There are many powerful passages in the Bible that speak about the reality and the nature of the kingdom of God that Jesus came to bring. One that I came across in my recent study of these passages is Acts 14:21-22, as it shows us that the kingdom of God is not just different from the kingdoms on earth and the kingdom of this world but also how it is different from what we might expect. This passage comes on the tail end of Paul’s first missionary journey in which he and Barnabas have traveled to numerous cities, bringing the good news of the gospel of the kingdom of God.
“After [Paul and Barnabas] had preached the gospel in that town and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch, strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, ‘It is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God’” (CSB).
Here we see that a key part of the message that Paul and Barnabas delivered was that hardships were not simply a possibility that could happen to citizens of the kingdom of God but that hardships were a necessity part of the process of entering into this kingdom. This is pretty shocking, as most people in that time – and I think most people today as well – would think that part of the hope and promise of the kingdom of God is the elimination of all suffering and hardship. That is indeed the reality found in the kingdom of God in its final form in the new heavens and new earth that we read about at the end of the Book of Revelation. However, the pathway to get there is not necessarily smooth but rather involves suffering and hardship. This raises a couple of questions: Why are these hardships necessary for entrance into the kingdom of God? How do such hardships and suffering help us understand and embrace this kingdom?
Why Suffering is Connected to the Kingdom of God
Jesus comes to bring the kingdom of God, and this kingdom ultimately comes through his death and resurrection. If the king is one that suffers in the process of establishing the kingdom of God, then it makes sense that we as his followers would suffer as well; we should not view suffering as a sign that the kingdom of God has not come nor is being defeated but rather is actually a sign that the kingdom is here and that the kingdom is advancing.
Suffering occurs because the kingdom of God is established in the midst of hostile territory, as it comes to drive back and defeat the rebellious kingdom of this world that has dethroned God as the rightful king of the world. Jesus’s death and resurrection defeats this kingdom, but this kingdom continues to fight back as we live in the time between Jesus’s first coming to inaugurate the kingdom (Mark 1:15) and his second coming to finalize this kingdom (Revelation 11:15). Therefore, suffering is a reminder that the kingdom is here in part but not yet in full and that the way the kingdom came is through a king who suffered for us.
How Suffering Draws Us Into the Kingdom
Not only does suffering remind us of the fact that the kingdom has come in but that it has not yet come in its fullness and the kingdom and the place of Jesus’s death and resurrection in its establishment, it also draws us into this kingdom in various ways. The sufferings that we experience in this world are a reminder of the brokenness of this world and of this age that God has come to fix. It shows us the bankruptcy that is found in this world and this age, as it may make promises of a good and better life but ultimately will leave us wanting and longing for more. In addition, the sufferings that we face draw us closer to Christ, as it is through experiencing the fellowship of his sufferings that we then experience the resurrection and the new life – the new kingdom – that he brings (see Philippians 3:10-11).
Elsewhere, Paul talks about how the “thorn in his flesh” was given to him by God to prevent him from boasting, helping him to remember to rely not upon his strength but rather upon God’s gifts (see 2 Corinthians 12); the hardship and suffering that Paul faces here leads him to God and His grace. These sufferings and hardships may include persecution for our commitment to the kingdom of God, but these sufferings serve to remind us that our inheritance is not found in this world or age but rather in the kingdom of heaven that transcends them (Matthew 5:10); what we experience is a “light affliction” compared to the “absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17). In fact, our sufferings can lead to us being “poor in spirit,” with those who are poor in spirit being the ones who inherit the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:3). These sufferings might be hardships and challenges that lead us into faith or it could be in the suffering and challenges that we face after becoming a Christian that help us grasp the blessings of the kingdom in a new and greater way.
In addition to our sufferings causing us to see and experience the reality of the kingdom of God in our lives, they can also testify to the reality of the kingdom of God in others. Paul saw how his imprisonment advanced the message about the kingdom by causing others to preach boldly; it also brought him into contact with new people who saw him suffer for his faith (see Philippians 1:12-19). Elsewhere, when Paul seeks to commend himself to others and prove the authenticity of the message of the kingdom that he was bringing to others, he points to his endurance of sufferings (see 2 Corinthians 6:4-5), pointing to the fact that he was not one peddling a message for his own gain or benefit. Both the New Testament and church history show that the faithful suffering of God’s people testifies to the reality of the kingdom message and leads people to have faith in Christ.
Suffering Isn’t Something to Pursue But Also Something to Fear
Paul’s words to the new believers in Christ in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch pointed them and us to the fact that those in the kingdom of God are not exempt from suffering but rather should expect it and can even rejoice within (see Matthew 5:12; Acts 5:41; James 1:2-4). Expecting suffering, though, does not mean that it is something that we should pursue. Our goal is not to seek suffering but rather to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). Doing so will result in various hardships and sufferings at times, but we know that the king of the Kingdom will supply us with what we ultimately need and will bring us into the fullness of his kingdom in spite of – or better yet, through – these sufferings. Therefore, we should not be afraid of suffering or doubt the reality of the kingdom because of suffering. Instead, we remember that our redemption comes through the death and resurrection of Christ, which shows that suffering is just a precursor to a glory that outweighs all that we can think.
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