Introduction

Nearly all Biblical scholars agree that even the most cursory reading of the Gospels reveals a simple fact-- the subject most often spoken of by Jesus Christ was that of the Kingdom of God. The exact meaning of that term, however, seems to have been misunderstood in many Christian circles. It is the purpose of this website to put forth an understanding of the Gospel of the Kingdom, and hopefully broaden the reader's understanding of this great subject, which can be described as the central theme of not only the Gospels but the entire Bible.

If the subject is so basic to the Christian faith, one might wonder why it is not spoken of more often. The fact is, however, that the average churchgoer hears little to nothing about the simple truths pertaining to God's Kingdom. They may assume, as I did for many years, that it is simply a generic term for "the things of God." Or they may have been taught that a literal kingdom on earth only pertains to Israel, and thus is of no importance to the Christian. But the coming reign of the Son of God in a physical, literal kingdom, to be set up at the return of Christ, which will usher in a new age of righteousness and peace, can be shown to be the hope not only of Israel, but of the first century Christian church as well.

For many years I was involved with a ministry that presented an interpretation of the Scriptures which embraced the above mentioned idea (that a future kingdom on earth was only for Israel). It is my desire to present the material on this website from this perspective, so that those with a similar background can see the contrasting ideas. Toward that end, I have given a brief account of my background in the About The Author section. I have also tried to maintain a broad enough scope that those of different backgrounds may understand and appreciate what the Bible has to say as well. In either case my desire is to systematically present the basics of Biblical Christian faith so one can see how it builds and fits together as a whole.

The ideas expressed on this site are not new or radical, nor are they the result of my, or any individual's, solitary study or contemplation. They are not the result of anyone claiming to have "special anointing" from the Lord to understand the Scriptures. These ideas are widely recognized by many Biblical scholars, and have often been written about by ministers from varying backgrounds.

As an example, the following is from a book entitled The Theocratic Kingdom, written in 1884 by a minister in Springfield, Ohio, named George Peters.

"It is a fact, lamented by some of our ablest divines, that there must be something radically wrong in our prevailing interpretation of the Bible, which allows such a diversity of antagonistic exegesis [interpretation] and doctrine, and by which the truth is weakened and humbled, so that Revelation [the Word of God] itself, by its means, becomes the object of Rationalistic and Infidel ridicule and attack, and is even sorely wounded in the house of its friends by its stumbling, conceding, but well-meaning apologetic defenders. ... Dr. Auberlen quotes Rothe as saying respecting the defects of exegesis:

'Our key does not open - the right key is lost, and till we are put in possession of it again, our exposition will never succeed. The system of biblical ideas is not that of our schools; and so long as we attempt exegesis without it, the Bible will remain a half-closed book. We must enter upon it with other conceptions than those which we have been accustomed to think the only possible ones; and whatever these may be, this one thing at least is certain, from the whole tenor of the melody of Scripture in its natural fulness, that they must be more realistic and massive.'

This is a sad confession after the voluminous labors of centuries, and yet true as it is sorrowful. We may be allowed to suggest that the only way in which this key can be obtained is to return to the principles of interpretation adopted and prevailing in the very early history of the Christian Church, by which, if consistently carried out, the kingdom of God in its 'realistic and massive' form appears as the reliable interpreter of the Word. In other words, we have no suitable key to unlock Revelation [the Scriptures] if we do not seize that provided for us in the revealed Will of God respecting the ultimate end that He has in view in the plan of redemption and history of the world. A way is only known when the beginning and terminus [end] are considered; a human plan can only be properly appreciated when the results of it are fully weighed: so with God's way and God's plan, it can only be fully known when the end intended is duly regarded."

I have seen from my learning of this subject that much of the Bible begins to fit together more clearly than ever before, once the basic understanding of God's plan is understood. The understanding of the Kingdom of God is the context into which the whole Bible fits, and from which the whole Bible interprets itself. However, I must warn you: there may be things in these articles that will contradict what you have previously believed. I, too have had to change my viewpoints on a number of things. I would encourage you, therefore to go to the Bible, and let it speak for itself. Read it as if you've never taken any classes, never heard any teachings, never been taught anything you currently believe. This may sound frightening, or even heretical, but if you do so, I believe you will find the truth of God's Word. After all, if what you believe now is the truth, you have nothing to fear. Reading the Bible in this way will just confirm your beliefs. But if you find that the Bible says something other than what you believe, should you not adjust your beliefs according to what the Scriptures say?

II Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

When you rightly divide the word of truth, you will be free from men's opinions, which really only keep you in bondage (John 8:32). God's Word is profitable not only for doctrine but for reproof and correction as well (II Timothy 3:16). We must be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 and search the scriptures to find whether these things are so.

One tendency that I had for years was to skim over Biblical references because I thought "I know what that verse says." I was also taught not to even consider other points of view, for fear of getting deceived by the devil. But if we don't consider other viewpoints, we may miss some truths that we had not seen before, because our minds are closed. Or if the other viewpoint is indeed false, I wouldn't be sure, nor would I know how to respond to it, because I didn't look at it.

Proverbs 18:13
He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.

In contrast, we are encouraged to search for truth, and not limit our understanding to just the viewpoints of our own church or denomination.

I John 4:1
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

I Thessalonians 5:21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

I encourage you to approach the subject in this way, and not take my word for it, but diligently search the Scriptures. Read these articles with an open mind and an open Bible and you too will begin to see the vast and panoramic subject of the Bible, which is the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

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Quotes From Various Sources

As stated above, there have been many other Biblical scholars who have seen these truths throughout the years. Unfortunately because they went against established doctrine, they have often been ignored, ridiculed, or worse, persecuted. Nevertheless there has been a growing recognition of the truth of their statements. The following quotes are just a sampling of what some other Biblical scholars, from a wide variety of backgrounds, have seen in the Bible.

"The Kingdom of God was at the center not only of Jesus' proclamation but also of his teaching, his healing, even his death and resurrection... one has to conclude that the kingdom of God was central to the historical ministry of Jesus ... Astounding as it may seem, however, neither in the church, nor in academic circles has the kingdom of God been assigned the political significance its derivation and its consequences demand."

R. David Kaylor (Presbyterian Professor)
Jesus the Prophet, pp.70,71, 1994

 

"As a teacher of New Testament literature, and particularly as an interpreter of the synoptic gospels, it early became obvious to me that the central theme of the preaching of the historical Jesus of Nazareth was the near approach of the kingdom of God. Yet, to my amazement, this theme played hardly any role in the systematic theology I had been taught in the seminary. Upon further investigation I realized that this theme had in many ways been largely ignored in the theology and spirituality and liturgy of the church in the past 2000 years, and when not ignored, often distorted beyond recognition. How could this be?"

Benedict T. Viviano (Roman Catholic Priest)
The Kingdom of God in History, p.9, 1988

 

"In few, if any, instances of the use of the word 'heaven' in the synoptic gospels is there any parallel with modem usage. The gospel records of our Lord's life and teachings do not speak of 'going to heaven', as a modern believer so naturally does. Rather is the emphasis on that which is 'heavenly' coming down to man, when any movement is thought of. Again, our modern way of speaking of life with God as being life 'in heaven' is not the way the gospels speak of the matter. Especially is there no suggestion that Jesus is offering to his disciples the certainty of 'heaven' after this life."

William Strawson (Methodist Minister)
Jesus and the Future Life, p.38, 1959

 

"The Christian attitude in relation to Messianism is rather strange. Christians believe in a personal Messiah. Notwithstanding this belief, they are far less Messianically-minded than the Jews. Their lack of Messianic consciousness takes two forms. They have largely lost the sense of Jesus' Messiahship. And they have, largely also, lost the Messianic vision. The Greek name Christos means "anointed" and is the literal translation of the Hebrew Meschiah. Now the idea of the Anointed is a specifically Jewish idea. It fell decidedly into the background when Christianity left its Palestinian home and became a Gentile religion...Christians who think or speak of Christ almost always forget the Semitic word and the ideas which this name translates; in fact, they forget that Jesus is primarily the Messiah. The very idea of Jesus' Messiahship has passed away from their minds...Having lost the original sense of the word "Christ", Christians (or, to be exact, most of them) have also lost the Messianic vision, i.e., the expectation of the divine future, the orientation towards 'what is coming.'"

Lev Gillet (Russian Orthodox Priest)
Communion in the Messiah, pp.104,105, 1941

 

"It is... clear that in Christian usage the word [Christ]... lost all real meaning, and became simply a proper name like 'Jesus' itself. [This] development was all but inevitable among [second century] Greek-speaking Gentile Christians, who were not interested in a 'Christ' who should restore the kingdom to Israel, and who did not understand the literal meaning of the word"

Alan Richardson (Anglican Canon)
A Theological Word Book of the Bible, p.46, 1950

 

"The church has not usually in practice (whatever it may have claimed to be doing in theory) based its christology exclusively on the witness of the New Testament.. . Christological doctrine has never in practice been derived simply by way of logical inference from the statements of Scripture."

Maurice Wiles (Oxford Professor)
The Remaking of Christian Doctrine, pp.54,55, 1974

 

"Interpreters of Christian persuasion ordinarily have not been especially interested in what Jesus intended and did in his own time. Usually they have been concerned with the meaning of Jesus and his message for faith and life in their own times ... Christian interpreters tend to suppose that Jesus set out to establish the kind of Christianity they experience as familiar and meaningful... It has been less than a century since a few biblical scholars first began to realize that the historical Jesus proclaimed to his contemporaries as of the first importance something quite unfamiliar to either modern Christianity or modern thought: the Kingdom of God. The significance of that recognition has not yet been grasped by many who have written about Jesus and his message in the intervening years."

Richard H. Hiers (Professor of Religion, U. of Florida)
Jesus and the Future, p.1, 1981

 

"Nearly all schools [of interpretation] seem agreed that Jesus' futuristic expectations, if permitted to stand, would be an embarrassment, if not a disaster, for contemporary faith. Consequently, critics evidently are willing to read into Jesus' mind all sorts of modernizing reinterpretations. Often interpreters suggest that Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God symbolically; therefore no one need suppose that he really looked for it to come as eschatological event, unless perhaps in some psychological or 'spiritual' sense."

Richard H. Hiers
Jesus and the Future, p.10, 1981

 

"The mainstream churches are committed to a certain doctrine about Jesus, but specialists in early Christian thought are questioning the arguments by which that doctrine was reached. New Testament scholars ask if the New Testament teaches it at all, and historians wonder at the gulf between Jesus himself and fully-developed Christianity. These questions are very unsettling, for they imply that Christianity may be in a worse condition than was thought. It is perhaps not a basically sound structure that needs only to be modernized, but may be in need of radical reconstruction."

Don Cupitt (Dean of Emmanuel College, Cambridge)
The Debate About Christ, p.vii, 1979

So one can easily see that these ideas are not some new "radical" theology, but were observed by scholars of many different backgrounds, even though they did not represent the "official" position of their denominations. This of course does not make them true. They are true because Scripture declares them to be true. But if many different people have seen the same things when they honestly examine the Bible without preconceived notions, perhaps to be true to God's Word we should examine it in a similar fashion.

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About The Author

I grew up as a Roman Catholic, and in the early 1970's became what was commonly known as a "Jesus Freak." I learned of a new way of viewing God, Jesus, and the Bible, beyond the confines of church on Sunday morning. After a couple of years I was introduced to a ministry called The Way International, with which I continued to be involved for nearly twenty years. Those who are familiar with this organization know that various events took place in the early eighties which led to the departure of many members who formed various "splinter" groups. I was involved with such groups for another ten years, which at first attempted to preserve the teachings of the founder of The Way, Victor Paul Wierwille. As time went on, however, we began to learn about the Kingdom of God, and gradually came to realize that many of the things we were formerly taught do not stand up to closer examination, in light of the Scriptures. One in particular, the system of interpretation known as dispensationalism, is not only unbiblical, it is harmful in that it separates Jesus from his words and his teachings.

I learned a great deal about looking at the Scriptures in light of the kingdom of God from one of the Ex-Way offshoots, and was at that time introduced to a number of other resources through which I have continued to learn about the Kingdom of God, including Restoration Fellowship and the Church of God General Conference (aka Church of God, Abrahamic Faith). This web site is not affiliated with or officially sanctioned by any group, denomination, or church.

For a bit more of the personal side of me, visit my blog, "ReMarks" on Blogspot.com.

The following is a brief summary of my own beliefs:

• I believe that the Bible is divinely inspired, and as such declares the Word, or Message of God.
• I believe that the Bible is an eastern book, from a Hebrew culture, and must be understood as such.
• I believe that God is One, the Creator and the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• I believe that Jesus Christ is a man, the only-begotten Son of God, miraculously conceived in Mary's womb, and is the promised Messiah of Israel.
• I believe that Jesus Christ proclaimed the Good News of the Coming Kingdom, as well as dying to pay the price for our sins in order that we may gain entrance to that Kingdom.
• I believe that after dying as the perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ physically arose from the dead and was seen of many witnesses.
• I believe that Jesus ascended to heaven and sits at God's right hand, and will return in glory to inaugurate the Kingdom of God on earth.
• I believe that the holy spirit is the active power and presence of God, described in the Old Testament as the Spirit of The Lord.
• I believe that we can experience a foretaste of Kingdom power in this life as the holy spirit regenerates us and enables us to live a Christ-like life.
• I believe that the dead are in a state of unconsciousness, awaiting the resurrections that are still future.

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What's New

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Links

The following links are recommended.
Note: the posting of a link does not necessarily imply that I agree with everything on their site.

• Restoration Fellowship
  • Articles
  • Focus on the Kingdom Magazine
  • Audio/Video files
• Living Hope International Ministries (aka Kingdom Ready)
  
  • Blog
  • Kingdom of God
  • God is 1 Not 3
  • Death is Sleep
• Video: "The Human Jesus"
• The Byte Show
• Atlanta Bible College/Church of God General Conference
• Abrahamic Faith Around the World MSN Group
• COGCAST Internet Radio
• The Age To Come Media Ministry
• Allon Maxwell's Home Page
• Jesus The Messiah and His Kingdom
• Higher Ground Online
• Covenant House One
• Kingdom Heart Ministries
• Godfellas
• Living Faith Christian Church (Rhode Island)
• Biblical Unitarians
• Wrested Scriptures

Creation vs. Evolution sites:

• Institute for Creation Research
• Answers in Genesis
• Biblical Creation
• True Origins

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