Because the last installment of this series was written seven weeks ago, a review is advisable. It is so important to realize that the Kingdom of God means the divine conquest over His enemies, a conquest which is to be accomplished in three stages. While the world appears little changed (other than to perhaps get worse), the Kingdom of God has already come among men and those who receive it will be prepared to enter the kingdom of Glory when Christ comes to finish the good work He has already begun. This is the Gospel of the Kingdom.
The three stages of the Kingdom, as summarized by Scripture are:
Stage 1 - "For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:13-13).
Stage 2 - "Dear friends, now we are the children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him. For we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2).
Stage 3 - "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away'" (Revelation 21:3-4).
The fourth chapter of Mark and the thirteenth chapter of Matthew contain a group of parables which set forth the "mystery of the kingdom of God" (Mark 4:11). This is the central truth illustrated in all these parables. However, we must first establish that in the Bible, the term "mystery" does not mean something deep, dark, profound or difficult. The biblical idea of "mystery" is often a technical concept whose meaning is set forth in Romans 16:25-26. Here we find that biblically a mystery is something that has been kept secret throughout time, but is now revealed. In other words, a mystery is a divine purpose, hidden in the counsels of God for long ages, but finally disclosed in a new revelation of God's redemptive work.
The Mark 4 and Matthew 13 parables set forth new truth about the Kingdom of God which was not revealed in the Old Testament. And what is that mystery? A look at a familiar Old Testament prophecy will help. In Daniel 2:31-35 we get to see Nebuchadnezzar's dream, a
and in verses 44 and 45, the interpretation is given. After a series if nations successively dominate the course of world history, we are told that the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people. From an Old Testament perspective, there is coming a day when God will set up His reign (Kingdom) on the earth, displacing all other kingdoms and authorities. The coming of God's Kingdom, from this perspective, is viewed as a single great event.
When John the Baptist announced (Matthew 3:2) the coming of the Kingdom of God, he understood it to be as foretold in the Old Testament. John understood that the Messiah who would usher in the Kingdom would bring a twofold baptism: with the Holy Spirit for those who would experience salvation and with the fire of judgment for all others (Matthew 3:11-12). John's later doubt from prison was no doubt caused by the fact that Jesus was not acting like the Messiah whom he had announced. Where was the baptism of the Spirit? Where was the judgment of the wicked by fire? How could Jesus be the bearer of the Kingdom while sin and sinful institutions remained unpunished? Troubling questions then - and now.
Jesus said, "Blessed is he who takes no offence at me" (Matthew 11:6). The Kingdom of God had arrived, but here is the mystery - the new revelation - instead of destroying human sovereignty, it had attacked the sovereignty of Satan; instead of making changes in the external, political order of things, it was making changes in the spiritual order and in the hearts of men and women. The Kingdom is yet to come in the form prophesied by Daniel. The world has yet to behold the coming of God's Kingdom with power and glory. The Kingdom is now here with persuasion, quietly working in among men in ways often not seen by the crowds. Yes, there are some exceptions, but for the most part, it is as Jesus said, "....the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21).
Each of the parables in Matthew 13 illustrates this mystery of the Kingdom, which is yet to come in power and great glory, but is actually present among men in an unexpected form to bring to men in the present evil Age the blessings of the Age to Come. Next time we will look at some of the the specific revelations of the Kingdom. Until then, God bless and keep looking up!
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