Glory, Love, and Promise: the Kingdom of God

What if I told you that God’s kingdom is a structure built from His own names? 

Would you find that to be more “uhh”-inspiring than awe-inspiring?

This is a premise a friend shared with me that’s captured my imagination, and has continued to make more and more sense as I’ve studied the names of God with this picture in mind... so I’m going to begin laying all of that out here. I can feel your excitement.

Imagine a beautiful cathedral, massive, with soaring, domed, painted ceilings, art and gold leaf and ornamentation everywhere, stained windows and statuary telling the epic tale of God's work of and in and through His creation; every tiny, symbolic detail exuding the thoughtful, diligent, painstakingly intricate nature of the artist and craftsman that is our Creator. 

This cathedral is His glory, His kingdom, Himself. 

It is so huge that there's no way that we would be able to enter every room, plumb all its depths, and experience all its heights in our lifetime. Even in eternity, I'm not sure we'll know everything there is to know about the enormity of God and His kingdom, which is said to have no end. Maybe God's kingdom and eternity are synonymous? Maybe.  

Imagine that every pillar and every support of this fantastic building is in fact one of God's own names- the whole grand structure is built on God's declarations about Himself/about us. Imagine walking around in such extravagant love, where every place you looked- every thing you touched- was a physical representation of this relationship of (increasingly) mutual adoration between you and the Builder. I say "increasingly" to acknowledge the reality of where we are: God's adoration of us is complete, perfect, but as we wander around and get to know His kingdom- and therefore Him- better, our adoration grows. 

We aren't wandering in this empty, endless cathedral by ourselves. The Lord's kingdom is full of Himself. It's full of His people. His Son is there, His Spirit is there. The vibe is righteousness, peace, and so much joy. 

Every element has its own story, and each story illuminates yet another way that He loves us. Our Host continues excitedly, even gleefully, extending the invitation for us come further in, to discover more. 

Let's go exploring.