The Gospel of the Kingdom, Part 21

We may be tempted to disregard Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler because..............

We are not rich.
We are not young.
We've never ruled anything longer than 12 inches.

But wait! The account in Matthew 19 is pertinent to each of us because it has to do with Jesus' invitation for us to enter His Kingdom (v.21), and the things that keep us from entering. In the case of the rich young ruler, his attachment to his wealth stood in the way. For others it's shame of Jesus that holds us back (Luke 9:26); not being willing to carry our cross (Luke 9:23); affinity for creature comforts (Matthew 8:20), or perceived family obligations (Matthew 8:22). If you put these all together, you can hear Jesus saying, "Your decision for the Kingdom of God must be unqualified." Poverty itself is no virtue. Jesus' demand is for a decision to submit to God and His Kingdom. All other affections must give way to this higher loyalty.

The question is, "Are all other claims and interests subservient  and secondary to the rule of God?" "Have we really been delivered from the dominion of all that is dark and transferred to the kingdom of the beloved Son?" (Colossians 1:13) "Have we learned the secret of being content in all situations, both want and plenty, so that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength?" (Philippians 4:11-13) We must progress to the place where we can answer such questions with a resounding "Yes!" before we can know the blessings of God's Kingdom. We dare not trust anything or anyone more than God!

While God is certainly for the family, He warned us that such wholehearted acceptance of His Kingdom might cause rupture of normal family ties (Matthew 10:34-37). Family members need to be infused with the love of God before they can understand that loving God supremely in no way diminishes our love for one another. Without that divine impartation, love for God will be viewed as competing for human love, rather than enhancing human love. How wonderful it is when family members, especially spouses, join in pursuit of Kingdom priorities. But whether or not they do, the claims of God's Kingdom still have priority. Fortunate is the family that realizes that together.

When Jesus calls us to take up our cross daily, we must remember that the cross is not a burden; it is a place of death. It's not self denial, which is self-centered; but denial of self, which is Christ-centered. Obviously it does not mean that daily we go to the cross and experience physical death, but it does mean that every disciple of Christ must be prepared to die, especially if and when loyalty to the Kingdom is on the line. Not to negate the great sacrifices of martyrs over the ages, but often it is more challenging to daily present oneself as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2). The problem with living sacrifices, as someone once said, is "they keep trying to crawl off the altar."

That said, once we finally cross the great divide when we can say, with the apostle Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20 (NKJV), the cross bearing has finally taken place in the depths of our spirits. Our relationship with Christ becomes settled, and He alone is ruler, lord, and king. Our mantra becomes, "nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done."

This is a kingdom decision, and the next is like unto it. It is one we must practice here and now, while it is yet relatively easy to do......while the stakes are yet relatively low. Jeremiah gives us the pattern when he says, "If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?" Jeremiah 12:5 (NKJV) Our decisions for or against the Kingdom of God ultimately will determine our eternal destiny. Jesus said,  "Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.
⁹ But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God." Luke 12:8-9 (NKJV) We have probably all stumbled over this at times, but if you're able to read this, get up, dust yourself off, and get it right next time. The way things are going in this world, in terms of personal comfort and safety, it will become more and more costly to confess Christ. We must get this matter settled before the Lord returns. "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38 (NKJV)

Christ one day (soon) will appear as the Lion of the tribe of Judah to bring (the completeness of) salvation to the sons of the Kingdom and a just condemnation to the sons of darkness. In His grace, at His first advent, He confronted us with the demands of the Kingdom. He shouted (and still does), "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near." Repent! Enter the Kingdom through the only door that is available - the shed blood of Jesus, the Passover Lamb. Repent! Quit counting on lesser things to bring you to glory. Repent! Surrender to the rule of the King, and thereby enter the Kingdom.

A Happy and Blessed Resurrection Sunday to all!

The Gospel of the Kingdom, Part 19

 

In the last installment, we looked at how a requirement to enter the Kingdom of God is a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees.

We saw that such a requirement is beyond human attainment, but discouragement quickly changed from despair to joy when we discovered that the One making the requirement also provides it. So that we can appreciate just how much the righteousness of Jesus Christ elevates beyond the abilities of self-righteousness, Jesus continues with more examples in His Sermon of the Mount.

The Law of Honesty.
"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'
But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne;
nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.
But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. Matthew 5:33-37 (NKJV)

Some people feel that they satisfy this requirement by refusing to take an oath in a court of law. This was not the context of Jesus' point. Two thousand years ago Jews were quite ready to swear an oath as a sign of good will and fidelity. However, they placed varying values of different objects with respect to their holiness. In many minds, a whole string of oaths, sworn to objects of lesser holiness could be broken without guilt. This entire practice had made a mockery of the basic ethic of honesty. Jesus' point was this: the righteousness of the Kingdom of God requires no oath - a man's naked word should be valid. People who subscribe to Kingdom righteousness are not looking for loopholes, and their testimony is born not just by their words, but by how they live.

The Law of Love

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.
And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' Matthew 5:38-43 (NKJV)

In this evil and corrupt world, how can anyone live by this standard. Don't we have to "do unto others before they do unto you?" It would be unwise to reject Jesus' teaching here by applying the antithesis. Perhaps Jesus once again is speaking in a radical metaphor. For even Jesus did not personally apply this standard literally in his own life. When struck on the cheek during His inquisition before the high priest, he rebuked His assailant (John 18:19-23). There are some situations where on will fulfill the letter of this teaching, such as when a follower of Jesus meets persecution because he is a disciple. However, Jesus is again speaking of a righteousness which demands an attitude of the heart, not motivated by selfishness or personal rights. Its a heart attitude motivated by love, even for those who do you wrong. Complete freedom from the spirit of revenge and self-vindication, returning love for hatred, repaying kindness for evil - this is the righteousness of God's Kingdom.

Love always seeks the best for the beloved. Sometimes this must include chastisement and discipline(Hebrews 12:6), or even the administration of justice. Our problem as humans is in removing personal anger and vindication from the process and leaving it to God (and the authorities He has put in place - Romans 13:4). The supreme manifestation of this law of love is found in forgiveness. You can truly forgive only if you do it in love, and we do not - by our nature - possess such love. So once again, God supplies us with that which He demands. Read all of 1 John, compare it with Matthew 18:21-35, and draw your own conclusion.

The law of love and the Gospel of the Kingdom are one in the same. The righteousness of the Kingdom is a righteousness which only God Himself can give: perfect purity, perfect honesty, perfect love, perfect forgiveness. No one, Jew or Gentile can attain such high standards. I can only receive it by faith as a gift (grace) from God. I can love only as I have received love. I can forgive, only as I have received forgiveness. That was the man's problem in Jesus parable (Matthew 18:21-35). He had been given the gift of forgiveness, but he did not receive it as such, thinking that he could somehow earn it. Consequently, not having received it as a gift, he could not offer it as a gift. The latter was evidence of the former, thus he was turned over to the torturers.

Just as we are able to partake of the fullness of life that belongs to the Age to Come, so the righteousness of the Kingdom, which belongs to the Age to Come has been imparted to the children of the Kingdom through Christ and the holy Spirit. Praise God for that which we now have in part, for it signifies that which is to come. Stay the course and receive the peaceable fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11).

The Gospel of the Kingdom, Part 18

There is a prerequisite to entering the Kingdom of Heaven (God) in addition to being born again (John 3:3,5); it is the requirement of righteousness. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:20). A qualification for entrance into the future Kingdom is a present righteousness - that exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees. What kind of righteousness is this?

It is the righteousness that results from God's reign in our lives. Through faith in Jesus Christ, His death, burial and resurrection in our behalf, resulting in the new birth, the Kingdom of God gives us that which it demands; otherwise we could not attain it. The Scribes, as professional students of religion, and their disciples - the Pharisees - were motivated by the sole concern of achieving righteousness. A whole body of law and tradition had been developed to define right and wrong. If men should not work on the Sabbath, then what is work? They went on and on, with every matter of the Law, as if conformity to God's will is defined in all the smallest nuances of the Law. We would need to know that if salvation depended on obeying the Law, an impossible task. Yet the righteousness required of the Kingdom is greater.

Old Testament Law, rabbinic tradition, and even modern law recognize that there are different kinds of homicide, resulting in different degrees of guilt and punishment. Yet Jesus goes beyond that when He said, "...that every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the hell of fire" (Matthew 5:22). The oldest texts do not even qualify the anger as "being without cause." The oldest texts make it clear that Jesus was saying that anger is sin, even as murder is sin. The only difference is that anger is the baby, while murder is the full-grown monster.

Jesus went beyond the Scribe's and Pharisee's emphasis on outward actions and focused on the attitude of the heart. Most of us can say, "I've never murdered someone," but can we say (in honesty), "I've never harbored bitterness, hatred or anger toward anyone?" When we answer truthfully, Jesus then says that we are condemned before God as a sinner. You see, Kingdom righteousness says, "What you are is more important than what you do." Only God can change what someone is; only the gift of God can give what He requires.

Jesus illustrates this principle again with the "Law of Purity." The Law forbade illicit sexual relationships. If one stayed away from such relationships, by conduct they were righteous. But the standard of the Kingdom is higher, demanding that there be no lust in a person's heart. Righteousness with regards to sexual purity begins in the heart, and the proliferation of pornography, first in magazines and films, now on the Internet, has proven that time and again.

I once knew a man who struggled with these matters, and who, in ignorance, took seriously this and following verses. "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than your whole body be thrown into hell" (Matthew 5:29). He literally plucked out his eye and cut off his hand. Though he suffered much pain, that did not set him free. A man with one blind eye and one amputated limb is not free from lust, for sin lodges in the heart and not in the eye or the hand. Only Christ can create in a man a new heart. The righteousness which God demands of us, He must give to us, or we are lost. As desperate as a man must be to cut off his hand, so desperate must be the sinner to search out the grace of God. Apart from the grace of God there is no salvation, only condemnation.

Be encouraged - that grace is available to anyone who would cry out for it. A way has been provided to enter into the Kingdom, both the present aspect of it, and the future. The way is Jesus! "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man can come to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 17

In the event that we might have forgotten, if, when we say "The Gospel of Jesus Christ" we mean the gospel which Jesus preached, we are talking about The Gospel of the Kingdom! Last time we talked briefly about eternal life as being an integral part of God's Kingdom. Jesus said, "This is eternal life, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3). So eternal life begins by being brought into a personal knowledge of and relationship with Almighty God, through faith in His Son, Jesus the Christ.

A second meaning of eternal life is the life of God's Spirit dwelling within us. This happens in the Present Age and prepares us for the Age to Come. Jesus said, "...unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of god....he cannot enter the Kingdom of God" (John 3:3, 5). This happens while we yet inhabit these bodies of flesh and blood which cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50). Thus, inhabited by, filled with, led by the Spirit of god, we await the transformation of our mortal bodies into glorified spiritual bodies (Romans 8:17, 24; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44). This body is real, in the sense that we understand matter. Jesus, when His body had been thus glorified was able to walk right through a locked door, and then say, "...Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have" (Luke 24:39). A spiritual body is not spirit, but real, tangible and objective, yet completely and perfectly energized and empowered by the holy Spirit.


This spiritual body is a promised inheritance, and the Holy Spirit is the seal of that promise (2 Corinthians 5:4-5; Ephesians 1:14). While we do not yet possess this inheritance (it belongs to the Age to Come) we have a guarantee of it in this Present Age. A partial understanding of this is gained when you look at earnest money being paid as a deposit on the purchase of a house. That deposit guarantees future possession of the house, assuming other conditions of the contract are met. Thus the Holy Spirit is our guarantee that a redeemed and glorified body will be our possession at the proper time. So what can we conclude from this? The new birth is the beginning-partial but real-of the life of The Age to Come. We already have within us the life of heaven. It means we already participate in the life that belongs to God's future Kingdom; not its fullness, but nevertheless its reality. As Romans 8:23 says, the Holy Spirit has been given us as the firstfruits of the life to come in the resurrection. When Christ comes, we will receive the harvest - the fullness of life from God's Spirit!


Yes, the very best is yet to be; and yet we are not to live just waiting for the future. The future has already begun. It's like the words spoken by Jesus to the woman at the well in Samaria, "But the hour is coming, and now is..." (John 4:23). Because of the Holy Spirit it is now possible to worship God in spirit and in truth. This worship is far superior to the old manner of just form and function, but is just a glimpse of that which is yet to be revealed. Life in the Spirit (eternal life) is far superior to life lived just in the flesh. It means we can live in the present evil Age living the life of heaven, at least in part, while we await the Age to Come. This is the Gospel of the Kingdom!

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 16

In the last installment of this series, the spectre of death was hanging in the air. Since then my father-in-law went home to be with the Lord as did a former ministry colleague of mine in CT. These personal experiences as well as many others reported in the various media serve as proof that Christian and pagan, believer and unbeliever, all die. Yet the Word of God says, He who believes in the Son has everlasting life." Obviously this life is both present and future, but how?

Eternal life belongs to the Kingdom of God, to the Age to Come; but it too, has entered into the present evil Age that men may experience eternal life in the midst of death and decay. We enter into this experience of life by the new birth, by being born again. So what is this eternal life? First, it means the knowledge of God. "And this is eternal life, that they know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). This is far more than intellectual apprehension; it means experience, personal relationship; it means fellowship. The verse says that we know Him, not just know about Him! That is eternal life!

In the Age to Come, that eternal life is wonderfully described in the last chapter in the Bible. "The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall worship him; they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads" (Revelation 22:3-4). Before the new birth, we knew Him not; born again we now know in part. But in that day of further grace, we'll be like Him as we gaze upon His face. (1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians 13:12) Thus the knowledge of God will be fully established in the Age to Come and Jeremiah's prophecy will be fulfilled "...for they shall know me, from the least to the greatest, says the Lord" (Jeremiah 31: 31). No more Sunday Schools or Bible Colleges.

The blessing of the Age to Come has been made available to men now, yet not in its perfection or fullness. Don't be deceived by the TV preaching which promises that it is all available in this present Age ("Your Best Life Now". For sure the promise of John 17:3 is realized now, but it will be wonderfully enlarged and perfected in the Age to Come. What limitations and disappointments are you willing to endure in this present Age, knowing what will be yours in the Age to Come?

Knowledge of God includes an apprehension of God's truth. This goes beyond the intellectual as the Scripture speaks of "doing the truth" (John 3:21). In the Age to Come there shall be no Presbyterian or Baptist, no Calvinist or Arminian understanding of the truth, but a shared perfect understanding of the truth of God, for we shall be taught of God. How wonderful is the truth that has been revealed, for it brings man into fellowship with God; a truth expressed by the hymn writer...."Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine; O what a foretaste of glory divine." In the meantime the Scriptures make it clear that our present knowledge is partial.

Because we know in part, the Holy Spirit has imparted gifts to us, such as prophecy, words of wisdom and knowledge, healings and the working of miracles. But when that which is perfect (the Lord Jesus) has come, and we see Him face to face, we will have no more need of these gifts. They will pass away and only faith, hope and love will remain...the greatest being love. Love will forever characterize our perfected fellowship, with God and with one another in the Age to Come.

This love will be tested and perfected in the days ahead like never before in history. This love is much more than the hearts and flowers of Valentine's Day. Scripture tells us that a day is coming when "...many will betray one another and hate one another...the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:10-11). So today's admonition is: "Beloved, let us love one another, for [this kind of] love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love" (1 John 4:7-8).

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 15

There is, in virtually every human heart, a great hunger for life. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God," and Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God" (John 2:3, 5). God offers to every man a life that is so much higher than the physical life which men attempt to enjoy through all manner of means, and to which men tend to cling tenaciously, even at the end. This is the "abundant life" which Christ came to give us - the life of God's Kingdom. (John 10:10) Old Testament saints had been expecting Messiah to bring about a manifestation of the Kingdom by changing the political order and displacing all human rule and authority (Isaiah 2:1-4). This has not yet happened, but when it does, there will also come to pass a transformation of the very physical order of things on planet Earth (Isaiah 11:6-9).

Yet the Mystery of the Kingdom has occurred, and it is this: The Kingdom that will change the entire external order has entered This Age now to bring the blessings of God's Kingdom to men and women without changing the external order. The Old Age continues, yet men may already experience and enjoy some of the powers of the Age to Come, mainly a vital relationship with God as Father, through the New Birth. When the New Birth occurs, Kingdom life (life eternal and abundant) become available, although they belong, in unrestricted fullness, to the Age to Come. Eternal life, which we looked at in the context of Matthew 19:16 is the same eternal life into which the righteous will go at the separation of the sheep and goats (Matthew 25:46). This is all future.

Yes, much of salvation and eternal life is future. Today we have a hope (confidence) that when Christ returns, then we shall enter the Kingdom. We look forward to a day when we shall receive "a building from God, a house not made with hands" while in our present mortal bodies, we sigh with anxiety" (2 Corinthians 5:1, 4). We all, along with the Apostle Paul, long to be "clothed upon" i.e., to put on our resurrection bodies, so "that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life" (2 Corinthians 5:4). Eternal life has to do with the total man, spirit, soul and body. When we finally inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50) our bodies will be redeemed, no longer consisting of flesh and blood. Until then, we are all dying creatures....whether slowly and painfully, of enjoying a large measure of vigour until the end. Either way, God has something better when that which is mortal (our physical bodies) shall be swallowed up in life.

The future aspect of eternal life is again taught in Revelation. The "river of the water of life...flowing from the throne of God" and "the tree of life" are mentioned in Revelation 22:1-2. The revelation goes beyond this, as glorious as the salvation of the body is, to the greater reality that in our midst shall be "the throne of God and of the Lamb.....and His servants shall worship Him.....they shall see His face" (Revelation 22:3-4). All barriers of the flesh and sin will be swept away. We shall enjoy unhindered and untroubled fellowship with God. This is life; this is life eternal; this is life of the Kingdom of God.

In the next installment of this study, we will discover that there is a "now" aspect to life of the Kingdom of God. Somehow, God has managed to deliver some of the first installments of life in the Age to Come to us here and now, while we are living in this Present Evil Age, in our mortal bodies. Jesus said, "He who believes in the Son HAS eternal life" (John 3:36) and "He who hears my word and believes Him who sent Me, HAS eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but HAS passed from death to life" (John 5:24). These words are more true and powerful to me today than ever before, as I consider my father-in-laws frail body - lungs filled with fluid from pneumonia and kidneys that are working at about 30% efficiency. He is still living in his earthly tent, which is just a shadow of its former self when it could carry 2 bags of cement at a time.....but he is preparing to leave. I shared these Scriptures with him today, along with others which reminded us both of his simple faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord, exercised about 27 years ago. Because of that he can leave this life for that life, with confidence. Can you?

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 14

The Kingdom of God has come in insignificant form, like that of a mustard seed, but it is the Kingdom of God and is therefore of inestimable value. It is like a treasure whose value transcends all other treasures; it is like a pearl whose acquisition merits the loss of all other goods. (Matthew 13:44-46). The fact that both of these items are purchased has nothing to do with the basic truth of the parables. We cannot buy salvation (it's cost is beyond our ability to pay), it is a gift from God and must be received by faith (see Matthew 20:1-16). Yet as a gracious gift, it may cost one his earthly possessions (Mark 10:21), his friends, family or even his life (Luke 14:26). It merits any cost yet the one who receives it is cautioned to count the cost (Luke 14:28).

Although the Kingdom of God has come in an unexpected manner, it will nevertheless usher in the final judgment - the separation of the good from the wicked and the destruction of evil. This day is not yet; it belongs to the end of the age (Matthew 13:49). The parables of the wheat and tares and of the draw-net indicate that both in the world at large and in the visible aspects of the Kingdom there will be both good and evil living side by side. In the Kingdom, they are the false teachers about which there are so many warnings, in both the Gospels and the Epistles. "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves." (Acts 20:29-30) This explains how, now matter how hard a church may try to preserve a Biblical purity of membership, people will nevertheless be found in its midst who have interests contrary to the Kingdom.

The mystery of the Kingdom is also found in Mark 4:26-29. Just as in the parable of the mustard seed, the element of growth is not the main point, rather the fact that once sown, the earth bears fruit of itself. The Kingdom of God is a miracle, a supernatural act of God. It remains man's G0d-appointed duty to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom, but the actual working of the Kingdom belongs to God. From the time of Christ's humble entrance in the earth, the Gospel of the Kingdom has come (the miracles of Christ and the signs and wonders accompanying the Word not withstanding) quietly, without fire from heaven, without a blaze of glory. It comes like a seed sown in the earth. While it may be rejected by hard hearts, withered by pressure and persecution, or choked out by cares and deceit, it is the Kingdom of God. And it brings the miracle of divine life among men. The blessings of divine rule begin to manifest in new hearts of flesh as the sons and daughters of Almighty God await the revelation of the Kingdom in power and glory, forever and ever......Amen!

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 13

Just as the message of universal or ultimate reconciliation is a perversion of Scripture, so is the composite message of T.U.L.I.P. (Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints). The doctrine, known as the five points of Calvinism (but whose roots go all the way back to Augustine) is very complicated. To try and unravel it would be way beyond the scope of this blog project. In summary it states that because of the fall, man is totally depraved, possessing not one bit of desire or ability to seek God. This seems to make God a liar in that He acknowledged the righteousness of several people (The seed of Seth, Enoch, Abraham, Job, et al), not declaring that they were perfect or sinless, but they were men who sought after God.

The witness of God in the creation (Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 1:18-23, et al) would be invalidated if there were none capable of responding. Supposedly, out of this total wreck of humanity, God elected some to be saved (conditioned upon nothing - all God's sovereign election), while all others were condemned from birth. This would be the same God who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11), and who would that all men would repent, come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9).

Coupled with this is the "LIP" part of the doctrine. Limited atonement would mean that Jesus did not die for everyone, but only for a limited number (the elect). While Isaiah says that Jesus bore the sins of "many" (Isaiah 53:12), he also says that the Lord "has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). John says, "And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world" (1 John 2:2). Irresistible grace would mean that God has overwhelmed the elect with His grace and they have thus responded to the Gospel, with no action on their part since their depravity made them incapable of such action. This flies up in the face of more Scripture than I could quote in a day. There are a number of Old Testament passages containing the conditional word "if" (such as Ezekiel 33:1-9), which are pregnant with the concept of man choosing. Choice is stressed in passages like Deuteronomy 30:19-20, as well as in a myriad of New Testament passages utilizing the inspired words "whosoever", or "whoever" (John 3:16, et al).

Finally, the perseverance of the saints has been capsulized in the statement, "Once saved, always saved." The entire T.U.L.I.P. theology would have to end with this point, because it has always been God from the beginning and will continue to be God forever. Now wait! Don't hang me just yet. I actually believe that last statement myself, but not in the way Calvinists have summarized it. I believe this statement in the context of a plain sense, face value hermeneutic. This approach seeks to discover the author's intended meaning. If the plain sense makes sense, you have the right sense but not necessarily the whole sense. This approach recognizes the importance of context and relies heavily upon Scripture interpreting Scripture. What the "P" in Calvinism ignores are all the warnings in both the Old Testament and the New Testament concerning backsliding and ultimately apostasy and the need to persevere (Matthew 24:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; Hebrews 6:4-6, et al).

So, why this little foray into a dangerous, yet popular doctrine? It is because to fall under the influence of such doctrine is to make it extremely difficult to understand the Kingdom of God. The chief parable concerning the Kingdom, referenced in the last installment, is the Parable of the Sower. We saw that the Kingdom has come, but not with irresistible power. Until the Son of Man returns, the wicked and the righteous will live together. The parable of the sower reveals that the Gospel of the kingdom is received by many different soil types (heart conditions). The reception varies from shallow and unfruitful in the face of persecution to deep and fertile, producing various levels of fruit in return. People make decisions in these illustrations. There is no inference that the people represented by the good soil never face persecution or are never tempted by the deceitfulness of riches and the things of the world. (Just look at the church described in 1 Thessalonians and that will be clear).

The two parables of the mustard seed and of the leaven (Matthew 13:31-33) illustrate this unforeseen character of the Kingdom among men in this Age. The parables have nothing to do with the growth of the Kingdom, but rather the fact that it appears small and insignificant. Nevertheless, it is not to be despised. These are parables, and we must be careful not to look for significance in every single detail. A parable is neither a fabricated story, nor is it an allegory. It is a story fashioned form daily experience which necessarily contains details which, while part of the story, don't contain spiritual truth. It's like the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus told this story to answer one question: "Who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:30-37). Another is the parable of the unrighteous steward (Luke 16:1-13). Was Jesus teaching that the end justifies the means? Of course not. He was teaching that we should be wise with our substance, investing it so that it will be of help in the day of our spiritual need. Everything else in the parables is local color.

So, and we will conclude here, the Kingdom of God has come, in insignificant form (such as a mustard seed or leaven) in One who is meek and mild. From the world's point of view, His person and mission could be ignored. But we should not be deceived; someday the whole earth will be filled with the Kingdom of God. The means by which this end is accomplished is not a part of these parables. Even though its form is insignificant, it is the Kingdom of God and is therefore of inestimable value. God's purposes will not be frustrated. And that is the really important point of this installment. It was not to ping on people of the Calvinistic or reformed traditions, although that little detour should serve to show that in these last days, many will come in Christ's name, deceiving many (Matthew 24:15). Jesus' words just before He said that were, "Take heed that no one deceives you." "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 11

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!

www. endtimesencouragement.com

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 10

In Matthew 12:28 Jesus has just said, "....then the kingdom of God has come upon you." It only follows that we should take a careful look at the next verse. "Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house." (Matt. 12:29) Satan is the strong man; his house is "This Age, and the strong man's goods are demon-possessed men and women. Yet is Satan bound? Doesn't the Bible say that he he goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour? Let's remember that Satan is not a creature of flesh and blood, so no physical object such as a rope or chains can bind him. Obviously the teaching about binding Satan is a metaphor - truth, but not literal. You see, by the time Christ's First Advent was over and Jesus had ascended to the right hand of the Father, Satan had been defeated and his power broken.


Yes, Revelation 20:2 speaks of a further binding of Satan, but Matthew 12:28 clearly tells us that the Kingdom of God has entered this present evil Age and the power of Satan to bind has been broken. Otherwise the following would not be possible - "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to follow the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air [Satan], the spirit who is now at work in all those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:1-5). Because of the already completed work of Christ, you and I may be (hopefully have been) delivered from the power of darkness and brought into the Kingdom of God's dear Son (Colossians 1:13).


Jesus demonstrated the same truth in Luke 10 when He sent forth the seventy to "Heal the sick... and say to them, 'The Kingdom of God has come near you'" (Luke 10:9). For those cities not repenting at such a powerful invasion of the Kingdom of God, Jesus pronounced severe judgment (Luke 10:10-14). Where the Kingdom was received, the sick were healed and demons were cast out, causing the disciples to rejoice. Jesus' response..."I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (Luke 10:18). This doesn't mean that Satan actually came from there to here during this ministry, but that Satan was thrust down from his pinnacle of power.


God's Kingdom means the divine conquest over His enemies, a conquest to be accomplished in three stages. The first victory has already occurred - the successful invasion of the present evil Age. Satan is the god of This Age, yet his power has been broken that men might know the rule of God in their lives. The evil Age goes on, yet men can escape its bondage and begin to experience the powers of the Age to Come. While the world appears little changed to the human eye (other than to perhaps get worse), the Kingdom of God has come among men and those who receive it will be prepared to enter into the Kingdom of Glory when Christ comes to finish the good work He has already begun. This is the Gospel of the Kingdom.


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 1:13-14).
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).


Next time - The Mystery of the Kingdom. God bless!

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 9

Since it's been a while since part 8 of this blog was posted, it might be good to revisit the motivation for beginning this series in the first place. Motivation #1 - Jesus' central theme in ministry was the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 4:23, etal). Motivation #2 - Jesus said that the end would not come until this gospel had been preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations (to all peoples, people groups, ethnos, Matthew 24:14). Motivation #3 - we should be familiar with this gospel so we can preach it accurately, and thereby hasten the day of the Lord's return (2 Peter 3:12).

When we ended last time, we said that we would begin this installment with Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer i who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." By joining Him in death, we are also able to join Him in resurrection power (Philippians 3:10) and share in His resurrection life now (Ephesians 2:5). We are already living on the heavenward side of the first stage of the resurrection. Wow!

The final stage of the resurrection is seen when 1 Corinthians 15:24 and Revelation 20:10, 14 are seen together. The Kingdom (which became the possession of the Lord Jesus Christ in Revelation 11:15, is now given up to God as the devil is thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, followed by Death and Hades (the grave). At the end of the millennial reign of Christ, the last enemy (death) will be destroyed forever, and having subdued all enemies, He will deliver up the Kingdom to God the Father. A previous stage of this conquest occurred, as stated in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:23, and Revelations 20:4, when "they which are Christ's at His coming" are raised (or transformed) incorruptible.

So the kingdom of God means the defeat of all of the enemies of God. It means the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, defeating the enemies of God one by one until the last enemy is destroyed... death. And from whence cometh death? "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). And from whence cometh sin? Satan, of course - he who was created perfect, and then iniquity was found in him (Ezekiel 28:15). Here we have a hellish triumvirate - Satan, sin, and death. Christ must reign until He has put ALL enemies under His feet. While it is not until the end of the Millennium that this is finally accomplished, there is a past aspect to the conquering of this triumvirate which translates into a present benefit. Christ has already been raised from the dead. Stage one to the conquering of the final enemy has been accomplished.

It's not just the first stage of the conquering of death that has been accomplished, but the Kingdom of God has invaded the present evil age - the domain of Satan! Hebrews 2:14 (which we have cited previously) makes this abundantly clear. Those whom God would make His children through faith have been delivered from the fear of death and are no longer subject to its bondage. A destruction of Satan (at least his power) has already taken place through the death and resurrection of Christ. The Greek word translated "destroy" here means "to put out of action," "to render ineffective." The first of three stages in the conquering of Satan has been accomplished. We see this in several of the Gospel narratives, such as Matthew 4:23-24. "And He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and infirmity among the people. SO His fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought Him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and He healed them."

The Lord Himself, when He proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom of God, demonstrated that Good News by delivering men from the bondage of Satan. This involved both physical healing and the exorcism of demonic spirits. Jesus would say in Matthew 12:28, "But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." And so the Gospel of the Kingdom is that God is now acting among men to deliver them from the power of Sin, Satan and Death. Jesus commissioned the 12, and through them believers down through the centuries, to go and preach this Gospel, declaring that the same signs that accompanied His preaching of the Gospel would accompany theirs (ours).

Next time we will see how the importance of this Gospel being preached and and practiced will reach its zenith in the last days, as the end nears. Until then, be encouraged by these words. May they quell any concerns in your heart about healthcare reform. Jesus already reformed the healthcare system.

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 8

To what extent is the Kingdom of God manifest today?

It's taken a while (longer than I originally anticipated) but so far a foundational truth has been established: The Word of God divides the course of God's redemptive purpose into two ages: This Age and The Age to Come. These two ages are separated by the Second Coming of Christ and the first resurrection. The fullness of the Kingdom of God belongs to The Age to Come, and if that were all there was to the Kingdom, then the gospel of the Kingdom would be strictly that of promise. Salvation would be little more than an insurance policy to provide against a future day of trouble. It's present value would be little more than to provide a sense of security for deliverance on the day of judgment.

However, the bible makes it clear that there is a transition from This Age to The Age to Come which lasts 1000 years, called the Millennium. At the beginning of the Millennium, Satan will be bound and thrown into the abyss. The earth will then enjoy a new measure of the life and blessings of the Kingdom of God (Isaiah 65:20-25). At the end of the Millennium, the devil is released from the abyss, and amazingly he again deceives multitudes and incites them to rebel against God. God visits the earth with fire and devours all His enemies and Satan is thrown into the lake of fire, joining the beast and the false prophet where the unholy trinity will be tormented forever (Revelation 20:7-10).

Then the fullness of the Kingdom of God will finally be realized in a new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21). Again, if this were the complete program of redemption, we would have merely a religion of hope and promise. Please don't get me wrong - Christianity is full of hope and promise, but Christianity (The Gospel of the Kingdom) is not a religion, but a relationship, so it goes beyond hope and promise. There is a further overlap of the two ages, beyond the Millennium. The New Testament is full of explicit statements compelling us to conclude that the blessings of The Kingdom are not exclusive to He Age to Come. The theology of the New Testament as a whole supports this as well. Hebrews 6:5 speaks of those who "tasted.....the powers of the coming age." Something has happened causing the powers of The Age to Come to penetrate This Age. And while a "taste" is not a seven-course banquet, a taste is still real; more than a promise it is something to be experienced.

Paul says in Galatians 1:3-4 "Grace and peace to you (virtually every epistle begins this way; grace first, followed by peace) from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father." Hallelujah! Satan may still be the god of this world (This Age) but the power of The Age to Come has projected itself back into This Age in the person of Jesus Christ, so that we might be delivered from this present evil Age. "Glory to God forever and ever! Amen!" (Galatians 1:5). Paul gives an amazing theological exposition in his letter to the Roman Christians, and the last verse in chapter 11 reads, "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen." (Romans 11:36).

He then begins chapter 12 with the words "Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy...." What are we to do? Present our bodies as living sacrifices.....Do not be conformed to the patter of this world (This Age) but be transformed by the renewing of our mind... It is only by undergoing an inner transformation, which is the result of the power of The Age to Come penetrating back into this present evil Age that we can keep from being conformed to This Age. By this new power we are able to test and approve that which is God's perfect will.

What does this mean? The follower of Christ is now caught up in the conflict of the ages, as the Kingdom of God which belongs to The Age to Come has overlapped with This Age. Therefore, we may be delivered from This Age and no longer live in conformity to it. This is not easy, and it is not complete and it is a struggle. It helps to know that God has a plan and a purpose. The plan (which includes the order of things) is outlined in 1 Corinthians 15:22-26. This passage declares that the Kingdom of God is the reign of God through Christ destroying the enemies of God's reign. The highest expression of the Kingdom is the defeat of death. "The last enemy to be destroyed is death." (v. 26). This does not happen at once, but in three stages: "Christ the first fruits; after that they which are Christ's at His coming. After that comes the end, when He delivers up the Kingdom to God the Father." (v. 20-24 paraphrased).

This all begins with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is history; not something to be anticipated in the future. That is our assurance of our own resurrection (or sudden transformation) - a resurrection has already happened. Jesus said, "Because I live, you will live also" (John 14:19). This is the meaning of the power of His resurrection, in that it enables us also to partake of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10). Jesus in His human body, died for our sins and rose on the third day, "so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Hebrews 2:14-15). It is only when we enter into the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ that we experience the power of The Age to Come in This Age. When we no longer fear death, to paraphrase William Carey, the "Father of the Modern Missionary Movement," there is nothing we won't attempt for God, nothing we won't expect from God.

Take a look at Galatians 2:20, for that is where we will begin the next time. Good stuff with which to end one year and begin another. Be encouraged in Christ.

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 7

Last time we ended by pointing out the stark contrast between "this age" and "the age to come," or, to put it another way, the present "kingdoms of this world" which shall become, at God's appointed time, "the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ..." (Revelation 11:15). Until that time, while there is a manifestation of the Kingdom of God in the church, in the present, it is primarily one of the Kingdom being within the life of the individual believers who make up the church. "Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, 'The Kingdom of God does not come with careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the Kingdom of God is within you.'" (Luke 17:20-21).

And so we must point out here that it is the coming (parousia) of the Lord Jesus Christ that will separate This Age from The Age to Come. And further we must say that before the final consumption of God's redemptive purpose, Scripture teaches that the earth is to experience an extended period of our Lord's glorious rule, a literal 1,000 year period known as the Millennium. (Revelation 20:1-9; Isaiah 65:17-25). If The Age to Come is thought of as existing beyond history, then the Millennium will witness the triumph of God's Kingdom within history.

This is made easier to see when one understands the "Biblical prophetic perspective." The prophets of old often described the distant future, not only as a single although complex event, but the immediate future and the distant future were often described as a single act of God. The same can be said of Jesus' prophetic utterances recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. History makes it clear that the Lord was not only describing the historical destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans (A.D. 66-70), but it was against the backdrop of the eschatological Antichrist and the Great Tribulation. The Old Testament makes no clear delineation between the Messiah coming as a suffering servant (Isaiah 53, Zechariah 9:9-10) and the Messiah coming as a conquering King (Isaiah 9, 11).

George E. Ladd, in his book "The Gospel of the Kingdom" states, "The Old Testament makes no effort to synthesize the prophecies; and the effort to decide which prophecies apply to the church age, which apply to the millennial era, and which belong to the Age to Come ignores this basic fact of the prophetic perspective." Further study of Revelation and 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 make it clear that there are at least two eschatological stages in the future establishment of God's Kingdom. There are at least two resurrections. There are stages in the defeat of Satan. Death and the grave are not destroyed until the end of the Millennium (Revelation 20:14). Jesus possesses the keys of Hades and death now (Revelation 1:18) but the prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," will not be fully answered until the close of the Millennium.

So what can we conclude from our study thus far? 1) We shall never experience the full blessings of God's Kingdom in This Age. 2) The perfected Kingdom of god belongs to The Age to Come. 3) When God's people are called upon to pass through severe sufferings and tribulation, they should remember that God has not abandoned them, but that their sufferings are due to the fact that they no longer belong to This Age and are therefore the objects of its hostility. 4) Finally, the Kingdom of God will never be fully realized apart from the personal, glorious, victorious Coming of Christ. Men cannot build the Kingdom of God; Christ will bring it!

Next time we will be encouraged as we begin to study the extent to which the Kingdom of God today.

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 6

"Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16) It's an age-old question. Maybe a drink from the fountain of youth will do it. Maybe slaying the dragon will do it. Maybe going out in a burst of heroism will do it. What good deed.......?? What would you give for the answer to that question? The answer is there in the text, but it may not be what you think it is. It's not specifically about selling everything and giving the proceeds to the poor. Oh, it was for this rich young ruler, but it may be something different for you or I. Jesus in essence told him, "Rid yourself of every restraint that hinders you from becoming (and being) my disciple."

Jesus' remark a few verses later, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:23-24) Jesus was declaring an absolute impossibility, which only God can reverse. Only God can bring the sincerely seeking heart to the place where it trusts in nothing but His grace demonstrated on Calvary's cross. It takes the working of God the Holy Spirit to bring one to the place where the words of the old song become personal" "Nothing of myself I bring, only to the cross I cling..."

In passing, I would like to point out that Jesus in this passage uses the terms "kingdom of heaven" and "kingdom of God" interchangeably. More to the point, it probably has to do with the language in which Jesus taught (Aramaic) and the language in which the New Testament was written (Greek). In any event, they are interchangeable, and include eternal life, which is also interchangeable with salvation. Jesus says that this is not attainable by man's efforts, and anything which is pursued and/or held on to as a substitute will disqualify one from the true prize. If you will remember in Jesus' parable of the sower, both the rocky soil and the thorny soil represent people who have received the Gospel of the kingdom. In one case, persevering faith is interrupted by persecution and affliction, both of which produce fear. In the latter case, the deceitfulness of riches (the rich young ruler's problem) materialism, and the cares of the world (the cosmos or world system over which Satan temporarily rules) choke out seed's ability to produce fruit.

So it is a miracle that anyone, rich or poor, to have his affections turned from the things he either desires or worries about so that he may become a disciple of Jesus, and thus be prepared to enter the future Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus goes on to say that those who have experienced this miracle, and have abandoned those things they once trusted in, will experience in this life great blessing along with persecution [present Kingdom benefits] and in the Age to Come, eternal life. (see Mark 10:30) If these parallel passages were the only biblical teaching we had about eternal life, we would have to conclude that it (and the Kingdom of God) will come only when Jesus returns. This occurs following the resurrection. As Paul says, "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 15:50). Only in transformed, resurrection bodies will we enter the Kingdom of God.

In the parable of the tares, we find that the Kingdom of God will be introduced by the day of judgment (Matthew 13:39). In the parable of the net Jesus says, "So it will be at the close of this age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire." (Matthew 13:49-50). Thus we find that the Kingdom of God belongs to the Age to Come and is set in stark contrast to This Age. This Age is dominated by evil, while the Age to Come will witness the fullness of God's Kingdom and the perfection of His reign. The simplicity of this is interrupted by something called the Millennium, about which we'll speak next time. Then we will transition into the "now' aspects of the Kingdom of God. As we sort this out, be encouraged to trust Christ always. He is the key to the Kingdom!!

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 4

The Kingdom of God is Tomorrow. This is not meant to encourage you to adopt the slogan of the grasshopper as your own: "Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?" Remember our basic description of the Kingdom of God? It is basically the rule of God; or divine sovereignty in action. It is helpful, however, to remember that God's reign is manifested in several realms, and the Gospels speak of entering into the Kingdom of God both today and tomorrow. There is both a future realm and a present realm in which men may experience the blessings of God's reign. For the moment, we are going to focus on the future realm.

It is a clear teaching of the New testament that God's will (and the accompanying enjoyment of blessings) is not to be perfectly realized in this realm. Central to Biblical Theology is the doctrine of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This doctrine, and what Scripture says what must transpire on planet Earth before the Lord's return is central the ministry of Encouragement for End-Times Endurance http://www.endtimesencouragement.com/ Just as there are two advents of Christ, one in the flesh which we call the Incarnation, and the other in glory, which may be called the Parousia, so there are two manifestations of God's Kingdom: one which is present now because God's Son has appeared among men, and one in power and glory when Christ returns. For now we will look at the final realization of God's Kingdom in the realm "beyond history"

Properly understood, the Bible does not present a view of time, and then eternity. The Bible really presents the linear concept of eternity simply as unending time. There are two Greek word in the New Testament translated by the single English word "world." The first is kosmos, which in its most common usage means the world as the sum and total of everything constituting an orderly universe. (Oscar Cullmann, Christ and Time, S.C.M. Press, London, 1951). The other Greek word translated "world" is aion, which is better translated "age" as in a period of time. The entire sweep of man's existence is set forth in terms of this age and the age which is to come.

In Ephesians 1:21, Paul speaks of the exaltation of Christ, not only in this age (aion) but in the age to come. The blessing eternal life Christ speaks of for those who have left earthly comforts for His sake will come in the age to come. Over and over the New Testament speaks of two different ages, separated by the Second Coming of Christ and the First Resurrection. This present age will end with the Parousia and it will be followed by the age to come. In Luke 20:34-36 Jesus speaks of "those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead...." Reading through the passage you discover that in this age, marriage is a necessary (and honorable) institution, but that a different state of affairs will exist in the age to come. The "sons of the resurrection" will be immortal, and thus this present age will be separated from the age to come will be separated by the First Resurrection.

We read that Christ "gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father," (Galatians 1:4). A more detailed presentation to the order of this present evil age is given in Ephesians 2:1-2, and all believers once walked in accordance with this order. The New Testament is full of non-exhaustive lists describing our attitudes and activities as we walked in ways displeasing to God. For example: "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21).

Whew! Is there any hope of inheriting the Kingdom of God; is there any hope of ever entering it? I know this is rather a down place to stop; but I promise you: It is not the end of the story. Please keep in mind that the title of this blog series is "The Gospel (good news) of the Kingdom. So stay tuned..........

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 3

To understand the Kingdom of God, we must understand the biblical meaning of the word, "kingdom." The archaic definition from Webster's dictionary gives us a clue. "The rank, quality, state, or attributes of a king; royal authority; dominion; monarchy; kingship. The primary meaning of both the Hebrew Old Testament word and the Greek New Testament word translated "kingdom" is the rank, authority and sovereignty exercised by a king. We have already ascertained that the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 24:14) meant the Gospel of the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. Now we are ascertaining that, first of all, a kingdom is the authority to rule, the sovereignty of the king. So when it is written in Ezra 8:1 of the return from Babylon "in the kingdom" of Artaxerxes, it refers to his reign. Likewise, when the Scriptures refer to God's Kingdom, it refers to His reign, His rule, His sovereignty and not the realm in which it is exercised. (George Ladd, The Gospel of the Kingdom, [Wm. B. Erdmans, Grand Rapids, 1959] 20).

In Hebrew poetic expression, God's Kingdom is also His power. (Psalm 145:11). "Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations." (Psalm 145:13) It is God's rule which is everlasting, not the realm of His rule, for the Scriptures also declare that this heaven and this earth will pass away. (Mark 13:31) So when Jesus said that we must "receive the kingdom of God" as little children, (Mark 10:15) He wasn't speaking about receiving the church, or heaven, but God's rule. So here we begin to see a condition of the Kingdom: to enter the future rule of the Kingdom, one must submit, in complete trust, to God's rule in the here and now.

How many times have you heard it said at a funeral, "Well, so-and-so is in a better place now"? For that to be true, so-and-so had better have already submitted to the rule of God in his former life. It is not written for nothing, "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness." (Matthew 6:33) When we pray, "Thy kingdom come," we are not praying for heaven to come to earth, really. Apart from the reign of God, heaven is meaningless, so we pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10).

Now we've dealt with the primary meaning of the word "kingdom," but let's face it; a reign without a realm in which it is exercised is meaningless. So we find that the Kingdom of god is also a realm in which God's Kingdom may be experienced. In this regard, the Bible sometimes speaks of the Kingdom as a realm to be entered at the present; sometimes as though it were future. In passages such as Matthew 7:21; Mark 9:47, 10:23, 14:25 the Kingdom is equivalent to that aspect of eternal life which will be experienced only after the Second Coming of Christ. Other passages, such as Luke 16:16, 11:52; Matthew 21:31, the Kingdom is spoken of as being present, capable of being entered now.

So we are faced made up of three facts: 1) Some passages of Scripture refer to God's Kingdom as His reign; 2) Some passages refer to it as the realm into which we may now enter and experience blessings; 3) Others refer to a future realm which will come only with the return of Christ, into which we will enter and experience the fullness of His reign. So, the Scriptures must be studied to determine by context which meaning is correct for the particular passage. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)

Fundamentally, the Kingdom of God is God's sovereign reign; but God's reign expresses itself in different stages throughout redemptive history. On occasion, God has entered human history and has abruptly changed it's course (the flood, the exodus). He has also entered human history and changed human destiny, but the manner of change has been much quieter, although no less real. I'm speaking here of the word becoming flesh and dwelling among us, speaking to us, and expressing in human form the image of God. (John 1:14; Hebrews 1:1-3) Thus man has been able to enter the kingdom of God at various stages of its manifestation, where they experience today, enjoying in part but in reality, the blessings of God's reign, while they await the fullness of those blessings to manifest when Jesus returns as King of Kings.

So when you pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," pray with thankful confidence that His Kingdom is coming, and it will fill the whole earth. But when you pray that, also ask that God's will be done in the here and now (in you, in your family, in your church, town, state, country and the world). The church especially ought to be a fellowship of people among whom God's will is being done all the time. Our lives, our churches should be a sneak preview of the Kingdom of God.

"Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:10-11)

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 2

Some theologians have reduced the Kingdom of God to the subjective realm of "here and now" describing it in terms of the human spirit in relationship to God. Others interpret it as the absolute "wholly other" which entered space and time in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Still others confine the Kingdom of God to the apocalyptic realm which will be inaugurated by the supernatural act when Jesus comes again, history is broken off and a new heavenly order begins. And to confuse things even further, since the days of Augustine, the Kingdom of God has been identified with the church: as the church grows, so grows the Kingdom. Some have extended this "Kingdom Theology" so far as to believe that the church will actually establish the Kingdom of God on earth, and then Jesus will come. This last view coincides with another theology called "Post-millennialism." It also fits, to some degree, with those who place great emphasis on the social gospel, whereby man builds the ideal social order by solving problems such as poverty, sickness, labor relations, etc. Unfortunately Marxists, Fascists, and Progressives hold similar views, totally bereft of God.


With that short background, many will say, "Enough, already! Let's go to the Word of God and see what it has to say." That's a wonderful idea, except if you were to look up every reference to the Kingdom of God for the Kingdom of Heaven in the New Testament (some 120-130, depending on the translation used) and wrote down a short summary of each verse, you would end up with a complexity of teaching. The Kingdom of God is a lot of things:

A Present Spiritual Reality: "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

An Inheritance Yet to be Bestowed: "Then the King will say to those on his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world'" (Matthew 25:34).

A Realm Into Which Believers Have Entered: [God] "has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son" (Colossians 1:13).

A Future Realm to be Entered When Christ Returns: [there] "will be provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:11).

A Future Kingdom Attended by Great Glory: [angels] "will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers...Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matthew 13:41, 43).

A Kingdom Without Signs: "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed....... for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you" (Luke 17:20-21).

Is it any wonder so many different interpretations have arisen over the ages concerning the Kingdom of God. It's a present reality and a future blessing; an inner spiritual redemptive blessing, yet has to do with the government of the nations in the world; it's a realm into which men enter now, and a realm into which they will enter in the future; it is a gift which God will bestow in the future but must be received in the present.

I hope this has captured your attention while captivating your imagination. There is a key to understanding these varied definitions and applications of the Kingdom of God. It all has to do with this question: "What is the meaning of kingdom?" In our western thinking, a kingdom is primarily a realm over which a king exercises his authority. We don't have too many examples on the world scene today. The second meaning is the people belong to that particular realm. To exclusively apply either of these two ideas to the Scriptures leads us astray. Even the dictionary definition "the spiritual realm of God" is misleading. We will stop at that point, allowing us to complete our definition of "kingdom" and thus "the Kingdom of God."

Until then, keep praying......"Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 1

The teaching series, "Birth Pangs and Fig Trees" ended last time at an interlude recorded in Revelation 10:1 - 11:14. Since it was an interlude, and since the series was evolving into a commentary of Revelation, it was probably as good a time as any to stop for a while. Additionally, God has been impressing on me more and more a need to study and teach on the subject, "The Gospel of the Kingdom." This does not represent a departure from focusing on "End-Times" matters; rather it focuses on one of the most important topics of the end-times. One of the questions most frequently asked concerning the end-times is, "When will the end come?" or "When will Christ return?" The date-setters have always failed when answering this question, but did you know that Jesus (Who, along with the rest of us does not know the day or the hour - Matthew 24:36) gave a very definitive answer to the question, "When?"

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14, NIV)

While we, along with Jesus, don't know the day or the hour, we do know the times and the season and by God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit have the ability to walk in light so that the Day of the Lord will not take us by surprise. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11). I doubt seriously that anyone will know precisely when the task mentioned in Matthew 24:14 is completed, but it does behoove us to know the gospel of the kingdom. We are told that "Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom...." (Matthew 4:23, NASB). The gospel of the Kingdom of God was the central message of Jesus' ministry. The phrase "Kingdom of God" appears in the New Testament 84 times - NIV and 90 times - KJV. The phrase Kingdom of Heaven appears 38 times - NIV and 40 times - KJV.

The Kingdom of God is basically the rule of God - the action of God's divine sovereignty and reign. It belongs to the present as well as the future. It is both limited and comprehensive. It can be resisted, and it is also absolute. It can take place in a nation, city, home or individual heart. The Hebrew-Christian faith expresses its hope in terms of the Kingdom of God. Biblical hope is not a pipe dream, but is an essential element ion the revealed will and redemptive work of the living God. The hope of the kingdom of God was seen by the Old Testament prophets as a day when men would live together in peace as described in Isaiah 2:4. (This Scripture is engraved on the walls of the UN Headquarters in New York - except the UN sees man as the one who will implement such peace, and not Almighty God.) The prophet saw a time when not only would all of the problems of human society be solved, but the present evils of man's physical environment would be no more (Isaiah 11:6)

Then came Jesus on the scene, announcing, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at

hand." (Matthew 4:17 NASB) Yet most of the Jews saw nothing of what was prophesied in Isaiah 2:4; 11:6. And today when you ask the Christian Church, "What is the Kingdom of God? When and how will it come?" you receive a bewildering array of answers. I doubt sincerely that I possess what it takes to give and answer to these questions that is both exhaustive and absolutely correct. But as we go through the study together, I am confident that the holy Spirit will give us a better understanding of this important subject than we started with.

In addition to trying to properly define the Kingdom of God, we will be looking for answers to some of these questions. Is the Kingdom just for the future; just for today; or both? What is the mysterious element of the Kingdom? What is life like in the Kingdom? Is there a righteous standard for the Kingdom? What are the demands of the Kingdom? Who gets in the Kingdom. Does the Kingdom concern just Israel, just the church, or both? What are we really praying when we pray "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven?" By God's grace I hope to stay at this to the tune of at least one blog (hopefully two) per week. Until then remember, "....unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5, NASB)