What about the Kingdom?
When was the last time you heard about the kingdom of God? What was the last sermon you listened to that spoke about the kingdom of God, in more than passing terms? What was the last Christian book you read that said anything about the kingdom of God that was more than lip service? When was the last time you read a church’s doctrinal statement that said anything about the kingdom of God? It’s as if the theme of God’s kingdom has gone missing from evangelicalism.
The Overarching Theme
The exciting phrase the kingdom of God can seem allusive term because it is multi-faceted. But it is multi-faceted precisely because it is such an important theme in the Bible.
We read about “the gospel of the kingdom” (Matt. 4:23, 9:35, 24:14) because the good news of Jesus cannot be separated from the kingdom. Often times, the gospel and the kingdom are synonymous, such as in Luke 9 where it says that Jesus sent the apostles out to proclaim the kingdom and God and it then states that they proclaimed the gospel. How the gospel and the kingdom relate is an issue of great debate, but it is clear from the New Testament that they are linked in some inseparable way.
In fact, the Bible says that when Philip preached to the Samaritans, he was “preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts. 8:12). Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, ascension, exaltation, enthronement, and promised return are all inseparable aspects of the kingdom of God or steps toward bringing about the fulfillment of His kingdom in stages.
Patrick Schreiner states,
The Bible is most fundamentally a narrative, and the kingdom of God is the thematic framework for that narrative… The story of the Bible is the story of the King and his kingdom (The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross, p. 14, 26).
G. E. Ladd writes,
This theme of the coming of the Kingdom of God was central in His [Jesus’] mission. His teaching was designed to show men how they might enter the Kingdom of God (Matt. 5:20; 7:21). His mighty works were intended to prove that the Kingdom of God had come upon them (Matt. 12: 28). His parables illustrated to His disciples the truth about the Kingdom of God (Matt. 13). (Gospel of the Kingdom: Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God, pp. 14-15)
In George Peter’s three-volume work on premillennialism, he writes, “The kingdom deserves the first place in Biblical and the first rank in Systematic theology… In view of its extent, the doctrine exceeds all others in magnitude, enfolding in itself nearly all doctrine.” (1:31, 33)
While I would not place the kingdom of God over and above the person and work of Christ, his point is well taken. In fact, it is echoed by John Bright, who wrote,
The concept of the Kingdom of God involves, in a real sense, the total message of the Bible. Not only does it loom large in the teachings of Jesus; it is to be found, in one form or another, through the length and breadth of the Bible (The Kingdom of God, p. 7; cf. Eternity to Eternity, by Sauer, p. 89)
In his book, The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text, Sidney Greidanus writes:
The Bible as a whole teaches one, all-encompassing history of the kingdom of God… The hermeneutical implication of the biblical view of history is that every biblical passage must be understood in the context of this grand sweep of kingdom history (chapter 4).
In other words, preachers must show how any passage fits in the wider theme of God’s kingdom. Yet, this rarely happens. One pastor said, “The unifying theme of Scripture is the glory of God through the advancement of His kingdom” (Tony Evans), yet how often does this come across in our churches and in our preaching?
Even evangelism should be flavored with kingdom terms. When Paul arrived in Ephesus “he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8). I can’t tell you when I last heard a preacher say something about the kingdom of God when preaching an evangelistic sermon. Yet, the apostles did this regularly (e.g. Acts 20:25, 28:23, 31).
Old Testament Expectations
Jesus began His ministry, proclaiming, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). All the Jewish hopes and expectations—their hope for the Messiah (or King), hope for the new covenant that had been promised in Jeremiah—all these Old Testament hopes came under the umbrella of the kingdom of God.
So, as we read the Old Testament, where God makes all the promises that create all the expectations and hopes of fulfillment, we need to see the Old Testament as being fundamentally about the kingdom of God because that is what Jesus came on the scene to fulfill. That’s why Jesus said that one of the purposes for which He sent was to proclaim the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43).
In Continuity and Discontinuity, Walter Kaiser tells us that, “According to R. T. France’s count, there are some sixty instances (not including parallels) in the teaching of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels where this phrase [the kingdom of God] points to the heart of his mission.” Jesus entered human history to begin fulfilling the kingdom of God because that is what Old Testament saints continually looked forward to according to God’s promises (Gen. 3:15, 49:10; Num. 24:17; 2 Sam. 7; Ps. 89; Isa. 9; Dan. 7).
It’s no wonder that a recent book is entitled, The Spine of Scripture: God’s Kingdom from Eden to Eternity. Indeed, some people would outline the whole Bible in this way:
Old Testament
The pattern of the Kingdom (Genesis 1-2)
The perished Kingdom (Genesis 3-11)
The promised Kingdom (Genesis 12-50)
The partial Kingdom (Exodus to 2 Chronicles)
The prophesied Kingdom (Isaiah to Malachi)
New Testament
The present Kingdom (Matthew to John)
The proclaimed Kingdom (Acts to Jude)
The perfected Kingdom (Revelation and OT prophecies)
The Preaching of Jesus
Jesus preached on the kingdom of God more than any other topic: The kingdom of heaven now belongs to the poor in the spirit (Matt. 5:3,“theirs is the kingdom,” not just “will be” in the future. Cf. Luke 12:32). Many nations will dine with the patriarchs in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 8:11). Jesus commanded the apostles to preach the kingdom (Matt. 10:7). Jesus sent the twelve out to proclaim the kingdom of God (Luke 9:2).
The man who wanted to bury his father was told by Jesus to “proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60). People can become disciples of the kingdom of God (Matt. 13:52). Jesus frequently spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God (e.g. Luke 9:11, 10:9-11, 11:20, 13:18-21, 13:29, 16:16, 17:21, 18:16-17, 18:24-29, 21:31, 22:16).
Whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the kingdom (Matt. 18:4) and no one can enter the kingdom unless he becomes like a child (Matt. 18:3; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17). The kingdom of heaven, a synonym for salvation in this context, is compared to a merciful king who forgave his slave billions of dollars in debt (Matt. 18:23f).
Jesus instructed the seventy to proclaim, “The kingdom of God has come near to you” (Luke 10:9). “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for service for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). Many of Jesus’ parables are about the kingdom of God. Is there any doubt as to what Jesus wanted people to know His ministry was about? (Luke 8:1, 9:11). Jesus constantly preached about the kingdom and saw the kingdom as a grand narrative that everything fit into, yet, we rarely hear preaching like this today!
The Already/Not Yet Tension
Some of the difficulty is related to the “already/not yet” tension. The Bible says that we have already been transferred into the kingdom of Christ (Col. 1:13; 1 Thess. 2:12) and yet we pray for God’s kingdom to come and know that the time when the wolf and the lamb lie down together is still future (Isa. 11:6, 65:25). Because Jesus the Christ/King is the ruler of the kings of the earth, “He has made us be a kingdom” already (Rev. 1:6)—and this was written to the church (cf. Rev. 1:5).
The MacArthur Study Bible notes that the kingdom of God is “God’s sovereign rule over the sphere of salvation; at present in the hearts of His people (Luke 17:21), and in the future, in a literal, earthly kingdom (Rev. 20:4–6)” (note on Mark 1:15). This touches on the already/not yet aspects of the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed on the soil and sees his crop grow – a description of this present time, before the age to come (Mark 4:26). We will see God’s kingdom in the future because we have been born again (John 3:3, 5). People make sacrifices for the kingdom of God now, even if we await a greater fulfillment of it in the future (Luke 18:29). Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like a good seed (believers) and weeds or tares (unbelievers) that are growing at the same time in the kingdom because it is not merely future, but a present reality (Matt. 13:24-30, “Let both grow together until the harvest”).
We sometimes gloss over the wise men calling Jesus “king of the Jews” (Matt. 2:2) or the mockers calling him the same, or the title on the placard above His head on the cross but make no mistake about it: this is all about the kingdom of God.
Schreiner states, “On the cross, the sign read, ‘The King of the Jews.’ There the King was crowned in the most unexpected way… Jesus was enthroned on the cross, and it is only through the cross that the kingdom comes.” (The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross, p. 134)
Some would protest this, saying that Christ won’t reign as king until He returns and Israel is restored, but this cannot be sustained in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He reigns now as the Davidic king, the Messiah, the inaugurated King seated on the throne who will rule the world and keep His promises to Israel after He returns. It’s both/and not either/or.
Countless Old Testament passages, particularly in the prophets, describe the future conditions of the kingdom, when the curse is reversed (before it is removed), and when justice, righteousness, and peace will prevail. This can only happen after Christ returns, and yet various passages speak about aspects of the kingdom being enjoyed today because the King has come, has died for our sins, has arisen from the dead, has been seated at the right hand of the Father as the exalted Lord and King, has saved us, has sent His Spirit, and is making all things new. There are workers now for the kingdom of God (Col. 4:11), but we will inherit the kingdom after we die or when Christ returns (1 Cor. 15:50). And we could ponder the meaning of Paul’s teachings, such as:
….for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 14:17)
For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power. (1 Cor. 4:20)
Kingdom Growth
The kingdom is like a mustard seed that grows; it’s like leaven (Matt. 13:31-35). Why did Jesus use these analogies? Because the kingdom would not merely come cataclysmically as it will in His 2nd coming, but it will grow slowly and pervasively in this age too, in some form or fashion. It is hidden, unseen, like leaven at work or a seed in the ground, but it is there.
Ladd sums it up,
Our problem, then, is found in this threefold fact: (1) Some passages of Scripture refer to the Kingdom of God as God’s reign. (2) Some passages refer to God’s Kingdom as the realm into which we may now enter to experience the blessings of His reign. (3) Still, other passages refer to a future realm which will come only with the return of our Lord Jesus Christ into which we shall then enter and experience the fullness of His reign… God’s reign expresses itself in different stages through redemptive history. Therefore, men may enter into the realm of God’s reign in its several stages of manifestation and experience the blessings of His reign in differing degrees. (Gospel of the Kingdom: Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God, p. 22).
If we understand God’s kingdom as God’s people, in God’s place, under God’s rule and blessing, we see that the kingdom comes in various stages. Or, “the kingdom is the King’s power over the King’s people in the King’s place” (Schreiner, p. 18, cf. note 9 on p. 26).
A Multi-Faceted Diamond
Notwithstanding debates about the Millennium, looking at the kingdom of God is like looking at a diamond. It’s multi-faceted. For instance, it’s spoken of as a realm we enter (Matt. 19:24; Mark 9:47; Luke 18:16; 2 Pet. 1:11). In the same breath, Jesus can speak about receiving the kingdom now and entering it later (Luke 18:16-17). He spoke about people entering the kingdom in His day (Luke 16:16). Study the interaction between Jesus and the “thief” (insurrectionist) on the cross, and you’ll see that Jesus’ promise of salvation that day was a kingdom promise made from the dying lips of the King.
The kingdom is spoken of as having been manifested on earth (Luke 10:9, 11:20). The kingdom was previewed in Jesus’ transfiguration (Mark 9:1-8). It’s spoken of as a heavenly kingdom (2 Tim. 4:18; cf. John 18:33-40). It’s spoken of as a physical kingdom (Isa. 11; Rev. 22:1-5 which refers to the eternal Kingdom that Christ hands over to His Father, cf. 1 Cor. 15:24). The kingdom will include resurrected people, Christ ruling from a physical throne, and His people dwelling in peace and righteousness on a physical creation.
Jewish Expectations vs. Jesus’ Teachings
The first-century Jews were expecting a purely physical kingdom, with a Messiah who would destroy Rome’s occupation of the Promised Land and usher in Paradise. Jesus repeatedly taught that the kingdom was coming in unexpected ways. To begin with, it would not merely destroy rebels and usher in the messianic age, because, again, Jesus’ parables speak about believers and nonbelievers living together in this current phase of the kingdom (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43, 47-52).
Jesus was constantly reshaping their expectations by explaining that the kingdom will come through a suffering servant, not a conquering king (at first). He helped them see that the kingdom was and is a present reality (Luke 17:21 [“in your midst” or “within you”; Matt. 12:28 [by casting out demons, the kingdom has come upon people]), even though it waits for future fulfillment. The shock of hearing, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:20-21) must’ve been overwhelming. But Jesus was explaining the growth of the kingdom in this age before its consummation in the age to come.
Prophecies about Jesus tell of Him fulfilling the promises made to David about the kingdom of God. Isaiah 9 speaks about the child born to us, a wonderful counselor, mighty God, caring for us like a father for eternity, the Prince of Peace. We hear this often during Christmas, but rarely explore the next verse:
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore. (Isa. 9:7)
Yet, Luke speaks about this kingdom in and around the birth narratives. Gabriel told Mary, “…You shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” (Luke 1:31-33)
Because of this, and many other reasons, some theologians say that the messianic kingdom was inaugurated at Christ’s first coming and exaltation to the throne in heaven and will be consummated when He returns. There is a healthy debate about this among revised dispensationalists and progressive dispensationalists. But, the point is this: the Bible undeniably speaks about the kingdom coming with the King first’s coming and that through His salvific work, Christians are a part of that kingdom now (Col. 1:13; Rev. 1:6).
Allusions
In addition, the kingdom of God is so ubiquitous, it is spoken about countless times without using that specific phrase. For instance, when Christians are called a royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9) this is using kingdom language. When Hebrews says that Jesus was crowned with glory and honor (Heb. 2:9), that is kingdom language, probably echoing Psalm 2. Philippians 2 does not use the term “kingdom” when referring to Jesus’ incarnation, death, and exaltation/enthronement and future reign, but it is nevertheless kingdom talk.
Psalms 93 and 96 do not use the word “kingdom” but are all about the kingdom of God. Psalm 110, perhaps the most messianic Psalm and one of the most often quoted passages in the New Testament, does not refer to the “kingdom of God,” yet it’s all about the kingdom. When comparing Matthew 20 with Mark 10 it is clear that the disciples are speaking about the future kingdom, but they simply say, “in Your glory.” Jesus has much to say about the kingdom of God to the church in Thyatira, but He doesn’t use the word “kingdom” (Rev. 2:18-29).
Christ the King
When we say, “Jesus Christ,” we are speaking about the kingdom of God. Why? Because “Christ” means “anointed one” or “Messiah,” and the Messiah is the King of the Kingdom (whatever is messianic, e.g. messianic Psalms, is about the kingdom). When we speak of Jesus Christ, or King Jesus, we are declaring that we march to the beat of a different drummer – we obey the risen, Lord Jesus Christ. We are citizens of His kingdom. We believe that there is a King who has come to redeem sinners and to one day restore what was lost in the fall, and His name is Jesus the Christ/King/Messiah.
Union with Christ
And here is the key: Jesus the King brings His kingdom rule and presence wherever He is and since we are in Christ, we are in the kingdom. It awaits a future and fuller expression, but we have been transferred into this kingdom already because we are in Christ, the king. Union with Christ is what gives us entrance into a form of the kingdom now, even though we await its consummation at the King’s return and beyond. If we are “in Christ” we are in the kingdom because Christ is the King of the kingdom, and we are united with Him.
The Book of Acts
One area where the kingdom theme is particularly striking, and by implication, is egregiously missing today, is in Acts. The kingdom of God is everywhere you turn in the book of Acts, which is in many ways a ministry template for the church in any century, and yet you rarely hear about the kingdom of God today. The book, like bookends pointing to the A to Z of the story, starts and ends with the kingdom of God. The apostles constantly preach about the kingdom of God. Various evangelistic sermons as well as messages to build up disciples, expound on the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is spoken of all throughout Acts.
But, what did Jesus do after He died on the cross, was raised from the dead, and appeared to the disciples? What was one of his top priorities?
To these [the apostles] He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).
Jesus thought the kingdom of God was so important, He spoke to the apostles about it for forty days, before He ascended to heaven. If this was so important to Jesus, why isn’t it to us? Why don’t we hear more about the kingdom of God in our preaching, teaching, and discipleship? It’s because we’ve divorced Christ the King from His kingdom. It’s because we haven’t seen the thread of the kingdom of God woven through every book of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.
It’s because we haven’t understood the implications of the inauguration of the kingdom in Christ’s first coming and what the prophets and apostles promised for the consummation of the kingdom. In short, if we do not reclaim the biblical priority of the kingdom of God, we will have missed all that God says in His Word about the Messiah, the covenants, Israel, redemption, the church, and the future. Paul summarizes his ministry in Acts 20 as “going about preaching the kingdom” (v. 25). And more could be said, but getting back to the bookends…
How do Acts end?
When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening… And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered. (Acts 28:23, 30-31)
The book about the expansion of the church opens and closes with the kingdom of God because, “the church is not the same as the kingdom, but it serves as a preview, an outpost, and an instrument of the kingdom today. (Treat, Seek First, p. 24). This inclusion, these bookends serve as a reminder that the kingdom of God is preeminent in the words and works of Christ and in the church and her ministries.
Again, our doctrinal statements often say nothing about God’s kingdom. While we say much about the nature of God, the work of Christ, justification, and eternity, how can it be that we say nothing about the kingdom when defining salvation, sanctification, and eschatology when Jesus constantly connected these to His kingdom?
As an example of integrating the kingdom of God into our theology and ministries, Jeremy Treat argues in Seek First: How the Kingdom of God Changes Everything:
To be saved into the kingdom of God is to have God’s comprehensive rule over every aspect of life. This is a far cry from merely ‘asking Jesus into my heart.’ It means a new life, a new identity, and a new kingdom” (p. 18).
Could it be that pastors avoid speaking about the kingdom of God because it doesn’t go over well in a democracy? We broke free from Great Britain; rebellion is in our DNA. We are the sovereigns who elect our leaders. We choose whom we follow and so the idea of an unelected, uncontested sovereign is a bit foreign to us.
Too Political?
Or, could it be that speaking about the kingdom of God and the King of the kingdom is too political? Those who ferociously persecuted Paul in Thessalonica shouted in protest about them to the city authorities, saying, “These men who have upset the world have come here also; and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” (Acts 17:6–7; cf. Luke 23:2; John 19:12-15)
I sometimes think that our preaching rarely draws protests because we have domesticated Jesus. He’s an ethereal Savior who gets you into heaven but makes no claims that would turn the political order upside down. He is the meek and mild Jesus who is your spiritual guru, but not the King of the universe who challenges the Caesars of our world.
Whatever happened to the kingdom of God? Start by looking at the Word, then look at your theology, your preaching, your leadership of the church, and see how you can integrate the glorious kingdom of King Jesus into all of these.
