34-CHAPTER XXVIII "NO ROOM FOR AN INTERMEDIATE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT ESCHATOLOGY"
CHAPTER XXVIII "NO ROOM FOR AN INTERMEDIATE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT ESCHATOLOGY"
"The New Testament knows only two ‘ages’, the present and the future (Ephesians 1:21; Matthew 12:32). It describes without a break, that is, without mention of such an intervening period, the appearing of Christ in glory and the entrance into eternity (Matthew 25:31; Matthew 25:46), the resurrection of the righteous and the resurrection of the lost (John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15), the punishing of the godless and the reward of the chosen (Matthew 13:30; Matthew 13:41-43; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10)." This statement is insufficient in a threefold respect.
First. It overlooks the passage in the Revelationof John (20:1-6) which speaks quite plainly of such an intervening kingdom, which it places after the appearing of the Lord in glory (19:11-21) and before the events of world perfecting (world destruction, world judgment, world transfiguration, 20:7-21, 8), and thus between the epiphany and the full entrance of eternity.
Second. It is also incorrect that the New Testament speaks of only two ages, the present and the future. This is indeed the case in some few particular places (Ephesians 1:21; Luke 20:34-35; Matthew 12:32), but certainly not in die great preponderance of passages.
Much rather, in Ephesians 2:7 Paul speaks of "coming ages," in the plural, not only of "a" coming age. The Epistle to the Hebrews (Hebrews 1:8) uses the term "the age of the age":"Thy throne, O God, is unto the age of the age," and thus, so to speak, age multiplied by age. In the second prayer in the Ephesian letter (Ephesians 3:21) Paul uses indeed a still stronger expression:"To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations of the age of the ages," that is, the singular number joined not only with the singular but with the plural of ages. And in quite a number of further passages Peter, Paul, John, and the Writer of Hebrews set the crown on this form of expression in that they use not only a doubled singular, nor only a union of singular and plural, but employ a doubled plural, "in the ages of the ages." It is the plural of Savior carried to the highest possible degree; plural of plural, multitudes of multitudes of coming ages. Or expressed mathematically, age of ages multiplied by ages (Peter—1 Peter 4:11; 1 Peter 5:11. Paul—Galatians 1:5; Php 4:20; 1 Timothy 1:17; 2 Timothy 4:18. John—Revelation 1:18; Revelation 11:15; Revelation 22:5; etc. Hebrews—13:21).
It is to be noted here that one will do justice to such terms of Scripture only if each be considered carefully in its own sense and context. In any case all this shows that the above objection—that the New Testament knows of only two ages, and therefore has no room for an intervening period, is utterly feeble.
Third. There is just as little force in referring to the fact that New Testament prophecy, in numerous places, views together the appearing of Christ in glory and the entrance upon eternity, the resurrection of the righteous and the resurrection of the lost, without mentioning a long interval between. For this simply belongs to the nature of the prophetic outlook. Thus also Old Testament prophecy mostly described the first coming of Christ and the second in one single connection without mentioning the present interval of already nearly two thousands of years. Thus Isaiah speaks in the same sentence of the coming of the Lord as Savior and His coming as Judge, although in the fulfillment there lay between the whole New Testament period (Isaiah 61:1-2). Similarly Isaiah 53:1-12 speaks in one single connection of the sufferings and triumph of God’s Servant without indicating any interval, and thus David also in Psalms 2:1-12 and Psalms 22:1-31.
Thus the abovementioned New Testament passages also in no wise prove that, because they do not mention an interval between the appearing of the Lord in glory and the entrance upon eternity, that no such interval can exist. As in Old Testament prophecy, so here, it is necessary to observe the law of prophetic perspective. The prophet, like the wanderer among high mountains, saw in one view the summits of mountains lying behind one another without at the time seeing in detail the valleys that lay between.
It is also necessary to observe that in the history of prophecy there is progress in revelation and understanding (Matthew 13:16-17). What in the Old Testament, and at times even in the prophecies in the Gospels, was compressed into one picture, as the prophecy was further unfolded divides more and more into its details and is more and more clearly declared. As the Lord Himself said:"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He shall guide you into all the truth" (John 16:12-13).
Thus the Old Testament prophets, and in measure certain prophecies of the New Testament, view in one both the Millennial kingdom and the eternal glory. For them preliminary presentation and final fulfillment, introduction and main portion, End time and the other side, the earthly and the heavenly Jerusalem flowed together into one single magnificent picture. They see the final conditions of this side and the eternal beyond as one single, continuous line conditioned by the nature of "this side," and they paint the new creation of the Perfection with the colors of the kingdom of glory of the old creation (comp. Isaiah 54:11-12 with Revelation 21:18-21). It is only the New Testament, especially Revelation 20:1-15, which draws a clear diagonal line between the two which separates eternity and time. This dividing line between the this side and the beyond of the earth is found in the events of world perfecting, that is world destruction, world judgment, and world transformation (Revelation 20:7-15; Revelation 21:1). With the same right with which, on account of this joint outlook, one would oppose the reality of an intervening kingdom between the Parousia and the final perfecting, one could oppose the existence of the present interim period of the church between the first and second comings of the Lord which are viewed together in numerous Old Testament prophecies. Yet this church interval is there, and has already lasted nearly two thousands of years. This all proves that belief in a Millennial kingdom and the correctness of the prophecy of Revelation 20:1-15 can in no wise be refuted by such an objection.