04.14. Back Cover
-back cover- Scripture deals centrally with man in relation to a province within the kingdom of God - this earth. This province forms a kingdom within the overall kingdom of God, and man was created to rule this kingdom. The kingdom which man was created to rule has two spheres - an earthly sphere, and a heavenly sphere. And the kingdom is ruled from the heavens over the domain - from the heavens over the earth.
God rules the whole of His universal kingdom in this manner (from a place in the heavens over His universal kingdom), and this is the manner in which He has established the governmental rule of individual provinces in His kingdom as well.
Both spheres of the kingdom are clearly seen in the Old Testament (e.g., Daniel 6:1 ff; Daniel 10:13 ff); but, in relation to man, the Old Testament deals more specifically with the earthly sphere, and the New Testament deals more specifically with the heavenly sphere.
Accordingly, this book, FROM ACTS TO THE EPISTLES, has to do with man in relation to the heavenly sphere of the kingdom, not the earthly sphere. And this would be easy to understand through noting the clearly revealed content of the New Testament as a whole. The central theme of the four Gospels (introduced in the Old Testament) has to do with the offer of the kingdom of the heavens to Israel, ending with Israel’s rejection of the King and the Kingdom, resulting in the King being crucified. The central theme of the Book of Acts (introduced in the Gospels) has to do with a reoffer of the kingdom of the heavens to Israel, ending with Israel’s continued rejection, resulting in the nation being set aside. The central theme of the Epistles (introduced in Acts) has to do with the offer of the kingdom of the heavens to Christians, resulting in ready acceptance at first, but later in an ever-increasing apostasy. And the Book of Revelation forms a climax to the entire matter, outlining events which will occur at the conclusion of this present dispensation. The book closes with the return of Christ in all His glory, the overthrow of Gentile world power, the ushering in of the Messianic Kingdom (with both its heavenly and earthly spheres), and the beginning of the eternal ages which follow.