The concept of “kingdom” was not invented by mankind but was the first form of government introduced by the Creator.
This concept appears first in the Book of Genesis at the creation of man. Man’s original assignment from God was a Kingdom assignment: “Let them have dominion over…the earth.”
God’s plan for man was to extend His heavenly Kingdom (government) to the earth through the principle of colonisation (more on colonisation later).
Man’s assignment was to establish the influence and culture of heaven on earth by representing the nature, values, and morality of God on the earth.
In this way, God’s heavenly rule would manifest itself on earth through His extended image in mankind. This was the first Kingdom: Yahweh, the King, extending His heavenly Kingdom to earth through His offspring, man.
This is the wonderful story and message of the Bible—not a religion, but a royal family
What is Kingdom by Myles Munroe?
Myles Munroe defines a kingdom as the governing influence of a king over his territory, impacting it with his personal will, purpose, and intent, producing a culture, values, morals, and lifestyle that reflect the king’s desires and nature for his citizens.
God established only two priorities for mankind: the Kingdom of God and the righteousness of God (Matthew 6:33). Kingdom refers to the governing influence of Heaven on earth and righteousness refers to right alignment and positioning with that government authority.
Our highest priorities and greatest desires should be to enter the Kingdom of God and thirst for a right relationship with God’s heavenly government.
Before we go into the characteristics, I have broken down the message of the Kingdom that even a dummy can understand in a complete bundle. It comes with other bonuses and mentorship materials from Dr Myles Munroe worth over $1,000. Get instant access now!
10 Characteristics of the Kingdom
For a kingdom to exist and function as a kingdom, it must possess these 10 characteristics. The Kingdom of God, therefore, also possesses these characteristics.
1. A King
By definition, we see that a kingdom is the influence of a king over a territory. If there is no king there can be no influence of the king. The Kingdom of God, therefore, possesses a king and that King is God.
Being a king, unlike being a president, means He can’t be voted out of power, has the final authority and whatever He says becomes law.
2. A Territory
Every kingdom must have a territory. The essence of a kingdom is property or land. The word “kingdom” in fact is a fusion of two words— king and domain. A domain or territory over which a king rules.
In the governing influence of God, there are two territories we must understand: the kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of Heaven is where God resides and is King while the kingdom of God is every territory where God’s influence extends, not necessarily where God resides and is king.
Earth is under the Kingdom of God but it is not the kingdom of Heaven and God is not the king over the earth.
God has made man king over the earth and man has absolute authority over the earth. God wanted to extend his Kingdom (the kingdom of God) beyond the kingdom of Heaven so He sent man to colonise the earth (bring it under the influence of God) and make it the kingdom of God.
Just like Britain colonised Nigeria. Nigeria became Britain’s kingdom by influence and culture but it was not the actual physical location of Britain.
The colonial masters sent to Nigeria became the rulers of Nigeria on behalf and with the authority of the ruler in Britain.
3. Constitution
The third characteristic of a kingdom is a constitution. A constitution is a body of laws that guide the governance of the Kingdom.
Unlike the constitution of a republic that is the people’s desires of how their country should be governed, a kingdom constitution is the document that constitutes the king’s desire for his citizens.
It contains the responsibilities, laws, rights, and privileges of the people. It cannot be changed by the people and the king himself is subject to the dictates of the constitution.
The Bible is the constitution of the kingdom of God and it satisfies every criteria listed above.
4. Laws
We have seen that the constitution contains the laws of the Kingdom. Kingdom laws are not rules and regulations like we always think. They are not difficult codes aimed at subjecting everyone.
What this means is that if you go outside the boundary of the law, because of how you have been designed, you won’t thrive.
The aim of the law is to guide you to maximise your design and potential. So when God says, “do not fornicate” what He is simply saying is, “based on how I designed you, if you fornicate you will do harm to yourself” Laws carry in themselves consequences.
Meaning when you break a law, God doesn’t punish you but the law punishes you. In fact, you can’t break laws. If you do things you aren’t to do, the consequences of the law come upon you.
That way, you haven’t broken the law; you only incurred the negative part of the law. The law is still fulfilled.
Whatever God (the king) says becomes law.
5. Citizens
Every kingdom must possess citizens. The king decides who is a citizen of the Kingdom and how anyone can become a citizen.
We enter the Kingdom of heaven through the process that Jesus called being “born again” (see John 3:3)— changing our mind and turning from our rebellion against God, placing our trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our rebellion, and acknowledging Him as Lord (Owner) of our lives.
This “new birth” gets us into the Kingdom of Heaven and makes us citizens of the Kingdom of God.
The citizenship we receive through the new birth is citizenship by naturalisation because we are “born again” and born into the kingdom of God. See how to become a citizen of God’s kingdom.
6. Rights and Privileges
Every kingdom has rights and privileges its citizens are entitled to. As citizens of the Kingdom of God, our rights and privileges are contained in the Bible (the constitution). They are the promises God has made to and concerning us.
Remember, whatever God says is a law and the king is subject to the laws he creates. So, God is subject to His laws and of a necessity has to fulfil His promises to you.
If you aren’t seeing any of the rights and privileges manifesting in your life, you should place a petition in the courtroom of the kingdom of God through prayer. Learn how to pray as a kingdom citizen.
7. Army
Every kingdom must also possess an army. These are the forces that protect and defend the citizens of the Kingdom. It is great that we note that we are the citizens of God’s kingdom (the ones to be protected) and not the army.
The angels are the army in God’s kingdom. They are charged with the responsibility of guarding the citizens.
8. Commonwealth
Next, every kingdom has a Commonwealth. A righteous and benevolent king does not amass wealth for himself but for the welfare of his citizens.
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25 Kingdom Principles by Dr Myles Munroe
Kingdom Principle #1
The Bible is not primarily about a religion or rituals, but about the establishment of a kingdom rulership on this planet from the heavenly realm.
Religion preoccupies man until he finds the Kingdom. Religion is what man does until he finds the Kingdom.
Religion prepares man to leave earth; the Kingdom empowers man to dominate earth. Religion focuses on Heaven; the Kingdom focuses on earth.
Religion is reaching up to God; the Kingdom is God coming down to man. Religion wants to escape earth; the Kingdom impacts, influences and changes earth
Religion seeks to take earth to Heaven; the Kingdom seeks to bring Heaven to earth.
Kingdom Principle #2
The greatest secret to living effectively on earth is understanding the principle and power of priorities.
Kingdom Principle #3
The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but life without a purpose—life with the wrong priorities.
Our self-worth is more important than our basic needs and should never be sacrificed for the sake of those needs.
Kingdom Principle #4
God’s number-one priority for mankind is that we discover, understand, and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
A kingdom is the governing influence of a king over his territory, impacting it with his personal will, purpose and intent, producing a culture, values, morals, and lifestyle that reflect the king’s desires and nature for his citizens.
God established only two priorities for mankind: the Kingdom of God and the righteousness of God.
The concept of “kingdom” was not invented by mankind but was the first form of government introduced by the Creator. Ignorance of the kingdom concept makes it difficult to understand fully the message of the Bible
Ninety percent of all the national and international problems facing our world today are the result either of government or religion.
The need for government and order is inherent in the human spirit and is a manifestation of a divine mandate given to mankind by the Creator.
Man’s need for some formal government structure is an outgrowth of his need for social order and relationship management.
Kingdom Principle #5
The mandate of the Creator for mankind was rulership and dominion.
Kingdom Principle #6
Some governments are better than others, but all are inferior to God’s government—the Kingdom of Heaven.
Democracy is the best form of civil government as we know it because of its basic tenets and because of the checks and balances of the system.
One major defect of democracy is its fundamental principle of “majority rule,” which even though it gives power to the majority of the people, places morality, values, and the standards for law at the mercy of the majority, thus legitimising the majority’s values, desires, beliefs, aspirations, and preferences.
Our best alternative is to return to the original governing concept of God the Creator, which is the kingdom concept
Kingdom Principle #7
Colonisation is Heaven’s system for earthly influence.
God’s original intent was to extend His heavenly government over the earth, and His plan for accomplishing this was to establish a colony of Heaven on the earth.
By creative right, the earth is Heaven’s “crown land.” The King gave man rulership of the earth, not ownership.
A colony is “a group of emigrants or their descendants who settle in a distant land but remain subject to the parent country.”
As citizens of Heaven, we inhabit the earth for the purpose of influencing it with the culture and values of heaven and bringing it under the government of the King of Heaven.
God’s government, the government of Heaven, is a Kingdom, and God is the King.
A kingdom is simply a domain over which a king has rulership. In the Kingdom of God there are no subjects, only citizens—but every citizen is a king (or queen) in his or her own right.
When Jesus brought the Kingdom of Heaven to earth, He also brought the promise of restoring to mankind the dominion over the earth that Adam and Eve had lost in Eden.
Kingdom Principle #8
The King of Heaven wants sons and daughters, not servants. Jesus came that we might “receive the full rights of sons”
Kingdom Principle #9
A king is the central component of his kingdom.
A king is the ultimate and only source of authority in his kingdom. The sovereignty of a king is inherent in his royal authority.
God’s sovereignty is absolute. He is completely self-determining. All kings are automatically lords. Kingship has to do with authority; lordship has to do with ownership.
All true kings must have and own territory.
Kingdom Principle #10
As lord, a king literally and legally owns everything in his domain.
If the king owns everything, then no one in the kingdom owns anything. If the king owns everything, he can give anything to anyone at any time according to his own sovereign choice.
A king’s wealth is measured by the size and richness of his domain. God, the King of Heaven, is King and Lord of all. Jesus Christ is King and Lord of all.
Kingdom Principle #11
The most important confession any of us could ever make is to declare, “Jesus Christ is Lord.”
There is no such thing as lordship without obedience. If Jesus is Lord, He must receive first priority in your life. Jesus is either Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.
Living under a Lord also means giving up all concepts of personal ownership. Relinquishing ownership puts us into the position of full access to all of Heaven’s resources.
Letting go of personal ownership also nourishes and releases a generous spirit within us
Kingdom Principle #12
In the Kingdom of Heaven, there is no economic crisis and there are no shortages.
Every kingdom has territory. Heaven is a real Kingdom with a real government. A king is not a king unless he has territory over which
to rule.
The Son of God came to get the Kingdom back for man. Without territory no kingdom can exist.
Kingdom Principle #13
A king is only as wealthy as his domain.
Our destiny as human beings is wrapped up in land. We were made for the earth, and that is where our place of dominion will be in the life to come.
The meek will inherit the earth, not Heaven.
Kingdom Principle #14
We are kings by delegation, not by creation.
Kingdom Principle #15
God will not intervene in the affairs of this earthly domain without the permission of those who hold dominion authority here.
Through prayer we invite God to act in our domain. In the Kingdom of Heaven there are no “haves” and “have nots”; everyone is a “have.”
Kingdom Principle #16
Every kingdom has a constitution.
The constitution of a kingdom is the documented will, purposes, and intent of the king. In a kingdom, the constitution is a royal contract that the king has with his subjects — his citizens.
A kingdom constitution is the document that constitutes the king’s desire for his citizens. The constitution in a kingdom constitutes the expressed will of the king.
The Bible is the expressed will of the King in written form. It is the constitution of His Kingdom. The words of the king become the law of the land.
The constitution is the will and the testament of the king for his citizens.
The Bible comprises God’s documented thoughts concerning His citizens —His expressed will, desire, and intent for the human race He created in His own image
Kingdom Principle #17
Every kingdom is governed by laws.
The Bible is the law book of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of heaven has laws to protect it and assure that it operates according to God’s intent.
Laws are built into creation. Whatever becomes accepted as a norm in our society eventually becomes a law of our society.
God’s laws are designed to prevent us from accepting and normalising evil and assigning it the force of law in our society. God’s laws have personal application with national ramifications.
Kingdom Principle #18
Written law is necessary only when natural law is absent.
The purpose for written law is to restore natural law to the conscience. Natural law is sometimes referred to as the “spirit of the law.”
Laws produce society because they determine social relationships. The spirit of the law is the inherent essence of the original purpose and intent of that law.
Any nation is only as good as the laws it enacts. Natural law is the fundamental operating principle of the Kingdom of Heaven
Kingdom Principle #19
Life in the Kingdom is really about returning to the governing authority of God in the earth and learning how to live and function in that authority.
Kingdom Principle #20
The Kingdom of Heaven is not a secret society, but its keys have to be learned.
When you know the keys to the Kingdom secrets, you will never again say, “All I have is….”
The keys of the Kingdom are the keys to ultimate truth, the knowledge of which brings true liberty
Kingdom Principle #21
Citizenship is the most sacred privilege of a nation.
Citizenship is the most precious gift that any nation can give. Like any other country, the Kingdom of God has the principle of citizenship.
Every Kingdom citizen today is a naturalised citizen. The new birth makes us naturalised citizens of the Kingdom.
Not only does the new birth make us citizens of heaven, but our citizenship begins immediately. We are Kingdom citizens right now. Our citizenship is a present reality.
Religion postpones citizenship to the future. You can never appropriate what you postpone.
Kingdom Principle #22
All Kingdom citizens carry dual citizenship.
All colonial governments and citizens are invisible. The Kingdom of God is invisible. All Kingdom citizens are invisible also.
Kingdom Principle #23
Once you understand the culture of a people, you understand the people.
Our culture should reflect and reveal our citizenship as being here but not from here, as being in the world but not of the world.
Culture is the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group. Culture is the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practises that characterise a company or corporation.
Culture means to grow in a prepared medium. The battle for earth is the battle for culture.
Kingdom Principle #24
Giving is a fundamental principle of the Kingdom of Heaven.
God is a giver. The power of kings is displayed in their wealth. The purpose for a king’s wealth is to secure his reputation—his glory.
The glory of a king is his power to out-give another king. Giving places a demand on the king’s wealth. Giving requires a response from the king. Giving to a king attracts his wealth to the giver.
Royal protocol requires that a gift must be presented when visiting a king. The gift must be fitting for the king. The gift reveals our value or “worth-ship” of the king.
Worship demands a gift and giving is worship.
Kingdom Principle #25
Giving to a king attracts his favour.
Giving to a king acknowledges his ownership of everything. Giving to a king is thanksgiving. Giving begets giving. Giving activates royal obligation. Give Him your life and receive His life.
Olusegun Iyejare is a career coach and certified counselor. He helps individuals discover and maximize their potential to live satisfying lives regardless of obvious limitations holding them back.
