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"...But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." | |
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Overview There has been a great deal of misunderstanding about the meaning of his words since then. Some are confused as to whether the Kingdom is Present or Future, but in reality there are aspects of both. The primary meaning of the Kingdom is a future event, although there are certain present aspects of it which can be experienced now. Others believe that the Kingdom of God is Only For Israel, and that a whole, new message has been revealed for the Christian Church. But looking through the New Testament reveals that the same Kingdom message was preached throughout, and the Gospel is addressed to all who believe. There were some aspects of the Kingdom which were not understood before Jesus revealed them, and these Kingdom Mysteries were revealed to his disciples through his teachings, and later in more detail through the writings of Paul. These mysteries included a present foretaste of the Kingdom, the purpose of Christ's sacrifice, and the fact that Gentiles could now share in the promises made previously to Israel. The present aspect of the Kingdom also includes a down payment of the New Covenant which God had promised through His Prophets. He had promised to pour out His holy spirit in the end times, and place His Word in the hearts of His people. How that "token" of the spirit works in us and affects our hearts and lives is the subject of the next section.
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Jesus preached, "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand." The Kingdom of God, as we have seen, was the central theme of all that Jesus taught. The Jews at the time of Jesus knew what the Hebrew Prophets foretold about a time coming when Israel would be restored to their land, when the coming Messiah would rule in righteousness, when evil and wickedness would be done away with, and when there would be peace and prosperity to all who worshipped and obeyed the One True God. This is why he did not need to explain in great detail what he was referring to; he simply proclaimed that the Kingdom of God was "at hand" and that he himself was the Messiah, the one God had anointed to be King of the Kingdom. This is also why today one can easily be confused as to what Jesus meant, without a knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures as background. Part of the confusion about what the Kingdom of God means comes from the fact that the New Testament sometimes refers to it as a present reality, but other times as something that is coming in the future. Having examined the Old Testament Foundation, we can begin to see what Jesus was talking about. He taught his followers that the Kingdom would be primarily the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about his future reign on earth. (We will deal with the Scriptures that speak of a present form of the Kingdom below.) He quoted Psalm 37:11 when he said that the meek shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). He taught his disciples to pray, "Thy Kingdom come" (Matthew 6:10, etc.). He said that "many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 8:11; Luke 13:28-29). Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, which is the anointed King to come. He claimed to be the Son of God, which is also a Messianic title, based on Psalm 2:7. He also referred to himself as the Son of Man. The term "son of man" literally means a man, and is used as such in a number of places in the Old Testament, referring to other men. But the title of "The Son of Man" comes from Daniel and refers to the man to whom was given "dominion, and glory, and a kingdom," and whose "dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed" (Daniel 7:14). It is a title that is closely linked to the Messiah's rule of God's Kingdom. Jesus referred to the Son of Man coming in his glory (Matthew 16:27; 19:28; 24:30; 25:31; Mark 8:38; 13:26; Luke 9:26; 21:27). At that time he would come with his angels, and judge the world. "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Matthew 13:43). "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34). Everything that he preached revolved around him being the coming King that would rule the world on God's behalf, as foretold by the Hebrew prophets. One of the most common misconceptions about what Jesus preached is the idea that he offered "heaven" as the final destination of the believer. If you read through the Gospels, you find that he never said any such thing. He always referred to the coming Kingdom of God, which would be on earth. In Matthew, it says that he preached the Kingdom of Heaven, but we saw (here) that it is synonymous with the Kingdom of God, and is not a Kingdom in heaven, but God's Kingdom from heaven, to be on earth. Now Jesus did refer to "heaven" as the place in which treasures are laid up (Matthew 6:20; 19:21; Mark 10:21; Luke 6:23; 12:33; 18:22). But he didn't say we would enjoy them there, just that they were stored there. Our reward is in heaven (Luke 6:23) but Jesus says, "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be" (Revelation 22:12). Look through the Gospels, and in fact the whole New Testament. Nowhere does it say that the believer will "go to" heaven. The Kingdom is heavenly, and God's gifts and the things of God are called heavenly, which is simply another way of saying they are from God. It must be remembered that "heavenly" refers to their origin and nature, not their location. The things of God, including His coming Kingdom, are of heaven, but that doesn't mean we will enjoy them in heaven. J. A. T. Robinson wrote in his book, In the End God, that "heaven in the Bible is nowhere the destination of the dying." The idea that one goes to heaven when he dies stems from Greek philosophy, not from the Scriptures, as demonstrated in the Closer Look article on The State of The Dead. The great hope for all Israel was the resurrection, which will take place when Jesus Christ returns to inaugurate the Kingdom of God on earth. This was the same hope that all the disciples looked toward, including Paul in his epistles. But it is woefully lacking in the teaching of most churches, who nearly always speak of the dead being "in heaven" and the ultimate goal of eternity as "going to heaven." Many tracts and church billboards have messages like, "Where will you spend eternity? In heaven or in hell?" But the Bible never presents such a choice. The Bible says that it is a choice between "life and death" Deuteronomy 30: Asking "where will you spend eternity" begins with the assumption that one has eternal life to spend somewhere. But the Bible tells us that eternal life is the gift of God. It is not inherent in man. When the Lord returns he will grant it to the faithful believers (Romans 2:7; I Corinthians 15:53-54). In order for someone to spend eternity in "heaven" or "hell" he has to have eternal life. Terms like "eternity" and "eternal life" are misleading, because we are accustomed to thinking of eternity being something "beyond time" just as we tend to think of heaven as a "realm beyond earth." But such thinking is foreign to the Bible. There are two Greek words for "world" - one is kosmos which refers to the ordered creation. The other word is aion from which we get our English word "eon." This word refers not to place but to time. It is literally an "age" which is a better translation than "world," and is so rendered in some of the more modern English versions. When the use of this word is traced through the Bible, we find that it speaks of two "ages." One is the present evil age (Galatians 1:4), and the other is the Age to Come. Matthew 12:32 refers to the entire time of man's existence, and describes it as including "this age, and the age to come." Paul also refers to these two ages in Ephesians 1:21 (the Greek word for "world" in the KJV is aion). In Mark 10:29-30 Jesus refers to having blessings with persecutions in this "time" (kairos) and eternal life in the age (aion) to come, showing that it is contrasting two periods of time. Jesus didn't speak of rewards in another "place" but in another "time." Satan is called the god of this age in II Corinthians 4:4. The word for "course" in Ephesians 2:2 is aion, and "world" is kosmos. "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course (aion, age) of this world (kosmos), according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." This describes the nature of this current evil age as worldly and devilish rather than godly. In the parable of the sower, the cares of this age choke the Word (Matthew 13:22). This age is destined to end, and in the Age to Come, Messiah will rule with God's authority, and there will at last be peace on earth. The transition from this age to the next is defined in the Bible. Matthew 24:3 identifies the coming of Christ with the close of this age, while Luke 20:34-36 connects the resurrection from the dead with the future age. Taken together with the Old Testament prophecies, we can see that the present age will come to an end when Christ returns and the dead are raised, and then the next age, in which Christ reigns, will begin. The adjective form derived from the root aion is also an important word to understand. It is aionios and is most often translated either "eternal" or "everlasting." But this does not give a clear understanding of its meaning. Being from the root aion, it literally means "age-lasting" (Young's) or "belonging to the age" (Bullinger). Eternal life is literally "life in the age to come" and refers to life in God's Kingdom that is coming when this present evil age is over. It is only then that we will gain immortality. Until then those that have died sleep in the dust of the ground (Daniel 12:2). For the most part, mainstream Christianity is vague about the future. When you die you go to heaven (whatever that means) and there is often no clearly defined purpose for the return of Christ to earth. What we do in heaven is equally nebulous. Western culture is full of images of flying around in the clouds, with wings and a halo, playing a harp. But Jesus taught no such thing. He always spoke of the coming Kingdom of God on earth, and promised those who were faithful a place in it. The parable of the nobleman going off to receive his kingdom illustrates this.
The returning nobleman rewarded the faithful servants with authority over cities. Jesus has offered the chance for his followers to rule with him in his Kingdom (Daniel 7:22,25,27; I Corinthians 6:2). This is much more real a hope than "going to heaven." One can see how it motivated the first century believers to give their all. One can also see why Satan will do anything to keep this truth from being known. Man was created to live on earth, and when God's Kingdom is complete, God will finally get what He created man for in the first place. He has always wanted people to love and worship Him and to rule the earth on His behalf. As followers of Jesus the Messiah, we can be a part of that. This is the Good News of the Kingdom.
(Much of the preceding article was greatly inspired by the book, The Gospel of the Kingdom, by George Eldon Ladd.)
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Jesus proclaimed that the Kingdom of God was "at hand," which means it was very close. He did not say, however, that it had arrived. He spoke of it as a future reality, in the Age to Come. He compared it in Luke 19 (above) with a nobleman going away to a far country to receive a kingdom, and to return later. He specifically spoke this parable to correct their idea that the Kingdom would appear immediately (Luke 19:11). His disciples understood that it was future, as indicated by the request of James and John to sit on his right and left hands in his kingdom (Matthew 20:21; Mark 10:35-37). Jesus taught his disciples to pray, "Thy Kingdom come..." (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2). Even at the crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea still "waited for the Kingdom of God" (Luke 23:51), and he was a disciple (Matthew 27:57). Jesus promised that the Kingdom would be inaugurated "in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory," and the disciples would "sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28). At that time, many would "come from the east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 8:11). After teaching his disciples for 40 days things concerning the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3), Jesus made a clear distinction between the future Kingdom of God and what would be inaugurated on Pentecost. Acts 1: Notice first of all that Jesus did not correct them or reprove them for asking about the Kingdom in verse 6. I was taught in the past that the disciples were still carnal and spiritually immature at this point because they were thinking about the political Kingdom being restored to Israel. But if you read it in context, it was a perfectly reasonable question, since the Kingdom had been the subject of Jesus' teaching from the beginning of his ministry, and especially for the 40 days since his resurrection. He did not reprove them or indicate that their question was improper, only that the times and seasons were not for them to know. Secondly, notice that it does not say that the Kingdom would arrive "not many days hence." The Kingdom would arrive at some undisclosed time, but in the meantime, "not many days hence," they would receive power when the holy spirit came upon them, and they would be witnesses. Clearly then, the Christian Church is not the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God, as is held by many Christian denominations. There are a few verses which speak of the Kingdom having come in a partial, or "seed" form, and we will deal with those below. But the primary meaning of the Kingdom of God is a literal, political Kingdom on earth, which has not arrived yet, but will be set up in the future. The disciples are promised a share in the government of the coming Kingdom of God. Matthew 19:28 The phrase "in the Kingdom" is always presented as something that will happen in the future. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will sit down "in the Kingdom," as mentioned above, and Jesus said he would not eat the Passover again until it is fulfilled "in the Kingdom." This is shown to be parallel with the Kingdom "coming." Luke 22: So the "coming of the Kingdom of God" is parallel to being "in the Kingdom." The parallel records of James and John's request (Matthew 20:21; Mark 10:35-37), show that "in thy glory" is equivalent to "in thy Kingdom." All these parallel references demonstrate that the Kingdom of God is a future event, to which the disciples looked forward. Mark 9:43 defines the two possible destinies of man: enter into life or enter into "hell" (Greek, gehenna, or the lake of fire - a future place of destruction, not to be confused with hades, the state of the dead to which everyone goes when they die). Verse 47 of the same chapter rewords the choice as entering into the Kingdom of God or entering into hell (gehenna) fire. So entering the Kingdom of God is equivalent to entering into life, as opposed to the lake of fire (gehenna), which is the "second death" (Revelation 20:14; 21:8). Both these options are in the future. The Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels (Vol. I, pp. 530, 531) says the following about the eschatological (referring to the end times) sense of the Kingdom of God in the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). The same can be said for the whole New Testament. There is nothing in the synoptics antagonistic to the eschatological view of the Kingdom. The Kingdom is not present in any sense not reconcilable with the fact that it is also and mainly future.... Jesus did not dissociate Himself from the traditional view that the end would come in the form of a catastrophic transformation, culminating in the Advent of Messiah Himself, who would come from heaven. He seems everywhere to set His seal to this view.... He steadfastly contemplated a final wonder of destruction and reconstruction which would be the perfect establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.In Acts and the epistles, we see the same thing. We must through suffering now enter into the Kingdom then (Acts 14:22). In I Corinthians 15:50, Paul writes that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom. He goes on to describe how we shall be changed and put on immortality, something that he says will happen in the future. Similarly, James refers to being "heirs" of the Kingdom which God has promised(James 2:5) which means we stand to inherit it in the future. We do not inherit it until an entrance into the Kingdom is ministered to us (II Peter 1:11). Those who hold that the Kingdom of God is completely fulfilled now do so by claiming that the Kingdom is not a literal, physical Kingdom on earth. They consider the Church to be a "spiritual fulfillment" of the prophecies of the Kingdom. But if it were meant to be spiritual and not literal, why did Jesus literally fulfill some its promises? The miracles and healings he performed were intended to be a partial fulfillment as a sign that he was the Christ, and as a foreshadowing of the ultimate fulfillment. When John had his disciples inquire whether Jesus was the Messiah, the answer Jesus gave them was, "Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached" (Luke 7:22). These signs were the proof that he was the Messiah, and they quote from Old Testament prophecies which concern the coming Kingdom. In the same prophecies that refer to healing the blind, deaf, lame, and lepers, and raising the dead (Isaiah 35), we also read of the desert blossoming and the scorched land becoming a pool, a highway in the former wilderness on which no unclean will travel, and how "the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." In the same prophecies that refer to preaching the gospel to the poor (Isaiah 61), we also read of the day of vengeance of our God, and of rebuilding the former desolation. God's people will have riches in their own land, and will be acknowledged among all nations. "For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations" (Isaiah 61:11). If Jesus' miraculous signs in partial fulfillment of God's Kingdom promises are literal, why would we conclude that the other promises, or the Kingdom itself, is figurative? In addition, since the Kingdom of God is so clearly described in prophecy as a literal future reality, any change in its definition would have to be clearly and specifically defined in the Bible. But there is no such redefining of the Kingdom of God anywhere in the New Testament. Jesus spoke of a sense in which the Kingdom was present in a hidden form (see Mysteries of the Kingdom, below). But this was understanding added to the eschatological understanding, not replacing it. Also, Paul dealt at length with the changes from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant (see The New Covenant, below). This included the understanding of our offering spiritual sacrifices, and being the temple of God made without hands. But nowhere in any of those discourses did he ever say that the Kingdom of God was now to be understood as spiritual instead of the literal, eschatological concept that it was. On the contrary, he continued to refer to our hope (Romans 5:2; 8:16-25; I Corinthians 15:19; Ephesians 1:18; I Thessalonians 2:19; Titus 1:2; 2:13; 3:7; I Peter 1:3), our inheritance (Acts 20:32; 26:18; Galatians 3:18; Eph. 1:11,14,18; Colossians 3:24; Hebrews 9:15; I Peter 1:4-5), and the return of Christ to earth (I Corinthians 15:12-28; II Corinthians 4:13-18; II Thessalonians 1:4-10; Titus 2:13). The return of Christ is specifically referred to as his coming (parousia, arrival and personal presence) in I Thessalonians 2:19; 3:12-13; 4:15; 5:23; II Thessalonians 2:1,8; James 5:7-8; II Peter 1:16; 3:4; I John 2:28. It is also referred to as the appearing or revelation of Jesus Christ in I Corinthians 1:7; II Thessalonians 1:7; I Peter 1:7,13; 4:13. In addition, Revelation 11:15 presents a vision of the future, when it proclaims those words made famous in Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." The literal reign of Christ on earth in the future continued to be the primary meaning of the Kingdom of God. Within a short time after the death of the Apostles, when Gentile thinking began to dominate the Church and the Hebrew understanding of the Gospel was lost, the idea of a literal, political kingdom on earth came to be thought of as specifically Jewish. By then, the most common way of understanding the Kingdom of God was that the Church was the "spiritual" fulfillment of the promises of the Kingdom. Things like Jesus' statement that "the Kingdom of God is within you" and Paul's exposition of how the Old Testament Law was a shadow of greater things to come were taken to mean that all of the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled spiritually instead of literally or physically. The KJV wording of Jesus' statement is an unfortunate mistranslation, and should be understood as "among you" and not "within you." The sense in which the Kingdom is said to be present is seen in a few verses (which we will deal with below) but it must be kept in mind that the vast majority of references to the Kingdom refer to a literal Kingdom on earth. The phrase "shadow of things to come" is used only three places in the New Testament, and they are referring not to all Old Testament prophecies, but specifically to the ordinances of the Old Covenant, i.e., the Mosaic Law. The Law had many aspects especially regarding sacrifices, which were foreshadows of the ultimate sacrifice that the Messiah would perform. This is discussed in Colossians and Hebrews especially. (We will also look at the New Covenant below.) But it could not be true that everything ever promised by God in the Old Testament was fulfilled "spiritually." God specifically promised land, descendants, and material abundance to Abraham. He specifically promised David that a descendent of his would sit on his throne for ever. He specifically promised through the Prophets the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel, when a great ruler, the Messiah, would reign over the earth from Jerusalem. He foretold of the creation of new heavens and earth, once again restoring the perfect state of His creation. He also foretold specific events leading up to the Kingdom of God, including the world kingdoms that would precede it, and the cataclysmic events that would bring this present evil age to an end, and begin the new age of restoration. All of these promises are steadfast and sure, and Jesus himself described them as literal, albeit future, realities. Perhaps the main reason for beginning to interpret the Kingdom of God as a "spiritual" kingdom was because it had not come to pass yet. The disciples of the first century anticipated the return of the Lord in their lifetime (although Jesus' parables implied the possibility of a long period of time). But after the Apostles died, and Greek philosophy began to dominate the Church's thinking, the idea of a Kingdom on earth was gradually replaced by the idea of "going to heaven when you die." In addition, because they failed to understand the Mysteries of the Kingdom (see below), they didn't understand the delay, and so their only alternative was to redefine the Kingdom as spiritual and figurative. This pattern can be seen in the writings of the Church Fathers of the first two centuries after Christ, but there is nothing in the Bible that supports such a change. In fact, this came to be the primary view in the Christian Church for hundreds of years until the Adventist movements of the 19th century. But as noted above, any change in the definition of the Kingdom of God would have to be clearly and specifically stated in Scriptue. The Bible plainly speaks of a literal Kingdom on earth, ruled by Messiah. Only when we are told that something from the Old Testament has been redefined can we adopt a new understanding. We dare not take it upon ourselves to redefine what is clearly presented throughout Scripture. But if it is indeed a literal Kingdom, why did it not come to pass when the followers of Jesus thought it would? We will continue to explore that question in the next article.
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From the Protestant Reformation until the 19th century, the dominant form of theology was Covenant Theology, or Reformed Theology (established largely by John Calvin). This theology included the idea just described, that the Kingdom of God and the Old Testament prophecies were "spiritually fulfilled" in the Christian Church. Christ's reign on earth was replaced by his reign in the heart of the believer, and in the Church, through Church leadership. The ultimate goal of the believer was changed from reigning with Christ in his Kingdom on earth to going to heaven at death. The Millennial reign spoken of in the Scriptures took on a figurative meaning, referring to the Church age. In the 19th century, a number of different "Adventist" groups brought attention once again to the idea that Christ would return physically to earth and set up his Kingdom. A literal interpretation of Scriptures demanded this. Among them were the developers of Dispensationalism. In this system, the Kingdom was recognized as a literal entity in the future, but it is said to be involving only Israel, while the Church has a different goal, and a different hope. The Gospel of the Kingdom is said to have been preached while Jesus was on earth, and then withdrawn and replaced by a new and different gospel, as revealed to Paul. This new gospel concerns the Mystery of the Church as the Body of Christ. The Church Age is considered a "parenthesis" between Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom and his future return, when the Kingdom Gospel will again be preached, and the Kingdom will be finally restored to Israel. Thus the prophecies are literally fulfilled instead of figuratively or "spiritually." The exact time that the Kingdom gospel was withdrawn and the current dispensation of the Church began is the subject of debate among the various forms of Dispensationalism, although all agree that the Church and Israel are separate and distinct bodies. "Traditional" Dispensationalism considers the Church to have begun on Pentecost (Acts 2), while various other subdivisions believe that it started either at Paul's conversion (Acts 9), the beginning of his teaching ministry (Acts 13), or even after his imprisonment (Acts 28). These other groups are often referred to as "Ultra" or "Hyper" Dispensationalists, and are considered to be too extreme by the "traditional" branch. One offshoot of the ministry to which I belonged publishes a booklet, Defending Dispensationalism: Standing Fast in the Liberty. In it, the author makes the following statement: "Dispensationalism," as we understand and teach it, holds that the Christian Church began on the day of Pentecost, inaugurated by the giving of holy spirit. At that time, God suspended His program of salvation for Israel as instituted via the Covenants (including the Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic and the still future "New") and instituted a new program of salvation and sanctification for the Church of the Body of Christ. According to 1 Corinthians 12:13, the beginning of this Body was whenever the gift of holy spirit was given, which we know was on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2. From this dispensational perspective, the Book of Acts is a transitional period for the Church, which at first was exclusively Jewish. However, as these Jews grew in the faith, they gradually began to realize what had actually transpired on the Day of Pentecost and "got with the program" by admitting Gentiles into the congregation (Acts 10), letting go of water baptism (Acts 18:25ff), ceasing to require circumcision, etc, etc. With a change of "administration" came a change of requirements for salvation and behavior. (Mark H. Graeser, Defending Dispensationalism, Indianapolis: Christian Educational Services, 1999, p. 1-2.) In the article on Dispensationalism as well as the article on One Gospel I dealt with the major problems with this means of interpretation. The biggest problem is that it separates Jesus from his words, which the New Testament tells us are the key to eternal life. It also fragments the Gospel, presenting a new message for the current dispensation, which is different from the Gospel which our Lord said would be preached until the end (Matthew 24:14). We are heirs of the same promises made to Abraham, when we accept Christ and believe his Gospel (Galatians 3:29). The same message that Jesus proclaimed was preached throughout Acts by all the disciples including Paul. The "gospel of the grace of God" was not a new gospel that was different from the Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus preached (Acts 20:24-25). Many proponents of Dispensationalism believe that the only alternative to that system of interpretation is to "spiritualize" the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament. Their primary objection to Covenant Theology is the claim that the Church is "spiritual Israel" which only fulfills the Old Testament prophecies in a "spiritualized" way, rather than seeing the prophecies as literal. On the other hand, many proponents of Covenant Theology think the only alternative to their view is Dispensationalism, which contradicts what they see in the Scriptures as one gospel from beginning to end. The fact is, there is a third alternative that is midway between these two extremes. Other forms of Adventism in the 19th century rightly recognized that the Kingdom and promises are literal and future, but at the same time recognized that the same promises originally made to Abraham have now been made available to anyone who accepts Christ. Most Dispensationalists do not believe in such a connection between Israel and the Church, stressing that they are two completely separate bodies. But while there is a distinction made in the New Testament between natural Israel and the Church, there is also a sense in which the Church is seen as a direct continuation of what was started with Israel. The primary objection to this idea is that most of the uses of the word Israel in the New Testament are referring to national Israel. However, Romans 9:6 says, "For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel." This shows how Paul sometimes uses the term "Israel" to refer not just to the nation but to those within the nation who have a believing relationship with God. He uses the word "Jew" in a similar way. Romans 2: Paul writes here that the true "Jew" is not one who is a member of the nation of Israel, or one who has kept the Law, but one who has partaken of a "circumcision of the heart." But while he speaks of circumcision of the heart, he does not say that all the Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled "figuratively" or "in the heart." His use of "Israel" and "Jew" in this figurative sense is not to negate the reality of the coming Kingdom, but to show how the Church stands as an offshoot or continuation of Israel, being elsewhere called the Israel of God and the "true" circumcision. Galatians 6: And yet, Paul does not say that the Church has completely replaced Israel. The entire context of Romans 9 - 11 describes how the believing element of Israel is still attached to the "olive tree of faith" but the natural branches which did not believe are cut off. The wild branches, i.e. believing Gentiles, are grafted in and become part of the tree, and partake of the root. Meanwhile, Paul says that any of the natural branches that were cut off, if they come to believe, can be grafted back in just as the wild branches were grafted in. The entire tree partakes of the blessings of the root, being the people of God. These blessings include the promises made to Abraham. Paul and Peter both wrote about the Gentiles becoming part of God's people. Romans 9: The Romans 9 passage refers to Hosea 1:9-10 and 2:23; while the passage in I Peter 2 quotes from Isaiah 43:20; Exodus 19:6; Deuteronomy 7:6; and Isaiah 43:21. All refer to the Gentiles who were not a people now being part of God's people, as Israel had been before. Now the unbelieving branches of natural Israel have been cut off, but the believing ones remain. And one day in the future, a remnant of Israel will be saved (Romans 9:27; 11:26). In the meantime, the people of God fashioned from the roots of national Israel now include believers who were both Jews and Gentiles. This new body is now performing the function of Israel, as a chosen generation showing God's glory to the world (also being "a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God" -I Peter 2:5). This is why it is called the Israel of God, and the new circumcision made without hands. Many of these verses have been used in the past to prove that God was through with Israel and that the Church had replaced it. But as we saw in the Prophets God foretold of a time when a remnant of the nation of Israel will come to accept her Messiah. Many Jews had already accepted Messiah in the first century Church, but Romans 11 (especially verses 7-10 and 25-27) refers to the fact that "blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." The passage then quotes from Isaiah 59:20-21 and Jeremiah 31:31-34 which refer to the New Covenant, which will be completely fulfilled when Christ returns (see below). Zechariah prophesied that at that time, when God pours out His spirit, "they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him..." (Zechariah 12:8-10, which is connected with Jesus' crucifixion in John 19:37). At that future time, a remnant of Israel will come to recognize Jesus, who was crucified, as their Messiah. At that time the prophecies about Israel's triumph under Messiah's reign will come to pass. This is why Paul says in Romans 11:1-2, "I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew." While national Israel will not be completely cast off, they are currently cut off for rejecting their Messiah. Yet the Church, made up of both Jews and Gentiles, is built on the same foundation and called the Israel of God and the true circumcision. This is the perfect balance between the extremes of Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism. On the one hand, we recognize one Gospel throughout the Bible, and one "olive tree of faith" onto which Gentiles have been grafted, and we don't have to divide the Scriptures unnaturally. On the other hand we don't have to "spiritualize" the prophecies of God's Kingdom, but recognize them as literal, though in many cases still to be fulfilled in the future. The whole Bible fits together when you have this understanding of the Kingdom of God.
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The vast majority of references to the Kingdom of God are clearly referring to a future reality, when a cataclysmic change will occur, the dead shall be raised, Christ shall return, and this present evil age will be brought to an end. However, the Kingdom today is not merely a promise of the future. There are a few Scriptures that refer to it as being a present reality, in some sense. This may seem like a contradiction, but we shall examine the Scriptures which describe this form of the Kingdom. When Christ cast out a demon in Matthew 12:28 (also in Luke 11:20), he declared that if a demon is cast out, "The Kingdom of God is come upon you." Jesus instructed his disciples to heal the sick and say to them, "The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you" (Luke 10:9-11). In Luke 17:21 Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you." Paul wrote in Romans 14:17 that "the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." He wrote in I Corinthians 4:20 that "the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." In Colossians 1:13 he wrote that God "hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." How can these things be, if the Kingdom is only in the future? One factor that helps us to understand is that the word "kingdom" refers to the rulership and authority of the king, as well as the realm over which he reigns. This does not change the fact that the Kingdom of God is primarily the future Kingdom on earth, however. There are many who consider the idea of an earthly kingdom to be carnal and spiritually immature. They think that the more mature understanding is that of God's reign in our hearts. They point to Luke 17:21, from which Jesus is frequently quoted as saying "The Kingdom of God is within you." They interpret this as Jesus teaching that the "real" meaning of the Kingdom Gospel is a kingdom in the heart and not a literal kingdom on earth. It is thought that just as Jesus changed many of the Old Testament laws, he also redefined the nature of God's Kingdom. First of all, the wording in the KJV is an unfortunately poor translation. The words for "within you" can also be translated "among you" or "in your midst" and are rendered as such in several other English versions of the Bible. In this passage Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees who were constantly against everything he was doing, and whom he called children of the Devil. If he meant to say "the kingdom is within you," he would certainly not have said it to the Pharisees. He was actually referring to the fact that manifestations of the Kingdom were among them for all to see. He couldn't have been suddenly changing the definition of the Kingdom, as it would contradict the many Scriptures that clearly present the Kingdom as a literal, future one, including the verses immediately following this passage. Consider this wording, from the NASB. Luke 17: Jesus spoke of the coming of the Son of Man in his day to judge the world, and that it would be like the flood in Noah's day. That coming in judgment marks the end of this age and the beginning of the new age, when God's Kingdom will dominate the world. So he spoke of the literal sense of the Kingdom in the same context as his statement that the Kingdom was among them. Therefore, he could not have been redefining the Kingdom as a "kingdom of the heart" as many have suggested. However, there are some instances where the nature and power of the Kingdom are seen in a foretaste. The power of the Age to Come has in a certain sense intruded into this present age. Jesus said when he cast out a demon that the Kingdom had "come upon" them. It is noteworthy that the same phrase "come upon" is used in I Thessalonians 2:16, "...for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost." The wrath is not literally present yet, since in the same epistle Paul refers to "the wrath to come" (I Thessalonians 1:10). And the above mentioned verses from Paul's epistles describe a foretaste of the Kingdom as well. Hebrews 6:4-5 refers to those who have "tasted of the heavenly gift...and the powers of the world to come." The blessings of the Age to Come can be tasted, to an extent, in the midst of this present evil age. To understand how, we must consider the words of our Lord. Jesus often spoke in parables, with the result that those who really wanted to understand would seek out the answer, while those who didn't care would miss the point. In Luke 8:10, he told his disciples, "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand." Many of the parables about the kingdom involved the image of a seed being planted and growing. The sower and the seed (in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8) described the four kinds of ground on which the seeds fell. The seed, we are told, is "the Word" (Mark 4:14), or "the Word of God" (Luke 8:11), but not just "the Bible" in general; it is specifically "the Word of the Kingdom" (Matthew 13:19). This parable is the foundation of all the others, for Jesus said, "Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?" (Mark 4:13). In other parables, Jesus described the nature of the Kingdom of God as being hidden, and growing in a way that is not seen for the most part. He compares it with wheat and tares, showing that it will continue to grow in the midst of this evil age, until the time of the harvest. He compares it with a mustard seed, and with leaven as well. Matthew 13: These parables present a slightly different view of the Kingdom than what is presented in the Old Testament prophecies. Yet Jesus confirmed the prophecies at other points. He did not deny that it would come with a cataclysmic event that would end this present evil age and usher in God's judgment, and the resurrection of the faithful. He did not deny that the evil systems of this world would be overthrown and that he would rule the world from the throne of God in Jerusalem. Hebrews 2:8 says that God has put all things in subjection under his feet, but adds that "...now we see not yet all things put under him." Because we don't yet see it, some have doubted that he is truly God's Messiah. A day is coming, though, when every eye shall see him and everyone shall recognize his authority. But in the meantime it is a hidden reality. Christ's presentation of the mysteries of the Kingdom did not involve a redefining of the Kingdom, but rather an added understanding of an interim period before the inauguration of the Age to Come. The parable of the nobleman going to a far country and returning (Luke 19, see above) illustrates this concept clearly. Many of his other parables described the hidden nature of the Kingdom during that period of time, but did not teach that the literal understanding of the kingdom was to be replaced by this hidden "spiritual" kingdom. Matthew 13: The Hebrew Prophets described a coming Kingdom that would conquer and dominate the world. Yet Jesus spoke of it being hidden, and he spoke of the possibility of men rejecting it. The Kingdom at this time is in a seemingly small and insignificant form, a form that had not been foreseen. The power of the future Kingdom has intruded in the midst of this day and age, but the future Kingdom in all its glory and world-changing power will still come to pass literally, just as the harvest comes at the end and separates the wheat from the tares. At that time there will be no resisting it, and it will completely overcome worldly systems. Another factor that was a mystery was the necessity of the suffering and death of the king. Besides the depictions of the Messiah coming to judge and to rule, there were also those of a suffering servant (the "Suffering Servant" songs in Isaiah, and other passages, such as Psalm 22). But many did not know how to reconcile the two images. Some even thought they were two different people. Part of the reason many Jews rejected Jesus' claim to be the Messiah was that instead of setting up the promised kingdom, he was crucified and died. Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom for some time before he ever mentioned his suffering and death, and when he began to speak of it, his disciples did not understand. It was not until after his resurrection that he taught them why it was necessary for him to die. In the Book of Acts, the disciples preached concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus (Acts 8:12; 28:31). They emphasized that the same Jesus who was crucified is also Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). But even then the full understanding of what his death accomplished was not spelled out in detail until Paul wrote about it in his epistles. Another of the mysteries of the kingdom which Paul wrote about is described in Ephesians: that the Gentiles would be fellow heirs and of the same body as Israel, and partake of the promises made to Israel. In the ministry with which I was formerly involved, it was called the "Great Mystery" although the only place that phrase appears is Ephesians 5:32, which compares the husband-wife relationship with that of Christ and the Church. (The NASB renders it as "This mystery is great" rather than "This is a great mystery.") The Dispensationalist view we held was that this Mystery was the central issue of the Christian Church, and redefined everything for this current administration, while the Gospel of the Kingdom was postponed until the return of Christ. But while Paul spoke of the gospel which he preached as being received "by revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:11-12), the details which he received by revelation did not replace what was known, but complemented and completed it. The mystery that Paul speaks of in Ephesians, then, is not a new gospel that departs from the promises of God made to Israel, but rather the revelation that all people, Jew and Gentile alike, may partake of those promises. Paul had written about it before "in few words" (Ephesians 3:3), but elaborates more fully about it in Ephesians. God promised an inheritance first to Abraham, and later to the nation of Israel, and that is the basis of the Kingdom of God. The same promises have now been offered to Gentiles as well. Ephesians chapter 1 mentions "inheritance" three times (verses 11, 14, and 18). Chapter 2 speaks of how the Gentiles were once aliens, and "strangers from the covenants of promise." But now they are brought together with the Jews, with no more separation. This household of God is said to be "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone." I was taught that this only referred to the New Testament prophets in the Christian Church. But from the context of these chapters, you can see that it is built on the foundation of the promises made to Israel, which were elaborated on by the Old Testament prophets. He also refers to this in Romans. Romans 16: As I discussed in One Gospel, the mystery that Paul wrote about was not a completely new program or plan that replaced the Kingdom Gospel which Jesus proclaimed. Paul preached the same Gospel as Jesus did, which was the same Gospel presented in the Scriptures of the Prophets. However, certain details were kept secret, and later revealed by Jesus Christ. Some were taught by Jesus directly, others were taught by revelation through the writings of Paul. But all the added details were simply aspects of the Kingdom Gospel that had not been understood or revealed before. They do not constitute a new and different Gospel, but a broadening of the scope of the same Gospel that Jesus preached. The mystery of the Gentiles being fellow heirs and of the same body with the Jews was just one of a number of mysteries which added to, rather than replaced, the understanding of the Kingdom of God that the Jews had at that time. Jesus spoke of the "mysteries" (plural) of the Kingdom, and Paul described the ministers of Christ as "stewards of the mysteries of God" (I Corinthians 4:1). In addition to proclaiming that the Kingdom foretold by the Prophets was at hand and that he was the promised Messiah, Jesus taught about some aspects of the Kingdom that were not previously understood. Among them were the necessity of the suffering and death of the Messiah, the fact that there would be an intervening period of time before Christ took up his throne, the seed form of the kingdom during that time, and the fact that not only Jews but "all nations" (Matthew 28:19-20) had the opportunity to hear the Gospel and be saved. Paul added further details about the nature of the Church as the Body of Christ, and that Jews and Gentiles could be members of that Body and joint heirs. He also added more details about what Christ's death and resurrection had accomplished, and how we were no longer under the Old Covenant. But it was all within the context of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. So rather than immediately setting up his Kingdom, Jesus suffered and died as the payment for sins so that we could gain entrance to that Kingdom. In addition, he began the phase of the Kingdom during which its influence would be experienced in a limited way, but would not yet dominate the world. During this time all who believe, whether Jew or Gentile, can be part of the Body of Christ, and taste of the Kingdom, in addition to having the hope of fully experiencing it when it comes to pass at the end of this age. God is waiting patiently before He pours out His final judgment, so that as many people as possible have a chance to receive His gift of grace (II Peter 3:9). The Church represents the Kingdom to the world, and we are called ambassadors of Christ. God's rule in our hearts is a temporary reality, until such time as His Son begins to rule literally on earth. We are here to provide advance proclamation of the coming Kingdom, as well as demonstrating God's nature to the world. This includes the good news of what blessings are in store for those who believe, as well as a warning of judgment for those who don't. That is what the current Church period is all about. But it must always be understood within the context of the overall message about God's coming Kingdom.
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Jesus is called the mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 12:24) and of the New Testament (Hebrews 9:15). Both English words, "covenant" and "testament," mean the same thing and are translated from the same Greek word, diatheke. A covenant is an agreement made between two parties. There are a number of covenants mentioned in the Bible, including the one God made with Abraham (which was discussed in detail in a previous section). This covenant included land, progeny, and abundant blessings. Yet there was still the issue of man's sin to be dealt with. The Old Covenant mentioned in Hebrews refers to the Law of Moses and is contrasted with the New Covenant established by Jesus Christ. The Mosaic Law included a sacrificial system that was a temporary "stand-in" which foreshadowed and pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Hebrews 9: That word "eternal" is the word we saw before, aionios, which means "belonging to the Age to Come." In order to receive the inheritance of the coming age, man's sin had to be dealt with. Because God is perfectly righteous and holy, no one who is unrighteous can inherit His Kingdom. Psalm 15: The temporary solution for the children of Israel was a system of sacrifices and offerings which pointed toward the ultimate sacrifice which the coming redeemer would fulfill, and which would establish a new covenant. Hebrews 10 explains this. Hebrews 10: The problem with the Old Testament law was that it could not change peoples' hearts. Even with the great miracles and wonders that God did for His people, they still did not keep the covenant, because the human heart is "desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9). This is discussed in Hebrews 8. Hebrews 8: The references to the new covenant in Hebrews 10:16 and 8:10 are quoting from Jeremiah. Isaiah also mentions this new covenant that God would make, in which He would put His Word into their hearts and His spirit and words would not depart from them. Jeremiah 31: Jesus came to proclaim the Kingdom of God, which he said was the reason he was sent (Luke 4:43). In addition to preaching it, though, he also ratified the New Covenant which had been foretold by the Prophets. At the Last Supper, when he instituted Communion for a remembrance of what he would accomplish, he said it was the blood of the New Testament, or Covenant. He stated the purpose of the New Covenant a few verses later, in Luke 22:29, when he said, "I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." The word for "appoint" is diatithemai, which is the root of diatheke, the word for "Covenant." He was literally saying, "I covenant with you to give you a kingdom, as my Father has covenanted with me." The New Covenant which Jesus ratified with his blood was for the purpose of redeeming the sins of mankind, so that "they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance" (Hebrews 9:15, above). The payment for sins was more than just a way for us not to feel guilty in this life. It was the "price of admission" into that future Kingdom, which we could not pay on our own. In addition, the Prophets spoke of a coming time when God would put His Words in His people's hearts, and all would know God, from the least to the greatest. Obviously that has not happened yet. Neither has Jesus established his Kingdom and begun to rule the world and subdue the kingdoms of the world. These are all things that will happen in the future. Yet, Hebrews tells us that the New Covenant was established by the shed blood of Jesus. Just as the Kingdom is present in a hidden seed-form, as discussed previously, so the New Covenant has a partial fulfillment now. Jeremiah had said that in those days God would make a new covenant and put His Law in their inward parts and write it on their hearts. Similarly, Isaiah had said that the covenant would involve putting His spirit upon them and His words in their mouth. (Pouring out God's spirit in a future time is also mentioned in Isaiah 32:15 and 44:3, although the word "covenant" is not specifically used.) In addition, two other passages from the Prophets refer to God's promise to pour out His spirit on His people. Ezekiel 36: We know that the complete fulfillment of the New Covenant has not come to pass yet, since not everyone knows God the way Jeremiah said they would. Yet the prophecy in Joel is specifically cited in Acts 2:16ff, when the outpouring of the holy spirit on Pentecost took place. It obviously was not a complete fulfillment of that prophecy, since it refers to signs in the heavens, the sun being darkened and the moon turned to blood, etc., and we haven't seen those things come to pass. Some have suggested that when Peter said "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel" it actually means "This is like that..." But there is nothing in the Greek to indicate such a meaning. The prophecy from Joel is specifically identified with the outpouring of the holy spirit on Pentecost. The "last days" does not only refer to the time immediately before the return of Christ. Hebrews 1:2 refers to "these last days" and I John 2:18 tells us that it is "the last time." We have been in the last days ever since Christ's first coming. We are now in a time when the Kingdom is present in a hidden sense, and the prophecies are partially fulfilled. The holy spirit is said to be an "earnest," or a foretaste, of what is to come. Ephesians 1: The holy spirit is called the "earnest" of our inheritance. It literally means a "down payment" of that which will be poured out when Christ returns. Not only can we taste of the heavenly gift and the powers of the world to come, but Hebrews 6:4-5 also says that we were "made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God." The holy spirit we have now is a partial fulfillment of God's promise to put His Word into His people's hearts and cleanse them, and cause them to walk in His ways. This explains why, when Jesus told his disciples they would receive the holy spirit "not many days hence" in Acts 1, they replied in the next verse, "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" It was a logical question considering the prophecies of the outpouring of God's holy spirit that would characterize the reign of the Messiah. Yet, as we have seen, Jesus did not correct the notion that the Kingdom was coming, just the timing of it. He stated that it was not for them to know the times or the seasons, and yet they would receive power that would enable them to be ministers of the Gospel, "unto the uttermost parts of the earth." With the New Covenant, a number of things changed regarding what is expected of us. We are no longer required to be circumcized, or keep the Sabbath. We now offer "spiritual sacrifices" (See Law or Grace on the "Kingdom Living" page). The Church is said to be the Temple of God, in place of the physical temple. Yet nowhere in Paul's explanation of these things does he ever say that the nature of the Kingdom of God has changed from a literal, physical kingdom to a spiritual one. The promise to Abraham included land; and the Law, which was 430 years afterward (Galatians 3:17) did not change that. The Old and New Covenants are both within the larger overall scope of God’s plan to bring about His Kingdom on earth. Because of the holy spirit, we are said to be "new creatures" (II Corinthians 5:17) and are encouraged to walk in "newness of life" (Romans 6:4). Paul describes in Romans 7 the problem of trying to do God's will, while having sinful flesh. The answer, according to Romans 8, is to walk by the spirit. While we don't yet see the world transformed by the pouring out of God's spirit, each of us as individuals can experience such a transformation in a limited way, and will be completely transformed when we are raised from the dead at the return of Christ. We partake of the New Covenant in a partial way now, as a foretaste of what is to come. In the next section, we will look in detail at the nature of this new life we live in light of the coming glorious Kingdom and the New Covenant that Jesus ratified with his shed blood.
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