Every believer has been summoned by the King and made a citizen of the kingdom of God through the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, this world's realm is so clear and exists in such vividness that it seems like the greater reality, daily calling us to carry out its demands.

The kingdom of God may appear to us in grays, as some distant realm, of which we are barely aware. To help bring the kingdom of God out of obscurity, I am recommending that you read The Majesty on High by S.M Baugh. This book introduces the reader to foundational truths about the kingdom of God in the New Testament through a careful study of selected passages.

Baugh defines the kingdom of God as “the new creation” and wants his readers to truly understand the kingdom’s new creational character. Though the kingdom has a place in the Old Testament and was central to the teaching of the gospels and Acts, Baugh focuses on the unfolding revelation after Pentecost because “the earthly, inaugural work of the incarnate Son as Messiah of the kingdom of God was not completed until Pentecost.”

The study is ordered around five key elements: the king, dominion, realm, citizens, and covenant, with one or more of these elements highlighted in each chapter.

After introducing key concepts and definitions in the first chapter, Baugh begins in Revelation 4 with God the Father receiving due praise as king and creator of all, but ends the chapter questioning how sinful humanity can be part of the worship there.

He continues with Revelation 5, where we behold the Lion-Lamb completing his redemptive work and crowned as the worthy king of the new creation and kingdom of heaven. Subsequent chapters expound kingdom truths in 1 Corinthians 15, John 3 and Matthew 5.

Finally, he next takes two chapters for a lengthier discussion of the role of covenant in establishing the bond between God and his people.

This book is not a difficult theological treatise, but you will want to read it in small sections to grasp the teaching and better bring the kingdom out of obscurity and into focus. A “deeper understanding of the kingdom of heaven and how it has been inaugurated now in this age and how it impacts us cannot help but shape our lives as Christians. The sovereign dominion of Christ Jesus our Lord in this age is our bedrock in evil times; it is our boast, our faith and sure confidence all our days.”

These kingdom truths can help keep our dual citizenship in the world and in the heavenly kingdom in proper perspective as we look forward to the fulfillment of King Jesus’ promise that soon, at the end of this age, we will see his face in the consummated kingdom.