The Kingdom of God on Earth
The Kingdom of God on Earth
Bernard Burt
(One indication of the greatness of Abraham’s name can be seen in the following comparison. The name of Mary (alleged by Catholics to be the Mediatrix and Queen of Heaven) is mentioned nineteen times in the New Testament, Peter (supposed by Rome to be the first pope) is referred to by name 163 times, yet the name Abraham is found 327 times.) The next major promise is found in Genesis 13:14-17. Here Abraham was commanded: "look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward". It is significant that there is no hint of a "look upward". The land which his eyes could see was promised to him and to his seed for ever, and that seed, said God, would be "as the dust of the earth".
(InGenesis 13:15the Hebrew should be rendered "All the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed during a hidden period [Heb. ohm]" Likewise the covenant ofGenesis 17:1-27is the covenant of the olam or hidden period (Genesis 17:7). Abraham did not know when it would be manifested, but he did know that in a future age he would rise from the dead to possess the land, and that there would then be a world of faithful nations who would recognise him as their father. For further exposition of this matter see "Aions" in "A Bible Dictionary" by Brother Thomas, The Christadelphian, 1872, pp. 346-349, 464-4.)
After Abraham had defeated the hosts of Chedorlaomer came a further promise (Genesis 15:1-21). In the course of this Abraham is specifically told that, after attaining "a good old age", he will die (Genesis 15:15). He had previously been personally promised the land of Canaan "for ever" (Genesis 13:15), and it is therefore being very clearly implied that he must rise from the dead to inherit the things promised. Abraham’s belief in resurrection is clearly confirmed in Hebrews 11:19, where the record states that he accounted "that God is able to raise up, even from the dead" (RV). The ex tent of the land specifically promised to the seed of Abraham is further defined in Genesis 15:18 as that lying between the River Euphrates and the River of Egypt. The next promise contains the first mention of kings of the line of this man and the change of his name from Abram to Abraham, with the Divine explanation: "for a father of many nations have I made thee" (Genesis 17:5-6). In this chapter God declares the terms of His everlasting covenant with both Abraham and his (as yet un born) son Isaac. The final promise (Genesis 22:1-24) contains explicit reference to one particular descendant of Abraham who will "possess the gate of his enemies" (Genesis 22:17). In this man all nations of the earth will be blessed.
It is clear from an examination of the promises to the patriarchs that the fulfilment of these things was considered by them to be a matter for the future. For example, when Isaac blessed Jacob, he said: "God Almighty bless thee . . . that thou mayest be a multitude of people; and give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger" (Genesis 28:3-4).
God’s promises to Israel in the wilderness When the children of Israel reached Mount Sinai God said to them that if they would obey His voice and keep His covenant then they would be a peculiar treasure unto Him above all people, "for all the earth is Mine: and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation" (Exodus 19:5-6). Here is the first use of the word ’kingdom’ in relation to the purpose of God (There are two previous occurrences of ’kingdom’
(Genesis 10:10; Genesis 20:9), but both refer to human kingdoms.), and it picks up concepts contained in the Abrahamic promises of a central core of holy citizens bringing blessing on a wider populace. The prophecies of Balaam speak of the coming of a King out of Israel. The Kingdom of this King will be exalted above the surrounding nations and all others who will oppose him. Even Balaam himself will, at a future time, behold from afar the establishment of these things (Numbers 23:21; Numbers 24:7-9, Numbers 24:17-19). In the unfolding prophecy of the future of the nation of Israel contained in Deuteronomy 28:1-68 and Deuteronomy 30:1-20 the scattering of the nation from the land which they were about to inherit is foretold, fol lowed by a wonderful restoration to abundant Divine blessing. The promises to David
God’s revelation of His purpose was further ex pounded in the promises to David. The record in 2 Samuel 7:1-29 states that the seed was to come through the line of David. He would build a temple and rule as King for ever in David’s presence (2 Samuel 7:12-16). The parallel record in 1 Chronicles 17:1-27 adds that God will "settle him in Mine house and in My kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore" (1 Chronicles 17:1-27). These passages show that the seed will be both Priest and King for God in God’s temple and God’s Kingdom, and that David will be raised from the dead to see these things. The Kingdom in the Psalms The details given in God’s revelation to David are few by comparison with the revelations which God gave through him. Psalms 2:1-12 shows that, de spite the rage of the nations, God’s Messiah will be established as King on the hill of Zion, and will be given authority and power over all kings and nations. Psalms 22:1-31 prophetically records Messiah praising God in the great congregation, the meek being satisfied, and all the ends of the world turning to Yahweh and worshipping before Him. The worldwide nature of the Kingdom is also spoken of in Psalms 72:1-20, where David prophesies that Messiah will judge with righteous judgement, and his reign will be as lasting as the sun and moon, extending all over the world. Gentile kings will bring presents, there will be plenty of food, all nations will call him blessed and will make prayer for him. Through Ethan in Psalms 89:1-52 God reveals that the promised seed of David will be His first-born, and higher than the kings of the earth. The Kingdom in the prophets The subject of the Kingdom in the writings of the prophets is worth a study on its own, and it will only be possible in this article to highlight a few of the revelations which are made in the sixteen prophetic books.
Isaiah foretells the establishment of the Kingdom above all nations, with God’s house at Jerusalem being the centre of teaching and worship for the world at a time of world peace (Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 56:6-7). He prophesies the birth to a virgin of the child Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14), who will reign upon the throne of David for ever (Isaiah 9:6-7). In the reign of Messiah all the animal creation will become vegetarian, as they were at the beginning (Isaiah 11:6-9; Isaiah 65:25; cf. Genesis 1:30). Physical ailments will be removed (Isaiah 29:18; Isaiah 35:5-6); life will be greatly prolonged (Isaiah 65:19-23); even death will be swallowed up in victory (Isaiah 25:8). The deserts will blossom (Isaiah 35:1-2; Isaiah 41:17-20), and God’s servants will not know weariness (Isaiah 40:31).
Jeremiah also speaks of the throne of the Lord being at Jerusalem and all nations going thither (Jeremiah 3:17). Messiah is described as a righteous branch (Jeremiah 23:5) who will reign for ever at a time when the Levitical priesthood and its sacrificial ministry are re-established (Jeremiah 33:14-22). Ezekiel’s Kingdom prophecies are particularly centred upon the restoration of Israel and the building of the temple, topics that are the subject of another article in this issue. Daniel foretells many of the details of the destruction of the kingdom of men and its re placement with the Kingdom of God—a Kingdom which will break all human rule and authority and stand for ever (Daniel 2:44; Daniel 7:14, Daniel 7:21-22, Daniel 7:26-27; Daniel 11:40-45; Daniel 12:1-3).
Joel also speaks of the destruction of the armed might of the Gentiles by the power of God, and of Jerusalem becoming the holy city and the dwelling place of God (Joel 3:9-17). Micah has similar words to those already referred to in Isaiah 2:1-22, but adds: "they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid" (Micah 4:4), showing the practical and agricultural basis of the Kingdom. Micah 5:2 makes it abundantly clear that the one who would come out of Bethlehem will be ruler in Israel—a fact that could not be denied by Herod or the Jewish rulers at the time of Jesus’s birth.
Zechariah also speaks of God dwelling in Zion, the happiness and peace within the city and many nations being joined unto Him and be coming His people (Zechariah 2:10-13; Zechariah 8:3-6, Zechariah 8:22-23). The dominion of Messiah is described as being "from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth" (Zechariah 9:10). The final chapter of the prophecy speaks of all nations being gathered against Jerusalem, an earth quake splitting the Mount of Olives, the saints coming with Messiah to the city, living waters going out of Jerusalem, the Lord being King over all the earth, and the nations coming up to worship at Jerusalem. The Kingdom in the gospel of Jesus
There can be no doubt what sort of Kingdom is taught and foretold in the Old Testament Scriptures. It is a Divine political Kingdom on the earth, centred in Jerusalem but having dominion over the whole world. It has a temple at its centre with priests and sacrifice. Israel is the head of the nations, but all nations are part of the King dom. Messiah is its King, and all peoples submit to his authority.
What is the teaching of the New Testament? Did Jesus preach, and command his apostles to preach, the same Kingdom as was proclaimed in the writings of Moses and the prophets? Or did Jesus move away from the literal nationalistic kingdom idea and preach a spiritual kingdom, to be found within the ecclesia?
First of all, it is clear that Jesus could not have openly proclaimed himself as the Messiah of Israel, come to re-establish the throne of David in Jerusalem. This was not the purpose for which the Father had sent him at that time: "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Jesus had to be careful not to stir up Jewish nationalism to the point where they would take him by force to make him king. Nor must he attract the wrong kind of attention from the Romans. He had a three-and-a-half year ministry to fulfil, and there are several references in the Gospels to the fact that the end of it was some way off. ( SeeJohn 2:4;John 7:6,John 7:8,John 7:30;John 8:20;Luke 9:51;John 12:23,John 12:27;Matthew 26:18;John 13:1;Mark 14:35;Matthew 26:45;Luke 22:53.) So he spoke to the multitude in parables, "because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand" (Matthew 13:13).
Yet in those parables there are many references to the Kingdom proclaimed in the Old Testament. The Parables of the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36, Matthew 13:43) and the Dragnet (Matthew 13:47-50) speak eloquently of judgement to come upon the earth and the dividing of its inhabitants by the angels. The Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14) tells of the casting off of the Jews, the destruction of Jerusalem, the call of the Gentiles and the return of the King. The Parables of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) and the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) both speak of those who wait and work and watch before the Bridegroom/King comes to find some ready and others not.
Though Jesus could not openly proclaim to the people all the aspects of the Kingdom for the reasons stated above, it was a different matter when he spoke to his disciples in private. He showed them that "the meek . . . shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5)} that Jerusalem is "the city of the great King" (Matthew 5:35). He taught them to pray: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). He promised his apostles that "in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28). After his resurrection he taught the disciples for forty days concerning the Kingdom of God. This teaching provoked from them the question: "wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:3, Acts 1:6). Jesus’s reply was not to rebuke them for a wrong concept of the Kingdom but to point out that the times were in God’s hands and that they had a work to do first.
Before Jesus was born, the angel Gabriel announced that "the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his king dom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:32-33). After his birth all parties accepted that one had been born "King of the Jews", and the murderous actions of Herod clearly demonstrated what sort of a king he expected this child to become (Matthew 2:1-23).
Jesus indeed taught that "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17, etc.), but i f the Greek word for "at hand" (eggizô) is examined in its forty-two other occurrences in the New Testament it will be seen that its primary meaning is ’to draw near’ (Matthew 15:8; Matthew 21:1, Matthew 21:34, etc.). The Kingdom had come nigh to the Jewish nation in the sense that the anointed one (the Messiah, the Christ) was among them. However, after his ascension the apostles never used this form of language, for the Kingdom had been taken from the people of Israel and was being offered to a nation who would bring forth the fruits thereof (Matthew 21:43). (See the footnote to the 1937 edition of The Declaration, p. 5. 8. QuotingZechariah 12:10.9.QuotingDaniel 7:13.) In his teaching Jesus used language very reminiscent of Genesis 13:1-18: "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). As in Genesis, the geographical references are horizontal, not vertical. A study of the prophetic utterances of the Lord Jesus Christ is a fascinating one but outside the scope of this article. Three examples will have to suffice to illustrate that the Kingdom prophecies of Jesus accord exactly with those of the Old Testament prophets:
1 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gather eth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Matthew 23:37-39).
2 "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn (QuotingZechariah 12:10), and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven (QuotingDaniel 7:13) with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30).
3 "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory" (Matthew 25:31). The apostles and the Kingdom The apostles had heard Jesus "speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" for forty days after his resurrection (Acts 1:3). They had asked if Jesus was about to restore the Kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). It is hardly surprising there fore to find them preaching the same Kingdom which Moses, the Psalms, the prophets and Jesus had proclaimed. So Peter, on the day of Pentecost, said that David had not ascended into the heavens (Acts 2:34), and said: "being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on his throne . . ." (Acts 2:30). Now it is no use arguing that the literal throne of David had disappeared; for Solomon himself prophesied that "the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever" (1 Kings 2:45), yet he did not sit on the literal throne of David, but built himself a new throne of ivory (1 Kings 10:18).
Peter and John spoke of "the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began .. . Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days . . . the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed" (Acts 3:21-25). The Kingdom in the Epistles There are many brief quotations in the New Testament Epistles from the Old Testament Kingdom passages. These show that the hope which the apostles preached was "the hope of Israel" (compare Jeremiah 17:13 with Acts 28:20 and note the contexts). It was to these Old Testament promises that Jesus’s apostles directed their readers. The following examples will have to suffice from the apostolic writings. In Romans 11:1-36 Paul shows that the resurrection will occur at the time of the reconciling of Israel to God: "what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?" (Romans 11:15); and at that time all Israel will be saved, "the Deliverer" will "come out of Sion" and will "turn away ungodliness from Jacob" (Romans 11:26).
1 Corinthians 15:1-58 contains some of the most detailed exposition in the whole of Scripture on the resurrection state, the millennial rule of Jesus and the final stage when God will be "all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:23-28, 1 Corinthians 15:49-58). In this section of the epistle the critical word ’in’, which has already been seen in Genesis 12:3 and Genesis 22:18, is expounded. Paul shows (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). that we are all "in Adam" and in consequence die.
However, those who are "in Christ" will be made alive "at his coming" (1 Corinthians 15:22-23). "In" therefore means ’related to’, and the way in which Gentiles can become related to Abraham and the promises is demonstrated in Galatians 3:27-29, where Paul teaches that those who are baptized into Christ become heirs of the Abrahamic promises.
Ephesians 2:6-7 demonstrates that the saints are now in the heavenlies in Christ, and the exceeding riches of God’s grace will be shown to them in the ages to come. Further, in Ephesians 5:1-5 the Kingdom is to be inherited by those who walk in love, but not by the covetous, the whoremongers, etc. (see also 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21).
Paul teaches in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 that the Kingdom will be established by the revelation (apokalupsis) of Jesus "from heaven". He will come "in flaming fire" to take vengeance on those who "know not God" and "obey not the gospel", as well as "to be glorified in his saints".
Similarly, in 1 Peter 1:4-5, 1 Peter 1:13 the inheritance is spoken of as being "reserved in heaven" for th saints, "ready to be revealed in the last time" when it will be brought unto the faithful "at the revelation of Jesus Christ".
Finally, in Hebrews 4:1-11 the hope set before us is spoken of as the rest that remaineth for the people of God. Men must both believe and labour to enter into it—the apostles never speak of the Kingdom being already established. The final vision of the Kingdom The primary purpose of the Book of Revelation is to show unto the servants of God the things which would come to pass in the earth prior to the establishment of the Kingdom (Revelation 1:1). However, these visions are interspersed with oth ers which do speak of the Kingdom age, and there are a number of doctrinal passages in Rev elation which confirm the things written in the earlier books of Scripture. In the letter to the Thyatiran ecclesia Jesus applies his own Davidic promise (Psalms 2:1-12) of power over the nations to him "that overcometh" (2:26,27). This shows that the saints will be associated with Jesus in the rulership of the world in the millennial age. This teaching is confirmed in 3:21, where Jesus shows that he is now sitting in his Father’s throne (in heaven), but when the time comes for him to sit in his throne {the Davidic throne in Jerusalem) then "he that overcometh" will sit in that throne with him.
It is important to notice in this context that, although Jesus is called "King of the Jews" (Matthew 27:37), "King of Israel" (John 12:13), "prince of the kings of the earth" (Revelation 1:5), "King of saints" (Revelation 15:3) and "King of kings" (Revelation 19:16), he is never called ’king of the ecclesia’. He is now the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one, and has yet to take the throne and the Kingdom promised to him. It is only at the sounding of the seventh trumpet that "The kingdoms of this world [kosmos] .. . become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ" (Revelation 11:15). Then the saints will stand on the sea of glass, representing the conquered and now peaceful nations, and will become "kings and priests" to reign "on the earth" (Revelation 5:10). The final picture is of "a new heaven and a new earth" with no more sea (nations) and no more death, a state of affairs which is described as "coming down from God out of heaven", and in which "the tabernacle of God" will be "with men, and He will dwell with them, (Joel 3:17;Zechariah 2:10) and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God" (Revelation 21:1-4). Certainly the language of the book of Revelation is figurative, and I am not seeking to press the literality of the terms "heaven" and "earth" in this passage. However, as this article has sought to demon strate from its opening quotations, there is a literal basis in the rest of Scripture for these figures—for the whole of the Bible teaches that the Kingdom of God will be established on the earth, in the future age.
One last detail from Revelation underlines much of what has been written in this article. In Revelation 21:12 the wall of the bride-city is described. It "had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve an gels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel". The Israelitish basis of the Kingdom of God is there—right to the very end of His Book