John 1:12-13
12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to
become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or
a husband’s will, but born of God.
Daniel 2:44
44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be
destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring
them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
When Jesus stepped onto the Palestinian scene 2000 years ago he uttered the words, the
kingdom of God has come. One has to wonder what does this mean, because though myriads
were touched, and multitudes healed and delivered, and hearts were set ablaze, we find that it
ended abruptly, as Jesus was killed, the disciples scattered, and the world seemed unchanged.
But indeed, the kingdom has come. In that Jesus rose again, and birthed his kingdom in the
hearts of all those who would believe him according to John 1 and John 3. Through these first
disciples we see the inception of the church of God, that is still growing powerfully today.
The kingdom of God has come. Believers today can not only see the kingdom, they can enter it,
if they are reborn, of the spirit and water of truth. The new creation person is one that receives
power to become a kingdom person, now a child of the king and able to see life clearly from the
vantage point of heaven, because indeed they are an alien being, albeit in human form. Now
they are a manifestation of the kingdom of God, called to birth God’s will and purposes on the
face of the earth.
Thus when Jesus uttered those words, he was saying that he is the kingdom, and has now given
us the keys to the kingdom, whereby as we live our lives, we can allow others to participate in
this kingdom.
But how do we get others to participate in the kingdom, one of the keys is simply
understanding what the kingdom looks like, and then partner with God to see others come in to
the kingdom.
When Daniel saw a vision of the powerful rock crushing the giant statue he was seeing a vision
of what the kingdom of God is. In his vision he saw the stone representing God’s kingdom,
crush the Babylonian, Persian, Greece and Roman empires with one fell swoop. This is symbolic
for us in our understanding of the kingdom, in that the kingdom of God is all consuming, and
will overcome everything that stands in its way.
So for us believers today, the kingdom of God does not only overcome sin in our lives and cause
us to be born again (this is just the beginning). Daniel’s metaphorical stone representing the
kingdom of God is destined to overcome in our current day every kingdom that human beings
have set up in their day to day affairs. This means that when the kingdom of God comes, it will
have supremacy in the political, economic, legal and social aspects of our society. When rightly
sought and correctly yielded to, the kingdom of God will usher in God’s shalom in our societies
so that man and women can be seen to be rejoicing in the streets because things are no longer
as they used to be. (Proverbs 11:10).
Thus God wants us to understand that in the kingdom of God there can be heaven on earth, not
just tomorrow in glory after we die, but today in the here and now. That’s why the Lord’s
prayer describes God’s will for our times and seasons.
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into
temptation,[j] but deliver us from the evil one.[k]’ (Matthew 6)
According to the above, God’s will Is that earth look more and more like heaven, that there will
be no hunger, no debt, and evil effects of Satan will be vanquished. These are signs and
manifestation of God’s kingdom which has come
When Daniel understood the nature of the kingdom, he sought God in powerful seasons of
prayer as he partnered with God. We will not see the kingdom of God as we ought to if we
don’t pray powerful prayers. That’s why in Matthew 11:12, God enjoins us to pray aggressively
till heaven’s will comes to earth. But how can we pray passionately, when we lack
understanding? When we think the kingdom of God is far away? That’s why Jesus insisted that
the kingdom of God has come. It has come not only in spirit, but in reality. However, as it
where, it is in its infancy, waiting for God’s sons and daughters to desire its manifesting, so that
it can grow to overwhelm the kingdoms of this world.
In summary, Daniel literally prayed the future into manifestation in his partnership with God.
Though he lived centuries before Christ, he saw Christ’s crucifixion, further he saw the empires
to come and go, and he even saw the anti-Christ of the future. His prayers were powerful, and
were used by God. Thus, it is imperative that we realize God’s kingdom though has come, will
continue to unfold, and it is up to us to partner with God through powerful prayers to
participate in the joy of its unfolding manifestations in our day and age.
Pastor Olu Jegede