July 9, 2019
READING TIME: 1-2 MINUTES
Dave, in Matthew 6:33, what does “seek the kingdom” mean?
Contextually this verse is merely admonishing Christ’s disciples to prioritize their lives according to the values of the coming kingdom during their brief sojourn on earth, while they live in Satan’s domain, and while the kingdom is in a state of postponement. The reason the kingdom has been postponed is the Lord offered it to the Jewish people in Matthew 1-11, they refused the offer in Matthew 12:24, and someday in the future 7-year Tribulation He will reoffer it to them and at that point, they will receive it.
Such an interpretation helps explain why Paul refers to Christ’s followers in the present world system as “ambassadors” (see 2 Corinthians 5:20). An ambassador is someone who represents the value system of his home country on foreign soil. Similarly, God’s people represent the values of their true home, the coming kingdom, on Satan’s turf, which is the present world system (1 John 5:19). The whole designation “ambassador” makes little sense if the kingdom were a present, spiritual reality.
Believers are called heirs in Galatians 4:17. An inheritance, by definition, refers to a benefit forthcoming in the future but not yet received in the present. If the kingdom were a present reality then God’s people could not be sons of the kingdom or kingdom heirs. How can one be an heir to something that he already possesses?
Source Used
Woods, Andrew M. The Coming Kingdom: What Is the Kingdom and How Is Kingdom Now Theology Changing the Focus of the Church? Grace Gospel Press, chapter 16.