Studies In The Kingdom Of God

Volume 1: Chapter 3: "Kingdom" - The Definition

"A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return." Luke 19:12

Herod was born in 73 B.C. and became a soldier for Rome as a young man, rising to the rank of General. After the assassinations of Julius Caesar (in Rome) and Herod's father Antipater (Rome's regent in Judaea) in 44 BC, Herod became tetrarch of Galilee, one of several tetrarchs in the region of Judea. When war broke out between Rome and the Parthians in 40 BC, Herod went to Rome and petitioned the Roman emperor Octavian and the Roman Senate to declare him to be the basileus - the ruler of Judea. At that time, by decree of Octavian and the Roman Senate, Herod received the governmental authority and sovereignty to rule over all of Judea, while remaining subject to Octavian as ruler of the entire Roman Empire. In 37 BC, Herod, accompanied by the armies of Rome, went back to subdue Judea, his domain, by removing the remaining tetrarchs in the region, by force if necessary, and to establish himself as king.

In 40 B.C., the empire of Rome was well on its way to ruling much of the known world. As a result, it was necessary for the emperor of Rome to share his ruling authority and sovereignty with others, who would then exercise this limited rule in the more remote places of the empire. Rome saw the value of doing this because these designated and delegated rulers would be on the ground, closer to the action, and be able to govern with a more hands-on approach than Caesar would be able to do from Rome. Therefore, men like Herod were given a level of Caesar's sovereignty and authority in order to effectively rule the domain (people and land) they were commissioned to govern for Rome. These men had no inherent sovereignty and authority of their own with which to rule. They could only rule with what they were given and they had to receive this authority from those who possessed it and were authorized to give it to them.

The sovereignty and authority one possesses, which enables him or her to rule is the basic definition of kingdom. It is also the Biblical definition. Today, we often confuse kingdom with domain. We often say that a person's kingdom is the people and land they rule or govern. In a very broad sense, this is true. Yet, in order to have a domain over which you rule or govern, you must possess the sovereignty and authority to rule it in the first place. In addition, you must receive this sovereignty and authority from those who possess it and have the authority and ability to give it to you. This is called receiving the kingdom or receiving the authority and sovereignty to rule. The domain is determined by the scope of the sovereignty and authority that a person receives. The domain is the people and land over which a person exercises their sovereignty and authority to rule.

It is important to make the distinction between the sovereignty and authority one possesses to rule and the domain over which one rules, when defining "kingdom" because a person can receive the sovereignty and authority to rule (the kingdom) and not be actively ruling over a domain. Throughout human history, kings have been over-thrown and/or gone into exile. They remain kings but they do not actively rule a domain. The exercise of their kingdom has been delayed or suspended.

Those who gave them the sovereignty and authority to rule did not necessarily retract it from them. Yet, the domain over which they rule may require time and/or preparation before their rule begins. If they have already ruled, the domain could have been ceased maliciously by someone else, or the king could have left the domain in order to return to rule it at a later time. Therefore, it is important for us to separate the sovereignty and authority one possesses to rule from the domain over which one rules if we are to understand the Biblical view of kingdom and the reality and dynamic operation of the Kingdom of God.

The Bible and "Kingdom"

"The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty (kingdom) rules over all. Bless the Lord, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion;" Psalm 103:19, 22 (emphasis mine)