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SHAWN A. AKERS
You can look at what is meant by "the kingdom of
heaven" in a whole new way.
Bible
scholar N.T Wright says many of today's believers misunderstand Jesus when he
speaks about inheriting the kingdom of heaven in the Gospels.
Wright
wants to set the record straight from a first-century point of view.
"In the modern world, many people think that when Jesus
talks about the kingdom of heaven, it is a simple way of going to heaven when
you die.
It really isn't,"
Wright told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on
the Charisma Podcast Network.
"That's not what the phrase meant at the time or what
it means in the Bible.
"Other people have though that the kingdom of God is
basically the church; the church is a kingdom, and that's where God is King.
And that's simply not what Jesus meant by it, either.
“And then, in recent years, some scholars and some simple
folk have been taught that the kingdom of God meant that the world is going to
come to an end, and we're all going to be in a totally different dimension
entirely. And that's wrong as well.
"When we study the New Testament in its world, which is
its Jewish world, as well as its Greek and Roman world, we discover the kingdom
of God is a way of talking about God becoming King. And that means that God is
going to take charge of the world in a whole new way.
“When Jesus is saying the kingdom of God is at hand, that's
what He means. This is the time for those prophecies to be fulfilled, and for
God to come in person and take over running the world in a whole new way.
"The problem comes if you think God is a big, angry
bully in the sky who just wants to beat everybody up. No, God is the God we see
revealed in Jesus, who is gentle and humble of heart, and who is going to judge
the world, to call the world to account. His way of doing that is the way we
see in his life and in particular his death on the cross."
For more of N.T. Wright's insights, listen to this podcast.
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Shawn Akers, content development editor, joined the Charisma team
in June 2012, fulfilling a dream to use his talents for the Lord. He started
his journalism career at 15 and worked at several small newspapers as a sports
writer and editor. He worked in the NASCAR industry for the sanctioning body
and its sister company, International Speedway Corporation, for 16 years. Shawn
has been utilized in several roles at Charisma Media, including online managing
editor and managing editor of Ministry Today. He achieved another lifelong goal
by earning his journalism degree in 2014 from Ashford University. His passions
include his family—wife Patty of 20 years and children Rachel and Joshua—St.
Louis Cardinals' baseball and Alabama football.
https://www.charismanews.com/marketplace/79433-understand-the-kingdom-of-heaven-in-a-way-you-never-dreamed
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