Kingdom vs. Realm

When people talk about Kingdoms from a biblical point of view of what do they speak?  I was told recently "the Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms is well known."  I wonder how true this statement actually is.  I am a Lutheran and was taught the Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms as a Child.  But I believe this Doctrine is improperly named in order to communicate with the public Realm.

The Bible speaks of various Kingdoms of the world.  In the Old Testament you have the Kingdom of Egypt, Syria, Babylonia, Philistia, Assyria, Persia and many more.  You even will find reference to the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of David.  But of all these Kingdoms, they are generally not paired and even if some were paired it would be difficult to find a significant Doctrine from them.

But there is one Kingdom talked about more than any other in the Old and New Testament.  The Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven or as I like to call it the Kingdom of Christ.  This Kingdom has a polar opposite.  Luther refers to this other Kingdom as "the Kingdom of Satan" or "the Kingdom of the World."  Here is a proper understanding of Luther's Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms.

But Luther did put forth another Doctrine which Lutherans today like to call the "Two Kingdoms".  This is the Doctrine of the Two Realms in which God works.  God works through Kings and Princes.  He uses them to set forward His Will in their areas of Rule or Realms.  But God also works in another area of our Lives, namely the Church.  In the Realm of the Church he not only puts forward His Will through the Law on how people are to Live, but also gives them hope and security through the Gospel.

God works in the Civil Realm so that people would conduct business and live together.  God works in the Realm of the Church so that people will come to faith and believe in Jesus Christ as the only way of Salvation.  God works in both these Realms because the Citizens of Christ's Kingdom live in both these realms.  But they live in these Realms along side those in the Kingdom of Satan.  Thus, this makes our lives a constant battle ground in both the Church and the State (the Two Realms of God).  Thank you.

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