"Kingdom: Past, Present, Future"

II. The Spiritual Kingdom

A. Definition:

This kingdom is composed of all who have experienced the new birth by the Holy Spirit.

This is the Kingdom of God that Jesus spoke of to Nicodemus. It will be established in the future. "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (Jn. 3:6; Matt. 18:3)

In this age, presently, this is God's rule in the heart of the believer (conditional).

B. Emphasis

From Acts 2 until the Rapture, the spiritual kingdom and the Church Universal (mystical body of Christ-not local church) are in many ways synonymous.

C. Scripture

Mt. 6:33, 19:16, 23-24; Jn. 3:3-5; Acts 8:12; 20:25; 1Cor. 4:20; Col. 1:13-14; 4:11; 1 Thess. 2:12

III. The Mediatorial Kingdom - the whole earth

A. The Mediatorial Kingdom before the fall

Adam, before the fall, was to be the first mediator of God's kingdom on earth. God's purpose for man from the very beginning was that man was destined to rule over creation.

Man was to be ruler over the earth. Man was to obey God and subdue nature and animal life.

Gen.1:27-28 " ... subdue it; and have dominion over ... the earth"

Ps. 8:4-8 " ... you crowned him with glory and honor ... you made him to have dominion ... and put all things under his feet. .. "

B. The Mediatorial Kingdom after the fall

With the fall of man God has been working to restore man as ruler over the earth. The ultimate form of man's rule over the earth will be the Messiah's kingdom.

When Adam sinned against the Creator (Gen. 3), humans exerted an apparent autonomy from God and his universal rule. Although God's universal dominion continued, its immediacy was lost to fallen man. Human sin had veiled God's kingship.

God seems to have purposed, then, to establish an objective rule on earth, a theocratic government mediated by a human representative and comprised of a specified human constituency. This mediatorial kingdom on earth would then serve to model God-rule and God-life on fallen humanity.

Adam--(after the fall)

God did not revoke His original covenant with Adam. Adam was to multiply, subdue and have dominion over the earth.

Noah

Mediated the theocratic kingdom through the administration of justice. Noah instituted capital punishment as a recognition of the sanctity of life (Gen. 9:5-6).

With Noah's new beginning came a covenant. It was necessary now to have a covenant — with obligations for mankind and a promise from God. Because of the Flood's destruction of life people might begin to think that God holds life cheap and assume that taking life is a small matter. This covenant shows that life is sacred and that man is not to destroy man, who is made in the image of God.

In essence, then, this covenant was established to ensure the stability of nature. It helped guarantee the order of the world. People would also learn that human law was necessary for the stability of life and that wickedness should not go unchecked as it had before. So human government was brought in and established.

Abraham (Isaac, Jacob)

Father of a nation through whom God would one day administer His rule over the world.

Received the Abrahamic covenant which promised:

Land

Posterity

Blessing

With the call of Abraham, God had segregated a people ethnically as part of His purpose on earth God's covenant with Abraham is first set forth and initiated in Gen. 12:1-3. it is later reiterated in Gen. 13:14-17, ratified in Genesis 15, and signified in Gen. 17:1-8.

It is again reiterated in Gen. 22:15-18. In each case it is enlarged upon. It is later confirmed to Isaac (Gen. 26:3-5, 24) and Jacob (Gen. 28:13-15; 35:9-12; 46:1-4), and is subsequently spoken of as God's "covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" (2 Kings 13:23).

All subsequent covenant promises are reiterations, enlargements, and clarifications of parts of this original covenant made through Abraham with the nation and establishing certain national promises and hopes.

IV. The Theocratic Kingdom - only the nation of Israel

A. Definition

God's rule by means of and through a theocracy over Israel. (“theo-” = God; “-cracy” = government) A government ruled by or subject to a religious authority, a state so governed.

B. Two aspects of the Theocratic Kingdom in regards to Israel.

Mediatorial form

God ruled Israel through mediators. Moses, Joshua, Judges (Samuel was the last). Established by Moses with the giving of the Law which was the foundation for this kingdom (1405-1043 B.C.) The Mosaic Covenant.

Monarchial form

God ruled through monarchs. Saul was the first king and Zedekiah was the last king (actually a vassal ruler) to rule. Samuel marked the transition for he was the last Judge, he also anointed the first two kings. (1043-605 B.C.) The Davidic Covenant David. The Davidic dynasty continued to occupy the throne until Zedekiah.

C. Decline of the Theocratic Kingdom

During the latter stages of the monarchial form.

The Prophets

During this decline, the prophets began to announce a future form, a better form of God's kingdom program which would be the Messianic Kingdom.

When the kings apostatized, God raised up prophets as mediators of His theocratic kingdom.

The prophets had a twofold message:

They exhorted the people to repentance and obedience to the Mosaic Law in the Theocratic Kingdom.

They prophesied concerning the final form of the kingdom; The Everlasting Kingdom in which the Messiah would rule forever (beginning with the Millenium or Messianic Kingdom).

Isaiah saw a suffering Messiah as foundational to the future kingdom reign of the Messiah.

Jeremiah announced the New Covenant. It is the basis whereby God will bless Israel in the future. The New Covenant anticipates Israel as a regenerated people in the future kingdom.

Jer. 31:31-33; 32:37-40

Ezekiel envisioned a restored worship in the future kingdom (Ezek. 40-48).

Daniel saw the Messiah destroying all earthly kingdoms and establishing the Everlasting Kingdom (Millennial kingdom not clearly revealed until Rev. 20:4-7).

"Times of the Gentiles" - begins in 605 B.C. and ends at 2nd Advent of Christ.

The Theocratic Kingdom came to an end with the Babylonian destruction of — Jerusalem. The Captivity followed.

The Times of the Gentiles began with the end of the Theocratic Kingdom and continues unto this day (will end at 2nd Advent of Christ).

D. Scripture

Old Testament history from Exodus 19 through 2 Chronicles 36 is the history of the Theocratic Kingdom.

E. Between the Theocratic Kingdom and the Gospels

THE 70 YEAR BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY ...

The curses of the Mosaic covenant, however, eventually issued in the Babylonian captivity (Lev. 26:27-39; Dt. 28:36-68). This dispersion was accompanied by the stunning departure of God's theocratic presence from the temple, His place of rule (Ezek. 8-11, 11:22-25). Although the nation of Israel eventually regained its political identity, the mediatorial kingdom of God on earth had come to an end historically (Hos. 1:9).

However, God was not finished with this kingdom. The OT prophets who had forecasted its demise also consistently foretold its consummate restoration.

Lev. 26:40-45; Eze. 11:14-20; Hos. 1:10-11

THE FIRST RESTORATION OF THE NATION

Ezra

Reconstruction of the Temple and Restoration of the people.

Nehemiah

Reconstruction of the city.

Esther

Protection of God's people.

POST-EXILIC PROPHETS - Haggai, Zechariah & Malachi

With Haggai, we come to the only three post-exilic prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, all of whom spoke to the returned remnant. Their objective was to encourage their spiritual and moral life of this remnant, now back in their home land, as they sought to rebuild the temple and the nation.

Haggai and Zechariah dealt mostly with the spiritual needs as they related to the rebuilding of the temple and Malachi dealt primarily with the moral and social needs involved with the reconstruction of the nation itself.

The restored remnant were to those who would anticipate and welcome the Messiah when he would come.

Malachi 3:1 NKJV

“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.

Luke 1:16–17 NKJV

And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Luke 1:76 NKJV

“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

See also: Isa. 40:3-5, Isa. 49:6; Dan. 12:3; Matt. 3:1-6, Matt. 21:32

THE OFFER OF THE MEDIATORIAL KINGDOM (Millennium, Kingdom of Heaven)

THE GOSPELS and EARLY ACTS

A. John the Baptist

Matthew 3:1–2 NKJV

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

B. Jesus Christ

Matthew 4:17 NKJV

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

C. The Twelve Apostles, the 70 disciples

Mt. 10:1-7; Lu. 10:1-12

D. The Apostle Peter

Acts 3:12-26 “…repent and return…that He may send Jesus the Christ appointed for you...”

God offered to Israel the restoration of this historic, mediatorial kingdom in the person of the ultimate Davidic king, Jesus, at His First Advent (Matt. 3:1-2; 4:17; 21:1-9).

Jesus spoke of this kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). He preached the Gospel of this kingdom (Mt. 9:35) and sent the disciples to proclaim it to the Jews (Mt. 10:5-7). This is the "kingdom of heaven," the "kingdom of God," the "kingdom of the Father" to which Christ referred in the parables (Mt. 13, 20, 22), in His discourse on the Mount of Olives (Mt. 24-25), and in the Upper Room (Mt. 26:29).

With the rejection of the king, and offer of the kingdom, twice (Mt. 27:22-25; John 19:13-15; Acts 3:12-26; 7:46-53), the restoration of the theocratic kingdom on earth was def erred until the return of its ruler and His acceptance by national Israel (Zech. 12:10-13:9; Rev. 1:7).

With the second advent of Christ, the former, historic, mediatorial kingdom will be established on earth (Amos 9:11; Micah 4:8). As the theocracy began under Moses this renewed mediatorial kingdom will be governed under the structures of a covenant.

KINGDOM OF GOD AND KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are not the same although the same things may be true of both in many instances.

Kingdom of God:

1. The rule of God over all creation, all creatures and during all time. It is as broad as the universe (future establishment).

2. It is both physical and spiritual.

3. In its spiritual aspect it is entered only by new birth. (Jn. 3:3-6). In a very limited sense, participation in this kingdom is being experienced on the part of the church today, so that in one sense it does exist-but has not yet been established on earth. Of believers it is declared that He "hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." (Col. 1:13). In the sense that the mediatorial kingdom is a phase of the kingdom of God, believers enter it by new birth (Jn. 3:5). Thus in one sense believers actually enter the kingdom before its visible establishment on the earth.

4. It belongs to all ages from the garden of Eden to the Eternal City.

5. Ultimately, the Kingdom of God will be established on the New Earth with God, personally dwelling with all the inhabitants of the earth. All who dwell there will be sinless and death will be no more. This kingdom has yet to be established.

Rev. 21:1-8, 27; Isa. 66:22-24

Kingdom of Heaven:

1. It is the rule of God in relation to the earth, literally heaven's rule over earth. This kingdom presently is in abeyance. It will be realized at the second Advent of Christ.

2. It is the earthly phase of the universal Kingdom of God. It merges with the Kingdom of God when the Lord Jesus delivers up the Kingdom to God. The Millennium.

1 Corinthians 15:24–28 NKJV

Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

The rejection of the Kingdom of Heaven — "Kingdom Postponed"

A. As we have seen John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, the Twelve, the 70, The Apostle Peter, all offered the kingdom to the nation of Israel.

B. This kingdom was rejected twice by the nation of Israel in that generation. As a result of that rejection of the King and His Kingdom, the offer was rescinded or "taken away" from that generation (2nd offer of Kingdom in early chapters of Acts by Peter, also rejected) and from a human perspective the Messianic Kingdom was "postponed" and not to be set up at this time. From the divine perspective, (Acts 2:23) this rejection was part of God's plan and the means by which the Messiah would die to provide the atonement and by which the gospel would extend to the Gentiles (Isa. 49:1-13).

C. The kingdom will be offered again to another generation of Jews at the consummation of the Tribulation and they will accept it.

Mt. 24:14-31

Mark 13:10 NKJV

And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.