingdom is inside us. We stand in the gap to influence this world and to bring Yeshua’s dominion into the world through everything we do in every sphere of life. {eoa}
This article originally appeared at tikkuninternational.org.
