The Real meaning of the, 'Kingdom,' of God as used in Yahweh's Word

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Contemporary dictionaries define, kingdom, as, a country, state, or territory ruled by a king or queen, which is the vulgar usage instead of the true meaning, which is a "Kingly function, authority, or power; sovereignty, supreme rule; the position or rank of a king (OED)." Kingdom is an English word, used by some Bible translators, to translate the Hebrew word, mamlakâ, and the Greek word, basileia. Our understanding has been misled, when we hear the word, kingdom, because the majority of us have had the vulgar definition implanted in our minds. When we read or hear, in the Lord's prayer, the phrase, "thy kingdom come" or "seek you first the kingdom of God," as recorded in Matthew 6:9-10, 33, we are thinking territory. Young's translation corrects this misunderstanding by using the word, 'reign,' instead of kingdom. His translation reads, "Our Father who art in the heavens! Hallowed be Thy name. ‘Thy reign come: Thy will come to pass, as in heaven also on the earth." If Yahweh rules, his will is being done. Yahweh rules in heaven, meaning his will is being done but he is not ruling on the earth, meaning his will is not being done. We have been instructed, in verse 33, to "...seek ye first the reign of Yahweh and His righteousness, and all these shall be added to you." We can not, on the Earth, be seeking Yahweh's territory (kingdom) but we can be seeking Yahweh's rule (reign) by obeying his commandments, resulting in our needs being taken care of.

Young's Literal Translation of the Holy Bible translates basileia, in many cases, 'reign,' rather than kingdom because, it appears, that during his time, the meaning of the word, kingdom, was also being misunderstood. In Luke 1:30-33, his Bible states, "And the messenger said to her, ‘Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with Yahweh; and lo, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and call his name Yahoshua; he shall be great, and Son of the Highest he shall be called, and Yahweh Elohim shall give him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign [basileuo (verb)] over the house of Jacob to the ages; and of his reign [basileia (noun)] there shall be no end." Reign, as a verb, is defined as the rule of a king or a queen. Reign, as a noun, is defined as the period during which a sovereign rules. Christ will rule and his reign (period of time) will be without end.

The verb, basileuo, and the noun, basileia, are translated, in the above verse, with the same word, reign. An example of another word translated in the same way is the word, love. Love, is also a verb  and a noun. The Greek verb, agapao, which is translated, love, is also a noun, agape, both of which are being translated, love, in the verses below:

Joh 15:9 ¶  Just as the Father loved [agapao] me, I also, loved [agapao] you: Abide ye in my love [agape].
Eph 2:4 ¶  But, Yahweh, being rich in mercy, by reason of the great love [agape] wherewith he loved [agapao] us,
1Jo 2:15  Be not loving [agapao] the world, nor yet the things that are in the world: if anyone be loving [agapao] the world, the love [agape] of the Father is not in him.

The Hebrew word translated, kingdom, is mamlaka. The TWOT defines malak, which is the verb, "Semitic nouns are usually derived from verbs, the reverse is always a signal to look to the noun for the essential meaning. Malak, though employed over three hundred times, appears only in Qal and Hiphil stems (except for one Hophal, #Da 9:1). The meaning of the Qal (over two hundred times) is always ‘to reign,’ i.e. to be and exercise functions of a monarch, whether male (king) or female (queen)." Malak appears in 2 Samuel 5:4 twice, which states, "Thirty years old, was David when he began to reign [malak],—forty years, he reigned [malak]." The Greek word that is used in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) to represent, mamlaka, is basileia.

Basileia is defined as, 1) royal power, kingship, dominion, rule 1a) not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom. The NDNT states, "This term refers to the being or nature or state of a king, i.e., his dignity." The verb, basileuo, is defined as 1) to be king, to exercise kingly power, to reign. Revelation 20:6 states, "Happy and holy, is he that hath part in the first resurrection: upon these, the second death, hath no authority; but they shall be priests of Yahweh and of the Christ, and shall reign [basileuo] with him for the thousand years."

(The Gospel of Matthew is the only place where the phrase, 'the kingdom of the heavens,' is used. Matthew 4:17 proclaims, "Reform ye, for come nigh hath the reign [basileia] of the heavens," meaning the rule from the heavens, which means, Yahweh, who abides in the heavens, reign is near.)

The phrase, the kingdom of God (Yahweh) is used 61 times in the New Testament, meaning that there are 61 verses that are being misunderstood. The kingdom of Yahweh is not the, 'Territory,' 'Land,' or 'Country' of Yahweh but rather it is the, 'Rule' or 'Reign,' of Yahweh. Yahoshua brought the reign (rule) of Yahweh to the Earth, when he cast out demons; Yahweh's will was being done on Earth as it is in heaven. Luke 11:20 states, "but if by the finger of Yahweh I cast forth the demons, then come unawares upon you did the reign (rule) of Yahweh." The sick were healed because Yahoshua gave the power of Yahweh to his disciples, who then displayed the reign (rule) of Yahweh. Luke 9:2 testifies to this point by saying, "and he sent them to proclaim the reign of Yahweh, and to heal the ailing."  More verses, concerning the Reign of Yahweh, are presented below, as can be seen in Young's Literal Translation of the Holy Bible:

Mt 12:28  ‘But if I, by the spirit of Yahweh, do cast out the demons, then come already unto you did the reign of Yahweh.
Mt 19:24  and again I say to you, it is easier for a camel through the eye of a needle to go, than for a rich man to enter into the reign of Yahweh.’
Mt 21:31  which of the two did the will of the father?’ They say to him, ‘The first.’ Yahoshua saith to them, ‘Verily I say to you, that the tax-gatherers and the harlots do go before you into the reign of Yahweh,
Mr 1:15  and saying — ‘Fulfilled hath been the time, and the reign of Yahweh hath come nigh, reform ye, and believe in the good news.’
Mr 9:1 ¶  And he said to them, ‘Verily I say to you, That there are certain of those standing here, who may not taste of death till they see the reign of Yahweh having come in power.’
Lu 10:11  And the dust that hath cleaved to us, from your city, we do wipe off against you, but this know ye, that the reign of Yahweh hath come nigh to you; [but you refused the rule of Yahweh.]
Ro 14:17  for the reign of Yahweh is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the holy spirit;
1Co 4:20  for not in word is the reign of Yahweh, but in power?

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(When quoting scriptures, from the Rotherham Emphasized Bible New Testament, I will substitute the Hebrew words
Yahoshua (yeh-ho-shoo’- ah) for Jesus, Yahweh and Elohim for God and the LORD and ruah for pneuma (spirit).)

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