The Christian & Politics (Part 5)

Many of the Words We Categorize as “Religious”…

Have Historically Been Considered “Political”

We’ve Spent the Past Couple Weeks Looking at “Gospel”

Gospel = The Good News of Victory or Enthronement

Now We’re Going to Look at a Word that is…

Deeply Intertwined with Gospel:

“Kingdom”

You Can’t have the “Gospel” Without the “Kingdom”

Mark 1:14–15 (NASB95)

14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

What is the Gospel Message that John and Jesus Came Preaching?

“The Kingdom of God is at Hand”

Matthew 4:23 (NASB95)

23 Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

The Gospel was Often Called:

“The Gospel of the Kingdom”

But What is the “Kingdom”?

Root Word = “King” = basileus

“Kingdom” = basileia

basileia = the Act of Ruling/Reigning

The Kingdom of God/Heaven is…

The Rule/Reign of God/Heaven

Jesus Came Bringing the Good News that God’s Rule/Reign was Coming

To Get a Better Idea of What that Meant to the People…

We Need to Look at the OT Scriptures

They Foretold of the Coming Kingdom…

And Reveal to Us the Expectations of the Israelite People

Throughout the OT Period, God is Considered Israel’s True King/Ruler

But There was Long Predicted that…

Human Kings would Eventually Arise in Israel

They have the Role of Mediator King

They wouldn’t Rule in the Place of God…

But on God’s Behalf

The First Prediction of a King Coming from Israel is in:

Genesis 49:10 (NASB95)

10 “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

Jacob was Prophesying to His Sons Before His Death…

And this is Part of What He Said to Judah

A Dynasty of Kings would Come From Judah

In the Law of Moses, God Gave Laws Concerning…

Kings of Israel, Though They weren’t Yet a Kingdom (Deut. 17)

Toward the End of Gideon’s Story in the Book of Judges…

The People Want to Make Him Their King

Judges 8:22–23 (NASB95)

22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son’s son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.” 23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you.”

Those Who were Faithful to God…

Didn’t See the Need for a Human King to Rule Over the People

God was Their King/Ruler

He Fought Their Battles for Them

He Provided Them with All Their Needs

He Governed Them with Judges, Prophets, and a Divine Law

He was All They could Ever Need

But, They Eventually Demand a Human King to:

Fight Their Battles

Provide for Them

Govern Them

That Leads to Samuel Anointing Saul and David

Saul and David were to Rule the People on God’s Behalf

They were Not the Ultimate Rulers of Israel

They were Mediator Kings Who Ruled Underneath God

They were the Rulers of GOD’s People, Not THEIR People

When David Wanted to Build God a House…

God Said this:

1 Chronicles 17:11–14 (NASB95)

11 “When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12 “He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 “I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. 14 “But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”

The Kings Ruled on God’s Behalf Over His People

But God is King/Ruler Over All Things

Psalm 103:19 (CSB)

The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 95:3 (NASB95)

For the Lord is a great God And a great King above all gods,

As Time Went on…

The Kings of God’s People Stopped Ruling According to His Will

This Led to God Giving Them Up to the Assyrians and Babylonians

Before & During the Period of Exile…

The Prophets Began to Foretell…

Of a Time When God will Once Again…

Rule Over His People

And this Time, His Kingdom/Rule/Reign will Never End

Daniel 2:44 (NASB95)

“In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.

And He will Place Another Human Over His Kingdom…

As a Mediator King

And He will Remain on the Throne Forever…

Because He will Represent God and Do His Will Perfectly

Daniel 7:13–14 (NASB95)

“I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.

And the Kingdom of God…

Under the Rulership of this Everlasting King…

Will Establish Justice and Righteousness Forever

Isaiah 9:6–7 (NASB95)

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

Jeremiah 23:5–6 (NASB95)

5 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. 6 “In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The Lord our righteousness.’

Israel is Expecting God to Reestablish His Kingdom/Reign/Rule…

With a New Messiah (Anointed King)…

Who will Rule in Righteousness & Justice

And When There is Righteousness & Justice in the Land…

God’s Blessings Rain Down from Heaven

There will Be Peace and All will Be Good

Just Listen to this Description:

Isaiah 11:1–9 (NASB95)

1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; 4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.

5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist. 6 And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. 7 Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 65:17–25 (NASB95)

17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. 18 “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for gladness. 19 “I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying.

20 “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed. 21 “They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 “They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands. 23 “They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord, And their descendants with them.

24 “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. 25 “The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the Lord.

This is What is in the Minds of the Jewish People…

When They Hear “The Kingdom of God/Heaven is at Hand”

That’s the Gospel Message

You Can’t Find Any Better News than that

When We See Talk about the Kingdom in the NT…

This is What’s in the Back of Their Minds

I Grew Up Hearing, “The Kingdom is the Church”

No, the Church are the Citizens of the Kingdom…

And the Recipients of All of the Amazing Blessings…

That God Through His Messiah is Going to Make into a Reality

Kingdom is Not Just a Religious Word

It’s Extremely Political

The King Came to Initiate and will Come Again to Complete…

His Global/Universal Takeover

To Destroy His Enemies

To Establish Justice & Righteousness

To Bring Everlasting Joy, Peace, and Bliss

Next Time We’ll Take a Look at “Kingdom” in the NT

Specifically, We’ll See How Political Leaders Responded to it