The Coming of the Kingdom (Part 1)

Defining Kingdom

The Kingdom of God is primarily God’s royal sovereignty (His reign). Reign, not realm, is the fundamental meaning of the kingdom. A throne, not a piece of real estate, is the proper analogy.

Psalm 103:19: “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all”

When psalmist says that “his kingdom rules over all”, the all means all his creatures. The whole universe is ruled by God. The word “kingdom” is used to show this sovereignty.

By derivation the word does mean the realm or the sphere over which God reigns. The reign (or sovereignty) of God is exercised in various realms:

1.       God rules over the sphere of salvation. His sphere of salvation is kingdom of God

Luke 18:24, 25: “Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!  For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.””

John 3:5: “Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

2.       The entire world is viewed as God’s kingdom

Matthew 13:37-42: “He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, ⁴² and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

3.       The entire universe is Kingdom of God.

Psalm 103:19: “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all”

Here, the “all” is the whole universe which is ruled by God. Then the universe can be seen as the  Kingdom of God

4.       Old Testament Israel was a kingdom of God

Isaiah 5:7: “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!”

The whole point of this discussion is to show that, the primary meaning of the word “kingdom of God” is sovereignty or reign of God. The secondary meaning is derived from the primary meaning and includes the realm over which the reign of God is exercised. The realm where God is said to exercise his rule can be different.

The Character of the Kingdom

1.       God’s Kingdom is eternal: It exists from eternity to eternity

Psalm 103:19: “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all”

Daniel 4:34-35: “At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

Daniel 6:26: “I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end.”

God has always possessed the royal right to all His creatures’ allegiance. God as sovereign Creator has always possessed the omnipotence to maintain such rights

2.       The Kingdom has come with the First Coming of Jesus

a)      The defeat of Satan means the presence of the kingdom

Matthew 12:28, 29: “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.”

b)      The preaching of the kingdom means the presence of the kingdom

Luke 16:16: “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.”

c)       The entering of the Kingdom means the presence of the Kingdom

Matthew 23:13: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.”

d)      The presence of the King means the presence of the kingdom

Matthew 21:4, 5: “This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey,  on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

e)      The enthronement of the King means the presence of the kingdom

Acts 2:29-36: ““Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.  Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne,  he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.  This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.  Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.  For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”’  Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Ephesians 1:20-23: “that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,  far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.  And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,  which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

f)       The restoration of the kingdom means the presence of the kingdom

Acts 15:14-18: “Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name.  And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,  “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it,  that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things  known from of old.’

James is saying that Gentiles believing God and becoming a part of his people was prophesied by Amos. But the prophetic quotation says that the Gentiles are coming and believing Jesus as a result of the rebuilding of the tent of David. This affirms that the rebuilding of the tent of David has already started. This proves that Jesus has been enthroned in David’s throne.

3.       God’s Kingdom will come at the end of history

The fact of sin and the presence of the forces of evil makes necessary the prayer, “Thy Kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10).

Zechariah 14:9: “And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.”

Summary

With respect to the creation, the kingdom of God is present from the beginning of creation. With respect to redemption (new creation) God’s kingdom was inaugurated at the first advent of Jesus Christ. With respect to the completion of the redemption (consummation), God’s kingdom will be revealed when Christ comes again.

False theories regarding the Kingdom of God

1.       Theory that teaches that the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are distinct.

There is no biblical evidence for this distinction. The Scriptures uses the two phrases interchangeably.

Matthew 4:17: “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Mark 1:15: “…The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Matthew 8:11: “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven”

Luke 13:29: “And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.”

2.       Theory that teaches that the Kingdom of God is exclusively a future reality.

 We have seen earlier that the kingdom is a present reality.

3.       Theory that teaches that the Kingdom of God is exclusively a present reality.

This view misses the balance in the teaching of the New Testament. Taken to an extreme, it denies the central element in the teaching of the New Testament, the coming of the kingdom in supernatural power at the Second Coming of Christ. We have seen earlier that the Kingdom of God will come in all its fullness and glory at the Second Coming of Jesus.

4.       Some have said that the kingdom was postponed because the Jews rejected their Messiah.

Are we believing in a God who will postpone His plans because of the rebellion of His creatures? No. Our God is sovereign and is omnipotent to accomplish His plans. He will fulfill His will in His time. He will not depend on the sinners for accomplishing His plans.

Psalms 2:1-7: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? ² The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, ³ “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”⁴ He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.⁵ Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,⁶ “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”⁷ I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you”

Does this passage say that God has postponed His plan to enthrone His Son when the kings of the earth rebelled against Him? No. Then what did God do? God has indeed enthroned His Son amidst the rebellion of the nations. This, the New Testament also testifies.

5.       Some says that Christ is already king on the throne of God, but denies that He is on the throne of David.

Let us look into the covenant God made with David.

2 Samuel 7:14-16: “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, ¹⁵ but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. ¹⁶ And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”

In the Davidic covenant God adopted David’s sons as his own sons. There is, therefore, no distinction between the throne of God and the throne of David’s greater Son, Jesus the Messiah. The New Testament explicitly asserts that by His resurrection Jesus has taken His seat on the throne of David in fulfillment of prophecy.

Acts 2:30-36: “Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, ³¹ he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. ³² This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. ³³ Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. ³⁴ For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, ³⁵     until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ ³⁶ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Moreover, the fact that the house of David is being rebuilded today affirms that Jesus is reigning on the David’s throne. Let us study Acts 15:14-18:

In order to prove that the Gentiles becoming part of God’s people is prophesied in the Scriptures, James is quoting Amos. Amos has prophesied that Lord will rebuild the house of David and all the Gentiles will come and seek the Lord. When James is saying that the Gentiles are seeking God in fulfillment to the prophecy in Amos, he is saying that the house of David has been rebuilded (or is being rebuilded). In the prophecy, the rebuilding of the house of David precedes the coming of the Gentiles. The whole purpose of the rebuilding of the house of David is that the Gentiles will come into it. Should we believe that the rebuilding of the house has not yet occurred while the Gentiles are believing in the Jewish Messiah and becoming part of one and true people of God. The fact is that, the Jewish Messiah is on the throne of David and is rebuilding the house of David. We have come into it.

(The writings are not original to the author of this blog. It is taken from other sources and has been edited, sometimes paraphrased)

Reference(s):

1. Waldron, Samuel E. The End Times Made Simple.