Has The Kingdom Come?

I. Video. What will happen during the war described in Ezekiel 38?

II. Video Data.  John Ankerberg Show. Dr. John Ankerberg,  (M. Div., D. Min.), (Dr. Jimmy DeYoung (M. Div., Ph. D., 1940-2021).

III. Introduction. * relates to information contained in “The Coming Kingdom,” Dr. Andrew M. Woods, Th. M., J.D., Ph. D.

A. There are widespread opinions as to the nature of “The Kingdom” (thy Kingdom come, Matt 6:10). Also, does the Kingdom enter God’s people, or do God’s people enter the Kingdom? What exactly is the Kingdom? We will address these, and other questions that relate to the Kingdom.

B. Let’s start with an answer to the question about the Kingdom. There is a universal kingdom, where God keeps Jupiter from bumping into Mars (Psalm 103:19). There is also a theocratic Kingdom, where God rules the inhabitants of the Earth through a theocratic administrator. Such theocratic administrators began with Adam (Gen 1:26-28), until he fell (Gen 3:6, 17-19. Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:23), and Satan became the ruler of the world (Luke 4:5-8; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2; 1 John 5:19). *

C. In review, the universal kingdom is eternal, comprehensive, under God’s direct rule, and always in existence. By contrast, the theocratic kingdom is futuristic, earthly, under God’s indirect rule, and conditional. *

IV. Bible Storyline.

A. What is the storyline of the Bible?” It is how this office is restored through the messianic Kingdom. God originally intended to indirectly govern the physical world through the first Adam; He will, one day, govern the world through the Last Adam, or God the Son. *

B. The restoration of the physical kingdom, or office of Theocratic Administrator as the dominant theme of the Bible, has long been recognized by numerous theologians. Note Charles Ryrie’s explanation: *

Ryrie Note: “Why is an earthly kingdom necessary? Did He (Jesus) not receive His inheritance when He was raised and exalted in heaven? Why does there need to to be an earthly kingdom? Because, He must be triumphant “in the same arena” where He was seemingly defeated. His rejection by the rulers of this world was on earth (1 Cor 2:8). His exaltation must also be on this earth. And, so it shall be when He comes again to rule this world in righteousness. He has waited long for His inheritance; soon, He shall receive it.” *

V. Theocratic Administrators Of The Earth.

After the Fall in Eden (Gen 3), the theocratic kingdom left the earth. This departure left the world without the benefit of the office of Theocratic Administrator, until the time of Moses. Because this is the first reference to the term “kingdom,” in relation to God’s kingdoms in all of the Bible, it is reasonable to conclude that the office of Theocratic Administrator was restored to the earth, at least in a limited sense, at Sinai (Exodus 19:5- 6), “you shall be a ‘kingdom’ of priests to me, a ‘kingdom’ of priests and a holy nation.” Just as God governed indirectly through Adam in Eden, God now began to rule indirectly over Israel through His Theocratic Administrator, Moses. This theocratic arrangement covered most of Old Testament history, as God, even after the time of Moses, governed the world through Joshua, and then various judges, and finally Israel’s various kings. *

VI. Theocratic Kingdom Access.

A. Let us now consider key aspects of the theocratic kingdom, such as, “do we enter the kingdom, or does the kingdom enter us?” Consider the discourse between Jesus and Nicodemus. The discussion is quick, and to the point.

John 3:3, Jesus said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

B. Let’s consider other discussions of Jesus and the subject of the kingdom:

1. Matthew 5:20, “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

2. Matthew 7:21, ““Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,”

3. Matthew 18:3, “and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

4. Matthew 19:23, And Jesus said “it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

5. Matthew 25:34, “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (The King is Jesus).

C. Let’s consider a verse that is often taken out of context, Luke 17:21. I will show different translations:

1. KJV/NKJ: “the kingdom of God is within you.”

2. CSB/NASB/NET/NIV “the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

D. The context of the passage is shown, as follows” Luke 17:20-21 (NASB 1995)

²⁰ Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; ²¹ nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

1. Comment: (Mine) The Pharisees hardly were people who had been born again (John 3:3).

2. Comment (Ryrie Study Bible) The necessary elements of the kingdom were present, and needed only to be recognized. It can not mean “within you,” for the kingdom certainly was unconnected with the Pharisees to whom Jesus was speaking.

E. It is evident that the kingdom is something where, “we enter into,” and not something which “enters into us.”

F. What is it that which “enters into us?”

1 Corinthians 6:19 “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God.”

Note (Moody Bible Commentary) ” believers belong to God who indwells them through the Spirit.”

VII. The Offer and Rejection of the Davidic Kingdom.

A. The subject of the Gospel of Matthew is the offer of the Kingdom to nation Israel, and her refusal of the offer of the kingdom. Upon the rejection of Israel, Jesus begins private conversations with His disciples, to prepare them for the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20, Acts 1:8). Consider the following verses:

1. Matthew 3:2, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 10:6-7, ⁶ but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Consider Luke 10:1, the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him. 10:2, And He was saying to them, 10:9, The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

2. In the verses of the offer of the kingdom, the kingdom was said to be, “near, but not here.” In order for the kingdom to have been “here,” Israel would have had to receive Jesus as God’s choice of king, per Deuteronomy 17:15.

3. Notice that the offer of the kingdom was made only to Israel. Also, “Repent” in Matthew 10:6 does not relate to individual salvation, but to the offer of the kingdom, and the requirement of Israel to accept God’s offer of Jesus as His choice to be the King of Israel (Deuteronomy 17:15).

4. In each case of the offer of the kingdom to Israel, notice that no explanation of the kingdom was given, or was asked. The reason is that Jews had been taught abut the kingdom in synagogue; consider such a teaching from 2 Samuel 7:8-16, concerning God’s covenant with David. Consider the note from the MacArthur Study Bible:

These verses state the promises the Lord gave to David. Verses 8–11a give the promises to be realized during David’s lifetime. Verses 11b–16 state the promises that would be fulfilled after David’s death. During David’s lifetime, the Lord: 1) gave David “a great name” (see note on Gen. 12:2); 2) appointed a place for Israel; and 3) gave David “rest” from all his enemies. After David’s death, the Lord gave David: 1) a son to sit on his national throne, whom the Lord would oversee as a father with necessary chastening, discipline, and mercy (Solomon); and 2) a Son who would rule a kingdom that will be established forever (Messiah). This prophecy referred in its immediacy to Solomon and to the temporal kingdom of David’s family in the land. But in a larger and more sublime sense, it refers to David’s greater Son of another nature, Jesus Christ (cf. Heb. 1:8).

5. In the Davidic Covenant, we see promises from God to David of “Land, seed, and blessing,” which was stated in the Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis 12:2. The offer of the kingdom was taken off the table when Israel rejected Jesus in Matthew 12:24. From Matthew 13, forward, Jesus began teaching his disciples “privately.”

A. Jesus taught the disciples “privately,” about the Kingdom (Matt 13), and about the tribulation (Matt 24). The kingdom had not come. The tribulation had not yet come, which must precede the kingdom, with the Antichrist breaking a covenant with Israel, midway through the tribulation (Dan 9:24-27).

1. Matthew 13:10-11, ¹⁰ And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” ¹¹ Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.

2. Matthew 24:3 “As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

B. The offer of the kingdom will be made again to Israel during the tribulation (Matt 24:14). The offer of the kingdom was not taken away by Jesus following their rejection of Jesus in Matt 12:24, but was put in a state of postponement. Israel will accept Jesus as God’s choice for their king, when they are at the point of decimation in the tribulation, and will call on Jesus “in belief” to save them (Zech 12:10). Jesus will respond to the Jews’ call for salvation from the attacking forces on Israel (Zech 12:3), and will return to earth from heaven with His saints and angels with Him, and the kingdom age will begin (Zech 14:1-6, 9). The life, soul and spirit of each Jew will be saved at the end of the tribulation through their calling on Jesus in faith.

VIII. Kingdom Question and Answer.

A. After the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, our Lord spent forty days with His disciples, speaking things concerning the kingdom (Acts 1:3). Prior to our Lord’s ascension to heaven in Acts 1:9, his disciples asked Him if the kingdom was going to be restored to Israel, per 2 Sam 7:8-16, “at this time” (Acts 1:6). The kingdom “had not come.” Jesus said that The Father had determined such a time, which had not yet come (Matt 6:9-10).

B. There is no kingdom now; as there is no king (Jesus) on the throne in Jerusalem. Preceding the kingdom will be the tribulation (Matt 24:4-28), followed by the second coming of Christ from heaven to earth with His saints and angels (Matt 24:29-30; Zech 14:1-5, 9; Rev 19:11-21), followed by the Judgment of those who were left behind from the rapture, or were born during the tribulation (Matt 25:31-34), followed by the blessings of the millennial age of the kingdom (Matt 25:46b; Rev 20:6).

IX. Conclusion. The Kingdom has not yet come, and will not come until at the end of the tribulation when Jesus will rule from the throne in Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1-4; 9:6b-7; 11:1-5; Zechariah 14:9).

X. My Bucket List shows the references, of people and documents, that I use when I write my articles; you can check it in my list of Pages.

XI. My Websites To Follow:

https://equippingblog.wordpress.com/ Eternity

https://untotheleastofthese.home.blog/ Book Prep

https://newsandcommentary38395276.wordpress.com/ Thy Kingdom Come