It may be a noble thought of Christians that, like Christ, they should also be killed on the torture pole. But nothing could be further from the truth.
It is also wrong to think that Christ’s kingdom will not take place here on earth. The Old Testament is very clear about that, as well as the words of Jesus Christ himself give a sign of how we will have to find peace here on earth and how we can already start working towards it in our own lives. So a Christian should not sit back and watch passively from the sidelines.
We already have in this age the body of Christ, the Church, which will be part of that kingdom of Christ. Some, like Augustine of Hippo, even claim that the Church is the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of heaven even now. The Bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, a well-known theologian, philosopher and Church Father, is considered one of the most important Church Fathers of the West. According to him, God’s saints would rule with Him even now. But that does not square with the teaching that Jesus will only judge the living and the dead at his return, and thus only then will people be admitted into Jesus’ kingdom. Also, God has not held the reigns in his own hands, but that will first belong to God’s son.
So there will come a time when those who will have risen with Christ will think of the things that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. For this reason, then, all should seek the things that are above and not the things that are on the earth (Col 3:1-2).
Those who are alive today and those who work for the good of the spiritual family of God will face persecution and tribulation even who know. That is the cross we will have to bear as Christians. But we have the certainty that the suffering we now have to endure here on earth is temporary. For we have the prospect of the promised peace on earth, where all those who love God will be allowed to live together in peace.
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Preceding
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Find also to read
- Jesus son of God
- Today’s thought “Everyone who is of the truth listens” (April 22)
- Today’s Thought: There will thy servant be
- The saviour Jesus his human side
- Today’s thought “… but those invited are not worthy” (July 21)
- Separation of local judgment regarding 70 CE from the global ultimate-coming prophecies of the Second Coming and Final Judgment
- Calvin commenting at Matthew 25:31: The Son of man shall come in his glory
- Matthew Henry’s commentary on Matthew 25
- Spoken in the name of Jehovah God for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience
- The Dead — Where Are They? 12 The Thief on the Cross
- Religion and believers #11 Prospect of a life without end in a peaceful kingdom
- Hidden Presence
- The Realm of profession in Christianity
- Prayer theme for December: Pray for the coming of the Prince of Peace
- Wilderness Transformed
- What is the Kingdom of God?
- Kingdom of God what will it be like
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Related
- Augustine of Hippo: “The Church even now is the kingdom of Christ”
- Fr. Alexander Schmemann: “Christ eliminates the distinction between means and goal”
- ‘Are You Pessimistic About the Future’?
- ‘A Kingdom the Size of a Flea Circus’
- “My kingdom is not of this world.” – “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her”
- Revelation 8
- Rich in Every Way
- Teaching Notes: On Christ’s Kingdom
- O Jerusalem….. “Round about”
- When Messiah Would Come
- The Gospel of Christ
- Praise and Worship Dance Songs | “Christ’s Kingdom Is a Warm Home”
- Christ Reigns in Victory: A Thematic Overview of the Book of Acts
- Empire, or Kingdom?
- Choosing Kingdom Over Empire
- God’s kingdom to come
- The Glorious Gospel Will Prevail
- Wordy Shepherding
- Trust Jesus as King
- Christian Warrior Invitation
- Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun
- The Salvation Dilemma – Life in the Age (Part 1)
- The Salvation of the Soul – Life in the Age (Part 3)
- True Israel, Second Adam, Final Kingdom
- Christ the King and The Two Standards
- Four Wall Christianity
- True hope doesn’t come from political ideologies
- Is There Not a Cause? A Patriotic Illustration for the Church
- Kingdom of Jesus Christ – Best Debate
- The Four Horsemen, Riding Again? Part 1 of 2
- The Four Horsemen, Riding Again? Part 2 of 2
- Two Classes
- Pick up where you are and go forward
- Divisions or as We Call Them Denominations
- The soon coming Kingdom of Jesus Christ
- Quiboloy and Duterte
- The messiah friend of President Duterte
- Apollo Quiboloy: The Rise Of The Counterfiet Christ
- Kingdom of Jesus Christ ranking official accuses own brother of leading smear campaign vs. Quiboloy
- Heaven! Enjoy It Now! – 12.18.2022
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“Let not us, who would be Christians, expect anything else from it than to be crucified, For to be Christian is to be crucified, in this time and in any time since Christ came for the first time. His life is the example—and warning—to us all. We must be crucified personally, mystically; for though crucifixion is the only path to resurrection. If we would rise with Christ, we must first be humbled with Him—even to the ultimate humiliation, being devoured and spit forth by the uncomprehending world.
“And we must be crucified outwardly, in the eyes of the world; for Christ’s Kingdom is not of this world, and the world cannot bear it, even a single representative of it, even for a single moment. The world can only accept Antichrist, now or at any time.”
Blessed Seraphim Rose
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Some View on the World 
Saint Augustine of Hippo (5th century), in his book, The City of God, describes the difference between what he calls the city of God, and the city of man. He says this,
Those who are in Christ are like travelers moving through this life in which we are never meant to settle down. Our joys are only a faint taste of what is to come when God’s kingdom is fully fulfilled. Our suffering and grief now will be only fading memories when His new creation comes.
Tim Shey wrote
The quote by Augustine of Hippo above reminds me of this quote:
–Isaac Penington
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