Clash Of Kingdoms

Read: Matthew 11:11-12

From the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it. Matthew 11:12

IN WORD

Jesus offered two descriptions of the clash of kingdoms. In Matthew 11:12, the Kingdom of Heaven has come with force and violent people have attacked it. In the other account, the Kingdom message has been preached, and people are “forcing their way into it” (Luke 16:16, NIV). In either case, we get the impression that the Kingdom comes with considerable trauma and friction, and it isn’t a smooth experience. There’s a confrontation going on, a clash of kingdoms that puts Jesus and us on the front lines in a power shift for the ages.

That’s no surprise to any of us. Perhaps some have had a relatively smooth experience in leaving the kingdom of darkness and entering the Kingdom of light, but not many do. The Kingdom of God doesn’t just tiptoe around quietly in this age, even if many of our citizens are tentative. Whether visibly or behind the scenes, it breaks into the world with considerable impact. Every inch of this realm is contested, and so is every inch of our lives. Just as it took ten plagues and a lot of conflict for the Israelites to break free from Egypt, it takes considerable faith, resolve, and persistence for us to shift our loyalties from one kingdom to the other. Some end up somewhere in the middle, and they are deeply conflicted. But ideally we break into the Kingdom that has broken into this world with zeal. And it usually isn’t a seamless transition.

IN DEED

Go for everything the Kingdom offers with everything in you. Be bold. God welcomes followers who seize the opportunity He gives. And when there’s backlash, shaking circumstances, opposition, and trials, don’t back down. This was never going to be a clean and simple event. It’s the cosmic version of a seismic shift, and there are rumbles in heaven and earth. Kingdoms don’t clash quietly. But only one will last, and it’s worth the trauma of entering.

ADDITIONAL READING: Luke 16:16

The soul that is united with God is feared by the devil as though it were God Himself.

JOHN OF THE CROSS