On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
(Rev. 19:16)

Suppose that Buckingham palace made an announcement, a strongly worded one, saying that it is the pleasure of Her majesty, the Queen, that henceforth, all British subjects should live in peace, that all citizens should immediately stop hating each other, that marriages should be harmonious, and that all criminals should desist and stop all unrighteous activity immediately?

"Absolutely preposterous!" "Nonsense!" "Is this a joke?" people would respond, and rightly so.
Why? Righteousness can't be legislated, even by royalty. The heart of the problem, no matter where you live, is the problem of the heart, even your heart. That's why until God changes hearts there will be police, armies, border patrols, and courts where people who can't live in peace and harmony try to find justice for wrongdoing.

Jesus told the crowd who came to hear Him teach near Galilee to seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness. But what does that mean? He spoke of an invisible kingdom. He called it, "The Kingdom of God," one in which righteousness dwells. God's kingdom is a kingdom of righteousness as opposed to a kingdom in which evil is present. OK, we're not there. We're living in the nasty, here-and-now, not the sweet by-and-by. The battle for decency goes on every day. Constantly those who stand for something are described as "the extreme right," or denounced as Victorian fanatics. "What's happened to decency?" we ask in a culture that seemingly grows more debased, more uncivil, and more dangerous with every passing year.

Jesus taught that the problems of society are really the problems of the heart. "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander," (Matthew 15:19), said Jesus. Pretty blunt for the same one who talked about the invisible kingdom in which righteousness reigns.

"OK, we know it's out there," you say, "but how can we disengage ourselves from it, how can we keep our kids, even ourselves, from the pollution which is so rampant?"

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" explained Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17. This means that God brings an internal transformation in the lives of those who are citizens of the God's kingdom. We acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, King of our lives personally, and that we are controlled not by our old natures which war within, but by the Spirit of God.

I also have to point out that the invisible kingdom is also a kingdom of love and that those whose lives are touched by God are changed, allowing them to love, whereas they would have hated, or at least been indifferent to others. Napoleon called Jesus, "The Emperor of Love," and one of the most remarkable things about those who seek God's kingdom and His righteousness is that they love people.

Someday Queen Elizabeth of Britain will be succeeded, probably by her son Prince Charles; and when that happens, following the centuries-old tradition, the citizens of the kingdom will assemble in Westminster Abbey, and the Archbishop of Canterbury will place the royal crown on the head of the kneeling prince and say, "Sires, I present to you Prince Charles, Your rightful King. Are you ready to pay homage?" And there will be a thunderous affirmation. He will then advance before the kneeling prince and place the crown on His head. And there will be a new monarch.

Have you as a spiritual affirmation said, "Lord Jesus, I want you to rule and reign in my heart and life! I crown you as my King and place you over the kingdom of my life?" When you do that, you indeed become a citizen of the invisible kingdom, the kingdom of God.

Resource reading: Revelation 22