The Kingdom of God As Scripture’s Central Theme: A New Approach to Biblical Theology, Part 2

Editor Introduction to The Kingdom of God As Scripture’s Central Theme

Part 1 of The Kingdom of God As Scripture’s Central Theme

Editors Introduction: This is part 2 of David Burns’ proposal that the Kingdom of God is the central unifying theme of Scripture. First published in two parts in the print version of Pneuma Review in 2001, we invite all readers to continue the conversation now that it has been brought online. Please leave your comments under the article.

 

The Kingdom of God in the Old Testament

The Kingdom of God is at the heart of the Old Testament. Throughout its pages God is presented as the undisputed Sovereign who reigns over all he has created and who administers the rule of his Kingdom through covenant. In our brief survey we will show how the Kingdom of God developed in the Old Testament and focus on texts that speak of his kingship. From there we will move on to discuss the coming of the Kingdom under the New Covenant.

 

The Kingdom of God in the Pentateuch (Torah)

In Genesis 1-3 we find that God created man and placed him in what appears to be a covenant relationship with himself. Under covenant Adam and Eve had special responsibilities. Created in God’s own image, they were commanded to “fill the earth” and to “rule” over it (Gen. 1:26, 28). In obeying that mandate they would act as God’s kingdom representatives upon earth. In ancient times kings placed images of themselves in a territory to remind their subjects to whom they owed their allegiance. In a similar manner God as king placed his image upon the earth to represent himself. If mankind ruled over creation in a holy and just manner they would be reflective of God their king and so fulfill their role as image.¹⁷ In so doing they would reap the blessings of the covenant relationship by being granted continual life in the presence of God as represented by the tree of life (Gen. 3:22). However, man chose the way of disobedience. As a result God brought down upon humanity the curses of the covenant (Gen. 3:14-19). Yet, in the midst of curse there was hope for restoration. The serpent’s head would one day be crushed by a descendant of Eve (Gen. 3:15). Thus begins the history of redemption. All the covenants that follow—the Noahic, Abrahamic, and Mosaic, Davidic, and New—become steps toward the re-establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth.

The fall of man in the garden led to evil becoming rampant (Gen. 6:1-5,11-12). The great flood of Noah’s day effectively reduced evil in the world by destroying all life. Yet God assured the advancement of his Kingdom by delivering the righteous Noah, his family, and two of every creature safely through the flood (Gen. 6-9). They became the recipients of another covenant wherein God promised to never again flood the earth (Gen. 9:11). The Noahic Covenant was essentially the Adamic Covenant reformulated to fit a sinful world. The creation mandate of multiplying and ruling is restated (Gen. 9:1-2), but the rule of man now has an element of dread for the creatures (Gen. 9:2). In fact man’s entire role as “image” is in jeopardy due to his failure as God’s representative on earth. Thus the sacredness of that image must be protected by placing a just penalty upon any living being that would take its life (Gen. 9:5-6).

As mankind once more multiplied upon the earth, so again did their wickedness (Gen. 11:1-9). Yet God’s program of bringing his kingdom into the world went forward. This time he called Abraham and his descendants, Isaac and Jacob, into covenant relationship with himself (Gen. 12-15; 17:19; 28:3-4). The covenant with Abraham was a significant step because it was destined to become the basis for both the Old and New Covenants (Ex. 6:2-8; Rom. 4; Gal. 3). Under this covenant God’s revelation concerning his redemptive purposes was greatly expanded (Gen. 12:1-3): (1). God would give to Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan as an eternal inheritance. (2). God would make Abraham into a great nation. (3). Abraham’s name would become great. (4). Blessings and curses would reciprocate upon those who blessed or cursed Abraham and his descendants. (5). Blessing would come through the line of Abraham and overflow into the whole world. Each of those promises became tremendously important to the manner in which God would work to bring his Kingdom into the world. Ultimately it would be the Messiah who would make possible the fulfillment of all those promises (Acts 3:24-26; Rom. 4:16-17).

Abraham’s descendants did grow into a great nation, but they found themselves as slaves in Egypt. However, God had not forgotten his covenant with Abraham (Ex. 2:24) and so delivered them from their captivity “with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment” (Ex. 6:6). On the basis of the Abrahamic covenant God promised they would be his people and he their God (Ex. 6:7). He would lead them into the land he had promised (Ex. 6:8). After their miraculous deliverance from the Egyptian army, the Israelites celebrated through song (Ex. 15:1-21). In the song they pictured God as a victorious warrior king and declared, “The LORD will reign for ever and ever” (Ex. 15:17). For them God was not a deistic Sovereign who was detached from the life of his people. Rather, he was intimately involved with Israel as evidenced by his rescue of them from the hands of the Egyptians.¹⁸ At the foot of Mt. Sinai God established a covenant with Israel. He gave them his holy law and declared them to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6). They had been specially called of God to be the visible manifestation of the Kingdom of God on earth. Through Israel God would work to bring all peoples unto himself and so fulfill the promise to Abraham that through him all families of the earth would be blessed.

 

The Kingdom of God In the Historical Books

After Israel became established in the land, not only did she continue to be the manifestation of God’s Kingdom on earth, but the eventual line of Davidic kingship became the earthly rulers who administrated the rule of God in Israel. They were granted the right by God “to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel” forever (2 Sam. 13-16; 1 Chron. 28:5-7). As God ruled righteously and justly over all creation, so David and his descendants were to be the righteous rulers of Israel. Of primary importance was the king’s duty to jealously guard the nation’s relationship with God so that they might enjoy the blessings of the land and pass it on to their descendants (1 Chron. 28:8). Abandonment of this responsibility eventually brought God’s discipline, dethroning Israel’s king and exiling the people from the land (2 Chron. 36:9-21).

God’s right to ultimate rule was never to be confused with the rule of an earthly king. David recognized this when he lifted up praise before the Lord: “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all” (1 Chronicles 29:11-12). Eventually the tension between God’s rulership and the mediated rulership of a human king would become fused in the coming of Messiah Jesus, who was fully God and fully man.

The building of the temple in Jerusalem under Solomon meant that God would have a permanent house in which to dwell. The omnipresent God chose to continue the localized manifestation of his divine presence, the Shekinah Glory (Ex. 25:8; 1 Chron. 6:1-2, 18). He would reside within the Holy of Holies enthroned between the cherubim (Ps. 99). In a magnificent vision, the prophet Isaiah saw God reigning from his temple:

I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke (Isaiah 6:1-4).

As long as God continued to manifest his presence in the temple, Israel was assured that the grace of God continued in their midst. To lose his manifest presence signified God’s judgment upon his people because they had broken covenant (Jer. 11:10-11). Such a terrible day was witnessed in a vision by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek. 9-11). In judgment for their wickedness God brought Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, against Jerusalem. He destroyed the temple, and plundered its treasures (2 Chron. 36:18-19).

 

The Kingdom of God in the Psalms

The Psalms are the worship songs of Israel. The songs reflect the heart and thinking of God’s people, for they grew out of their experience with life, the good and the bad. These are the songs they have sung throughout history. The songs have given them the strength to endure, for they remind the people God still reigns and he has not forgotten his promises. In all of life they saw the hand of their covenant God. Consequently, the Psalms often celebrate God as the Sovereign Lord who sits upon the throne of his everlasting Kingdom clothed in regal splendor (Ps. 24; 47; 93; 95-99). Over his people Israel, and indeed over all peoples and all creation, he is known to rule with righteousness, justice, love, and faithfulness, holding all accountable to his holy standards (Ps. 9:4-8; 11:5-7; 89:14). Psalm 45:6 says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.” God is gracious and compassionate, good and loving to all he has made (103:8). He is faithful, upholding the cause of the oppressed, feeding the hungry, setting the prisoner free, giving sight to the blind, lifting up those who are bowed down, loving the righteous, watching over the alien, and sustaining the fatherless and the widow (Ps. 10:12-18; 145:6-21). The Lord protects and blesses those who are faithful to his covenant (Ps. 18:20-31; 25:10; 37); he cuts down and destroys the wicked (Ps. 1:4-6; 11:5-6).

The kingship of God becomes the basis for worship in the Psalms (Ps. 47). The approach to God’s throne is filled with instrument, dance, song, shouting, and clapping (Ps. 47:1; 81:1-2; 150). Praise is a noisy affair. Yet upon reaching the holy throne one bows down humbly in worship (Ps. 5:7; 95:6).

 

The Kingdom of God in the Prophets

Although Israel eventually went into captivity because of her unfaithfulness to God and his covenant, the prophets of Israel looked forward to the day in which God’s Kingdom would come in its fullness and Israel would be restored once again. From the line of David there was to emerge a messianic king who would rule over Israel and all the earth with justice and righteousness (Isa. 9:7). On that day God’s Kingdom would no longer be obscured by the earthly kingdoms of Satan’s domain, for the Messiah would smash the ruling pagan empires and fill the earth (Dan. 2:31-35, 44). His Kingdom will never pass away. In that day Israel would return to the land and serve God with a new heart under a New Covenant (Jer. 31:8, 31-34). The salvation wrought by God would be for all nations (Isa. 52:10, 15). Together with Israel the nations would worship and serve the LORD (Isa. 2:2-4; 60:5-7).

In spite of the advancements made by the Kingdom of God under the covenants of the Old Testament, it was only present in types and shadows. It awaited the New Covenant under which the Kingdom of God would come in its fullness.

 

The Kingdom of God in the New Testament

 

The Kingdom of God and the Life of Jesus

With the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the establishment of the New Covenant, the Kingdom was no longer hidden in types and shadows or off in the distant future. The Kingdom was now present. The gospels view the birth of Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies that speak of the coming Messiah who would usher in the Kingdom of God on earth. Over that Kingdom he would rule forever (Mt. 1:1; 2:1, 5-6; Luke 1:32-33). His genealogy proved him to be the legitimate heir to the throne of David (Mt. 1:10).

John the Baptist heralded the coming of the Kingdom in the person of the Messiah. The prophet Malachi foretold of one who would come in the spirit of Elijah to announce the coming of God’s Kingdom (Mal. 4:5). It was John the Baptist who would fulfill that role (Mt. 11:11-14; 17:10-13) and pave the way for the Messiah’s coming (Luke 11:3). His message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Mt. 3:1-2). In Hebrew thought for something to be “near” or “to come near” means that it is actually present. Thus, John announced that the Kingdom had arrived.¹⁹

Central to the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ was the Kingdom of God, and he demonstrated the presence of the Kingdom through both word and deed. What we usually refer to just as the gospel, Jesus called “the good news of the kingdom.” “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23). “But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28). Note from the verses that Jesus’ proclamation of the good news about the Kingdom was accompanied by a power presentation. The power presentations served to substantiate his preaching of the good news that the Kingdom had arrived, and the preaching served to interpret the power presentations, revealing them to be visual evidence that the Kingdom was in their midst. This method of making the good news of the Kingdom known was not to be restricted to Jesus only, but it also served as a model for his disciples: “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:1-2). Later, the Lord also sent seventy of his followers to the cities of Israel in advance of his coming (Luke 10:1). Their mission was to heal the sick and to proclaim that the Kingdom of God had arrived (Luke 10:9). In those cities where they faced rejection, they were to announce, “Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near” (Luke 10:11). Only after the gospel of the Kingdom had gone to the whole world through both proclamation and power would the next step in the coming of God’s Kingdom commence: And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14).

Our Lord’s method of evangelism was included in the Great Commission he gave to his disciples, and interestingly every denomination models its missionary mandate upon that Commission: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). The disciples of Christ were in turn to make disciples and to teach them to carry on the good news of the Kingdom in the same manner they had been taught—through both preaching and a demonstration of God’s power.

While entrance into the Kingdom would be difficult, its reward has eternal value: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matthew 7:13-14). The gate is small and the road is narrow because entrance into the Kingdom requires one to forsake everything that belongs to this world’s system and to submit himself to the rule and reign of God (Mt. 16:24; Lk. 12:32-34; 14:33). This immediately precludes the legalistic righteousness taught by the religious rulers of Christ’s day. In their zeal to please God, they misunderstood the whole purpose of the Old Testament law as a revealer of sin, a signpost to God, a preserver of the promise, and a guide for wholesome Kingdom living (Rom. 3:20; 7:12, 22; Gal. 3:19-24). Jesus taught that the righteousness acceptable in the Kingdom of God began inwardly with a submissive heart. This kind of righteousness is not performance oriented. It is not based upon an unbending adherence to a set of rules. Rather, works are to be the fruit of a heart that seeks after God. Any other kind of righteousness is fostered by false prophets and falls far short of God’s standard (Mt. 5:20; 7:15-20). In fact, the basis for Kingdom righteous is the mercy of God who alone makes possible the entrance into his Kingdom (Mt. 19:25-26). To those who believe man’s effort is sufficient for entrance into God’s Kingdom, Christ says, “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 perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”(Mt. 7:22-23).

Christ’s teaching on the Kingdom was all-inclusive. It covered the quality of life experienced during the present age and set an ethic by which to live that life (Mt. 5:1-7:29). It also spoke of that day in which the wheat would be separated from the tares (Mt. 13:24-30), and the Kingdom of God would come in its fullness. The one who seeks God’s Kingdom and the quality of righteousness it demands would be freed from the worries that the day to day struggles of life bring: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33). Part of our daily prayer is to consist of a plea that God’s Kingdom will come in its fullness in the here-and-now and that his will might be wholly manifested on earth just as it already is in heaven (Mt. 6:10).

The New Covenant ratified by Christ through his death on the cross fulfilled all the promises of prior covenants, both in intent and purpose (Lk. 22:14-20; Rom. 15:8; Heb. 9:15). The New Covenant is the last and final covenant to be established by God in his work to re-establish his Kingdom on earth. Consequently, it embraces both this age and the age to come. Under the New Covenant all who accept Jesus as their Messiah and Lord enter into the blessings of the New Covenant, chief of which is eternal life (Jn. 3:16). However, those who reject him face the curse of the New Covenant, eternal separation from the presence of God (Jn. 3:18)

 

The Kingdom of God and the Early Church

The early church in continuity with the ministry of Jesus carried on his mission of proclaiming the Kingdom of God. The power and presence of the Holy Spirit in their ministry served as a sign that the Kingdom of God had come and was continuing to be in their midst:

When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. … 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women (Acts 8:6-12).

Paul and … Barnabas … returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said (Acts 14:19-22).

Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. … 11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul (Acts 19:8-11).

At the core of the Apostle Paul’s teaching was the fact of our citizenship in the Kingdom of God. As a result of his victory over death, Christ was granted the power and authority to invade Satan’s domain, rescue us from our captor, and safely transport us to his Kingdom: “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13). Since we are part of God’s Kingdom, Paul stresses repeatedly in his epistles the necessity of living according to the ethics of that Kingdom: “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory” (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12). His teachings regarding the putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new man all have to do with living lives consistent with being Kingdom citizens (Eph. 4:22-5:5; Col. 3:5-4:6).

While the Kingdom of God came in the person of Jesus Christ as anticipated by the Old Testament prophets, it still did not arrive in its fullness. Rather it burst on the scene to do battle with the kingdom of darkness until the end of the present age. Consequently, we live in the age of the “already, and not yet” Kingdom. Thus, in consonance with the hope of Old Testament saints, the hope of the church is still for the Kingdom of God to come in its fullness. The Apostle John strengthens this hope when he speaks of that day in Revelation 11:15-16, “The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever. 16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God . …” Maranatha!

 

Conclusion

In our two articles we have attempted to develop a biblical theology that places the Kingdom of God at the theological center of both the Old and New Testaments. We have seen that God is a King who has a Kingdom and his rule is over all. Through the various covenants he has established with man throughout history, he has been actively working to establish his Kingdom. In the ministry of Jesus under the New Covenant his Kingdom became powerfully present. Yet there are aspects of his rule which are yet to be realized. Everything and everyone has not submitted themselves to the reign and rule of God. However, the good news is that during the present age all who call upon the LORD will be rescued from their lostness in the Kingdom of Darkness and brought into the Kingdom of God as his sons and daughters, thus becoming heirs of all the blessings of the New Covenant.

If the Kingdom of God is the theological center of Scripture and a present reality, it should also be the theological center of the church’s ministry. The implications of a Kingdom centered theology for the church is staggering—How is the church to pattern its ministry after Christ? How are we to wed together the preaching of the gospel with its demonstration? How do pastors lead their churches into kingdom thinking? How does it affect ministry priorities? How does a Kingdom centered theology affect the average church goer? How does it affect the role of the church in society, especially in terms of civil and social responsibility? What voice does the church have in the moral issues of a nation and how is it to be sounded? What is to be the church’s response to environmental issues? What is the responsibility of each individual and family in the church and in society? Our prayer is that our discussion will stimulate thinking toward those ends.

 

PR

 

Notes

7. Hans Walter Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974), 160. Also see Ps. 8.
8. Brad H. Young, The Jewish Background to the Lord’s Prayer (Tulsa, OK: Gospel Research Foundation, Inc, 1984), 12-13.
9. David Blivin & Roy Blizzard, Jr., Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus: New Insights from a Hebraic Perspective (Austin, TX: Center for Judaic-Christian Studies, 1984), 88-91.

 

All Scriptural quotations are from The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright © 1978 New York International Bible Society, unless otherwise noted.