Prophecy

The Kingdom Part One

by Brian Erwin
06/18/23
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CONFUSION IN THE EVANGELICAL WORLD

Many evangelicals nowadays interpret the idea of the "kingdom" to be very confusing and are struggling to understand it. This term is often used loosely by many ministries, with missionary work being seen as an expansion of the kingdom. Some Christian political activists have claimed that they are ushering in the kingdom through their actions.

There is a major emphasis on "kingdom now" theology among Emergent Church writers. Doug Pagitt proclaims, "Kingdom of God language is big in the emerging church." [1] Brian McLaren repeats:

McLaren, Brian

Many would benefit even if only a few would practice this new way of life. Oppressed people would be free. Poor people would be liberated from poverty. Minorities would be treated with respect. Sinners would be loved, not resented. Industrialists would realize that God cares for sparrows and wildflowers—so their industries should respect, not rape, the environment. [2]

According to McLaren:

In light of this, Revelation becomes a powerful book about the kingdom of God right now, available to everyone." [3]

PREVIEW OF THE SERIES

To what extent is the New Testament-based "kingdom now" interpretation of the kingdom valid?
What are some general problems with a New Testament-based "kingdom now" interpretation of the kingdom?
Why do so many believe that the messianic kingdom has already materialized?
Is there a biblical basis for such a belief?
due to the dominance of kingdom now theology in modern evangelical thought, a fresh scriptural look at the notion of the kingdom is warranted. To this end, we begin a lengthy series on the subject of the kingdom. This series will seek to accomplish four goals. First, an biblical teaching on the kingdom of God will be surveyed from Genesis to Revelation. Such an analysis will allow us to capture God's mind on this vital subject. Second, general problems with a New Testament-based "kingdom now" interpretation will be discussed. Third, isolated New Testament texts that kingdom-now theologians use will be examined and their insufficiency in conveying kingdom-now theology will be noted. Fourth, believer should be concerned about trends in New Testament-based "kingdom now" theology since it radically alters God's design for the church.

DISTINCTION IS IMPORTANT

At the outset, a distinction must be drawn between the universal and theocratic (or mediatorial) kingdom. Such a distinction is justified since some verses present the kingdom as in a state of perpetual existence (Ps 93:1-2). In contrast, others indicate that the kingdom will be a future reality (Dan 2:44). Moreover, some verses depict the kingdom as universal in scope (Ps 103:19), while other verses picture the kingdom as earthly (Dan 2:35, 44-45). Furthermore, some verses present the kingdom as directly ruled by God (Dan 4:17), while other poems depict the kingdom as indirectly administered by God through a human agent (Ps 2:6-9). Thus, the universal kingdom is eternal, comprehensive, and under God’s direct rule. However, theological disagreement relates to the alleged manifestation of the theocratic kingdom. [4] Therefore, this series will focus not on generally acknowledged universal king but on what Bible teaches concerning claimedly futuristic and earthly i

GENESIS AND THE KINGDOM IN THE EARLY DAYS

In Genesis 1:26-28, God places Adam and Eve in authority over God's creation.

"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and the cattle and all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'"

Aside from the fact that Adam and Eve were given authority over the physical realm (fish, birds, and other living things), God arranged for humanity's first couple to govern God's creation for him. According to the technical term for this hierarchy, the office of the Theocratic Administrator refers to someone who is responsible for God's control. Therefore, God indirectly ruled the world through the first Adam.

However, Satan soon became a serpent with the goal of perverting and reversing this divinely ordained hierarchy. Instead of governing the physical world for God, Adam and Eve were influenced by creation (the serpent) to rebel against God (Gen 3). Such rebellion represented a top-to-bottom reversal of God's original intention for the office of Theocratic Administrator. Satan's success in inciting this rebellion effectively removed the office of Theocratic Administrator from the earth, as Satan became the ruler of the world (Luke 4:5-8; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2). What then is the story-line of the Bible? It is how this office is restored through the messianic kingdom. Just as God the Father originally intended to govern the physical world through Adam indirectly, He will one day rule the world through Jesus Christ direct

Many theologians have recognized the Bible's dominant theme as the restoration of the physical kingdom or the office of the Theocratic Administrator. Charles Ryrie explains it thus:

Why does an earthly kingdom seem necessary?

The late Dr. Harold Hoehner of Dallas Theological Seminary used to terrify doctoral students during oral exams by asking them how they would defend the notion of a future earthly kingdom from the Scriptures. Nervous students would usually start with Rev 20:1-10, which speaks of the future one-thousand-year reign of Christ. Hoehner then asked the student to find an earlier biblical reference to the coming kingdom, typically going first to Paul, then Christ, then the prophets, and finally, the covenants (defined later) to find scriptural support for the coming kingdom. When Hoehner again asked for something earlier, the student was forced to return to Genesis 1. The learned professor tried to get his students to understand that the theme of a future, earthly kingdom begins on Genesis 1's first page. One day God the Father will restore what was lost in Eden. He will again rule the world indirectly through a human intermediary who will not be the original Adam but rather Jesus Christ or Christ's unique God-man nature.

MOTHER-CHILD CULTURE

The next significant place in God's word that speaks to the reality of a future messianic kingdom is those sections that reveal God's covenants with His exceptional nation Israel. [These sections] explain why God created and entered into a covenant with Israel, an extraordinary nation whom He would later choose as His vehicle for exporting His messianic blessings to the world.

After distinguishing the universal kingdom from the theocratic kingdom, we observed that the notion of a coming messianic kingdom begins as early as Genesis One.
We also saw that because of the negative impact that the Tower of Babel incident had on all nations (Gen. 11:1-9), God brought into existence a special nation that He would perpetuate through the patriarch Abraham (then called Abram). Through this special nation, later called Israel, God would bring His messianic and redemptive blessings to the world (Gen. 3:15; 12:3).

THE KINGDOM AND THE BIBLICAL COVENANTS

Thus, the next place in God's word that speaks to the reality of a future messianic kingdom is found in those sections that reveal God's covenants with His ancient nation Israel. A covenant in ancient times is similar to a legal contract today, which binds the parties to the agreement to perform in a specific way. In the biblical covenants, the God of the universe legally obligated Himself to fulfill specific promises directly for Israel and indirectly for the world. Let us briefly explain the content of these covenants and then note their contribution to a promised future earthly kingdom.

Israel's foundational covenant, known as the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3; 15:18), unconditionally promises three elements to Israel: land extending from modern day Egypt to Iraq (Gen. 15:18-21), seed or innumerable descendants (Gen. 15:4-5; 22:17), and blessing (Gen. 15:1). These three promises are amplified in subsequent covenants (or sub-covenants) that God made with the nation. The land provision is amplified in the land covenant (Deut. 29-30). The blessing component is amplified in the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34). Here, God promised to write His laws on the hearts of the Jews. These three promises are further amplified in subsequent covenants that God made with the people of Israel, such as the land covenant, which promises a place to live, and the New Covenant, which promises eternal life.

Regarding the seed promises, from Abraham's many seed would ultimately come a singular seed or descendant who would procure all of the promises found in the Abrahamic Covenant for Israel consequently ushering in blessing for the nation and world. This seed aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant’s promises is later amplified in what is known as the Davidic Covenant. After God rejected Saul, who was the nation’s first king, God selected David from among Jesse’s sons (1 Sam. 16:1) leading to David’s anointing as the nation’s second king (1 Sam. 16:13). In time, God entered into a covenant with David, which promised that through David’s lineage would come an eternal house, throne, and kingdom (2 Sam. 7:13-16). In other words, God through David’s lineage would usher in an eternal dynasty and throne. The Old Testament continually reaffirms that there would eventually arise a Davidic descendant who would usher in all that was unconditionally promised to both Abraham and David (Ps. 89; Amos 9:11; Hosea 3:5; Isa. 7:13-14; 9:6-7; Ezek

TEXT

These covenantal obligations make an enormous impact upon the reality of a future earthly kingdom when it is understood that these promises are literal, unconditional, and unfulfilled. Several reasons make it apparent that these promises should be construed literally. The promises are terrestrial or earthly in nature. In fact, Abraham was told by God to walk around the very land that he and his people would one day possess (Gen. 13:17). The promises are made exclusively with national Israel rather than the church, which was not yet in existence (Matt. 16:18). While 2 Samuel 7 does mention David's seed, this is not a sufficient argument to conclude that these promises should be understood as anything other than literal and earthly. Since these promises to David are an amplification of the seed component of the Abrahamic Covenant, they share the Abrahamic Covenant's literalness and terrestrial nature.

CONDITIONAL

These covenantal obligations are unconditional. An unconditional promise is the opposite of a conditional promise, which requires some sort of performance on the part of one of the contracting parties before the other party is obligated to perform. These promises are not conditional, in that no action or performance by Israel is necessary in order for them to be fulfilled. Rather, the fulfillment of these promises rests solely in what God has obligated Himself to do.

The four reasons Walvoord provides for why the promises in the Abrahamic Covenant are unconditional are: (1) the typical ancient Near Eastern covenant ratification ceremony which God used to establish the Abrahamic Covenant; (2) that Abraham never passed through the severed animal pieces; (3) that the promises in the Abrahamic Covenant are unilateral and not subject to human error or change; and (4) that the promises in the Abrahamic Covenant will be fulfilled.

First, there are no stated conditions for Israel’s obedience in Genesis 15. If Israel had to do something before God could perform His obligations, such a condition would have been mentioned. Because there are no stated conditions for Israel to perform before God can perform, the covenant must solely rest upon God for performance. Second, the Abrahamic Covenant is called eternal (Gen. 17:7, 13, 19) and unchangeable (Heb. 6:13-18). Thus, the ultimate fulfillment of the covenant cannot rest upon the performance of fickle and sinful men. Third, the covenant is trans-generationally reaffirmed despite Israel's perpetual national disobedience. No matter how wicked each generation became, God kept on perpetually reaffirming the covenant to Israel (Jer. 31:35-37). Fourth, the covenant is unconditionally reaffirmed despite Israel's continual national disobedience because it rests purely on God's will and mercy (2 Chron. 36:23; Jer. 31:33).

UNFILLED

While some might make the argument that some parts of the covenant have achieved a past fulfillment, when construed literally, the bulk of the covenant remains unfulfilled thus awaiting a future realization. Some challenge the covenant’s unfulfilled aspects by contending that it was fulfilled either in the days of Joshua (Josh. 11:23; 21:43-45) or during the prosperous portion of Solomon’s reign (1 Kgs. 4:20-21; 8:56). However, several reasons make this interpretation suspect. For example, the extended context indicates that the land promises were not completely satisfied in the days of Joshua (13:1-7; Judges 1:19, 21, 27, 29, 30-36). In addition, the land that Israel attained in the conquest was only a fraction of what was found in the Abrahamic Covenant. Also, the land promises could not have been fulfilled in Joshua’s day since Israel had not yet conquered Jerusalem (Josh. 15:63). The conquest of Jerusalem would have to wait another four hundred years until the Davidic reign (2 Sam. 5). While some might make an argument that some parts of the covenant were fulfilled in earlier days when it was

Land of Promise

As God promised Abraham, Solomon gained a large percentage of the land, but his empire only extended to the border of Egypt (1 Kgs. 4:21) rather than the promised river of Egypt (Gen. 15:18). Constable observes that the land promises were fulfilled during Solomon’s reign:

This does not mean that the Abrahamic Covenant was fulfilled in Solomon’s day (Gen. 15:18-20), since not all of this territory was incorporated into the geographical boundaries of Israel; many of the subjected kingdoms kept their identities and territories, but paid taxes (tributes) to Solomon. According to 1 Kings 4:25, the boundaries of Israel were “from Dan to Beersheba.”

Moreover, the Abrahamic Covenant promises that Israel would possess the land forever (Gen. 17:7-8, 13, 19). This eternal promise has obviously never been fulfilled due to Israel’s subsequent eviction from the land a few centuries after Solomon’s reign (2 Kgs. 17; 25). Furthermore, if the land promises were satisfied in Joshua’s or Solomon’s day, then why do subsequent prophets treat these promises as if they are yet to be fulfilled (Amos 9:11-15)? Certainly the New Covenant's promise of God writing His laws upon the hearts of Israel has never been fulfilled. Israel's national disobedience is well chronicled in the pages of Scripture. In fact, Israel largely remains a Christ-rejecting nation to the present day.

The bottom line is that if the Abrahamic Covenant and its related sub-covenants are interpreted in accordance with ordinary earthly understandings, unconditional, and unfulfilled (in history), then there must be a future time in history in which God will make good on what He has covenanted Himself to do. God must do what He said He would do since it is contrary to His nature to lie, fabricate, or equivocate in any way (Num. 23:19). Thus, such a future fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant and related sub-covenants heightens the biblical expectation of a future, earthly kingdom.

Because the evangelical world largely believes that the church is presently experiencing the messianic kingdom, a study chronicling what the Bible teaches concerning this important issue of the kingdom began. That there will be a future, messianic kingdom on earth has been revealed thus far through the divine intention to restore the office of Theocratic Administrator (Gen. 1:26-28) that was lost in Eden (Gen. 3) and through the promise of a future, earthly, messianic reign as prophesied in the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 15) and related sub-covenants.

DEPARTURE AND RETURN OF THEOCRACY

The world was filled with sin until the Law, but sin does not impute when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of Adam, who is a type of Jesus.

Although the time period between Adam and Moses was indeed spiritually dark, the light of the office of Theocratic Administrator eventually returned to the earth through God's revelation of the Mosaic Covenant at Sinai. Despite four hundred years of bondage in Egypt (Gen. 15:13-16), God graciously redeemed and liberated His people through the Exodus. He then brought His redeemed people to Sinai and entered into a new covenant with them called the "Mosaic Covenant." Note the occurrence of the term “kingdom” as God entered into this new covenant with Israel.

In the end, if you obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will become My own possession among all peoples, for all the earth belongs to Me; you will become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation to Me. These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel” (Exod. 19:5-6; emphasis mine)

Because this is the first reference to the term “kingdom” in relation to God's kingdom in all of the Bible, it is reasonable to conclude that the office of Theocratic Administrator that was lost in Eden was restored to the earth, at least in a limited sense, at Sinai. Just as God governed indirectly through Adam in Eden, God now began to rule indirectly over Israel through His Theocratic Administrator Moses. This theocratic arrangement covered most of Old Testament history as God, even after the time of Moses, governed Israel indirectly through Joshua, and then various judges, and finally Israel’s kings.

A CONDITIONAL BLESSING FOR AN UNCONDITIONAL COVENANT

"And if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be my [servant] and have a [land] inheritance along with your fellow countrymen."

"Then you shall be My possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation if you obey My voice and keep My covenant" (emphasis mine).

Therefore, if Israel obeys the terms of the Mosaic Covenant, God will bless the nation physically, materially, and spiritually.

The technical covenantal structure in the ancient Near East for this type of agreement is known as a Suzerain-Vassal Treaty. Here, the suzerain, or a superior, enters into an agreement with an inferior, or a vassal. The vassal promises to come under the protective custody of the suzerain. The suzerain, in turn, promises to give the vassal goods and privileges. The vassal does not have to obey any specific terms of the covenant text.

If the Abrahamic Covenant and its related sub-covenants are unconditional and the Mosaic Covenant is conditional, then how does God deal with Israel under both of these covenants? The answer lies in understanding the difference between ownership and possession.

“For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it is granted him by My Father. For whoever has heard My word and has done it, I have given him the right to become My child [and receive all the blessings of inheritance] and they will inherit Father’s kingdom too.”

Those who accuse you before the Father are Moses, the one in whom you place your trust. If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. However, if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

In the end, Israel owns the covenantal blessings found in the Abrahamic Covenant and related sub-covenants, but she cannot possess or enjoy these blessings until she fulfills the Mosaic Covenant's conditions. The nation can, however, fulfill this condition by enthroning the king of God's choosing (Deut. 17:15), whose name is Christ (John 5:45-47).

Although the Abrahamic Covenantal promises and blessings are unconditionally guaranteed to come directly to Israel and indirectly to the entire world, these kingdom conditions will not manifest themselves until national Israel trusts Jesus Christ. The messianic kingdom remains in a state of postponement or abeyance up until the present hour, but one day, a future generation of Jews will comply with this condition resulting in the establishment of the messianic kingdom of God on earth. The events of the future Tribulation period will bring such a generation to faith in Christ thereby leading to the manifestation of the earthly, theocratic, messianic kingdom.

EARTHLY THEOCRACY FROM DIVIDED KINGDOM TO TERMINATION

The theocratic kingdom over Israel that God began through Moses at Sinai continued unabated through the reigns of the nation’s first three kings, Saul, David, and Solomon. Unfortunately, the prosperity that characterized Solomon’s forty year reign ended with covenant disobedience as Israel’s third king amassed wealth and multiple wives (1 Kgs. 11:1-8). Thus, God brought covenant discipline to the nation through the division of the kingdom (1 Kgs. 12). This division resulted in ten tribes forming the northern kingdom, or Israel, and the remaining two tribes forming the southern kingdom, or Judah. Two reasons made Judah in the south the focus of God’s kingdom program. First, ancient messianic prophecy indicated that the nation’s true king would one day be born into the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10). Second, the kings from David’s line reigned over Judah only. These Davidic kings are significant regarding tracing God’s kingdom program through Scripture since the previously described Davidic Covenant promised that through David’s lineage would ultimately come an eternal dynasty and throne (2 Sam. 7:13-16). The kings over the northern kingdom continued in

Thus, from 722 B.C. until the Babylonian Captivity in 586 B.C., only the southern kingdom, Judah, remained as the earthly theocratic kingdom. Unfortunately, the southern kingdom imitated the covenant rebellion of the previously dispersed northern tribes, incurring more divine discipline (Deut. 28:49-50), by means of the Babylonian Captivity. When Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the Solomonic temple and took Judah away into captivity (2 Kgs. 25; Ezek. 33:21), the earthly theocracy terminated. In other words, God governed the nation indirectly through various Davidic kings until Zedekiah, who was the last of the Davidic dynasty to reign from David's Throne. This termination of the earthly kingdom was signified through the departure of God’s Shekinah glory from the temple (Ezek. 10:4, 18-19; 11:23).

Because evangelical world largely believes that the church is presently experiencing the messianic kingdom, we began a study chronicling what the Bible teaches concerning this important issue of the kingdom. That there will be a future, messianic kingdom on earth has been revealed thus far through the divine intention to restore the office of Theocratic Administrator that was lost in Eden (Gen. 1:26-28). Likewise, the promise of a future, earthly, messianic reign was prophesied in the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 15) and related sub-covenants. It was also explained that while these covenants guarantee that the kingdom will one day come to the earth through Israel, according to the Mosaic Covenant, the kingdom's ultimate manifestation is conditioned upon the nation's acceptance of Christ as her long-awaited king during the final events of the future Tribulation period. The previous article also explained how God restored messianic authority that was lost in Eden, at least in a limited sense, at Sinai. This messianic arrangement covered most of Old Testament history as God governed Israel indirectly through Joshua, various judges, and finally, Israel’s kings until Babylonian Captivity ended messianic authority.

THE GENTILES' TIMES

This Babylonian Captivity initiated a dark time in Jewish history known as the "Times of the Gentiles." This era is defined as the period of time when the nation no longer has a Davidic king reigning on David’s Throne. During this period, Judah would be trampled down by various Gentile powers. These powers include Babylon (605–539 B.C.), Medo-Persia (539–331 B.C.), Greece (331–63 B.C.), Rome (63 B.C.–A.D. 70), as well as the future, revived Roman Empire of the Antichrist (sometimes called "Rome Phase II"). Nebuchadnezzar, in a dream, saw this time period symbolized by a beautiful, dazzling statue. Each part of the statue represents a different Gentile power (Dan. 2). In his dream, Daniel saw the same period of time in the form of four grotesque beasts. Each beast pictured a different Gentile power (Dan. 7). To Nebuchadnezzar, who was the king of Babylon or the first Gentile power to trample down Judah, this period appeared beautiful. This perspective explains why Nebuchadnezz

Note, the Times of the Gentiles, which began with Nebuchadnezzar's deposing of Zedekiah and the Babylonian Captivity in 586 B.C., are marked by the following three characteristics:

Thus, only after the final kingdom of man (the revived Roman Empire of the Antichrist) has been terminated by Christ, will the Davidic kingdom then be established on earth. This fact alone should deter interpreters from finding a premature manifestation of the kingdom in the present Church Age. Unfortunately, "kingdom now" theologians ignore this chronology by arguing for a present, spiritual form of the kingdom, despite the fact that the kingdoms of man have not yet run their course, the Antichrist and his kingdom have not yet been overthrown, and the Second Advent has not yet occurred.

...Daniel neither in the image prophecy of chapter 2 nor in the beast prophecy of chapter 7 deals with the present age of the calling out of the church, the period during which Israel is temporarily in national rejection...Daniel was given a prophetic vision of Rome up to the time of Christ's death (the two legs). The vision resumed with the resumption of the divine dealing with national Israel (after the completion of the church at Pentecost) during the period between glorification of the church and establishment of kingdom over Israel (Acts 1:6). Hence, the iron kingdom with its feet of iron and clay (cf. 3:33-35, 40, 44) and nondescript beast of 7:7-8 envision not only Gentile power (1) as it was at first advent, but also form in which it will exist after church period, when God will resume His dealing with nation Israel. How futile for conservative scholars to ignore that fact and to seek to find literal fulfillment of those prophecies in history or inchurch, when those predictions refer to events yet future and have no application whatever to church.

A KINGDOM IS ANTICIPATED BY THE PROPHETS

"In the last days it will come to pass that the mountain of the house of Yahweh will be established as the highest of the mountains, and all the nations will stream to it. And he will rule over them with a rod of iron, according to his wisdom, and they will obey him because of the fear of him. And they will live in safety from all their enemies, and no one will disturb them. "

"Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks." Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war."

According to Isaiah 11:6-9:

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. The cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

According to these wonderful predictions, when the messianic kingdom materializes, Jerusalem will be the center of world spiritual and political authority. This authority will result in perfect justice, world peace, cessation of conflict with and among the animal kingdom, and universal, spiritual knowledge. Such glorious conditions await a future Jewish generation's enthronement of the king of God's own choosing (Deut. 17:15). Such enthronement will make Israel not only the owner but also the possessor of all that is promised in Israel's covenants. As these covenantal blessings come upon Israel in that future day, the entire world will be blessed as well (Rom. 11:12, 15).

CHRIST'S COMING AND THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES

The newly inaugurated Persian government allowed God's people to return to their homeland (Ezra; Neh.). Thus, by the time of Christ, the nation had been back in the Promised Land for over five centuries. However, such long residency in the land did not mean that the Times of the Gentiles had concluded. During all of this time, Israel still had no reigning king upon David's Throne. Furthermore, as Daniel predicted (Dan. 2; 7), Israel continued to be under the domination of various Gentile powers. Powers included Persia, which was followed by Greece, and finally Rome. By the time Christ was born, Rome occupied the Promised Land, placed Israel under an enormous tax burden, and usurped from the Jews the right to execute their own criminals. Beyond this, the nation had gone through four hundred years of silence when God was not directly speaking to His people through prophetic oracles.

Against the backdrop of such silence and bondage, Jesus Christ entered into the room. The Gospel accounts identify and affirm Jesus Christ as the long-awaited Davidic Descendant prophesied in both the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants. For example, Matthew’s Gospel connects Christ genealogically to both Abraham and David (Matt. 1:17). Matthew also routinely associates Christ with the title "Son of David" (Matt. 9:27). Luke similarly shows Jesus to be the rightful Heir to God’s promises to David (Luke 1:32-33, 68-69).

Because today's evangelical world largely believes that the church is presently experiencing the messianic kingdom, we began a study chronicling what the Bible teaches concerning this important issue of the kingdom. That there will be a future, messianic kingdom on earth has been revealed thus far through the divine intention to restore the office of Theocratic Administrator (Gen. 1:26-28) that was lost in Eden (Gen. 3). Likewise, the promise of a future, earthly, messianic reign was prophesied in the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 15) and related sub-covenants. While these covenants guarantee that the kingdom will one day come to the earth through Israel, according to the Mosaic Covenant, the kingdom’s ultimate manifestation is conditioned upon the nation’s acceptance of Christ as her long-awaited king during the events of the future Tribulation period. Previous articles also explained how God restored the office of Theocratic Administrator that was lost in Eden, at least in a limited sense, at Sinai. Such restoration inaugurated a time known as “the times of Gentiles” when Israel had no Davidic king reigning on David's Throne and Judah would be trampled down by various Gentile powers

OFFER FROM THE KINGDOM

When the Abrahamic Covenant and related sub-covenants are considered in harmony with the Mosaic Covenant, Israel’s covenantal structure can best be described as an unconditional covenant with a conditional blessing. Any Jewish generation must satisfy the conditional Mosaic Covenant before they can enter into the Abrahamic Covenant’s unconditional blessings. Such a condition can be satisfied if Israel enthrones the king of God’s own choosing (Deut. 17:15). Thus, it was incumbent upon first-century Israel to enthrone Christ in order to enter into all of her covenantal blessings.

"And he said, 'These great beasts, four kings who are going to arise out of the earth, will destroy great Babylon and make it an heap of ruins.

The God of heaven will establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed in the days of those kings (Dan. 2:44).

First-century Israel had the opportunity to enthrone Him because the king was present. However, “at hand” does not mean that the kingdom had already arrived. Rather, the kingdom was near or in a state of imminence or immediate anticipation since first-century Israel could make a bona fide choice to enthrone Christ and thus enter into her covenantal blessings when the king was present.

Notice that the word “kingdom” in the expression “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” is left undefined by John the Baptist, Christ, the Twelve, and the Seventy. This lack of a New Testament definition shows that the notion of the kingdom was understood by how the concept had already been developed in the Old Testament. As we have learned, according to the Bible, an earthly kingdom anticipated in biblical covenants and prophesied by Old Testament prophets will be brought about by Christ when he rules on earth. Had first-century Israel enthroned Christ, this earthly kingdom wouldve become a reality not only for the nation but also for the entire world. Israel's covenants wouldve been fulfilled, and The Times of the Gentiles wouldve terminated.

Christ is rejected by Israel

A KINGDOM OFFER IS REJECTED BY ISRAEL IN THE FIRST CENTURY

Despite the unprecedented opportunity for the establishment of the messianic kingdom due to the presence of the king among the first century Jews, tragically, Israel rejected the kingdom offer. Why did Israel reject Christ’s kingdom offer? For at least two reasons can be given. First, Christ emphasized in the Sermon on the Mount that the kingdom was not only physical and political but also moral and spiritual (Matt. 5-7). Here, Christ reiterated what the Old Testament had already revealed that while the kingdom would certainly be earthly and terrestrial it would also be moral and ethical (Ezek. 37:23-24). Thus, citizens of Christ’s kingdom had to exhibit certain moral qualities (Matt. 5:3-12). Because Israel was far more interested in a physical and political kingdom that would overthrow an oppressive Rome than they were in a spiritual and moral kingdom (John 6:15, 26), Christ’s emphasis upon the moral characteristics of His kingdom set the stage for Israel’s ultimate rejection of His king

In addition, Israel pursued righteousness through self-effort rather than accepting Christ's imputed or transferred righteousness (Matt. 5:20). The works-oriented Pharisaical system of Israel (Mark 7:13) led the nation to stumble over Christ's simple message of righteousness can only be gained through faith alone (John 6:28-29). According to Romans 9:30-32,

"What shall we say then? Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even that righteousness which is by faith; whereas Israel, pursuing righteousness as if it were by works, did not attain it. They stumbled over THE STUMBLING STONE because they didn't pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works."

A small Jewish remnant accepted Christ's message, but the nation and its leadership stumbled over it.

The Gospels carefully reveal Israel’s rejection of the kingdom offer. The turning point is found in Matt. 12:24. When the Pharisees were unable to explain away one of Christ’s many miracles, they instead attributed the miracle’s performance to Satanic powers. At this point, the expression “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” virtually disappears from Matthew’s Gospel. The phrase does not resurface until the offer is re-extended to a distant generation of Jews during the future Tribulation period (Matt. 24:14). Such an absence signifies that God took the kingdom offer off the table when the Pharisees demonstrated unbelief when confronted by Christ’s miracles. This rejection of the offer was ratified at Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem as well as by the nation’s decision to hand Christ over to the Romans for crucifixion (Matt. 21–23; 26–27).

Pilate asked them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests replied, "We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15).

John summarizes well:

"He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him" (John 1:11).

Since Israel rejected the offer of the kingdom, the messianic kingdom was not established at Christ’s First Advent. However, while the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant prevents Israel from forfeiting ownership of the covenanted promises, first-century Israel’s lack of response to the offer of the kingdom prevented the nation from possessing these blessings. From the time of Christ up to the present hour Israel remains only the owner rather than the possessor of the covenanted promises. Just as past generations of Jews were disciplined for Mosaic Covenant violations (2 Kgs. 17; 25), Christ-rejecting first-century Israel also experienced divine discipline (Deut. 28:49-50) by means of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple resulting in over a million Jewish deaths when Titus of Rome invaded Israel thirty-eight years after the time of Christ in the horrific events of A.D. 70 (Dan. 9:26b; Matt. 24:1-2; Luke 19:41-44).

INTERIM AGE AND POSTPONEMENT OF THE KINGDOM

Christ explained the spiritual conditions that would prevail during the absence of the messianic kingdom as a result of Israel's rejection of the kingdom offer. A few preliminary remarks must be made about this new interim age before describing these spiritual realities. This interim program includes the revelation of the kingdom mysteries (Matt. 13) and the church (Matt. 16:18).

In the first place, God's knowledge that Israel would reject the kingdom offer (Dan. 9:26a) ushered in His eternal purpose for the interim age, but this does not indicate that the kingdom offer to national Israel was not legitimate or genuine. Chafer explains that an all-powerful God can accomplish His eternal purposes by using the free will of His creatures.

Was the death of Christ in danger of being abortive and all the types and prophecies respecting His death of being proved untrue until Pilate made his decision regarding that death?

Essentially, an all-powerful God used Israel's refusal of the kingdom offer as a major catalyst for the next phase of His preordained plan when it rejected the kingdom offer of its own free will. God's present work in the interim age included Christ paying the sin debt of the world through his death on the cross.