a The Kingdom Both Present and Future	3Back to Home

4 Navigation --------------- Homepage St. Matthew St. Matthew 2 St. Mark St. Luke St. Luke 2 St. John St. John 2 Acts of Apostles Acts of Apostles 2 --------------- The Letters --- Romans --- 1. Corinthias --- 2. Corinthias --- Galatians --- Ephesians --- Philippians --- Colossians --- 1. Thessalonians --- 2. Thessalonians --- 1. Timothy --- 2. Timothy --- Titus --- Philemon --- Hebrews --- James --- 1. Peter --- 2. Peter --- 1. John --- 2. John --- 3. John --- Jude --------------- The Apocalypse

One reason for difficulty: the phrase "the Kingdom of God" does not clearly convey the meaning of the original Biblical words. The Biblical concept suggests not so much a geographical kingdom, with boundaries and so forth, as God's kingly rule, his Kingship, or his sovereignty. The "Kingdom of God" is God acting in his kingly power, or exerting his sovereignty over life. The notion of the Kingdom as a domain or area which men can enter is a secondary meaning. Another source of confusion can be avoided by realizing that "the Kingdom of heaven," used in Matthew's Gospel, means just the same as "the Kingdom of God" in the other accounts. The Jews thought it was a blasphemy to use the divine name. "Matthew," the most Jewish of the Gospel writers, takes this seriously. By writing "the Kingdom of heaven," he avoids using the word "God" and thus feels more comfortable. But he means just the same thing. The Kingdom Both Present and Future In the Bible are three interpretations of the Kingdom. There is first the understanding of the eternal and unending sovereignty of God. He exercises his Kingship over all creation "from everlasting to everlasting." God is Lord of all that is, both now and forevermore. His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, whether we know about it or not. In addition to this, it is plain that to a certain degree this ultimate rule of God is actually manifested in human history. It is partly realized by the Jews when they obey the Torah or Law. It is partly realized in the coming of Christ. After his coming it is spoken of as being "in your midst." It it "at hand"; it has "come upon you." Finally, there are a number of passages that make it plain that the Kingdom, in all its fullness, is still off in the future. If it has partially come, it is also still coming. The consummation of the purpose of God has not yet been completely achieved, but is still to come. These elements can be combined so as to bring out the distinctiveness of the Biblical position by saying that the Kingdom of God has "broken in" to human history in a decisive way in the coming of Jesus Christ, but that the completion and fulfillment of this mighty act of God still lie in the future. Look at the two sides of this statement. The Kingdom is present; it has come. God's reign is here, and allegiance must be given to him. The Day of the Lord has dawned. That which was only a hope is now a reality. In his own presence and activity, Jesus says, "the kingdom of God has come upon you" ( Luke 11: 20). In him, God's reign has actively begun on earth. The time is now fulfilled. The Kingdom is not just on its way. It is here. And yet (and this must always be said in the very same breath), the Kingdom is in the future; it is coming. The King. dom in its universal scope is not yet a reality. Jesus looks for this to come in the future. He bade his disciples pray for it: "Thy kingdom come . . . on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6: 10). There will be a consummation in the future of what has already appeared in Christ. To stress either one of these statements to the exclusion of the other is to distort the picture badly. To assume that the world as we now know it is identical with the Kingdom of God is a manifest absurdity. To assume that the Kingdom is simply in the future is to write off the present as unimportant and irrelevant. In the Lord's Prayer we pray, "Thy kingdom come. . . thine is the kingdom." We are asking God that the Kingdom we see present in all its fullness in Christ may, when God so wills it, be present in all its fullness throughout creation. God conquers death God gives us the power to conquer The Only Real "Answer" A Question You Can't Avoid Some Current Answers -- a Dime a Dozen The First Part of the Biblical Answer What Is the "Image of God"? Some Consequences The Second Part of the Biblical Answer What Sin Is Supplying Some Documentation What Sin Is Not Getting Straightened Out How Can I Be Changed? The Third Part of the Biblical Answer The First Step After the First Step The Heart of the Matter Not Once and for All Some Hints for Growing -- Tried and Tested A Final Warning Why Isn't "Individual Religion" Enough? The Case Against the Church -a Bagful of Objections When Did the Church Get Started? Just What Is a "Covenant"? The "New Covenant" Becomes a Possibility Those Words of Jesus to Peter Those "Upsetters of the World" A Rebuttal of the Case Against the Church Why the Church? Last Judgment? Second Coming? What Do They Mean? The Inescapability of Eschatology The Point of Biblical Eschatology: History Is Going Somewhere The Dangers of Literalism Exploring New Testament Eschatology The Kingdom of God A Few Bits of Help The Gift of God Schatology and "What I Do Today" What Happens When I Die? Sheol -- Where God Is Not Present The Community of the Resurrection Paul's Attempt to Describe the Christian Fact A "Spiritual Body" The Facts of the Case I Try to Live a Good Life. Why Isn't That Enough? The "Micah" Variation The "Worship and Action" Variation The "Therefore" Variation The Biblical faith that God is the Creator