The Kingdom of God

Essay

Faith cannot be rooted in a group, a leader, the atmosphere of a ministry, or the excitement of a movement. True roots come from God Himself. If faith isn’t grounded in a real, walking relationship with God and anchored deeply in His Word, it becomes unstable and easily shaken.

Let’s start with something practical. When deciding on studies or career paths, it’s common to seek counsel from pastors or trusted longtime mentors—even across countries. But their advice isn’t automatically God’s will. We can benefit from their wisdom, but ultimately, we must hear from God directly. Faith means bringing questions to God and discerning His voice above all human counsel.

Without strong roots, people can become unstable whenever their group or leader wobbles. If you depend too heavily on one organization and it collapses or you leave it, your faith can falter. But faith isn’t primarily about belonging to a group—it’s about walking with God Himself. If a group struggles, it’s that group’s struggle, not the entirety of your faith.

Consider also those who rely excessively on one leader—jumping from one leader to another whenever circumstances change. Such dependency might seem like passion from the outside, but often it reveals an insecure faith not yet deeply rooted in God. Leaders can guide us, but they are not the center of our faith.

That’s why having a foundation in the Word is vital. Many ministry workers chase gifts, experiences with the Spirit, visions, or zeal, yet have a shaky grounding in Scripture and theology. Without the Word’s solid foundation, there’s no stable center. Trends come and go, and the weakly rooted believer wavers with them.

Repetition matters. Hearing truth once rarely makes it stick. Most things just flow past. So, I take care to organize and review what I teach continuously. Repetition isn’t boring; it’s training that helps truth take hold deep inside us.

Let me use the M.Div. and Th.M. degrees as an example. Earning an M.Div. degree doesn’t automatically guarantee a strong biblical or theological foundation. Some schools emphasize practical ministry skills or application over deep theological groundwork. What matters most isn’t the degree name but whether you’ve truly built a firm foundation in the Word, doctrine, and theology throughout your life.

This explains why those with a Th.M. degree—who’ve studied theology intensively after undergraduate work—are often preferred. It often means they’ve had sustained theological training. Still, a solid foundation isn’t assured by credentials alone—some M.Div. grads are solid; some Th.M. grads less so. The core truth is the real, lived foundation beneath it all.

So here’s the clear challenge: stay humble and keep studying. Don’t assume you know the Word just because you’ve studied a bit. How you preach, teach, and interpret reflects how deeply you’ve absorbed Scripture over your lifetime.

Mission organizations often excel in vision, passion, and mobilization. But without solid training in Scripture and theology, everything can shrink to just the mission activity. When mission ministry falters, faith may falter alongside it. That’s a sign the center isn’t truly God himself but the activity.

The same applies to a focus on spiritual gifts or experiences. Healing, Spirit encounters, and spiritual gifts are precious. But without roots in the Word, experiences won’t sustain faith. Gifts and power must be understood in line with Scripture and the big picture of God’s Kingdom.

Studying the end times and Revelation isn’t just about chasing thrilling apocalyptic details. The goal is to grasp the full storyline of God’s Kingdom—from Genesis all the way through Revelation—to help discern our mission today.

Take Stephen as an example. Filled with the Spirit, before his death he recited Israel’s history from beginning to end. He carried the big picture of the Kingdom of God in his mind. Spirit-filled life isn’t just emotional fervor; it’s connected to seeing God’s ongoing work and the flow of His Word holistically.

One key thread running through the Kingdom narrative is covenant. From the Abrahamic covenant to the Exodus, Israel’s nationhood, the united and divided kingdoms, exile, promises of restoration, the Messiah, and final restoration—God unfolds His Kingdom through covenantal history. Recognizing this thread keeps Old and New Testament, history and prophecy connected rather than fragmented.

Understanding Daniel is crucial here. To grasp Revelation, you have to understand Daniel, especially chapters 8 to 12, which lay out critical frameworks about the end times, the Antichrist, the temple, Israel’s restoration, and the millennial kingdom.

Prophecy requires discerning what has already been fulfilled and what is still future. Take Daniel 9’s seventy weeks or Daniel 11’s southern and northern wars—some details were fulfilled in history, yet others remain open toward the final Antichrist era.

For example, Daniel 11 describes a king setting himself above all gods, extending power over Egypt, Cush, and Libya, setting up military encampments, then ultimately destroyed. While Antiochus Epiphanes did force Zeus worship, he did not fully fulfill these descriptions nor claim absolute divinity. The prophecy points beyond him to the ultimate Antichrist. This is a layered fulfillment.

Ultimately, when faith is deeply rooted in God’s Word and the grand Kingdom narrative, it’s far less shaken by changes in groups, leaders, or ministry forms. Our task is to build that strong biblical foundation, understand God’s overarching Kingdom story, discern our calling within it, and grow into steadfast servants who won’t be easily moved.

Content Notes

1. Faith’s root is God Himself.

Faith must center on God, not on groups, leaders, ministry atmospheres, or movements. A real relationship with God based on His Word secures us.

2. Use human counsel as reference, but ultimately ask God.

We can ask pastors or trusted people about life decisions, but their advice is only a guide. The final voice is God’s.

3. If faith wavers when groups waver, roots are weak.

When leaving a group shakes your faith, it means your faith was too tied to that group instead of God. Groups are tools, not roots.

4. Overdependence on people undermines faith’s center.

Following one leader intensely—and then switching to another—exposes a fragile faith. Leaders assist but should not be the faith’s core.

5. Without a Word foundation, faith is easily swayed.

Weak grounding in Scripture and theology leads to being pulled by trends, miracles, giftedness, or popular emphases, losing clear direction.

6. Repetition trains the Word deeply into us.

Important truths need repeated hearing and processing. Repetition helps embed truth in life, not just mind.

7. Practical foundation matters more than degrees.

Holding an M.Div. or Th.M. degree doesn’t guarantee sound theology. What counts is how firmly Scripture and doctrine are rooted in your life.

8. Stay humble and keep learning.

Even experienced ministers must keep studying. How you interpret and teach Scripture reveals your lifelong engagement with the Word.

9. Mission zeal must rest on the Word.

Mission organizations strong in enthusiasm risk fragile faith if lacking theological depth. When mission stops, faith shouldn’t collapse.

10. Gifts and experiences need Word-based interpretation.

Healing and spiritual experiences bless the Church but must be understood within God’s Word and Kingdom framework to endure.

11. The goal of end times study is seeing the Kingdom storyline.

Studying Revelation isn’t just curiosity about the future; it’s about grasping God’s Kingdom unfolding from start to finish.

12. Stephen saw the big Kingdom picture.

Spirit-filled faith includes understanding God’s historical covenant work, as Stephen demonstrated by recounting Israel’s story before his martyrdom.

13. Covenant is the thread through God’s Kingdom story.

From Abraham’s covenant through Israel’s history to the Messiah and final restoration, God’s Kingdom advances covenantally, connecting all Scripture parts.

14. Daniel provides the key to Revelation.

Daniel’s later chapters outline vital end times realities that Revelation expands on. Studying Daniel enriches understanding of the final days.

15. Prophecies have partial fulfillments and ongoing fulfillment.

Many Old Testament prophecies were partially fulfilled in history but point forward to ultimate completion in the last days.

16. Some prophecies surpass Antiochus Epiphanes.

Certain details in Daniel 11, such as self-exaltation and expansive conquest, exceed Antiochus’s life, pointing to the final Antichrist.

17. We must read prophecy with a dual-fulfillment perspective.

Recognizing that prophecies contain both historical and ultimate fulfillments deepens our grasp of Scripture’s flow.

18. Grow as servants rooted in the Word and Kingdom.

When faith is rooted in God and His Word, it stands firm regardless of external changes. Our calling is to deepen our foundation and serve steadily within God’s grand Kingdom plan.