Chapter Six

KINGDOMCONCEPT (3)
NDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM 
CONCEPT OF TERRITORY 

                        Essence of a kingdom is property. Land or prop-erty is the validation of a king. Land or property defines a king or queen and gives him or her right toclaim kingship. Remember that the first thing God created in the creation narrative was property...the earth. Earth was created before mankind was formed because it was necessary in order for man tobe a legitimate ruler. Man was created to dominate, and it is impos-sible to dominate nothing. Thus the mandate of God to Adam was to be king over a prop-erty. Every kingdom must have territory. The word kingdom derives from the phrase “king domain.” Domain refers to the property, theterritory over which a king exercises his dominion. A “kingdom,”then, is a “king’s territory.” Without territory, a king is not a kingbecause he has nothing to rule over. You cannot be “king” overnothing.Let me give you an example from history. The “discovery” of the new world by Christopher Columbus in 1492 set off a wave of west-ward expansion over the next several centuries. 

            The great maritimeempires of Europe such as England, France, Holland, Spain, and Portugal all competed for new territory in the Western Hemisphere. It was, in fact, the Portuguese monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella whosponsored and financed Columbus’ epic voyage.Portugal focused most of its attention on South America andeventually claimed the area that now comprises the nation of Brazil.For many years Brazil was a colony and a possession of Portugal.That is why to this day Brazilians speak Portuguese. It is a legacy oftheir years under Portuguese influence and control.The story goes that the son of the king of Portugal said to hisfather, “I want to be king.”“Well,” the king replied, “you can’t be.”“Why not?”“I am the king of Portugal, and we are in Portugal. 

               You can’t be king because I am still alive. When I am dead, then you will be king.”“But I want to be king now,” the prince said. “I don’t want to waitthat long.”So the king of Portugal shipped his son off to South America andmade him king over the territory of Brazil. The son was sovereign inBrazil but ruled as a regent under his father, the king of thePortuguese empire, which included Brazil. Whenever the father vis-ited his son in Brazil, the son became the prince again until hisfather left. Then the prince was again king. Whenever the son visit-ed his father in Portugal, he again became the prince until hereturned to his own domain. If the son wanted to rule as king, it was better for him to stay away from his father.That’s how kingdoms work. All kingdoms have territory, butthere can be only one sovereign to rule over it. More than one doesnot mean divided rule; it means revolt.

             This picture also illustrates the relationship between God, theKing of Heaven, and man, His regent on earth. Because God is aKing, and because a kingdom is a country ruled by a king and must therefore have territory, we can draw the conclusion that Heaven is a place. It is not some nebulous, mystical idea from the mind of man.Heaven is a real Kingdom with a real government. The fact that itsprimary realm encompasses the spiritual dimension of creation doesnot make it any less real.But the realm of the Kingdom of Heaven also takes in the natu-ral world. 

              God designed it this way when He created the earth and then fashioned man in His own image to rule it for Him. The sequence of events here is very important. God envisioned man to be a king in his own right, but a king is not a king unless he has ter-ritory over which to rule. So God prepared the territory first the earth and then brought forth man. God placed man on the earth and told him, “I am giving you dominion over this physical domain.You have authority over every acre of land and sea and over everycreature that inhabits the earth. 

             Rule it freely as My legal represen-tative.”God does not want to come here where we are personally, sothat we can retain our authority as earthly kings. This is also why Jesus is not anxious for us to go to the invisible country of Heaven because when we do, we are reduced to princes and princesses. He prayed that we would not be taken out of the world but be kept in itbut away from evil. The earth is man’s key to dominion power and his only legal territory for rulership. 

               A careful review of the model prayer of our Lord Jesus reveals that it specifically identifies the location of the Father and King of Heaven: “Our father who is in Heaven....” His location is the key to our power and authority on earth. If He comes to earth, we lose our privileged position. Mankind was designed to serve as a corporate rulership of kings representing their Father, the King of Heaven, inthe colony called earth. Like the Portuguese prince in the story above, man was sover-eign within the sphere of his own domain, but he acknowledged God’s ultimate sovereignty over all by right of creation and owner-ship. That ideal arrangement was shattered, however, when man rebelled against God, abdicated his regency, and passed control ofhis realm to a demonic usurper, a fallen angel who had no right or authority to take it.God’s purpose is unchanging. 

               He created man for rulership, andso immediately set into motion His plan to restore to man the Kingdom he had lost. The Bible lays out a detailed record of the his-torical outworking of God’s plan. In the fullness of time, when every-thing was in place, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born into human flesh and appeared to men, saying, “Repent change yourmind], for the kingdom of heaven is near[or has arrived]” (Matt.4:17b). The Son of God came to get the Kingdom back for man. He came as a human because earth is man’s God-given domain, and only a human has the legal authority to rule it directly. 

                   SEVEN KINGDOM PRINCIPLES OF TERRITORY 

                Territory is vital to a kingdom because without territory no kingdom can exist. This is why a king is always interested in expand-ing his territory. Why is territory so important? Why can there not be a kingdom without it? Here are seven reasons. 1//No king can rule nothing .A king is a ruler, which by def-inition requires a domain to rule over. No domain, noruler; no ruler, no king. That is why God made the earth before He made man; man could not be a king until he had a domain. 

                 When God set out to establish His Kingdom, He began by creating territory: “In the begin-ning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).First He created Heaven, His territory, and then He cre-ated earth, man’s territory. That way man could be a kinglike his Creator. 

                     2// There is no kingdom without a domain.Why is the terri-tory of a king called his domain? Because he dominates it. A territory dominated by a king is called his “kingdominion,” which is where we get the word “kingdom.” 

                        3//.The essence of a kingdom is the right, the power, and the authority of the king to exercise complete sovereignty overa domain.In other words, a true kingdom is one where the king has the right to rule. Rights are very important because they are the basis for authority. God has theright to rule the universe. Why?  Because He created it. Within His Kingdom God can do whatever He wants because His rights as King give Him absolute power andauthority—infinite power and authority because HisKingdom is infinite. 

                  4//The heart of the kingdom concept is king domain. Thedomain of the king is the key to his kingdom because tobe a king he has to have some domain to rule. 

                  5//.A king is not a king without a domain.I’ve already saidthis, but it bears repeating because many people who have no kingdom concept have trouble understandingthe connection between a king and his domain. Whenthe Shah of Iran was ousted by Islamic fundamentalist revolutionaries in 1979, he fled to another country. Although he was still called the shah (the Iranian wordfor king), it was mainly a courtesy. In reality, he was nolonger a king because he no longer had a domain. He wasa king in exile. You cannot be a king without territory.This is why Christ had to come to earth to get our earth-ly kingdom back. We are supposed to be rulers, but with-out our territory we cannot fulfill our destiny. 

                    6.// The wealth of a king’s domain defines his value. We touched on this in the last chapter. Territory is importantto a king because the more territory he has, the richer heis. A king is only as wealthy as his domain. And as we will see later, territory real estate is important because itis the only form of earthly wealth that never loses itsvalue. 

                       7//.The loss of a domain is the loss of a kingdom. Again, theShah of Iran is a good example. As soon as he lost his domain he was no longer a king except in name. Anotherprime example is Adam. When Adam, the king of the earth, rebelled against God, the High King of Heaven, he lost his kingdom and with it, his place as king.The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the “second Adam”who came to restore what the first Adam lost. BecauseJesus restored the Kingdom, all who are citizens of theKingdom of heaven can now be kings and queens of theearthly realm again. 

                 What does this mean in practicalterms? It means we can control our circumstances andour domain rather than they controlling us. The “goodnews of the Kingdom” that Jesus preached is not just thatwe can have our sins forgiven and become aligned right-ly with God, although these are absolutely essential; thegood news is also the fact that we can have our Kingdomback! 

              FIVE PRINCIPLES OF MAN’S EARTHLY AUTHORITY

Our destiny as human beings is wrapped up in land. God creat-ed us to be kings over the earthly realm, and He will not rest untilwe are fully restored to our rightful place. I want to share with youfive principles that help explain the basis of our authority on earthas God intended it to be. 

         1//.The first thing God gave man was territory.He did notgive man a religion or rules to follow. He gave him land. Before man could be the king God created him to be, hehad to have a king domain to rule over. 

          2//The earth was created to give man kingship legitimacy.God gave us the earth so that our kingship would belegal. He made Adam a king and He made Eve a queen equal to Adam in every way. The rulership of the earth belongs to both men and women. My wife is my partner in rulership. She does not serve me. We dominate the earth together on behalf of our government of Heaven. 

          3//.The domain of earth is mankind’s legal right, power, and authority of rulership.When God said, “Let themhavedominion,” He transferred the legal rights to the earth tous. He did not say, “Let ushave dominion,” including Himself, because He already had His dominion in heav-en. He said, “Let them have dominion over that territory called earth. I’m going to rule heaven; My kids are going to rule earth. I’m going to be King of heaven; they’regoing to be king of the earth. I’m going to be Sovereign of heaven; they’re going to be sovereign of earth.” The dominion of earth is our legal right. We have a right to be here and God gave us that right. So many believers look forward to going to heaven, but I look forward to comingback to rule the “new earth” that God will fashion when this earth passes away! (see Rev. 21:1). Heaven is fine,and it will be a glorious place, but ultimately it is notwhere we belong. In heaven we have no legal authority torule; it is God’s domain. We were made for the earth, andthat is where our place of dominion will be in the life tocome. 

               4//.“Let them” are the key words in the transfer of authority from God to man.God delegated authority to us because He wants us to experience rulership. He wants us toknow what it is like to be in charge. 5//.Man’s kingship is by privilege, not by creative right.God controls the domain because He created it. He rules it by creative rights. We rule it because of privilege. We are kings by delegation, not by creation. God gave us ruler-ship but not ownership. But our rulership “charter”includes a sense of ownership because He gave us sover-eignty within our earthly dominion.

                                     BINDING AND LOOSING 

         This transfer of ruling authority over the earth from God to man has major implications for all of us regarding our daily circum-stances and our relationship to our society and culture. Therefore, itis important that we understand it. God has given us authority over the earth. That means we’re in charge. Whatever we say goes. This gives us a lot of freedom to do what we please within our domain. But it also means that we can’t blame God for everything that goes wrong, yet that is exactly what we do. 

           “Why does God allow so much suffering in the world? Why doesn’t God do away with evil? Whydoes He allow sickness to continue? Doesn’t He care? Why doesn’tGod do something?”Why doesn’t God intervene? Because this is not His domain. Hewill not intervene in the affairs of this earthly domain without the permission of those who hold dominion authority here. And who holds dominion authority? 

             Every human being on earth who is a cit-izen of the Kingdom of Heaven. God is not to blame for human eviland suffering. We brought these things on ourselves by our own self-ishness and rebellious spirit. God wants to help but won’t interveneunless invited to do so by Kingdom citizens who know their domin-ion authority. Through prayer we invite God to act in our domain.This is what Jesus meant when He said I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will bebound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will beloosed in heaven (Matthew 18:18) 

                   Many believers have been taught that this verse deals with bind-ing and loosing demonic spirits. It has nothing to do with demons.Jesus is using Kingdom language. To “bind” means to lock up or pro-hibit; to “loose” means to unlock or permit. On earth we havedominion authority. Jesus is saying that what we prohibit on earth,heaven will prohibit, and what we permit on earth, Heaven will per-mit. Consider the implications of this. Whatever we allow in socie-ty, Heaven will not stop, and whatever we disallow in society,Heaven will make sure it does not happen.

               Do you understand how serious this is? The management of theearth is totally up to us. Weare responsible for the evil, ills, and suf-fering in our world. These things are reflections of the nature andquality of our management. That is why God needs us to pray. Hecannot interfere on earth unless we release Him to do so because Hehas given us sovereignty here. When we do, Heaven invades our ter-ritory on our behalf. The King of Heaven has given us dominion authority here on earth, and He will not violate it without our permission. This truth holds a critical key to how we should live as Kingdom citizens on earth. 

                  Having been raised in one or another of the vari-ous human systems of government, we all have been “programmed”to think of life and society in terms of the “have’s” and the “havenot’s,” of periodic economic upheavals and downturns, chronic shortages of commodities, corruption, despotism, and the strong preying on the weak. We look at these things, sigh, and then say, “Ohwell, that’s life.”Not in the Kingdom of Heaven! As I said before, in the Kingdom of heaven, there is no economic crisis and there are no shortages because heaven’s resources areinfinite. 

                And because all Kingdom citizens are equal, there are no“have’s” and “have not’s”; everyone is a “have.” There is no corruptionor despotism because our King is a righteous and benevolent ruler.The strong do not prey on the weak because there are no weak. Everyone is strong in the strength and presence and influence of the King and in the secure knowledge of their place and privilege asequal citizens of the Kingdom. Seeing life from this perspective will require a major change ofmind-set for most people.

                 We have to learn, we have to train, we have to be taught to think this way. A change of mind is what the Bible calls “repentance.” So now the words of Jesus become much clearer when He says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near”(Matt. 4:17). He is saying, “Change your mind! Stop thinking like the world with its inadequacies and inequities, and start thinking like a Kingdom citizen! Stop operating from a worldly mind-set of “neverenough” and start operating from a Kingdom mindset of “more than enough”! The Kingdom of Heaven is here and everything has changed .

   . . .              TEN    PRINCIPLES OF THE POWER OF LAND 

I hope that by now it is becoming clear how important territoryis to the kingdom concept. With this in mind, I want to conclude thischapter with a brief discussion of ten principles of the power of land.In this context, land, territory, and domainmean the same thing. 

           1// The first thing God gave man was land. We have already discussed this. God created the earth and then createdman to rule it. Specifically, God placed Adam in a lush, beautiful garden and gave him the responsibility of car-ing for it and all its inhabitants. The King of Heaven gave the king of earth a physical domain landover whichto exercise dominion.   . 2.The first thing man lost was land. When Adam and Eve rebelled against the king, He drove them out of the gar-den. They lost the property God had given them. Having lost their dominion, they discovered that the earthly environment was now hostile to them. 

             3.The first thing God promised Abraham was land, notheaven. The first thing God promised Moses was land, not heaven.Our big dream is to go to Heaven, while God’s big dream is for us to possess land because He created usto be kings, and all kings own property. 4.Real wealth is in the land. That’s why it’s called realestate. All other estates aren’t “real.” So many people expend all their resources acquiring “wealth” that neverlasts—commodities that dissipate through consumptionor are wiped out by economic depression or natural dis-aster. Land never loses its value regardless of what the economy does. In fact, land almost always grows in valueeven during difficult times. If you want to help ensureprosperity for yourself as well as future generations,focus on acquiring real estate. There is power in land,which leads us to the next principle. 5.He who owns the land controls the wealth.Once, I was inOmaha, Nebraska, riding in from the airport, and remarked to my driver about the beauty and impressive-ness of a particular skyscraper that dominated the sky-line. “What is that?” I asked. He chuckled and said,“That’s the disgrace of the city.” “Why?” I asked, sur-prised. He replied, “That’s the tallest building in the city,and it is owned by the Japanese.” Smart people Kingdom-minded people—go after land. Why?

        6.True wealth is in the land. It never loses its value and, infact, almost always increases in value the longer you ownit. I once acquired a small piece of land for $35,000.Several people made offers to buy the land, but I held onto it. A few years later, a wealthy business man built a$3,000,000 estate on an adjacent piece of property. What do you think that did to the value of myland? True wealth lies in real estate. 

        7//.The meek will inherit the earth.And Jesus said that is ablessing: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5). “Meek” means “gentle,” but it also means “disciplined.” The Greek word refers to the demeanor of a horse that has been broken for riding. A horse is a very strong animal. After it is broken it is still strong, but that strength is now under control. It is underdiscipline. These kind of people the meek Jesus says,are the ones who will inherit the earth not Heaven 

           8//.Land is the only estate that is real. Real estate is the only property of truly lasting value that we can pass on to our children. Everything else fades away too easily. The Bible says: “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’schildren” (Prov. 13:22a). 

           9// God considers the loss of land a curse.This is very important in the Bible. Every time God cursed the Israelites fortheir rebellion and disobedience, He took land from them. When they repented, He blessed them by restor-ing their land. God uses land to measure blessing orcursing. Therefore...10.The restoration of land is a blessing.Land is important. Land has power because without land there is no domain and without domain there is no king. 

                                    KINGS OF A NEW EARTH 

Many Kingdom citizens have been taught so thoroughly to anticipate and look forward to Heaven as the ultimate “reward” for the life to come that talk of an earthly inheritance makes them uncomfortable. But this is what the Bible says. Isaiah, an ancient and early spokesman for the Kingdom of Heaven, recorded: For this is what the Lord says He who created the heavens, He is God; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed itto be inhabited—He says: “I am the Lord, and there is noother” (Isaiah 45:18).

               God created the earth for people to live on it. He is so commit-ted to this planet that even when it passes away He will recreate it:Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away....And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them.They will be His people, and God Himself will be withthem and be their God...for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:1,3,4b-5a).God’s program never changes.

                He is committed to His plan forearth, and for earth dwellers, which is why we can’t stay in Heaven.The Bible promises a full resurrection in which all Kingdom citizenswill have a new body, a physical body of some sort, and will reign in the earth forever, just as God intended from the beginning. In the meantime, He wants us to practice—to learn how to take up ruler-ship and exercise wise dominion over this territory called earth that He has given us. The Kingdom of Heaven is here now. 

               We are its cit-izens, representatives of its colonial government, and we possess the authority right now to act in the name of our King and bring theinfluence of His will and desires over this earthly domain.

                     PRINCIPLES ` 

1. Every kingdom has territory. 

2. Heaven is a real Kingdom with a real government. 

3. A king is not a king unless he has territory over whichto rule. 

4. The Son of God came to get the Kingdom back for man. 

5. Without territory no kingdom can exist. 

6. A king is only as wealthy as his domain. 

7. Our destiny as human beings is wrapped up in land. 

8. We were made for the earth, and that is where our 

   placeof dominion will be in the life to come. 

9. We are kings by delegation, not by creation. 

10. God will not intervene in the affairs of this earthly domain

      without the permission of those who hold dominionauthority here. 

11. Through prayer we invite God to act in our domain. 

12. In the Kingdom of Heaven there are no “have’s” 

    and“have not’s”; everyone is a “have.” 

13. The meek will inherit the earth, not Heaven.

Chapter Seven

KINGDOMCONCEPT (4)
UNDERSTANDING THEKINGDOM 
CONCEPT OF CONSTITUTION 
After the invasion of Iraq by the military forcesof the United States and the other alliancenations, the first objective after toppling SaddamHussein was to create a new nation. It is interesting to note that thefirst order of business was to construct a constitution, and it tookmonths for that exercise to be completed. The process of nation-building could not proceed until that document called the constitu-tion was completed and accepted by all the principals involved.The heart of all nations, empires, and kingdoms is the constitu-tion. There is no nation or kingdom without a constitution. In arepublic, the constitution is the covenant the people make withthemselves and which they hire by vote, a governing body to keepthat covenant for them and with them. In a kingdom, the constitu-tion is the king’s covenant with his citizens and his kingdom. In thecase of the former, the constitution is produced by the aspirations of the people, while in the latter case the constitution is initiated by the king and contains the aspirations and desires of the king for his cit-izens and his kingdom. This is the primary distinction between akingdom and a democratic republic. For example, the Constitution of the United States begins with the words, “We the people....” However, when reading the constitution of the Kingdom of God asdocumented in the Scriptures, it always says, “I, the Lord, say...”Like every other governmental system, every kingdom has aconstitution. The constitution of any nation has to do with the man-ner in which the government of that nation is organized, particular-ly with regard to the way sovereign power is exercised. It embodies the basic laws and principles that guide that government and laysout the specific powers and duties of that government in relation both to the people and to other nations and governments. A consti-tution also delineates, guarantees, and protects the specific rights ofthe people who live under its jurisdiction. Regardless of the type of government, a constitution is estab-lished by whoever exercises power. In a totalitarian state or a dicta-torship, the supreme leader, along with a ruling elite of croniesappointed by him, determine the laws and conditions under which the people live laws usually designed for their own benefit andenrichment at the people’s expense. In a republic or democracy, on the other hand, power lies withthe people. They elect leaders to represent them and then petitionthose leaders to enact laws and policies that will benefit the elec-torate. In a democracy the leaders are answerable to the people.Those who fail to perform adequately or who violate the people’strust can be voted out and replaced. Through their elected leaders,the people establish their own constitution.As noted earlier, a kingdom is different. In a kingdom all powerresides in the king. It is the king, therefore, who establishes the con-stitution for his kingdom. The constitution of a kingdom is the doc-umented will, purposes, and intent of the king. It expresses theking’s personal desires for his kingdom and sets out the principlesunder which the kingdom will operate as well as establishing themanner and conditions of how the king will relate to his people andthey to him. A kingdom constitution is stamped with the essence ofthe nature, character, and personality of the king. This is why it is always good to have a king who is righteous, benevolent, and com-passionate, with a genuine concern for the welfare of his citizens. 
A ROYAL CONTRACT 
In a kingdom, the constitution is a royal contractthat the kingh as with his subjects—his citizens. It is notthe contract that the cit-izens have with the king, and this is a very important distinction. Inthe first, the contract originates with the king and in the second,with the people. A contract generated by the people is a democracy,the complete opposite of a kingdom. A royal contract, on the other hand, originates completely and exclusively in the heart, mind, andwill of the king. His citizens have no input concerning the terms or conditions of the contract.This is the approach the King of Heaven has always taken with mankind. When God began to establish a Kingdom colony on earth,He set out all the conditions and parameters beforehand. Everything was already in place by the time Adam arrived on the scene. All Adam had to do was follow the terms and conditions that God had already established: Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, in Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and thebirds of the air, over the live stock, over all the earth, andover all the creatures that move along the ground.” So Godcreated man in His own image, in the image of God Hecreated him; male and female He created them. Godblessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increasein number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:26-28).Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, inEden, and there He put the man He had formed....The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden ofEden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord Godcommanded the man, “You are free to eat from any treein the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of theknowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you willsurely die (Genesis 2:8,15-17).As you can see, this entire contractual process was completelyunilateral on God’s part. Adam had no input at all; in fact, when thecontract was drawn up, he wasn’t even around yet! After he was cre-ated, Adam simply received the completed contract from the handof the King.The same is true regarding God’s contract with Abraham. First,God determined what He was going to do and then presentedAbraham with the completed contract:The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, yourpeople and your father’s household and go to the land Iwill show you. I will make you into a great nation and Iwill bless you; I will make your name great , and you willbe a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoev-er curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will beblessed through you” (Genesis 12:1-3).After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your verygreat reward.”...He took him outside and said, “Look up atthe heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can countthem.” Then He said to him, “So shall your offspring be”(Genesis 15:1,5).Such unilateralism on God’s part is an expression of His sover-eignty. To both Adam and Abraham (Abram) God was saying, “Thisis Mygovernment; this is the agreement I am making with you. Youdon’t dictate the terms or tell Me what you want. I tell you what IKingdom Principles 130 want for you and what I will do for you.” A kingdom constitution isinitiated bythe king, fromthe king, and for the king’s pleasure.A kingdom constitution, then, is the document that constitutesthe king’s desire for his citizens. In a republic, the constitution is thepeople’s contract with themselves, while in a kingdom it is the king’scontract for the people. In a democracy, the people plan and decidewhat they want to happen to them. But in a kingdom, the peoplehave no say. Instead, the king tells you what he wants to happen toyou.This is why God would make a statement like:For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper youand not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me ,and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Mewhen you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found byyou... (Jeremiah 29:11-14).So the Kingdom constitution states the King’s desires for His cit-izens. And because He is a righteous and benevolent King, Hisdesires are always for our greatest good and benefit. The King ofheaven wants to bless us; He wants blessings to overtake us. We arealways trying to tell God what to do, especially today: “Here’s what Iwant, here’s what I want, here’s what I want....” But God says, “In thisKingdom, Imake the contracts.”

THE KING’S WILL AND TESTAMENT
In addition to being a royal contract, the constitutionin a king-dom constitutes the expressed will of the king. It is the king’s willexpressedin tangible, written form. This means that the constitutionis not limited to an oral contract. Putting the constitution in writtenform sets it up as a standard that can be measured easily as well asmaking its terms and conditions clear to everyone. This is why in theKingdom Concept #4 131 Kingdom of Heaven we have a bookcalled the Bible. The Bible is theexpressed will of the King in written form. It is the constitution ofHis Kingdom.As we have already seen, the words of the king become the lawof the land. His words do not produce the contract; his words arethecontract. And out of this contract—this constitution—comes thelaw. The constitution is not the law; the constitution produces thelaw. What I mean is that the constitution establishes the terms, con-ditions, and rights of life in the kingdom. This leads to laws designedwith the express purpose of ensuring that all of those terms, condi-tions, and rights are preserved, protected, and accomplished.The constitution is the will and the testament of the king for hiscitizens. Will and testamentare two different but related words thatare both important. A willis what is in the mind of a person—his orher desire and intent. A testamentis the physical documentation ofa person’s will, codifying his or her desire and intent in the form ofa legal document. A will, then, is in your head; a testament is whenyou write down what is in your head. This is why lawyers always ask,“Do you have a will andtestament?” The written testament clarifiesto all parties your desire and intent and makes them verifiable in acourtroom.That is why I call the Bible the constitutionof the Kingdom ofheaven. It is even divided into two sections called the Old Testamentand the New Testament. The Bible, then, comprises God’s docu-mentedthoughts concerning His citizens—His expressedwill,desire, and intent for the human race He created in His own image.A will kept in one’s head can never be defended in court. It is for thisreason that God commanded Moses and all the other prophets inthe Bible to write. He wanted a testament that could be testedor con-testedin the court of the universe. So we take the Bible and we bringit before the court of the universe and say, “This is what my Kingguaranteed me.” Then the King says, “According to My word, be itdone unto you.”
 A testament provides protection from the abuse of rights. It pro-tects the rights of the beneficiaries of the will. If all you have is a will,how can anyone know what you want for your beneficiaries? Yo uknow what you want, but what if you die suddenly? How will yourbeneficiaries be protected and receive the benefits you desire forthem unless your will is written down and documented legally? Thatis the purpose of a testament. A testament can be contested in acourtroom. There is no doubt as to what you meant.The Word of God, written down and printed in the book we callthe Bible, is the most powerful document we have. It is the constitu-tion of the Kingdom of Heaven, the testament of the will of the Kingfor His citizens. 
 SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF THEKINGDOM CONSTITUTION 
1//. The source of the constitution is the king, not the citizens.Where as the Constitution of the United States begins with the words, “We the people...” the constitution of God’s Kingdom says, “I, the Lord...” We who live in dem-ocratic states can always amend our constitution because we, the people, created it. But we cannot changeGod’s constitution because we didn’t write it.That is why I believe the biggest conflict in the coming years willbe between the Kingdom and religion. Religious people keep tryingto adjust God’s constitution. They debate it and discuss it and become embarrassed or angry over parts they don’t like. Sometimes they even change it or water it down to make it more palatable for modern spiritual tastes. This is absolute foolishness. The King of Heaven established the constitution for His Kingdom and only Hecan change it. But He won’t. He is eternally unchanging, and so isHis Word, because the King and His Word are the same. It says so right in the constitution: The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perishfrom His land (Psalm 10:16).But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposesof His heart through all generations (Psalm 33:11).Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepterof justice will be the scepter of Your kingdom (Psalm 45:6).But You, O Lord, sit enthroned forever; Your renown endures through all generations (Psalm 102:12).Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heav-ens (Psalm 119:89). Long ago I learned from Your statutes that You estab-lished them to last forever (Psalm 119:152).The Word of the King is unchanging and unchangeable. Yet hardly a day goes by without some religious leader somewhere going on some talk show or on a cable news channel and expounding his or her “opinion” about issues of the day that the Bible addresses plainly. When asked about gay rights or gay marriage or abortion orthe like, they speak as if these and other matters are open to debate.In religion, perhaps, they are. But not in the Kingdom of Heaven.In my travels all over the world, I am asked frequently to respondto these kinds of questions. I always frame my answer from a Kingdom perspective. A typical interchange might go somethinglike this:“Dr. Munroe, what do you think about homosexuality? What areyour thoughts regarding abortion?”“I have no thoughts about those things.” “But...you are supposed to be a man of God.”“I have no thoughts about these things because an ambassadornever gives his personal opinion; it’s illegal. My personal opinion isout of bounds. Others who represent a religion may express theiropinions. But I do not represent a religion—not even Christianity. Irepresent a government—the Kingdom of Heaven. I am an ambas-sador, and ambassadors do not give their opinion. However, my gov-ernment’s position is...” and then I quote from the constitution—theBible.In the Kingdom of Heaven, we do not have the privilege of tam-pering with the constitution. It is not our document; it is the King’s. And Kingdom citizens obey the law of the King. 2// The constitution contains the benefits and privileges ofthe citizens.It spells out the advantages that come withbeing a Kingdom citizen as well as everything the citi-zens can expect from the King. In the Bible, these oftentake the form of promises. Here are just a few:Do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shallwe drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans runafter all these things, and your heavenly Father knowsthat you need them. But seek first His kingdom and Hisrighteousness, and all these things will be given to you aswell(Matthew 6:31-33).Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyonewho asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him whoknocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).For God so loved the world that He gave His one and onlySon, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish buthave eternal life (John 3:16). I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believesHim who sent me has eternal life and will not be con-demned; he has crossed over from death to life (John5:24).Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trustalso in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if itwere not so, I would have told you. I am going there to pre-pare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place foryou, I will come back and take you to be with Me that youalso may be where I am (John 14:1-3). Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Fatherin heaven. For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them (Matthew 18:19-20).Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has beenpleased to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32).Each of these benefits, or promises, was spoken by Jesus, the Sonof God who came to earth in human flesh to announce the return and restoration of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. 3/ The king obligates himself to the tenets of the constitution. A king and his word are the same, and when he speaks,his word becomes the constitution. So when a king’sword is spoken (or written down), the king is obligated tocarry it out. That is why the Bible states that whateverGod says, He will do and whatever He promises, He willbring to pass. Once the King of heaven speaks, it is asgood as done. God cannot fail to keep His Word, for ifHe did, He would cease to be God. 4// The constitution contains the rights established by the kingfor the citizens.In addition to the benefits and privileges accruing to Kingdom citizens, the constitution also delineates and sets forth their rights. Rights in a consti-tution are important because they are the grounds for making law, which is the next stage. If I said to you, “Igive you my car, my house, and my boat,” I have just expressed my will. If I then document it on paper, itbecomes a testament and your constitution. Now I haveto make sure that laws exist to protect what I gave you. At that point, I would call in a lawyer to draw up a for-mal document because a lawyer knows the law of the environment to protect the piece of paper that states mywill for you. The lawyer reads it and makes sure it is in acertain form where it becomes integrated into the sys-tem of society with the rights to protect it.Then, if someone contests it, you can go to court. The court isthe law, and the court says, “This is a legal document. Everything written here he has a right to receive.” So the constitution contains your rights, and the laws protect them. Therefore, the constitutionis the sourceof law; it is not the law itself. If God says, “I will bless you, I will prosper you, I will make yourname great...” that’s constitution. If He then says, “...if you obey Meand keep My word, and walk uprightly,” He has given you laws thatset the conditions for the benefits and privileges to apply. The gov-ernment says you are free to do commerce, to lease, to buy proper-ty, etc., as long as you pay taxes, do not break the law, obey the social order, and respect people’s property. They give you all these consti-tutional rights, but they are contingent upon your honoring thelaws. The Kingdom of Heaven is no different. 5// The constitution cannot be changed by the citizens—onlyby the king.This principle should be perfectly clear bynow and needs no further elaboration. 6// The constitution is the reference for life in the kingdom.How are Kingdom citizens supposed to live? What arethe values, the ethics, the moral code, and standards of behavior for citizens of the Kingdom, and where can theybe found? In the constitution. God’s standards for life inHis Kingdom are found throughout the Bible. Such stan-dards as these:You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall notmake for yourself an idol. You shall not misuse the name ofthe Lord your God....Remember the Sabbath day by keep-ing it holy....Honor your father and your mother Youshall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. Youshall not steal. You shall not give false testimony againstyour neighbor. You shall not covet (Exodus 20:3-17).And:Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit theearth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for right-eousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure inheart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peace makers,for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3-10). 7//.The constitution contains the statutes of the kingdom.Statutes are fixed, predictable standards. “Teach me Yourstatutes,” King David of Israel says. Normally, where theword “statutes” shows up, you will find “laws” in the same sentence. Statutes give the physical image of law. That’swhy we call a carving in stone a statue. Or we call it an image. Image is the same as statue. A statue is perma-nent. A statue means simply a fixed, predictable image orstandard. Think about a statue in your town. When itrains does the statue change? What if it snows? What ifthe temperature tops 100 degrees? If you spit on it, curseit, hate it, does the statue change? Of course not. Itremains the same no matter what. A statute is the same way. That is why laws are called statutes. Astatute does not adjust itself to the times. A statute does not accom-modate the environment. It remains consistent within the changing environment. A statute is not affected by the conditions around it.Some people think the constitution of the Kingdom of Heaven needs to be changed or “reinterpreted” to accommodate modern times,values, and mores. On the contrary, the Kingdom constitution is anunchanging standard against which all modern values, mores, beliefs, and ideas must be measured. Without some dependable,righteous, unchanging standard, society will collapse. We can see signs of it all around us. The constitution contains the statutes of the Kingdom. One time Jesus said these words: “Heaven and earth will pass away before My statutes change. I will move the heavens and the earth before I move My statutes” (see Luke 16:17; 21:33). Who are we to dare to think that we have the right or the authority to change or set aside the statutes that the King of Heaven has set in place? Religious people can do that any time they want, because they are not really in the Kingdom. Kingdom citizens, however, cannot. Our constitution says, “The word of the Lord stands forever” (1 Pet 1:25a) 
PRINCIPLES 
1. Every kingdom has a constitution. 2. The constitution of a kingdom is the documented will,purposes, and intent of the king. 3. In a kingdom, the constitution is a royal contractthat theking has with his subjects his citizens. 4. A kingdom constitution is the document that constitutesthe king’s desire for his citizens. 5. The constitution in a kingdom constitutesthe expressedwill of the king. 6. The Bible is the expressed will of the King in writtenform. It is the constitution of His Kingdom. 7. The words of the king become the law of the land. 8. The constitution is the will and the testament of the kingfor his citizens. 9. The Bible comprises God’s documentedthoughts con-cerning His citizens His expressed will, desire, andintent for the human race He created in His own image.

Chapter Eight

 KINGDOMCONCEPT (5) 
UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM 
CONCEPT OF LAW 

In rights and expectations need to be protected, and that is the purposeof laws. A country’s laws always reflect its constitution because theyare derived from its tenets. They not only protect the standards andensure their fulfillment, but also prescribe penalties for any who vio-late the standards.In order to develop a better understanding of the overall king-dom concept, it is important to have knowledge of the origin,nature, and function of laws in a kingdom. And as I have through-out this book, I will continue to use the Kingdom of Heaven as theprimary model. The Bible, the Kingdom of Heaven’s constitution, establishes the standards for life in the Kingdom. Unlike other con-stitutions, however, it also lays out the penalties for non compliance. In addition to being a constitution, then, the Bible is also the lawbook of the Kingdom of Heaven.We often think of laws as unpleasant and inconvenient demands that restrict our freedom and limit our options. In reality, laws aredesigned to free us to pursue unlimited options by providing a safe environment where we can live in peace, security, and confidence.True freedom is always circums cribed by boundaries, and laws define those boundaries. Within those boundaries we are free to thrive, prosper, and reach our full potential.For example, looking again at a passage we examined in a differ-ent context in Chapter Three, consider some of the positive benefits we derive from the laws of the King: The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trust worthy, making wise the sim-ple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether right-eous. They are more precious than gold, than much puregold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping themthere is great reward (Psalm 19:7-11).What does the “law of the Lord” do for us? It revives our spirit,gives us wisdom, and fills us with joy. It enlightens our minds andemboldens us with confidence because of its permanence anduprightness. It enriches us with wealth much greater than earthlyriches and leaves a sweet taste in our mouths. It warns us againstdanger and foolishness that could destroy our lives and places us onthe path to “great reward.”If we allow it, the “law of the Lord” will nourish us thoroughlybody, soul, and spirit. Jesus said:It is written: “Man does not live on bread alone, but onevery word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew4:4).This means there is more to life than food. We need solid,dependable, unchanging standards to live by; standards founded ontruth. Many people today question or out-and-out reject the idea ofabsolute truth. Well, regardless of what they think, the Bible isabsolutely true, and everything in it will work for our good if weobey it. There is no law in the Bible that is not good for humanity’soverall welfare. In fact, the Bible is the best regulator of civic socie-ty, yet most of global society rejects its wisdom and insists on choos-ing its own path. That goes a long way in explaining the mess ourworld is in today. We need to take a closer look at the kingdom con-cept of law. 

SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF LAW 

1. All creation was designed to function by inherent princi-ples. Inherentmeans “built-in”; existent from the begin-ning. In other words, the laws of the King of Heaven arebuilt into the very structure of creation and determine precisely how all of creation functions. Scientists speakof the laws of nature, the laws of physics, the laws ofgravitation, the laws of thermodynamics, and manyother laws to explain how nature works. In this sense,laws are observable, measurable, and repeatable becausethey never change. Everything that God created wasdesigned to function by certain built-in or inherent prin-ciples. 

2. These principles are called “natural law.”Natural law hasto do with laws concerning the nature of a thing. Forexample, birds do not have to be taught to fly; that abili-ty is inherent in them as a natural law. In the same way,fish are not taught to swim; they possess swimming abil-ity as an inherent law. The same principle applies toplants when they produce seeds that reproduce newplants that are just like the original. 

3). Natural law is the standard for effective function of every-thing that God has created.If birds follow the law ofnature, they live and reproduce. If plants follow the lawsof nature, they grow and produce fruit. God built these laws into nature, and as long as plants and animals followthose laws, they prosper and flourish. Violation of natu-ral law, on the other hand, leads to dysfunction. Take afish out of water and it will malfunction. It will diebecause a fish is designed to live and breathe in the water,not out of it. So natural law is very important; it is thestandard for determining effective function. 

4. Laws are the key to successful existence and a guarantee of fulfillment of purpose.Obedience to laws promotesprosperity and ensures success. All a bird has to do tofulfill its purpose is fly and reproduce; both of thesefunctions are governed by natural laws. Every plant andcreature on earth will succeed and fulfill its purpose simply by obeying the natural law inherent withinthem. It is no different with us. As long as we acknowl-edge the laws of God and submit ourselves willingly toliving by and obeying them, we too will succeed andfulfill our purpose in God’s design. We will realize ourfull potential. 

5. Laws protect purpose.When we obey laws, we protectthe purpose for which we were born. As long as a fishstays in water, it will be able to survive and prosper. Aslong as a seed stays in the soil, it will sprout, grow, and prosper. As long as a bird stays in the air and there is space to fly, it will fulfill its purpose and prosper. As longas we obey the laws of God, we too will live and grow and prosper.Please understand that when I talk about obeying God’s laws inorder to live and prosper, I am not suggesting that we can “earn”right standing with God by doing good works or by strictly observ-ing some code of rules or statutes. 

The only way to be rightly alignedwith God is by changing our mind and turning away from our rebel-lion against Him (which the Bible calls “repentance”), placing ourtrust in Jesus’ death to remove the guilt of our rebellion (giving upour self-reliance), and acknowledging Him as Lord (Owner) of ourlives. By obeying God’s laws, I mean living in willing submission toHim as King and Lord and honoring His Word as the unchangingstandard of reference for our lives. So then, what laws of God are we to obey? All of them, of course,and there are many. 

But here are the two most important:Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with allyour soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5).Love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18b). Jesus Himself identified these as the two most important com-mandments in the law of God. Kingdom ambassador Paul, in con-text with a discussion about the responsibility of Kingdom citizens toward civic earthly authority, commented on this second verse,saying:Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is thefulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10).Obey the law and it protects you. Disobey the law and you risk sacrificing your purpose. 

6. The purpose for law is to protect the constitutional covenant. Laws exist to make sure that the provisions ofthe constitution are carried out consistently, equitably,and without prejudice for all citizens. For example, theconstitution guarantees every citizen the right not to beconvicted of a crime until proven guilty. Trial by jury is alaw designed to protect that constitutional right for every citizen. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the laws of Godare designed to protect and ensure the fulfillment of allterms of the covenant that God has with His creation.Typically, cutting a covenant involved the swearing of anoath of fidelity between the parties entering into thecovenant. Because God’s covenant with man is unilater-al (meaning that we enter freely into a covenant He hasalready established), He alone can swear faithfulness.And the Bible says that this, indeed, is what He has done:When God made His promise to Abraham, since therewas no one greater for Him to swear by, He swore byHimself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised....Because God wanted tomake the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with anoath (Hebrews 6:13-15,17).The constitutional covenant of the Kingdom of Heaven is backed up by the laws of God, which are the expressions of His unshakeableand unchanging Word. 

 7. Laws are the conditions of covenant.They are the terms under which, if followed, the covenant will operate.Virtually everything we buy these days comes with acovenant of laws and conditions called a “warranty.” The manufacturer guarantees that if the product is used inaccordance with the specified terms and conditions ofoperation or function, it will perform as designed. If those terms and conditions are violated, the warranty“covenant” is nullified, and if the product then malfunc-tions, the manufacturer is free of responsibility.It is no different in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

The King’s covenantwith us specifies blessings and benefits for compliance as well asconsequences and penalties for noncompliance. As long as weobserve the conditions of the covenant, all the blessings and benefitsof the covenant are operative in our lives. If we violate the covenant,the “blessings clause” shuts down and the “consequences clause”kicks in.THE KING’S WORDS OF LAWAs I said before, laws are built into the very fabric of creation.Everything in the natural realm operates according to inherent prin-ciples. The same is true of the spiritual realm. The Kingdom of Heaven is like any other government in the sense that it has laws toprotect it and assure that it operates according to God’s intent. Laws establish God’s Kingdom. And these laws were put in place long before the first human being arrived. And yet so often, we have the arrogance and the presumption to question God or challenge Him about His laws and the way He runs things.The biblical character Job tried this, and it earned him a sternrebuke from the King. 

Afflicted by boils, grieving over the untimely deaths of all his children, and criticized mercilessly by his best“friends,” who urged him to confess his sins to God, Job held out, demanding to put his case before God Himself. Job knew he wasinnocent of any wrongdoing and could not understand why he wassuffering. In his pain and indignation, Job ended up trying to tellGod a few things. That is when God spoke up and adjusted Job’sthinking:Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said:“Who is this that darkens My counsel without knowledge?Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and youshall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the earth’sfoundation? Tell Me, if you understand. Who marked offits dimensions? Surely you know!...Do you know the lawsof the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over theearth? (Job 38:1-5a,33).In other words, God was saying, “Job, how dare you ask Meabout My laws? 

You weren’t even around when I made them! Whoare you to challenge Me?” It does no good for a product to challengethe manufacturer: “Why did you make things thus and so?” That isthe manufacturer’s prerogative. When you buy a car with an internalcombustion engine, you have to accept the “law” that it requiresgasoline to operate. It was the manufacturer’s decision, not yours.No matter how hard you might try or how much you wish it other-wise, that car will not run on any other kind of fuel. 

That’s why it isfoolish to challenge God and useless to try to change His laws. God’slaws were here long before we were, and they will still be here longafter we are gone. Laws are built into creation. And laws always carry conse-quences for violation. If you try to defy the law of gravity by steppingout of a second-story window, you are in for a painful shock—ifyousurvive the fall! When we violate the law, we receive the due penal-ty. God doesn’t have to judge us; the law carries its own built-in“judgment.”Remember, the king’s word is law in his kingdom. When it is written down, it is called a testament, and when repeated verbally,constitutes a commandment:When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s wordsand laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything theLord has said we will do.” Moses then wrote down every-thing the Lord had said (Exodus 24:3-4).The “words and laws” Moses spoke to the people were the TenCommandments and related laws that are recorded in the preceding chapters of Exodus. Like all of God’s laws, the Ten Commandments are not religious dictates. They are laws established by the King ofcreation to determine how all the natural realm should function andhow human beings should relate to God and to each other. 

THE MEANING OF LAW 

What exactly is “law”? The most basic Hebrew word for “law” istorah, which also means, in addition to “law,” direction and instruc-tion. In time, the word torahwas used to refer to the entire body oflaw that Moses received from God on Mt. Sinai and passed along tothe Israelites. In this usage, torah means “the law,” “the direction,”and even “the Law of the Lord.”

1.In the New Testament we find twobasic Greek words used for “law.” The first of these is nomos, whichmeans “to divide out, distribute” and also “that which is assigned.” Itgradually came to mean “usage” and “custom” and, eventually, “law as prescribed by custom, or by statute.”

2.This is the word from whichwe get our English word norm.Whatever becomes accepted as a norminour society eventual-ly becomes a lawofour society. If we are exposed to a certain unac-customed idea or behavior long enough, we eventually become soused to it that we start to accept it. Once we accept it, we begin tothink of it as “normal,” or as a “norm.” And once we see it as a norm,we start to expectit. 

Once we come to expect it, it becomes in prac-tical terms no different from a law, even if it is never formally estab-lished as a legal statute. Depending on the nature of the idea or behavior, this process could be very dangerous because we as a society could end up endorsing and normalizing evil or immorality. This is precisely what has happened and is happening in western culture with regard to such issues as homosexual rights, homosexual marriage, abortion rights, assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell research, and the like.

God’s laws are designed to prevent us from accepting and nor-malizing evil and assigning it the force of law in our society. This isthe protective nature of laws. They prevent ideas and behaviors thatare contrary to the constitution and the good of the state and thepeople from becoming a dominant influence. In other words, God’slaws are designed to protect the whole community.This is why sin and violation of the law never affect only the per-son or persons directly involved, but many others as well. It is like aripple effect. Our actions, good or bad, affect those around us inways we may never know. 

When the Israelites were attacking thecity of Ai during their conquest of the land of Canaan, the sin of oneman, Achan, led to the defeat of the entire community. Only afterthe Israelite community dealt with Achan’s sin were they able to achieve victory (see Joshua chapters 7–8). God’s laws have personal application with nationalramifications.Another meaning of nomosis that of a decreed law establishedby a state. This definition applies perfectly to the Kingdom of Heaven because that Kingdom is a state; it is a country. 

For citizensof the Kingdom of Heaven, the Bible is the nomos, the decreedestablished law of the Kingdom that we are pledged and obligatedto obey. It is a mistake to think of the Bible as a religious book. Itis not. The Bible is a legal book, a book of laws that God has estab-lished and set forth in written form to define and protect His Kingdom as well as to protect, preserve, and deliver the entire community of mankind.

The second Greek word for “law” in the New Testament is ethos,which means “custom.” Whenever we speak of something as being“customary,” we are speaking of ethos. God’s laws are supposed to be customary for us. It is supposed to be customary for us not to lie orsteal or covet. It is supposed to be customary for us to forgive and tolove our enemies as well as each other. 

Ethosis less formal thannomos. In fact, whereas nomoscame to mean decreed, establishedlaw, ethoswas used to describe unwrittenlaw. The most powerfullaws of all are the unwritten laws. In any culture, customs generallycarry the social force of law even without formal legal establishment.

And customs quite often have a greater influence on people’s behav-ior than any formal laws that are on the books.God never intended to write down any of His laws for us. He did not want us to have to read in order to live. There was no written lawin the garden of Eden, no written law for Abraham, no written lawat all for God’s covenant people until the days of Moses. The King ofHeaven’s intention was to write His laws on our hearts and in ourminds so that no one would have to teach us. 

It was humanity’srebellion and separation from God that made written law necessary.We needed something to restrain our baser nature and instincts and prevent us from destroying ourselves by uncontrolled selfish-ness,passion, and violence.The King’s goal has never changed. Despite mankind’s rebellion,His original purpose still stands: “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. I will put My law intheir minds and write it on their hearts. I will be theirGod, and they will be My people” (Jeremiah 31:33).This unchanging purpose of the King was fulfilled in the newcovenant through Jesus Christ. 

 NATURAL LAW VERSUS WRITTEN LAW

 God intended law to be natural. To understand the Kingdom ofHeaven, it is important also to understand the distinction betweennatural law and written law.First of all, written law is necessary only when natural law isabsent. If we human beings were all law-abiding by nature, therewould be no need for written law. But as we saw above, our rebellionagainst God destroyed the rule of natural law in our lives and madewritten law (as well as human government) necessary to protectsociety and restrain evil.

Second, the purpose for written law is to restore natural law tothe conscience. Because of our rebellion against God, we lost ourinstinctive knowledge and understanding of natural law. Our con-sciences became corrupt and our likeness to our Maker became tar-nished and distorted. Things that were natural in the beginning nowbecame “unnatural.” For example, we consider generosity to be avirtue, a positive quality we admire in others and aspire to in our-selves. Why? Because it is nota “natural” human trait, at least notanymore. 

God never commanded Adam to be generous and giving.Why not? Because giving came naturally to Adam. A generous spir-it was inherent in him because he was made in the image of God, hisCreator, and God is generous by nature. But after the rebellion,mankind became greedy, obnoxious, abusive, mean, stingy, andhoarding. We needed a law to restore to our conscience the conceptof giving. Third, natural law is sometimes referred to as the “spirit of thelaw.” This reflects God’s desire for His laws, the standards of HisKingdom, to become the norms of our society. 

Remember, earth is acolony of Heaven, and the laws of the King of heaven should applyhere as much as they do there. Laws produce society because theydetermine social relationships.There is a difference between the law and the spirit of the law.The spirit of the law refers to original intent—the purpose that wasin the mind of the Lawmaker in the beginning. Therefore, the spiritof the law is the inherent essence of the original purpose and intentof that law. As such, the spirit of the law is always higher and broad-er than the letter of the law. For this reason, the greatest form of lawis unwritten law.

 Unwritten law is a product of the spirit of the law.When law has to be written, it is because the people are disobedient.Written law is a sign that the people have lost sight of the spirit ofthe law—the original intent. So where the spirit of the law is, thereis no need for written law.Any nation is only as good as the laws it enacts. Laws producesociety, so whatever kind of society we want is determined by thelaws we make. The worse the laws, the worse the nation. However,bad laws do not cause a nation’s social, moral, and spiritual decline.They merely reflect a decline that is already underway. 

Laws mirrorthe condition of the nation.This is why it is so important for we who are Kingdom citizensto regain our understanding of the “spirit of the law”—natural law.Natural law is the fundamental operating principle of the Kingdomof Heaven.The laws of the King protect and preserve not only His Kingdombut also the benefits and privileges of the Kingdom that are reservedfor Kingdom citizens. But learning to appropriate them involvesmore than just knowing what they are. We must learn also the keysof the Kingdom that unlock our benefits and privileges and makethem active in our lives.

 PRINCIPLES 

1. Every kingdom is governed by laws. 

2. The Bible is the law book of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

3. The Kingdom of heaven has laws to protect it and assurethat 

   it operates according to God’s intent. 

4. Laws are built into creation. 

5. Whatever becomes accepted as a normin our society eventually 

    becomes a lawofour society. 

6. God’s laws are designed to prevent us from accepting and 

   normalizing evil and assigning it the force of law inour society. 

7. God’s laws have personalapplication with nationalramifications. 

8. Written law is necessary only when natural law is absent. 

9. The purpose for written law is to restore natural law tothe conscience. 

10. Natural law is sometimes referred to as the “spirit ofthe law.” 

11. Laws produce society because they determine socialrelationships.

12. The spirit of the law is the inherent essence of the 

     origi-nal purpose and intent of that law.

13. Any nation is only as good as the laws it enacts.

14. Natural law is the fundamental operating principle of 

     theKingdom of Heaven.

Chapter Nine

KINGDOM CONCEPT (6 )
UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM 
CONCEPT OF KEYS 
Every nation and social civil society functions on law sand customs that make that society work. These func-tions depend on the constitution and a body law that cre-ate a context and reference for social behavior and relating to the government and other members of the society. The result is a cul-ture of laws and principles that serve as regulations, values, morals,and standards that govern the citizen’s relationship with the authority structure and its disposition as it relates to expectations withinthe constitutional framework. In essence, all nations and kingdoms contain inherent 
principles and laws that must be adhered to byeach citizen in order for 
the citizen to benefit from his citizenship privileges and rights. 

These laws and principles are called by Jesus,“Keys of the Kingdom.”
Have you ever found some old keys lying around your house and couldn’t remember what they were for? Possessing a key you cannot identify or match to a particular lock is as bad as not having a key atall. What good 
are keys you can’t use? They are as useless as locksyou can’t open. 
This is exactly the problem with many believers today. We havea big 
bunch of “keys” called “Scriptures” that most of us don’t knowhow to use. 
We have the keys, but we don’t know which key unlockswhich lock. 
It’s like having all of this information but not knowinghow to use it, 
having all of this power available to us but not know-ing how to apply it.Knowledge of the Word of God is important, but in sufficient 
by itself for effective living as a believer. 

This is because most believerslack a proper Kingdom mind-set. Life in the Kingdom is really aboutreturning to the governing authority of God in the earth and learn-ing how to live and function in that authority. 
Part of understandingthe Kingdom is learning how to use the keys of 
the Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven is God’s desire and purpose
 for us.Jesus said:Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has beenpleased to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32).
Our Father, the King of heaven, has given us the Kingdom. It is ours. 
In fact, Jesus Himself brought the Kingdom to us. It was His main 
purpose in coming to earth in human flesh. We receive the 
Kingdom through His death. The moment we turn from our rebel-lion 
against God and place our trust in Christ to salvage us from the consequences of that rebellion, we become naturalized 
citizens ofthe Kingdom of heaven, with all the rights, benefits, 
and privilegesthat come with it. But how do we appropriate our rights? 
 How do we enter into the full enjoyment of our benefits and privileges? 
What are the keys to effective living in the Kingdom? 

KEYS OF THE KINGDOM 
One day Jesus asked His disciples, His inner circle of 12 mostintimate followers, the most important question He would ever askthem. 
When Jesus came to the region of Caes are a Philippi, He asked 
His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Manis?” They replied, 
“Some say John the Baptist; others sayElijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say 
I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of 
theliving God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son ofJonah,
 for this was not revealed to you by man, but by MyFather in heaven.

 And I tell you that you are Peter, and ont his rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hadeswill not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the king-dom of heaven; what ever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, 
and whatever you loose on earth will be loosedin heaven”(Matt; 16:13-19).

 In the Jewish faith of that day, the titles “Christ” and “Son of the living God” were reserved exclusively for the Messiah, the deliverer of Israel and hope of the world who had been prophesied for cen-turies. So Simon Peter here was confessing his belief that Jesus wasthe Messiah. Jesus tells Peter that he did not arrive at this knowledgethrough his own understanding; it was given to him through super-natural revelation.Then Jesus says that upon the “rock” of Peter’s confession offaith, He will build His “church.” The Greek word for “church” isecclesia, a word that is widely misunderstood. Because it is translat-ed here as “church,” most people believe that ecclesiais a religiousword. It is not. Ecclesiais a governmental term. 
 It literally means“called-out ones” and was used by the Greeks to refer to the senateor other political groups that were chosen by the “democrat,” 
or gov-ernment. The Greeks invented the concept of democracy 
but neverreally applied it.

But when the Romans overran the Greek empire,they adopted much of Greek thought and philosophy, includingdemocracy, and developed them. This is how Caesar developed sucha powerful government. In the Roman Empire, the senate the ecclesia was like the cabinet in a modern democracy. The senate was the powerhouse.These individuals were handpicked by the emperor to receive histhoughts, his desires, his passion, and his intent. 
Their job was totake the mind of the king and turn it into legislation that could beimplemented in the kingdom. In other words, they were to know hismind and see that everything he wished was carried out. This meant that they had to stay in close contact with him. They had to talk tohim, and he had to give them information about what he wanted inthe kingdom.

The fact that Jesus used ecclesiato describe the body of follow-ers that He was establishing tells us two things. First, the wordchurchitself is a political rather than a religious term. And second,this entire discussion about keys and about binding and loosing isnot a religious but a political discussion. 
In effect, Jesus was saying, “In the same way that Caesar is lordof his government, and has created his senate, his ecclesia, his cabi-net, I also will build My cabinet on the fact that I am the Christ, the“anointed king,” the Lord of lords and Son of the living God.” He saidto Peter, “Upon the ‘rock’ of your confession of who I am, I will buildMy government. I will build My senate, My cabinet, My administra-tors who will carry out My wishes and My will.” 

So Jesus established not a religion but a political force. The ecclesia, therefore, is a secret group entrusted with secret information critical for the operation of the Kingdom. This group will be so powerful that even the  “gates of hades will not overcome it.” Another way to translate that phrase is, “the gates of hades will not prove stronger thanit.” Even hell itself will not be as strong as theecclesia that Jesus is establishing.What is this “secret information” that Jesus gives His cabinet? Hesays, “I will give you  
the  keys of the kingdom of heaven; whateveryou bind on earth 
will be bound in heaven, and whatever you looseon earth 
will be loosed in heaven.” He gives them gives us the keys 
ofthe Kingdom, not the keys to the Kingdom. As Kingdom cit-izens,
 we are already in the Kingdom; we don’t need the keys to it.

What we need and what Jesus has given us are the keys of the Kingdom 
the keys that will unlock the power of the Kingdom and make it work in our lives. Kingdom citizens and only Kingdom citi-zens have these keys. Citizenship in the Kingdom is a prerequisitefor getting them.
What this means is that we who are Kingdom citizens are 
supposed to be operating on a level that blows other people’s minds. 
We should have access to a power that mystifies those who are not yet
in the Kingdom. We are supposed to be living life at a certain level
where we are tapping into resources that others cannot explain. 

KNOWLEDGE OF THE SECRETS 
The key to keys is not havingkeys. The key to keys is knowledge,
knowing what the keys are for and how to use them. On anotheroccasion Jesus told His “cabinet”:The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom 
of God has been given to you (Luke 8:10a).The Kingdom of heaven 
is not a secret society, but its keys haveto be learned. A secret is 
anything you don’t know, especially ifsomebody else does. Miracles 
fall into this category. A miracle issomething that humans cannot explain, 
an event or occurrence that seems to defy the laws of nature. 
These men had seen Jesus walk onwater, heal the sick, 
raise the dead, shrivel a tree by speaking to it,calm a storm, 
multiply bread, and many other “miraculous” 
things that were beyond the ken of human experience.
But to Jesus, none of these were miracles.
 He said, “These are no miracles; I’m just using keys. 
I know how to put them in the locks, and they are 
unlocking prosperity, unlocking healing, unlockingpeace, 
unlocking authority. 

Watch Me and you will see the Kingdom at work, and also how
 it should work for you. My Father has givenyou the knowledge
of the secrets of the Kingdom. I will teach youhow to use the keys.”
Jesus left no doubt that the Kingdom was supposed to work for
His ecclesia just as it worked for Him, for on the night before His death 
He told them:I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what 
I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because 
I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name, 
so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 

You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it (John 14:12-14). Jesus’ ecclesia (which includes us) was going to do the samethings
 He was doing and more because the Holy Spirit who would come 
after He was gone would teach them the keys of theKingdom and 
how to use them. One significant key is embedded inthis passage: 
the key to opening the “ware house” of Heaven. 
The key that opens that lock is prayer asking in Jesus’ 
nameand what ever and anything we ask will be done. 
That is a wide-open promise, butit is not a way to gratify our 
own selfish wants and desires. We mustuse the right key. 
 We must ask in Jesus’ name according to His willand in line with His purpose. That is what will open Heaven’s flood-gates.

The twelve disciples of Jesus had already seen this key activated in 
unforget table fashion the day Jesus fed five thousand people with fives loaves of bread and two fish. The crowd had been with Jesus allday
 listening to His teaching. Now it was late in the day, and they were hungry. Jesus’ disciples suggested He send them away into thevillages to get food, but Jesus has another idea. He was preparing toteach them
 how to use a key:Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. 
You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of 
bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to Me,” Hesaid.

 And He directed the people to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up toheaven, 
He gave thanksand broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disci-ples picked up twelve basket fuls of broken pieces that 
were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children (Matthew14:16-21 emphasis added).
Jesus used this situation to test His disciples to see if they pickedup 
on the secrets. He said, “You feed them.” That was the test. 
They should have asked, “Which key do we use?” Instead, they said, 
“Allwe have is....” They were limited by what they could see. 
But in the Kingdom of Heaven we walk not by sight but by faith. 
The lesson Jesus wanted them (and us) to learn is that when 
you know the keysto the Kingdom secrets, you will never again say, 
“All I have is....”Look at the progression: Jesus looked up toward 
heaven andgave thanks. He put in the key of prayer and 
unlocked the ware-house. Then He broke the bread, gave it to 
His disciples, and theydistributed it among the people. 
It should work for us the same way.Through prayer in Jesus’ 
name(the key), we unlock Heaven’s ware-house. 
The King Himself draws forth from its abundance and givesit to us, 
and we then give it to others.But we have to know the key that 
opens the warehouse. Thatknowledge is Christ’s promise to us: 
“The knowledge of the secrets ofthe kingdom of 
God has been given to you.” 

SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF KEYS 
Knowledge leads to understanding. Once we know the princi-ples behind keys, we can understand how they work in the Kingdom.There are 
several principles that define the properties of keys. 
Kingdom Concept (6) 
1. Keys represent authority.If you possess a key to a place,it means you have authority in that place. Suppose yourboss entrusts you with a key to the store or the office. Bydoing so, he shows not only that he trusts you but alsothat he has delegated a certain amount of authority toyou. The key to your house means you have authoritythere. The key to your car gives you authority to drivewhenever you want to. Christ says, “I am giving you thekeys of the Kingdom of Heaven. I am giving you author-ity in heaven, the same authority I have.” What an awe-some gift! Few of us have done more than just scratch thesurface in learning what this means.

2. Keys represent access.A key gives you instant access to everything 
that key opens. The secret is in knowing whatthe key opens. 
 The keys of the Kingdom of Heaven giveus immediate access to all the resources of heaven. Butwe have to know how to use them. So often we limit our-selves by trusting or believing only in what we can seewith our eyes or reason out with our minds. A Kingdommind-set completely changes our perspective.When a pagan king sent his army to capture the Hebrew prophetElisha, the prophet’s servant was terrified one morning to find thearmy surrounding the city.“Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked.“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who arewith us are more than those who are with them.” AndElisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.”Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he lookedand saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire allaround Elisha. 

As the enemy came down toward him,Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike these people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elishahad asked (2 Kings 6:15b-18). Elisha’s servant was frightened by what he saw around him, buthe didn’t have a key. Elisha had a key, unlocked heaven, and brought down an angelic host to protect them. The prophet tapped into aprinciple that took him to a system that made that pagan army look like toy soldiers by comparison. When you have the keys of theKingdom, you have no lack and no crisis because the King is greaterthan them all. Jesus said 
He would teach us to walk in that kind ofauthority, access, and confidence. 

3. Keys represent ownership.Possession of a key gives youde facto ownership of whatever that key opens.Therefore, when you possess the keys of the Kingdom ofheaven, you have ownership of heaven on earth. Jesussaid, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heav-en, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed inheaven.” In other words, you own on earth whatever isgoing on in Heaven. This means that you should neverjudge how your life is going simply by your circum-stances.Suppose you get laid off from your job. It would be easy to getscared and stressed out because you have a family and bills to payand no money. 

That’s your circumstances. As a Kingdom citizenwith the keys of the Kingdom, however, you have ownership of heav-en on earth. You can be confident and even rejoice in the prospectof a bright future because you have a source of supply and provision that those outside the Kingdom cannot even conceive. So go have aprosperity party! The King is preparing 
to bless and prosper youfrom a completely unexpected direction. 
When you “own” theresources of the King, you are never destitute. 

4. Keys represent control.If you possess the key to some-thing, you control it. You control when it opens, when itcloses, and who gets access to it.A key helps you controltime. In other words, you decide whether to open it up at8:00 or 10:00 or 6:00 or whenever. This gives you control over when something comes. If you need somethingnow, you operate a key.
One day the Hebrew prophet Elijah met a poor widow gathering sticks 
at the town gate. This was during a severe drought. He askedher for 
a drink of water and a piece of bread.“As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’thave any bread only a handful of flour in a jar and 
alittle oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take homeand make 
a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 

Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. 
But first make a small cake ofbread for me from what you have and bring
 it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘The jar of flourwill not be used up
 and the jug of oil will not run dryuntil the day the Lord gives rain on the land.’” She wentaway and did as Elijah had told her. So there was 
food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.

For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil didnot run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spokenby Elijah (1 Kings 17:12-16).
The truth of the widow’s circumstances was that she and her son were 
about to starve. Elijah approaches and makes a bold, somemight even say selfish, request: “I know you don’t have much, butfeed me first and then yourself and your son. Trust in the Lord; Hewill take care of you.” 
This was not selfishness. Elijah was offeringthe woman a key. 
Once she took it, she had control. By faith and obedience she unlocked heaven’s larder and brought down for her-self and her family supernatural provision that sustained them until the drought ended. Her entire life and mind-set shifted from the cir-cumstances of want and privation to a 
Kingdom perspective ofunlimited abundance. 

 5. Keys represent authorization. This is similar to number 1. Authorization means to be given the authority to actin the name or in the stead of whoever gave you theauthority. “The boss authorized me to do this....”Possession of keys means that you are authorized to actin the name and authority of the one who owns the keys.By giving us the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesusgives us the authority to influence Heaven. He hasauthorized us to act in His name and on His authority torequest whatever we wish that is in accordance with Hiswill and purpose. 

6. Keys represent power. Whoever gives you keys gives youpower at the same time. This is similar to control. Youhave control power over whatever you possess thekeys for. If you know how to use the keys, whatever they unlock is at your disposal. The keys to your house give you the power to come and go and to allow or dis allowothers to enter. When Jesus gave us the keys to the king-dom, He gave us power in Heaven. Whatever 
we bind on earth affects Heaven; whatever we loose on earth affects
Heaven; whatever we close on earth, Heaven closes. 

Do we really have that much power as Kingdom citizens? Yes.The King does not want us to live as victims of the earth’s system, soHe has given us the ability to tap into a realm that is invisible but absolutely real and can literally affect the physical earth. This is whyChrist was able to live an abundant life in times of crisis. He had power from Heaven. And He has given that power to us.7. Keys represent freedom.When you have keys, you arefree to go in and out. You are free to lock and unlock,to open and close. 

The keys of the Kingdom give us freedom from fear and all the other limiting emotions of an earthly system. I used to wonder why Jesus was so carefree, so calm, and so in control no matter what was happening around Him. 
It was because He had the key of freedom.One day Jesus was asleep 
in the back of a boat while His cabinet(some of whom were fishermen) 
sailed it across the Sea of Galilee.As happens frequently on that body of water, a severe storm blew up suddenly. The storm was so fierce that 
even the experienced sail or saboard feared that the boat was going to sink.

 How could Jesus sleep through such a crisis? Their lives were in danger, 
and He was snooz-ing in the stern! The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us!We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the windsand the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked,
 “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him!” (Matthew 8:25-27).Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” 
In essenceHe was saying, “What’s the matter? Where are your keys?” 

Then He took out a key, locked up the storm, and it stopped. 
In amazement,the disciples asked, “What kind of man is this?” 
Just a man with keys.The keys of the Kingdom are the keys to ultimate truth, the knowledge of which brings true liberty. Jesus said:If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, 
and the truth will set you free (John 8:31b-32).By “teaching,” Jesus is not referring so much to Scripture versesas much as the principles, laws, and precepts contained in those verses. Freedom comes in knowing the truth. Truth alone is notwhat sets you free. What sets you free is the truth youknow. Thekeys of the Kingdom can bring you into the knowledge of the truth. 

SEVEN CHARACTERISTICS OF KEYS 
1. Keys are laws.They are fixed, reliable standards thatnever change. 
When used correctly, they always work.
2. Keys are principles.When Jesus spoke of “the keys of theKingdom,” He wasn’t talking about literal physical keys toopen physical locks. The keys of the Kingdom are princi-ples, systems that operate under fixed laws. 
When Hegives us the keys, He gives us the principles by which 
the Kingdom of Heaven operates. We gain access to the sys-tems 
that make the Kingdom of Heaven work. And oncewe learn the laws, the system, and the principles, all ofheaven will be available to us.
3. Keys are systems.Every government runs on systems: thesocial system, the economic system, the political system,the educational system, the telecommunications system,etc. Knowledge of the systems and how they work is akey to power and influence. Control the systems and youcontrol the government. Disrupt the systems and youdisrupt the government. 

Destroy the systems and youdestroy the nation. That’s how powerful systems are.Even more, that’s how powerful knowledge can be.The systems of the Kingdom of Heaven are beyond the reach ofthose outside the kingdom and are in no danger of being disruptedor destroyed. Kingdom citizens, on the other hand, have access tothose systems and can bring the influence of Kingdom systems tobear in earthly situations. That is why Kingdom citizens can restconfident in victory and success no matter what circumstances maysuggest. So the most important thing any of us could do is to makesure that we are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.

4. Keys activate function.A car operates on gasoline. The“key” of gasoline activates the function of the car.Without gasoline, the car will not run no matter how many other keys you have. Likewise, a radio with noreceiver cannot fulfill its function of converting radiowaves into audible sound waves for you to hear. The“key” of a receiver is missing, and without it, the radio isonly an empty, silent box. The box may be pretty, theglass clean and shiny, but it cannot fulfill its purposebecause the key to activate its function is not there. Tome, religion is like that attractive radio or that stylish but gas-less car that does not work. Like them, religion may look beautiful and impressive on the outside with all its regalia and traditions, but it has no keys and 
there-fore lacks the ability and the power to activate Kingdom function. 
The keys of the Kingdom activate Heaven so that we can fully enjoy our rights and privileges as Kingdom citizens. This is far more sure and 
secure than depending on the systems of the world for our enjoyment. 
On this point, Kingdom ambassador Paul counsels: 
Command those who are rich in this present world notto be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, whichis so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who rich-ly provides us with everything for our enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17).The keys of the Kingdom allow us to enjoy all the rich and 
goodthings of God without measure.
5. Keys initiate action.Just as the key to a car initiatesaction by starting the engine, the keys of the Kingdom,when we know how to use them, initiate action inHeaven. 
6. Keys are the principles by which the Kingdom of Godoperates.Not only are keys principles, but specifically,keys to the operation of the Kingdom. They give usaccess to the blueprints, the schematic, the flowcharts soKingdom Principles 170 that we can understand and appropriate the inner work-ings of the Kingdom of Heaven. 
7. Keys cannot be substituted by feelings, emotions, wishfulthinking, or manipulation.If you are locked out of yourhouse without a key, no amount of begging or pleadingor wishing will make that door open. If your car is out ofgas, you can sit behind the wheel and dream and will allyou want for it to move, but it will stay right where it is.Religion is built on feelings, emotions, wishful thinking,and manipulation. It is different with the Kingdom. 

 The Kingdom of Heaven operates on keys. You can wish andfeel and beg and plead all you want, but without theright keys, you will still be locked out of all the thingsGod promised you because feelings don’t open doors.Keys do. In the world’s system, you get ahead by killing, robbing, hurting, manipulating, climbing up on people, using people, stealing, gam-bling any way you can. But in the Kingdom of Heaven, everythingis reversed. 

To get ahead, you must do the opposite of what you doin the world. Instead of getting, you give; instead of hoarding, yourelease; instead of grabbing, you give up; instead of hating, you love;instead of every-man-for-himself, you show first regard to others.Yes, this is counterintuitive, but that is the way God’s Kingdom works.

 THE COUNTERINTUITIVE NATURE OF KEYS 
It is this very counterintuitive quality of the Kingdom of heaventhat makes it so hard for the world to understand. The Kingdom ofHeaven and the kingdoms of this world operate by completely oppo-site principles. People raised in the world’s system cannot compre-hend on their own the truly otherworldly nature of God’s Kingdom. This is why Simon Peter could not recognize Jesus as the Messiahexcept by divine revelation.This clash of systems is vividly illustrated by an encounter Jesushad one day with a rich young man who was interested in gettinginto the Kingdom.As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up to Him and fellon his knees before Him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “whatmust I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call Megood?” Jesus answered. “No one is good except Godalone. 
You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, donot commit adultery, 
do not steal, do not give false testi-mony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was aboy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing youlack,” He said. 

“Go, sell everything you have and give to thepoor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come,follow Me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad,because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around andsaid to His disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enterthe kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:17-23).Once we get into the Kingdom and start functioning properly,
we inevitably become prosperous. Prosperity is a natural product of
Kingdom living. But we must live by the standards of the Kingdomin 
order to prosper in the Kingdom. This rich young man had problems with Jesus’ conditionsbecause they ran counter to everything he had ever 
heard andbelieved about success and prosperity. 

He simply was not preparedfor the counterintuitive command of Jesus 
to part with everythingthat he thought made him “somebody.” 
This is why Jesus said that itis hard for a rich person to enter the 
Kingdom of God. The keys, theprinciples, the systems of the 
Kingdom are opposite to those of theworld, from where they acquired 
their wealth. In other words, the opposite nature of Kingdom keys
makes it dif-ficult for many people to understand the Kingdom. 

This young manhad grown up in a world where you get by taking. 
He could notunderstand the principle of a Kingdom where you get by giving.Additionally, it is the power of ignorance of Kingdom keys that can destroy us. Scripture says:“My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” (Hosea4:6a).Because of ignorance of Kingdom keys, this rich young man didnot know how to become richer, so he chose to hold onto wealththat literally was killing him rather than enter into wealth that couldgive him life.

 Coming into the Kingdom of God neither makes you poor nor requires you to become poor. But you have to know the keys.This rich man thought he was rich, but was really poor becausehe did not understand the nature of true wealth. So he went awaysad. A key principle of the Kingdom of Heaven, on the other hand,is this:The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and He adds not rouble to it (Proverbs 10:22).Once you get the keys of the Kingdom 
and learn how they work,the blessing of God will bring you wealth 
without sorrow. And Hecan do it in an instant if He is so inclined.

Another factor in the difficulty people have in understanding the 
Kingdom is the danger of the fallen nature of human reasoning.
Man’s rebellion against God resulted in a corrupted mind and con-science. The way most of us in this world pursue success and wealth and try to get ahead is completely contrary to the principlesand laws that 
God designed into creation. But we are too blindedby our corrupt 
minds to see it. Like the rich young man, we assume 

PRINCIPLES 

1. Life in the Kingdom is really about returning to the gov-erning 

   authority of  God in the earth and learning how tolive and 

    function in that authority. 

2. The Kingdom of Heaven is not a secret society, but itskeys 

     have to be learned. 

3. When you know the keys to the Kingdom secrets, youwill never 

    again say,  “All I have is....” 

4. Keys represent authority. 

5. Keys represent access. 

6. Keys represent ownership. 

7. Keys represent control. 

8. Keys represent authorization. 

9. Keys represent power. 

10. Keys represent freedom. 

11. The keys of the Kingdom are the keys to ultimate truth,

    the knowledge of which brings true liberty.