Kingdom--Past, Present, Future

Defining the Kingdom

Discovering the New Testament: An Introduction to Its Background, Theology, and Themes, Volume I: The Gospels & Acts Definitions of the Kingdom

The kingdom of God can be defined as the “governing activity of God as ruler; the time and sphere in which God’s kingly power [sic] will hold sway.” This definition suggests that the kingdom is primarily what God does, and secondarily, the sphere in which God’s reign is experienced and accepted.

A. M. Hunter describes the kingdom as “a power breaking into this world from the beyond, through the direct action of the living God. It is God invading history for us men [and women] and for our salvation.”

C. H. Dodd, based on its Old Testament and Judaistic background, suggests that the kingdom of God “is the idea of God, and the term ‘kingdom’ indicates that specific aspect, attribute or activity of God, in which He is revealed as King or Sovereign Lord of His people, or of the universe he created.”

G. E. Ladd describes the kingdom as God’s “kingship, His rule, His authority.”

The Kingdom: The Here, But Not Yet Theory

“Already/not yet” is the view that the kingdom of God has already been inaugurated in the person and ministry of Jesus Christ but will not reach consummation until his return in glory. Nah, D. (2018). The Already and the Not Yet. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Lexham Press.)

This idea takes the kingdom of God out of its original context and places it within a context that is most relevant to the reader of any particular generation. Consequently, such claims as the one given by Albert Schweitzer has been made— that Jesus got the date wrong. That is, the kingdom did not come in the first generation as Jesus thought it would.

The kingdom was here since the Old Testament, but was yet to be during the new age of the Messiah. Isaiah spoke of this:

Isaiah 33:22 CSB

22 For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King. He will save us.

Isaiah 40:9–11 CSB

9 Zion, herald of good news, go up on a high mountain. Jerusalem, herald of good news, raise your voice loudly. Raise it, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10 See, the Lord God comes with strength, and his power establishes his rule. His wages are with him, and his reward accompanies him. 11 He protects his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in the fold of his garment. He gently leads those that are nursing.

Notice, Isaiah claims Jehovah as Israel’s King in Isaiah 33:22. He has always been Israel’s King since their election. However, Jehovah will become the earth’s King as stated in Isaiah 40:9-11.

The reason for this contrast is due to the fact that there is open rebellion in the earth that causes opposition.

The Bible has a obvious and subtle distinction: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven.

The Kingdom of God speaks of God’s sovereignty and royal rule. However, the kingdom of heaven has a connotation that draws the reader to the domains of the ruler. Heaven is God’s place and the rule is secured. However, heaven is yet to be ruled and conquered. The message is that the rule of God is surely on the way.

Ideas of the Kingdom in Judaism

Discovering the New Testament: An Introduction to Its Background, Theology, and Themes, Volume I: The Gospels & Acts The Kingdom in the Different Strands of Judaism

THE KINGDOM IN THE DIFFERENT STRANDS OF JUDAISM

Clearly, different strands of Judaism had different views of the kingdom of God. These views can be broken down further:

1. Jewish apocalypticism: In broad terms, apocalyptic literature conceived of a cosmological dualism that sees the world as a battleground between good and evil, God and Satan. This age is characterized by suffering and struggle, and ultimately God will intervene and overthrow evil and establish his reign. The book of Revelation falls into this category as a Christian apocalypse.

2. Qumran/Essenes: At Qumran, the separatist group saw themselves as participating in the eschatological era. They also looked to a future in which God would intervene and destroy the gentiles and give triumph to the people of light.

3. Pharisaic Judaism: The Pharisees focused on the law through which God was present in the world. They also looked to a future consummation of God’s reign. This would be achieved by God alone, but may involve messianic agency.

4. Targums: These Aramaic paraphrases of Scripture understood the kingdom as God revealing himself dynamically and personally in the present and future. There is great interest in Mount Zion and the Davidic Messiah in the Targums.

5. Zealots: The Zealots believed that the kingdom could be ushered in through violence against the gentile invaders of Israel. This conflict, it was hoped, would ignite a messianic war.

6. Sadducees: The Sadducees were more cooperative with the occupying Romans and concerned to maintain the status quo. They believed the age of God’s promise had begun with the Maccabees and was sustained under their own leadership. They rejected a future intervention of a Messiah, seeing the kingdom as a process, not a future event.

Five Characteristics of the Kingdom Jesus Declared

Discovering the New Testament: An Introduction to Its Background, Theology, and Themes, Volume I: The Gospels & Acts Continuity and Discontinuity

1. From Israel to the world: The kingdom is a dynamic and not a geographic concept; it stretches across and within the whole world and is not geographically localized in Israel. Rather, it is found in any locale where Christ is honored as King, and his Spirit fills the heart. It is exercised through God’s people in every part of society where these people serve their King.

2. Jesus Christ at the center: It is a concept intimately linked to a person, Jesus the Christ, Son of God, Son of Man, and Lord.

3. Entrance not through becoming Jewish but through faith in Jesus: Entrance into the kingdom is through relationship with Jesus (repent, follow, believe, obey) rather than being based on the covenant, law, or Jewishness. Hence, new believers are under no obligation to yield to torah—especially its boundary markers, circumcision, Sabbath and feasts, food laws, and purity protocols.

4. A present and future kingdom: Whereas for Israel that viewed the kingdom as a purely future hope, the kingdom is here in the present in Christ and by God’s Spirit, and will be consummated in the future at the return of Christ. In other words, it is imminent and not merely a future hope. The kingdom has come in the middle of history, not at the end of history as expected (further below).

5. A subversive kingdom: The kingdom appeared in a quiet, gentle manner, not through dramatic upheaval involving God’s glorious intervention to subdue the world to his rule. It is extended unobtrusively, permeating the world quietly through humble service, proclamation, and works of justice.