What Is The Kingdom of God? Part Six
Identifying the location of the Kingdom:
To this point in our discussion, we have identified the Kingdom as something that could be provisionally entered into while living on planet earth by living lives in obedience to the behavioral standards of the Kingdom. As covered in Part two of this series, the writings of Paul indicate that upon biological death, believers receive a transformed body. They move from being mortal to being immortal. They move from having a physical body to having a spirit body. They move from living on planet earth to living in the heavenly realm where the seat of governance for the Kingdom of God is located (1st Corinthians 15: 53-54, 2nd Corinthians 5:1-10, 1st Thessalonians 4:13-17).
However, there are a number of Scriptures that appear to say the Kingdom of God is a governing entity here on planet earth and it is on planet earth where the reign of Christ will be and where the saints will reign with Christ. The NT Scriptures show that the leadership of the first century Christian community believed and taught that the return of Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom would occur in their generation. It was largely believed this Kingdom would be an earthly Kingdom and would constitute the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom of ancient Israel.
Some theologians see Jesus and Paul teaching two different Gospels as to the Kingdom. Jesus is seen as teaching the establishment of an earthly Kingdom at the time of His return and people entering and participating in such earthly Kingdom. Paul is seen as teaching a Kingdom located in the heavenly realm and it is this Kingdom that people enter subsequent to biological death.
If indeed the Kingdom was to be an earthly Kingdom headed by Christ and such entity was indeed established in the first century, we have a real identity problem. There obviously is no visible Christ led Kingdom of God located on planet earth governing the world or any part of the world. Since no such earthly Christ led Kingdom is historically evident, it is asked where is this Kingdom that was supposed to be established at the return of Christ?
For many Christians, the answer to that question is simple. The return of Christ is believed to be in our future and therefore the establishment of the Kingdom is still in our future. However, as seen in my series “When Does Christ Return” and as acknowledged by many theologians, Jesus and His followers clearly believed and taught that His return and all related events, including the establishment of the Kingdom, would occur during the time of that first century generation when these matters were being addressed and discussed.
Because there is no identifiable Christ led Kingdom on planet earth, this matter proposes a direct challenge to the validity of what Christ and his followers believed and taught. Therefore, I felt it necessary to revisit the issue of the Kingdom and see if some sense can be made of the Scriptural narrative that on the one hand appears to teach the Kingdom is primarily a matter of behavioral dynamics with ultimate Kingdom residency being in the heavenly realm while other Scriptures appear to indicate that in addition to behavioral dynamics, actual Kingdom residency is on planet earth.
What also must be addressed is the scope of Jesus’ teaching as to the Kingdom. Both Jesus and Paul appear to equate being in the Kingdom with being given eternal life. This teaching is given within the context of the belief that the return of Christ and all related events (establishment of the Kingdom, resurrection of the dead, judgement, bodily transformation) would occur in the first century generation of the church and constitute an age ending event. The death, resurrection and return of Christ are all seen as first century events that brought an end to a specific age.
Since this is Scripturally seen as a first century age ending event, some theologians have questioned what relevance this first century age ending event has for the world since the first century. It is questioned whether the teachings of Jesus, Paul and others has relevance for us today or was what they believed and taught only relevant to their generation. Some theologians see the Christian religious system built on a false presumption that the Christ event occurred to establish a long-term Christian community as opposed to it being a moment in time event that has no relevance for the world since its occurrence some 2000 years ago.
In this series on the Kingdom, I have shown from the Scriptures that one can be in the Kingdom while living as a human here on planet earth. This is accomplished by being obedient to the behavioral standards of the Kingdom as established by Jesus and God the Father. For those who adhere to the behavioral standards of the Kingdom, the Kingdom is a present reality. Humans are provisional residents of the Kingdom by adhering to its spiritual dynamics.
I have also shown that the Kingdom has residential location in the heavenly realm from where God the Father rules the universe. It is this residential location that appears to be the destiny upon biological death. As cited above, Paul made it clear that humans must be transformed from being a physical body to being a spirit body in order to inherit the Kingdom. Humans must be changed from mortal to immortal in order to enter the heavenly location of the Kingdom.
While entering a heavenly Kingdom appears to be in view in the NT Scripture, there is Scriptural narrative that speaks to an earthly Kingdom being established in association with the return of Christ. While a number of Scriptures show the seat of governmental authority for the Kingdom of God to be in the heavenly realm where the throne of God is located, there are Scriptures that show the Kingdom as being established here on planet earth with the Son of God being king over this Kingdom. Some Scriptures show the Kingdom to be a restoration of the Davidic Kingdom of historical Israel. Let’s look at those Scriptures.
Isaiah 9:6-7 is seen by Christians as prophetic of Christ inheriting the throne of David and reestablishing the earthly Kingdom of Israel. "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this."
Since David ruled over a physical kingdom involving government, subjects and land, it would appear Isaiah is talking about someone who will reign in like manner.
When the angel Gabriel announced to the virgin Mary that she would become pregnant with the Christ child, here is what was said: “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:31-33).
The context here certainly appears to be speaking of Christ ruling over the physical descendants of Jacob (Israel) as a king who has been placed on the throne of David which we know was an earthly throne.
Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, in an apparent reference to the birth of Christ, said the following: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David. (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days” Luke 1:67-75).
Here we see an apparent reference to Christ, as a descendant of David, providing redemption for Israel and salvation from the enemies of Israel. Since it is salvation from enemies and from the hand of those who hate Israel, this appears to be describing an earthly event effectuated by an earthly ruler of an earthly kingdom. Salvation is seen here not as salvation from the consequences of sin but deliverance from earthly rulers.
This being said, it must be pointed out that Zechariah goes on to address his son John and says “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; (God the Father) for you will go on before the Lord (Jesus) to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins” (Luke 1:76-77). It is unclear whether it is John or Jesus who is seen as providing the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.” Luke 3:3 shows John preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
In Luke 3:7 John is seen as prophesying a coming wrath and in verse 9 is quoted as saying “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” John appears here to be speaking of earthly dynamics.
In Psalm 110, The LORD (YHWH) is seen as saying to the lord of David (lord here is believed to be a reference to Christ) “Sit at my (YHWH’s) right hand until I (YHWH) make your (Christ’s) enemies a footstool for your feet.” The Psalm goes on to say, “The LORD (YHWH) will extend your (Christ’s) mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!” This Psalm goes on to say this lord (Christ) will have troops in the day of battle and He will judge the nations and “will crush kings on the day of his wrath” and He will and crush the rulers of the whole earth.
Matthew 22:44: ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’
Mark 12:36: David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ (Also see Luke 20:42-43, Acts 2:34-35, Hebrews 1:13).
While there is no reference in these passages to the Kingdom of God per se, this is language descriptive of the engagement of supernatural agents in warfare against the nations and rulers here on planet earth. The Father is seen as destroying the enemies of Christ and Christ is seen as ruling in the midst of His enemies. This appears to be pertaining to earthly events as opposed to events occurring in the heavenly realm.
In 1st Corinthians15 :24-26, it is recorded that when the end comes, Jesus hands over the kingdom to God the Father. This occurs after Jesus is seen as destroying all dominion, authority and power and putting all enemies under His feet. Verse 27 records that the last enemy to be destroyed is death. What/who are the enemies, dominions, authority and powers being destroyed? Are they physical entities resident on planet earth or are they entities in the spiritual realm. What does it mean to say the last enemy to be destroyed is death and when does/did any or all of the above take place? All this is seen as happening when the end comes. What end is in view here?
The writer of the letter to the Hebrews speaks of Jesus, subsequent to His crucifixion, sitting down at the right hand of God and waiting for His enemies to be made His footstool (Hebrews 10:12-13). In this same chapter, in verse 37, the coming of Jesus back to planet earth is seen as occurring within the lifetime of those being addressed by the writer. Can we presume this is when Christ destroys His enemies? If so, who were the enemies that were destroyed?
It is to be noted that the Greek word rendered “enemies” in the above passages is ἐχθρός (echthros). Greek Lexicons define this word as “hostile, hating and opposing another.” This word is found 32 time in the NT and by context, except for the reference to death as an enemy, can be seen to apply to human Beings on planet earth and not entities in the spiritual realm. This being the case, it appears evident that when Christ is seen as destroying His enemies, it is human enemies that He is destroying.
Subsequent to His birth, Jesus was taken to the temple in Jerusalem to be presented to the Lord as required by the Law. While at the temple, Mary and Joseph were approached by a man named Simeon of whom it is said was righteous and devout and was waiting for the consolation of Israel. It is recorded that Simeon, in seeing Jesus, was moved by the Spirit of God to say, “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32).
There was also at the temple, a prophet named Anna. Coming up to Mary and Joseph, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to “all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). All who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem certainly appears to be a reference to Jerusalem being delivered from foreign domination.
In looking at these accounts in Luke chapters 1-3, it appears very apparent that there is anticipation of a new order of things coming to Israel and that this new order would be brought about through the child born to Mary and Joseph. This new order would include deliverance from those perceived as enemies of Israel. While the Kingdom of God is not directly spoken of here, when these passages in Luke are seen in the overall NT context of a restored Kingdom to Israel, it becomes apparent that an earthly Kingdom is the focus here.
As covered in Part Two of this series, Daniel writes of a succession of earthly kingdoms which will be replaced by God setting up a Kingdom that will never be destroyed, (Daniel 2:31-45). Daniel prophesied that the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms of this world will be handed over to the saints and that God’s Kingdom will be an everlasting Kingdom and all rulers will worship and obey Him (Daniel 7:28). Since the context is the replacement of earthly kingdoms with the Kingdom of God, it appears that the Kingdom of God will be a physical Kingdom located on this earth replacing other earthly kingdoms. The fact that all rulers will worship and obey the God of this Kingdom indicates we are looking at earthly dynamics here.
In Daniel 7:13-14, we see Daniel writing of one like a son of man appearing before the Ancient of Days who gives this son of man authority and sovereign power to rule all peoples and nations. His dominion is said to be an everlasting dominion that will not pass away. His Kingdom is one that is seen as never being destroyed.
The language of this passage appears to speak of a traditional type of kingdom involving a king exercising power and authority over nations and peoples. The reference to nations and peoples certainly appears to point to nations and people’s resident here on planet earth. The language of these passages gives no hint of the Kingdom of God being located somewhere other than planet earth.
As discussed in this series and in great detail in my series entitled “When Does Christ Return,” the return of Christ was anticipated to occur within 40 years or so of the ascension of Jesus. The Kingdom of God is seen as being established at the return of Christ. The language used to describe events associated with the return of Christ appears to describe earthly events.
In Matthew 19:28 and Luke 22:28-30, Jesus tells His disciples that when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, they will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. This would appear to be an earthly event. The tribes of Israel were located on planet earth not in the heavenly realm. While it is conceivable that the disciples could be ruling from heavenly thrones, this does not seem to be what is being said here.
Matthew 26:29: I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."
Luke 22:28-30: You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
When John the Baptist appeared in the Judean desert and began his ministry, his message was to repent because the Kingdom was near (Matthew 3:2). When Jesus began His ministry, His message was the same (Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15). Those hearing this message would have seen the Kingdom spoken of as an earthly Kingdom that was about to be established. In Matthew 10:5-7, Christ instructs His disciples to go to the lost sheep of Israel and preach that the Kingdom was near. You would think that the people hearing this message would have believed it was a literal earthly kingdom that was being spoken of.
In Matthew 8:11-12 and Luke 13:28, Jesus is recorded as saying people will come from the east, west, north and south and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets in the Kingdom but the subjects of the Kingdom left out and thrown into darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The language here suggests physical dynamics are involved although the presence of the patriarchs and the prophets suggests spiritual dynamics.
However, it is instructive that shortly before His ascension to the Father, the close disciples of Jesus asked him if He was at this time going to restore the Kingdom to Israel. “So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:6-8:).
The disciples of Jesus were taught about the Kingdom for over three years and they were sent out to teach others about the Kingdom. You would think they would have understood what the Kingdom was all about. You would think that Jesus would not have sent them out to preach the Kingdom message without they having a good understanding of the dynamics of the Kingdom. By asking about the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel, it is evident the disciples were thinking in terms of the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom which during David’s time was a physical Kingdom with a physical King and physical subjects.
It is instructive that Jesus does not in any way indicate their understanding of the nature of the Kingdom is incorrect. He only tells them it is not for them to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. The implication is that the Father has set the date for the restoration of the Kingdom. It is evident from the NT Scriptures that restoration of the Davidic Kingdom is what was anticipated by first century Israel, including the followers of Jesus. When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem riding on a donkey, the people associated His arrival with the establishment/restoration of the earthly Davidic Kingdom.
Mark 11:9-10: Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna!” "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest!"
Jesus coming into Jerusalem riding on a donkey was certainly indicative of His being the promised Messianic (anointed king) of Israel as this is how previous anointed kings of Israel came into town. It is instructive that in John 18:37, when Pilate asks Jesus if He was a King, His reply was, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world.” In coming into Jerusalem riding on a donkey and declaring to Pilate He was a king, it appears to clearly show that Jesus saw Himself as the king of the soon to be established Kingdom of God and that such Kingdom would be a restoration of the Davidic Kingdom.
In Luke 22:15-18, Jesus speaks of not eating the Passover or partaking of the fruit of the vine with His disciples again until it fines its fulfillment in the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of God has come. The implication is that after the Kingdom arrives, He will again eat the Passover and partake of the fruit of the vine. Since eating and drinking is a very physical activity. It appears we are looking at something occurring on planet earth and not in the heavenly realm. This would place the location of the Kingdom on planet earth and not in the heavenly realm.
As seen in Part Two of this series, Joseph of Arimathea is seen as waiting for the Kingdom to come. Joseph apparently was a disciple of Jesus and would have been familiar with His teaching as to the nature of the Kingdom. It being stated that Joseph was waiting for the Kingdom to come would appear to say that Joseph expected a literal earthly Kingdom to arrive. Is this what Jesus had been teaching?
Mark 15:43: Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body.
In Matthew 19:28, Jesus is recorded as speaking of a time He calls "the renewal of all things" which other Scripture’s show is the time when He has been glorified and begun to rule with the glorified saints. The language of this passage and several other passages indicate a literal place of rule. While we can’t be sure what Christ means by the “renewal of all things,” this could certainly be an allusion to the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom. He speaks of those who have followed Him as sitting on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel, a very earthly sounding phenomenon.
Matthew 19:28: Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
In Matthew 20:21 we have the account of the mother of James and John asking that Jesus place her sons, one on each side of Jesus in His Kingdom. In the Mark 10 account of this event, we have James and John directly asking Jesus to grant them this favor. This certainly indicates that this mother and her two sons, who were part of the group of twelve disciples, believed the Kingdom to be a literal kingdom which we know from Scriptural and Jewish history, meant a restoration of the Davidic Kingdom.
The Kingdom parables:
In Part Four and Five of this series, I discussed each of the parables Jesus gave regarding the Kingdom. Let’s now take another look at the parables Jesus told which He said illustrated what the Kingdom is like. While these parables are explained in some detail in Parts Four and Five of this series, let us review them to determine what they are saying about what the Kingdom is like in an effort to come to an understanding of the actual nature of the Kingdom and its reality or lack thereof.
The parable of the sower of seed (Matthew 13:3-22, Mark 4:3-20, Luke 8:4-15) appears to be simply teaching that some will respond with believe to teachings about the Kingdom and others will not. Jesus explains that those who received the seed that fell on good soil are those who hear the word and understand it and subsequently produce a crop. Some yield a hundred some sixty and some thirty times what was sown. The obvious teaching here is that if you understand the message of the Kingdom, such understanding must lead to a certain result. To understand the Kingdom message is to behave in such manner as to generate a measurable effect. Some will produce more and some will produce less. The crop appears to represent accomplishments attained by those responding to the behavioral dynamics of the Kingdom
In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-29, Luke: 19:11-27), discussed in Part Five of this series, it appears those who understand the message of the Kingdom are expected to produce a result commensurate with their ability to do so. They are expected to produce proportionate to the ability they have, even if that level of ability is small. The man who received just the one talent in the parable of the talents is condemned for failing to grow the one talent he was given. Here again it appears that behavioral dynamics are in view.
In these two parables, being in the Kingdom is associated with producing a result. The result is behavior commensurate with the teachings of Christ. Behavior commensurate with the Law of God. Behavior commensurate with righteousness. In other words, Kingdom living is being spoken of here and such living is seen as something producing behavior worthy of being in the Kingdom.
In the Matthew account of this parable, the man who was given one talent and did nothing with it is seen as a worthless servant and is seen as being thrown into darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. In Luke's report of this parable, the king in the parable is quoted as saying, “But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me” (Luke 19:27).
The context of this parable clearly points to Christ as the King who after receiving a Kingdom returns and rewards those who made good use of the talents given them and punishes the non-producers. The administration of reward and punishment appears as an earthy event and is seen as showing the Kingdom of God is all about accepting Jesus as King and living according to the behavioral standards He has established. Luke 19:27 appears to clearly indicate an earthly event.
In the parable of the sower of seeds and weeds (Matthew 13:24-30, Mark 4:26-29), Good seed is contrasted with weed seed. The good seed is said to stand for the sons of the Kingdom. The weed seeds are seen as those who reject Christ. At the end of the ages, comes the harvest. “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear."
In the Mark account, the good seed is seen as maturing into a good plant and then being harvested. All this is seen as being done at the end of the age. It is difficult to determine whether being thrown into a fiery furnace, weeping and gnashing of teeth and the righteous shining like the sun is figurative language or is to be taken literally. What is apparent is that, as is true of the entire NT narrative, Jesus is seen as coming to reward the righteous and punish the wicked at the close of the age, a close of age that was seen as occurring in the first century.
As mentioned above, the teachings of Paul indicate the reward of the righteous is the granting of a change from mortal to immortal and a literal transfer into a heavenly kingdom location. As with Jesus, Paul sees the wicked as not experiencing this transformation but being punished. All this is seen as occurring at the end of an age, an age contemporary with Jesus and the early church. The indication is that this is an isolated, singular event which raises the question as to what relevance any of this has for our time or the 2000 years that have passed since this event.
Let’s take a look at what Jesus said as recorded in Luke 13:22-30, a passage I briefly discussed earlier in this series.
Luke 13:22-30: Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”
It should be noted that Jesus is speaking to people of His generation and telling them to enter through the narrow door and that there will be many who will not be able to do so. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). In both these passages, the message is that only a few will gain entrance into the Kingdom of God. In Luke 13, as is true of other Scriptural passages that discuss the Kingdom, Jesus is seen as speaking to His contemporaries and telling them about the conditions that must be met in order to enter the Kingdom. Are these conditions still necessary 2000 years later, or is Jesus addressing a place in time event that pertains only to those He was addressing and has nothing to do with those living in generations subsequent to that of Jesus?
As seen in the Luke 13 passage, as is true of a number of other Scriptural passages, the Kingdom appears to have location. It is an actual identifiable place where people will eat together. Either this is all metaphorical language or we are looking at the Kingdom being a place and not just behavioral dynamics. However, it is behavioral dynamics that are seen as critical to entering the location of the Kingdom. Jesus appears to be saying that few will meet the behavioral requirements of the Kingdom and therefore few will be able to enter the Kingdom. As pointed out elsewhere in this series, entering the Kingdom is equated with receiving eternal life. Is this only pertaining to a first century anticipated event or is this speaking to a much broader audience and time coming down to our time and beyond?
Since it is the meeting of certain behavioral requirements that gets one into the Kingdom, this raises a series question about the general Christian doctrine of salvation by faith and not by works. It would appear the parables about the Kingdom all suggest that our works are what gets us into the Kingdom. The parables as to what the Kingdom is like are all about righteous behavior as the pathway to entry into the Kingdom. While Christian salvation doctrine emphasizes the grace of God as our ticket to eternal life and entrance into the Kingdom, the Kingdom parables emphasize obedience to the teachings of Christ and the Law of God as the ticket to eternal life and residence in the Kingdom. This is made plain in the following teaching of Jesus.
Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
The parables of the mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:31-32, Luke 13:18-19), and the yeast and dough (Matthew 13:33, Luke 13:20-21), show how the Kingdom begins small but continues to expand. The parables of the treasure in a field (Matthew 13:44) and pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45-46), show how valuable the Kingdom is and how one should give up everything in order to be a part of it. These parables appear to indicate that the Kingdom is an actual place and that it is so magnificent that it has far more value than anything else one could strive for. If these parables are speaking of a place as such, is this a Kingdom located in the heavenly realm or is it a Kingdom being established on planet earth? Does its expansion relate to increasing numbers of individuals entering it and if so, is this increase being experienced on planet earth, in the heavenly realm or both?
The parable of the net full of fish (Matthew 13:47-50) likens the Kingdom to a net full of fish where the fish are sorted out with the good ones kept and the bad ones thrown away. Jesus explains this as symbolizing what will happen at the end of the age when “angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them (the wicked) into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." This parable is teaching the same thing the parable of the seeds and weeds is teaching. At the end of the age, the wicked will be separated from the righteous. The phrase “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth,” is used here again as it is in Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the seeds and weeds.
Here again Jesus speaks of the separation of the righteous and the wicked taking place at the end of the age. The end of the age is unquestionably seen in the NT as occurring in that first century generation Christ is addressing. This being the case, what relevance, if any, does this have beyond the first century?
The parable about the settling of accounts (Matthew 18:23-35), appears designed to show the King of the Kingdom to be a merciful King and one who expects those in the Kingdom to be merciful as well. Failure to be merciful results in being barred from entering the Kingdom. This dynamic of behavior, as well as seemly all behavioral dynamics taught by Christ, appears to pertain to how we behave as physical Beings on planet earth. Therefore, being in the Kingdom is largely seen as pertaining to our earthly existence.
As covered in Part Five of this series, this parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16), appears to be telling us that regardless of who you are or when you come into the Kingdom, you will receive the same level of grace. This parable doesn’t identify whether the Kingdom as seen here is spiritual in nature or identifies as a place of residence. The parable of the two sons in Matthew 21: 28-31 is interesting in that it speaks of tax collectors and prostitutes entering the Kingdom ahead of the religious leaders Jesus was addressing. Here the Kingdom appears to be seen as behavioral dynamics as the tax collectors and prostitutes are seen as changing their behavior to conform to the teachings of Jesus whereas the religious leaders are not doing this.
In the parable of the tenants (Matthew 21:33-45), Jesus appears to be directing this parable at the religious leaders of His day. He was predicting how the Kingdom designed for them would be given to others. Jesus then tells them that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from them and given to a people who will produce its fruit. So here again we see the Kingdom characterized as something that has to do with behaving in a certain way. However, this also appears to identify the Kingdom as an entity having location. You wouldn’t take away behavioral dynamics and give them to someone else. What appears to be being said here is that an actual entity called the Kingdom of God will be taken away from the religious leaders and given to those who will meet the behavioral requirements of the Kingdom.
The parable of the wedding banquet (Matthew 22:1-14, Luke 14:16-24), characterizes the Kingdom as an invitation going out to the Jews to come into the Kingdom but they refuse. Instead, some of the invitees are said to have seized his servants, mistreated them and even killed some of them. The king was enraged and sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
This seems to be a parable that predicts the destruction of Jerusalem as a punishment for the Jews refusal to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus told the Jews that they would be dashed to the ground within the walls of their city and not one stone would be left on another, because they did not recognize the time of God’s coming to them (Luke 19:44).
Here again, the dynamics discussed in the parable appear to be very earthly in nature and have nothing to do with entering a Kingdom located in the heavenly realm. It would appear the wedding banquet parable represented the time when the saints would join Jesus at the wedding banquet pictured in the Revelation.
Revelation 19:7-8: Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints
It is to be noted that it is said the bride has made herself ready and the fine linen stands for the righteousness of the saints. If the Kingdom parable of the wedding banquet is being represented here in the Revelation, it is another example of people being inducted into the Kingdom based on they having made themselves ready by practicing righteous behavior. This seems to fly in the face of the popular Christian doctrine that says we are saved by grace and not by works.
In Luke 7:28, Jesus, in speaking of John the Baptist, says this: “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” To speak in terms of some being least in the Kingdom of God suggests there are rankings in the Kingdom of God. What are such rankings based on? One would think they are based on one’s works.
In Matthew 19, Mark 10 and Luke 18 is the account of the rich man asking what he must do to gain eternal life. Jesus tells him he must keep the commandments and then goes on to name several of the Ten Commandments from the Torah. The man tells Jesus he has kept the commandments since his youth. Jesus then tells him to become perfect he needs to sells all he has and follow Jesus. The man is unwilling to do this and Jesus says how hard it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom. As is seen in Part One of this series, Mark 12: 28-34 makes it quite clear that the pathway to entering the Kingdom is keeping God's commandments.
As seen throughout this series, eternal life is concomitant with entering the Kingdom of God. Works of righteousness appear to be the pathway to the Kingdom and therefore eternal life. As will be seen below, the sheep and goats' metaphor appears to suggest that entrance into the Kingdom is based on works.
In the parable of the wedding banquet, a man is seen as coming to the banquet without the proper wedding garment. The king tells his attendants to bind this man hand and foot and throw him outside into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This weeping and gnashing of teeth motif is used several times by Christ in discussing the fate of those who reject Him and fail to meet the requirement for being in the Kingdom. Here again, works appear to be a requirement for gaining entrance into the Kingdom.
The parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) instructs that the Kingdom will come at a yet to be determined moment and there needs to be a sustained readiness for the coming of this event. In Matthew, this parable was given on the heels of the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24) where the destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem is predicted. This end of the age event is seen as when Christ returns and the Kingdom is established. Was this Kingdom meant to be a physical Kingdom replacing Roman rule? If it was, it is obvious that didn’t happen and we are looking at a failed prophecy.
If the Kingdom being established at the return of Christ is in the heavenly realm, this seems problematical as the Scriptures teach that the Kingdom of God in the heavenly realm has always existed as this is where the throne of God is and from where He has always ruled the universe.
The sheep and the goat parable (Matthew 25: 31-46)
While this saying of Jesus is not presented as a parable about the Kingdom per se, it is presented as a metaphor about the establishment of the Kingdom and entrance into said Kingdom. Jesus says that “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne and all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:31-32).
The sheep are seen as those who have behaved according to righteous standards and the goats are seen as those failing to behave according to righteous standards. The Son of Man (King Jesus) is seen as saying to the sheep, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matthew 25: 33-34). The goats are told, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” and they are told “they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matthew 25: 41, 46). Once again, righteous behavior is seen as the pathway to entering the Kingdom.
The wording of this event described in Matthew 25 appears to point to it involving the peoples of earthly nations. The Greek word rendered “nations” is ἔθνη (ethnē). It appears 163 times in the NT and by context can be seen to refer to earthly peoples. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines this word as a “multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together.”
Jesus is pictured as coming in glory with all the angels and sitting on a glorious throne and all the nations gathered before Him. He then is seen as separating the righteous from the unrighteous with the righteous given inheritance into the Kingdom which is equated with being given eternal life (Verse 46). The unrighteous are seen as being cursed and cast into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. They are told they will go away to eternal punishment. The “they” may be referring only to the unrighteous humans or to both the unrighteous humans and the devil and his angels. There is nothing here to suggest this event is taking place in the heavenly realm. This appears to be an earthly event.
In another statement of Jesus, He says the following: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38). This statement is made in the context of Jesus seeing the generation He was addressing at the time as the generation that would experience His coming. Since establishment of the Kingdom is scripturally tied to Christ's coming, it is this first century generation that would experience the establishment of the Kingdom.
Summary:
In an effort to arrive at some consensus as to the location of the Kingdom, I will now look at each one of the matters discussed above and go where the evidence appears to take us.
Isaiah 9:6-7 speaks of a person who will reign on the throne of David, ruling over David’s Kingdom and having the government on his shoulders. He is seen as establishing and upholding justice and righteousness from the time he takes over to forever. Since David ruled over a physical kingdom involving government, subjects and land, it would appear Isaiah is talking about someone who will reign in like manner which means ruling through a Kingdom here on planet earth.
The angel Gabriel told the virgin Mary that the child she would give birth to (Jesus) would be great, would be called the Son of the Most-High, would be given the throne of His Father David, would reign over Jacob’s (Israel’s) descendants forever and His Kingdom would never end. This narrative certainly appears to be speaking of a Kingdom located here on planet earth. In Matthew 2:6, the writer identifies Jesus as a ruler who will shepherd the people of Israel.
Matthew 2:6: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, in an apparent reference to the birth of Jesus, says the God of Israel has come to His people to redeem them. Zechariah sees God as raising up a horn of salvation in the house of David to provide salvation from their enemies. As stated above, this appears to be describing an earthly event effectuated by an earthly ruler of an earthly kingdom. Salvation is seen here not as salvation from the consequences of sin but deliverance from foreign rule.
Daniel writes of a succession of earthly kingdoms which will be replaced by God setting up a Kingdom that will never be destroyed. Daniel wrote that the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms of this world will be handed over to the saints and that God’s Kingdom will be an everlasting Kingdom and all nations and peoples will be subject to the rule of this Kingdom and will worship and obey God, the King of this Kingdom. The language here speaks of a world ruling government that will rule over all the earth and over all other ruling powers. This appears to be speaking of a Kingdom located on planet earth.
In Acts 14:22, Paul and Barnabas teach that “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” While this could be saying that many hardships would be experienced before entering the Kingdom in the heavenly realm, it can easily be seen as first century Christians being told they will face many hardships in their effort to enter the Kingdom that would be established on planet earth at the anticipated return of Christ in their generation. It does not appear that entering the Kingdom in this passage is about entering its spiritual/behavioral dynamics. Those hearing Paul were people who had already embraced the spiritual/behavioral dynamics of the Kingdom. Paul appears here to be talking about entering an actual location called the Kingdom of God.
In 1 Corinthians 15:24, Paul writes that when the end comes, Christ will hand over the Kingdom to God the Father “after he (Christ) has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.” Is this destruction of all dominion, authority and power taking place in the heavenly realm or here on planet earth. Verse 25 says, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” This all sounds like warfare here on planet earth. Hebrews 1:13, 10:13 and 10:27 all speak of Jesus destroying his enemies.
The 1st Corinthians 15:24 passage speaks of Christ handing the Kingdom to God the Father. This shows the quantifiable nature of the Kingdom. You wouldn't be handing behavioral dynamics over to the Father. The Kingdom appears to be a ruling authority having a governmental power structure that can and does rule over any and all other nations and their kingdoms. This appears to be a very earthly phenomenon.
In Revelation 11:5, the writer speaks of, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” Here again is a statement of earthly dynamics taking place involving the Kingdom of God.
Revelation 12:5 speaks of Jesus becoming a king who will rule all nations with a rod of Iron. In Revelation 2:26-27, Jesus is seen as addressing the angel of the church at Thyatira and telling them they with Him will rule over nations with a rod of iron. In Revelation 19:15 the Son of God is seen as ruling the nations with a rod of iron. This all appears to be speaking of an actual ruling entity exercising governmental authority and rule over earthly nations.
In Romans 15:12, in speaking of Christ, Paul speaks of Isaiah saying, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.” Here again we find ruling over nations associated with Christ in what appears to be a reference to an earthly rule. The existence of nations is an earthly phenomenon. There is nothing in Scripture about nations in heaven or Jesus ruling nations in heaven.
In Revelation 21 and 22, the writer is shown a New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven to planet earth. In Revelation 21:3 we read, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” Revelation 21 goes on to describe the magnificence of the city. In 21: 24 we read, “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.” Verse 26 reads, “The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.” Revelation 22:3 says, “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him." These servants are seen as reigning with God and the lamb (Christ) for ever and ever (22:5). Revelation 22:15 speaks of wicked people living outside the city.
Here we see a heavenly prepared city being placed on planet earth with God and Christ dwelling in this city where their throne will be and where their servants will serve them. The kings of the earth are seen as bringing splendor and glory and honor into this city. In Revelation 22:6 we read, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.” In 22:12 and 20, Christ is recorded as saying He is coming soon. The implication is that when He comes is when this Holy City is going to be set up.
In much of the Revelation we see narrative about the establishment of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, it would appear to follow that establishment of the New Jerusalem is connected with the establishment of the Kingdom. Since the New Jerusalem city is seen as being established on planet earth it would appear to follow that the Kingdom of God is established on planet earth. If that is the case, where is this Kingdom with its New Jerusalem? To futurists, the answer to this question is simple. You can’t find such a Kingdom because it hasn’t come yet. Futurists simply ignore the dozens of statements found in the NT that point to the return of Christ and all related events occurring in the life time of the first century Christians.
The Preterist view:
As discussed in my series of essays entitled “When does Christ Return,” the return of Christ and all associated events is clearly identified in NT Scripture as a first century event. This includes the establishment of the Kingdom of God. This being the case, how is the narrative about a city called the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven to be understood? Preterists (believers in a first century fulfillment) generally believe the Kingdom to be a spiritual Kingdom with its location in the heavenly realm and not on planet earth.
Therefore, the narrative in the Revelation about a New Jerusalem city coming down to earth is seen as metaphoric. A metaphor is a figure of speech that expresses one thing in terms of something else. Since there is no visible city called the New Jerusalem in evidence on planet earth and yet it is believed, in accordance with the Scriptures, that Christ returned to earth 2000 years ago and established the Kingdom, some preterists believe the narrative describing the city called New Jerusalem in the Revelation is figurative/metaphorical language describing the church and the New Covenant.
Revelation 21:2 speaks of the Holy City (The New Jerusalem) “coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” What follows is a description of the Holy City. Preterist theologians see this description as a metaphorical description of the church represented as the bride of Christ (the lamb of God). It is believed this perspective is supported in Ephesians 5:25-27 where Paul speaks of Christ loving the church and presenting her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In 2nd Corinthians 11:2, Paul speaks of promising the Corinthians to one husband which is Christ.
Other preterists see the New Jerusalem as a spiritual representation of man’s reconciliation with God. The New Jerusalem is seen as representing life in the Kingdom and our New Covenant relationship with God. The Kingdom is seen as a spiritual phenomenon with location in the heavenly realm. Preterists believe that John seeing an old heaven and earth being replaced by a new heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1) is representative of the Old Covenant being replaced by the New Covenant. Preterists point to the writer to the Hebrews speaking of coming to Mount Zion and to the city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12). The context here appears to indicate this is figurative language pointing to our New Covenant relationship with God (see verse 24).
This preterist view as to the nature of the New Jerusalem (Holy City) is compatible with the overall view of a first century return of Christ and establishment of the Kingdom as a spiritual entity. This spiritual view, however, is not compatible with the many Scriptures we have been reviewing which point to an earthly (physical) Kingdom. Let's look at more such Scriptures.
In what is called the “Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus instructed His listeners to pray to the Father, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). This appears to be a request made to the Father to establish His Kingdom on earth so that the Father’s will can be done on earth as it is in heaven. In heaven is the throne of God the Father. Certainly, His will is always done in heaven. This prayer is asking that His will be done in like manner on earth. Is asking for the Kingdom to come asking for a literal governing authority to be established on planet earth or is Christ here speaking of the spiritual dynamics of the Kingdom?
Some see asking for the Kingdom to come and God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven is to ask that the spiritual dynamics (behavioral requirements) of the Kingdom be established and present on planet earth. During His ministry, it is principles of Kingdom living that was a prominent feature of Christ's teachings.
However, Jesus told His disciples that when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, they will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. This certainly appears to be speaking of a ruling authority. Sitting on a glorious throne and the twelve setting on thrones and judging is not speaking of the Kingdom as a spiritual dynamic. It is speaking of an actual ruling authority. Since the tribes of Israel were located on planet earth and not in the heavenly realm, this certainly appears to be speaking of this ruling authority being on planet earth. While it is conceivable that the disciples could be ruling from heavenly thrones, this is not in any way suggested here and there certainly isn't any evidence of this.
John the Baptist preached repentance because the Kingdom was near. Jesus preached the same thing. Christ instructed His disciples to go to the lost sheep of Israel and preach that the Kingdom was near. Jesus is recorded as saying people will come from the east, west, north and south and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets in the Kingdom but the subjects of the Kingdom left out and thrown into darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Those hearing this message of a coming Kingdom would very likely see this Kingdom as an earthly Kingdom and Jesus speaking of earthly dynamics. However, the reference to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets being present is a little puzzling. Could it be that these men are being seen as having been resurrected from the dead and ruling with Christ in a restored Davidic Kingdom?
In Luke 8:1 it is recorded that “Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him,” What was it that they heard Jesus proclaiming about the Kingdom. Was it just behavioral requirements of the Kingdom or was He also teaching about a restoration of the Davidic Kingdom? Was He proclaiming the establishment of a literal earthly governing authority called the Kingdom of God?
Shortly before His ascension to the Father, the close disciples of Jesus asked him if He was at this time going to restore the Kingdom to Israel. The disciples of Jesus were taught about the Kingdom for over three years and they were sent out to teach others about the Kingdom. You would think they would have been taught by Jesus a correct understanding of what the Kingdom was all about before being sent out to teach others. Were they sent out to only teach the behavioral requirements of the Kingdom or were they also teaching about an actual restoration of the Davidic Kingdom? By asking about the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel, it is evident the disciples were thinking in terms of the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom which during David’s time was a physical Kingdom with a King and subjects.
It is apparent that after over three years of training as to what the Kingdom was, it was their understanding that the Kingdom was not only spiritual dynamics of righteous behavior but an actual restoration of the Davidic Kingdom. Jesus does not in any way indicate their understanding of the nature of the Kingdom is incorrect. He only tells them it is not for them to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. The implication is that the Father will or has set the date for the restoration of the Kingdom. This is telling them that the Kingdom is an actual entity having location and is to be restored in their future.
It is evident from the NT Scriptures and extra Biblical documents that restoration of the Davidic Kingdom is what was anticipated by first century Israel, including the followers of Jesus. When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem riding on a donkey, the people associated His arrival with the establishment/restoration of the earthly Davidic Kingdom. Jesus coming into Jerusalem riding on a donkey was certainly indicative of His being the promised Messianic (anointed king) of Israel as this is how Solomon came into Jerusalem to be coronated King of Israel (See 1st Kings 1:33-44, Zechariah 9:9).
When Pilate asks Jesus if He was a King, He replied that he was. His reply that He was a King and coupled with His coming into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, seems to clearly show that Jesus saw Himself as the king of the soon to be established Kingdom of God and that such Kingdom would be a restoration of the Davidic Kingdom.
As seen in Part Two of this series, Joseph of Arimathea is seen as waiting for the Kingdom to come. Joseph apparently was a disciple of Jesus and would have been familiar with His teaching as to the nature of the Kingdom. It being stated that Joseph was waiting for the Kingdom to come would appear to say that Joseph expected a literal earthly Kingdom to arrive which means this is how he understood Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom.
The mother of James and John asked that Jesus place her sons one on the right and one on the left side of Jesus in His Kingdom. This certainly indicates that this mother understood the Kingdom to be a literal kingdom which, as we know from Scriptural and Jewish history, meant a restoration of the Davidic Kingdom.
The Parables (One More Look):
Let's take one more look at the Kingdom parables. In the parables of the sower of seed, the talents and the seeds and weeds, Jesus showed that some will respond with belief to the teachings about the Kingdom and others will not. Those who respond in belief are seen generating a measurable legacy of righteous behavior for which they are rewarded with entrance into the Kingdom. Unbelievers are seen as being condemned.
In one parable account, the king speaks of having his enemies brought before him and killed. In another parable account, Jesus is seen as sending His angels to weed out of His Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. These folks are seen as being thrown into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth while the righteous are seen as shining like the sun in the Kingdom of the Father.
In Mark’s account of the seeds and weeds, these events are seen as occurring at the end of the age. It is difficult to determine whether being thrown into a fiery furnace, weeping and gnashing of teeth and the righteous shining like the sun is figurative language or is to be taken literally. What is apparent is that, as is true of the entire NT narrative, Jesus is seen as coming to reward the righteous and punish the wicked at the close of the age, a close of age that was seen as occurring in the first century when the Kingdom would be established. The events pictured in these parables appear to be earthly events and therefore speak of an earthly Kingdom being established.
The parables of the mustard Seed and the yeast and dough show how the Kingdom begins small but continues to expand. The parables of the treasure in a field and pearl of great price show how valuable the Kingdom is and how one should give up everything in order to be a part of it. These parables appear to indicate that the Kingdom is not just behavioral dynamics but an actual place having actual location and that it is so magnificent that it has far more value than anything else one could strive for.
As previously noted, entrance into the Kingdom is associated with entrance into eternal life. All three of the synoptic gospels record the account of Jesus and His interaction with a rich man. This rich man came to Jesus and said how he has kept all the commandments and asked what else he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus instructs him to give his riches to the poor and come and follow Jesus. The rich man appears unwilling to do this and Jesus speaks of how difficult it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God which appears equal to saying it is difficult for a rich man to inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:16–24, Mark 10:17–25, Luke 18:18–25). So, we see here how entering the kingdom and eternal life are synonyms.
This being the case, it is instructive as to what Jesus said as recorded in Mark 9:45-46. “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.”
Pictured here is a dichotomy of either life (being in the kingdom) or death (being outside the Kingdom) based on how one behaves in this physical life. While Jesus’ use of physical mutilation would appear to be figurative, He still uses physical dynamics in speaking of entering life (the Kingdom) or not entering life (not entering the Kingdom). When this teaching of Jesus is placed into the overall context of the Kingdom Scriptures we have reviewed, it would appear Jesus is speaking of an earthly Kingdom where the righteous reside and the unrighteous do not reside.
Getting back to the parables, it appears the parable of the net full of fish is seen as symbolizing what will happen at the end of the age when angels are seen as coming to separate the wicked from the righteous. The wicked are seen as thrown into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Here again Jesus speaks of the separation of the righteous and the wicked taking place at the end of the age. The end of the age under consideration is unquestionably seen in the NT as occurring in that first century generation Christ is addressing as is clearly Scripturally documented in my series "When Does Christ Return."
The parable about the settling of accounts appears designed to show the King of the Kingdom to be a merciful King and one who expects those in the Kingdom to be merciful as well. Failure to be merciful results in being barred from entering the Kingdom. This dynamic of behavior, as well as seemly all behavioral dynamics taught by Christ, appear to pertain to how we behave as physical Beings on planet earth. Therefore, being in the Kingdom is largely seen as pertaining to our earthly existence.
The parable of the workers in the vineyard appears to be telling us that regardless of who you are or when you come into the Kingdom, you will receive the same level of grace. The parable of the two sons speaks of tax collectors and prostitutes entering the Kingdom ahead of the religious leaders Jesus was addressing. Here the Kingdom appears to be seen as behavioral dynamics as the tax collectors and prostitutes are seen as changing their behavior to conform to the teachings of Jesus whereas the religious leaders are not doing this.
In the parable of the tenants, Jesus tells the religious leaders that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from them and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Here again we see the Kingdom characterized as something that has to do with behaving in a certain way and thus representing earthly dynamics.
This parable sees Jesus as destroying His enemies. I asked earlier who these enemies are. Preterists see the Jews living in Judea at the time of Christ as His enemies and Christ coming in judgement against them by having their temple and city destroyed. However, it appears that it was mainly the Jewish religious leadership that were the enemies of Jesus. The common people embraced Jesus as witnessed by his welcome into Jerusalem as seen in John 12:13. So if indeed the enemies that Jesus destroyed were the Jews of His day, multiple thousands of innocents were destroyed along with the religious leaders. While it is true that killing of innocents is usually a consequence of warfare, it seems a little strange that such killing of innocents would be facilitated by Jesus. You would think the killing of Jesus' enemies would have been limited to His enemies and not create the kind of collateral damage that occurred
On the other hand, some scholars believe the destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem had nothing to do with judgement from God but was the result of simple geopolitical dynamics at work. Judea was a province of Rome. The Jews were raising up in rebellion against Roman rule. Rome intervened to put down the rebellion. The destruction the Jews experienced is seen as coming about as the natural result of a powerful empire stopping an insurrection in one of its provinces, something that has occurred many times throughout history.
Josephus records that there was much infighting among the Jews themselves which led to much death and destruction before the Romans even entered the city. The refusal of the Jewish war party to surrender, gave Rome no choice but to do what they had to do to end the rebellion. Under this perspective, the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem is not seen as a punishment from God but of Rome taking care of business as any ruling empire would do.
In the parable of the wedding banquet, the Kingdom is characterized as Jews being invited by a king to come into the Kingdom but refusing to do so and instead, seizing the king’s servants, mistreated them and even killed some of them. The king is enraged and sends out his army and destroys those murderers and burns their city.
As discussed above, this seems to be a parable that predicts the destruction of Jerusalem as a punishment for the Jews refusal to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus told the Jews that they would be dashed to the ground within the walls of their city and not one stone would be left on another because they did not recognize the time of God’s coming to them (Luke 19:44).
The dynamics discussed in this parable appear to be very earthly in nature and have nothing to do with entering a Kingdom located in the heavenly realm. As discussed above, it would appear the wedding banquet parable represented the time when the saints would join Jesus at the wedding banquet pictured in the Revelation.
The parable of the ten virgins instructs that the Kingdom will come at a time future to them and they need to maintain a sustained readiness for the coming of this event. Failure to do so will result in being banned from entering the Kingdom. The parable of the sheep and goats, like some other of the Kingdom parables, speaks of the Son of Man coming in His glory with all the angels with Him. All the nations are gathered before him where He will separate the righteous from the unrighteous. The righteous are seen as inheriting the Kingdom which is seen as synonymous with receiving eternal life while the unrighteous are seen as being cursed and thrown into eternal fire. Here again, the language appears much more earthly than heavenly.
Isaiah 11:
In Part Two of this series, we briefly looked at Isaiah 11 which speaks of the restoration of Israel facilitated by an agent of YHWH God referred to as the "root of Jesse." Jesse is seen in Scripture as the father of David. In Revelation 22:16, Jesus identifies himself as the root and descendant of David.
Isaiah 11 speaks of a time when "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:6-9). (For a more comprehensive discussion of Isaiah 11, go to: "Old Testament prophecy and Jesus Part Five."
The context of Isaiah 11 is bringing the Israelite's out of captivity they are in because of their disobedience to YHWH. This is seen as being accomplished through a ruler ordained by YHWH God who will facilitate this return from exile. Isaiah speaks of YHWH reclaiming the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean.
Therefore, it is apparent that the circumstances described in Isaiah 11 are contemporary with Isaiah’s time. However, if one is to take literally what is written in Isaiah 11:6-9, there is nothing in the history of Isaiah’s time or in the history of the world showing anything close to happening as what is described in this passage. Since both Christians and Jews tend to take this passage literally and since Isaiah 11:6-9 hasn't happened to date, they both see what Isaiah wrote about as occurring in our future. For Christians it will happen at a future to us second coming of Christ when The Kingdom will be established. For Jews, the events described in Isaiah 11 will occur at what they believe will be the first coming of Christ.
For preterists, who believe Christ returned at the time the temple was destroyed in AD 70, much of Isaiah 11 is seen as figurative language reflecting the establishment of the New Covenant and its spiritual dynamics of reconciliation and salvation through the Christ event. However, this approach to Isaiah 11 may be a stretch. The circumstances described in Isaiah 11 are earthly circumstances involving earthly nations, warfare and physical human beings and animals. This being the case, if indeed Isaiah 11 is describing the establishment of the Kingdom of God, it would be an earthly Kingdom that is being spoken of.
The NT makes it evident that Jesus, Paul, Peter and other NT luminaries all believed that Christ would return in their generation to establish the Kingdom. If Isaiah 11 is describing the establishment of the Kingdom as believed by Christians and Jews, then the dynamics described in Isaiah 11 should accompany such establishment. However, we see nothing of the kind occurring in the first century or at any time since. Futurists say this is the case because Isaiah 11 will be fulfilled at the time of a future to us return of Christ.
However, a future to us return of Christ is incompatible with the belief of Jesus, Paul, Peter and other NT luminaries that the return of Christ would occur in their generation, a perspective seen throughout the NT narrative.
Conclusions:
In the Scriptural passages reviewed above, the Kingdom appears to be an earthly Kingdom administered by Christ along with those who were given entrance into this Kingdom. This Kingdom appears to be a ruling government over existing earthly peoples and nations. This Kingdom is seen as being established at the time Christ returns at the end of the age. The NT narrative reveals that this end of age timeframe occurred in the first century generation that Christ was addressing in His teachings.
If indeed the return of Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom did occur in the first century and the Kingdom was to be established on planet earth as indicated in the Scriptures reviewed in this essay, Where Is It? There is no evidence that such a Kingdom was established in the first century or at any time since. The world has continued to exist with its various political, religious, cultural and social systems along with its wars, evils and upheavals for over 2000 years since the first century with no apparent Kingdom of God ruling over it.
To the futurist, this is proof the coming of Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom is still future to us. However, many church historians, theologians and Biblical scholars clearly see that the NT leadership of the first century church believed and taught a first century establishment of the Kingdom. Since there is no identifiable Kingdom of God on planet earth, some see this as evidence that Jesus was mistaken about both His return and the establishment of a Kingdom. If this should indeed be the case, the entire Christian theological/doctrinal system becomes highly problematical.
Some see the Kingdom as a spiritual entity/reality based on Jesus saying His Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36) and He telling the religious leaders that the Kingdom is within one (Luke 17:20-21), thus signifying its spiritual/behavioral nature. However, as discussed previously, we can't be sure what Jesus meant by these statements. When He said His Kingdom was not of this world, was He referring only to its administrative authority which is at the throne of God? If so, this could allow for its actual location or an extension of its location to be established on earth at the time of Christ's return. Under this perspective, the Kingdom was truly not of the world Jesus lived in prior to His death but was to be evident in a new world Kingdom to be established at the time of His second coming.
When Jesus said the Kingdom is within you, was He speaking only in terms of the Kingdom's behavioral requirements but not of its actual location? After all, how could the location of a Kingdom that is characterized as a ruling government be inside a person? As seen throughout this series, there are dozens of Scriptural passages that speak of the Kingdom being near and as something you can enter and should strive to enter. It should be apparent that Jesus' one recorded statement about the Kingdom being in you must be a reference to the behavioral dynamics of the Kingdom and nothing more.
Preterist theologians see the return of Christ and establishment of the Kingdom as occurring in conjunction with the destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem during the AD 66 to AD 73 war with Rome. Christ is seen as coming in judgement against first century Israel through the vehicle of the Roman armies through which the power of the Kingdom is manifested.
Preterists tend to see the Kingdom as a spiritual entity with its location and rule manifested in the heavenly realm. It is from the heavenly realm that the Kingdom of God and Christ rule over the physical/material realm. Much of this belief is based on the teachings of the Apostle Paul in his letters to the Corinthians and the Thessalonians where the Kingdom is seen more in heavenly terms rather than earthly terms. As mentioned above, some theologians believe Paul was teaching the Kingdom to be of a different nature from that of what Christ was teaching.
The problem with the preterist spiritual perspective of the Kingdom (as well as Paul’s) is that Scriptures reviewed in this Part Six essay appear to show the Kingdom is a ruling earthly government administered by Christ. As seen in Scriptures cited above, the child (Jesus) that is born is seen as having the government upon his shoulders and establishing peace, justice and righteousness (Isaiah 9:6-7). These are all earthly dynamics. Where is the evidence that such a reign of Christ as this has been established? Where is this Kingdom?
As cited above, when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would become pregnant with the Christ child, he told her that this child would be great and that the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever and his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:31-33). This appears to be an earthly reign. Where is the evidence for such reign of Christ?
Earlier, we looked at Revelation 5:10 where it is written that God, through the blood of Christ, has made men from every tribe, language, people and nation a kingdom of priests to serve God and they will reign on the earth. If indeed a ruling Kingdom was established at the time of a first century return of Christ, we should be seeing men from every tribe, language, people and nation ruling as a Kingdom of priests here on planet earth. Where is the evidence for such a rule.
If indeed Christ returned in the first century to establish the Kingdom of God on planet earth, that Kingdom should be in evidence today and for the past 2000 years. We should be looking at a very different history of the world than is the case. Because such Kingdom is absent from the world, the Scriptural teachings that point to its establishment in the first century appear to be highly problematical.
In view of the Scriptures reviewed above, the Jewish community of the first century AD expected a literal establishment of a restored Davidic Kingdom that would deliver them from their enemies (Roman rule). In view of the Scriptures reviewed above, this is what Jesus was prophesied to do (Luke 1:67-75, Psalm 110). This is what His disciples anticipated and expected.
What the Jews got was just the opposite of what they expected. Instead of their enemies being destroyed, their enemies destroyed them. Their temple was destroyed. Their city Jerusalem was destroyed. Much of the land of Israel was left in shambles. Tens of thousands of Jews were killed or taken into captivity by the Romans. What they got was a severe military defeat.
One has to wonder what would have happened if the Jewish leadership would have accepted Jesus as the promised Messiah to Israel? Would the war have been averted? Would Jesus have become the King of Israel? As King, would he have ousted the Romans? How would becoming King correlate with His dying for the sins of the world?
Preterists believe the Roman military victory over the Jews was orchestrated by Christ as a judgement against first century Israel for failing to recognize and accept Jesus as the Messiah (Luke 19:44). Secular historians see this defeat as nothing more than a ruling earthly government (Rome) reacting to an insurrection in one of the provinces it governs. No supernatural involvement is seen here. No action or establishment of a Kingdom of God is seen here.
Furthermore, in addition to the establishment of the Kingdom, the Scriptures teach that at the return of Christ, the dead are raised, living Christians are transformed from being mortal to being immortal and both the living and the dead are judged (See 1st Corinthians 15, 2nd Corinthians 5 and 1st Thessalonians 4). All this was believed and taught by the leadership of the developing Christian community to occur in their generation.
Where is the evidence that any of this actually occurred? As discussed in Part Two of this series and in more detail in my series entitled “When Does Christ Return: Part Fifteen,” there is no documentation in Scripture or outside of Scripture that these events actually occurred. There is only a great deal of narrative saying that these events were anticipated and expected to occur and that such occurrence would take place during the lifetime of first century Christians.
Did the leadership of the first century church have it right? Did the return of Christ and all related events actually take place in the first century? Did the anticipation and expectation of these events become a reality? To preterists, these events had to occur in the first century because this is what it is believed the Scriptures reveal as to the timeframe for these events to occur.
Anyone (preterist or non-preterist) who is willing to do an objective analysis of the NT Scriptures, will discover that the leadership of the first century church believed and taught a first century fulfillment. These same Scriptures show this is what Jesus believed and taught as well. Since it is believed the men who believed and taught these things were inspired by God, they must have been correct in their understanding of when these events were to take place. If this isn’t the case, we have series problems with the creditability of these men, including Christ.
What complicates this matter big time is the fact that we find the church leadership at the beginning of the second century AD believing and teaching a future to them fulfillment of these events. They believed and taught that these events had not yet occurred. It is asked how could an event as momentous and significant as the return of Christ not be known by the leadership of the early second century church, a period of time only 30 to 40 years removed from the war with Rome when the return of Christ was thought to have occurred along with all related events.
Go to "When Does Christ Return Part Fifteen" and then go to "Preterist View Seen as Problematic" for a comprehensive discussion of this issue.
Since the Scriptures we have reviewed in Part Six of this series strongly indicate that the establishment of the Kingdom of God was/is an earthly establishment and was to occur at the time of a first century return of Christ, the question remains: Where is this Kingdom?
It obviously is not visibly present. Is it spiritually present? We have discussed Scriptures that appear to tell us that to enter the Kingdom one has to be transformed from having a physical body to having a spirit body. Paul certainly taught this as seen in 1st Corinthians 15. Paul said that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom. Since the Kingdom is seen as a ruling authority and yet not currently visible here on planet earth, is it a non-visible, non-physical ruling authority over planet earth?
If it is a non-visible ruling authority that was established at the time of a first century return of Christ, the question still remains, where is it? If it exists as a spiritual ruling authority, you would think there would be evidence of that in the world. There is no such evidence. As stated above, the world has continued to exist with its wars, evils and upheavals for over 2000 years since the first century with no apparent Kingdom of God ruling over it in any fashion.
If the establishment of the Kingdom is future to us as believed by most Christians, such conclusion is incompatible with the Scripturally documented belief of it being seen as established in conjunction with a first century return of Christ.
In view of what the Scriptures reveal as to when the Kingdom was to be established and its seemingly earthly nature, the absence of such a Kingdom in any apparent form or fashion on planet earth presents a significant challenge to the Christian community and to the validity of its overall Christian theological/doctrinal system.