04.1.000. Overview
CHRIST’S KINGDOM IS FUTURE—AN OVERVIEW
There is no subject of Scripture about which there are so many conflicting views as the doctrine of eschatology. The word eschatology comes from the Greek adjective eschatos, which means last or final. Among the many views espoused, two major conflicting opinions, which may be called “confusion twice confounded,” are outstanding. Many who embrace the unconditional covenant with reference to soteriology (the science of salvation) reject the unconditional covenant as it relates to eschatology (the science of last things). On the other hand, others embrace the unconditional covenant as it pertains to eschatology, but they reject the unconditional covenant as it relates to soteriology. Therefore, the inconsistency of both those who believe in free grace and those who believe in free will is manifested. The foundational problem in the study of eschatology lies in the misunderstanding of God’s covenants. A definition of the Greek noun diatheke is important. It means a disposition, arrangement, compact, covenant, will, or testament. The word covenant is used as eternal and temporal; unconditional and conditional; and soteriological and eschatological. In order to properly handle the subject of covenants, one must be able to distinguish between covenant and covenant.
God made legal, ceremonial, and national conditional covenants with Israel in time, but His covenant of grace is eternal. Therefore, the covenant of grace reached up to God’s chief attributes and down to man’s deepest needs. Nothing can alter the disposition of God who gave it because He foresaw changes, overrules all events, and provides for all circumstances. In studying the covenant of grace as it relates to Israel, the lessons typified by the tabernacle are important. For example, the ark is a symbol of God’s throne from which all blessings descend. The mercy seat was placed upon the ark, and it was the same size as the ark, signifying that God’s saving grace reaches no further than the eternal covenant. The eternal covenant has the God of peace as its Author, the great Shepherd of the sheep as its fulfillment, and the sheep for whom Christ died as its recipients (Hebrews 13:20-21).
Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, fulfilled all the obligations of the eternal covenant. He is great in His person, power, work, and exaltation. Furthermore, Christ shall be great when He comes the second time to establish His kingdom (Titus 2:13; 2 Timothy 4:1). The Epistle to the Hebrews speaks of the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty of sin by His death, satisfied the righteous demands of the law, and gave assurance of peace to the elect of God on the basis of satisfied justice. Since Jesus Christ was raised by God, the eternal covenant proves that His redeeming work has been accepted by God the Father and the security of salvation for His people is assured
(Matthew 1:21). The new covenant is connected with restoration promises. It is no longer revealed by shadows but by the Lord Jesus Christ who fulfilled all the obligations and promises of the eternal covenant. Its blessings are for all of God’s elect. Those who spiritualize the kingdom ridicule the idea of a restored Israel. They accuse futurists of pinning their whole hope for the future on a castaway (Israel), thus proving their forced and unscholarly method of Biblical interpretation. Contrary to this accusation, Christians who embrace the Biblical teaching of the Scriptures concerning Christ’s kingdom are fastening their hope on the promise of Christ, not on Israel: “Looking [prosdechomenoi, present middle participle of prosdechomai, which means to look for, to expect, or await] for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). Hope is the expectation of something good or excellent to its highest degree. The personal unmediated presence of Jesus Christ is the object of this hope, and the eternal kingdom is its conclusion. What can excel the personal unmediated presence of Jesus Christ, in whom dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily, in the eternal kingdom?
“Confusion twice confounded” becomes evident when one begins considering the works of men on the subject of eschatology. Many “theologians” believe God’s promise to save the elect is unconditional, but they reverse their position on a promised consummation of soteriology in what they call a conditional kingdom. Thus, they make the covenant of grace unilateral, but they inconsistently make the covenant concerning the Kingdom bilateral. The “I will” and “I shall” of God are stressed in the first, but the “if” and “unfaithfulness” of men are emphasized in the second.
One must understand that the fulfillment of God’s purpose is not limited by conditions outside the Person having purposed: For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief nullify the faithfulness of God? God forbid [absolutely not]....
—Romans 3:3-4 (translation)
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, shall he not make it good? —Numbers 23:19 The unfaithfulness of neither the Jews nor the believers in the body of Christ can nullify the faithfulness of God concerning the fulfillment of His eternal purpose in regard to the kingdom:
...I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure. —Isaiah 46:9-10 (NASB) A literal promise spiritualized is exegetical dishonesty. Theologians are guilty of this when they spiritualize the promises of salvation’s completion in the coming kingdom to mean its completion in the assembly Christ is building. How can salvation be completed in the assembly, since the assembly Christ is building is only one of the preparatory stages for the future kingdom? Scripture records not only Israel’s historical past but also her future and the future of the nations of the world subsequent to the assembly which Christ is presently building (Romans 11:1-36; Revelation 7:1-17). How can the kingdom exist in the heart or be the church/kingdom since Christ has gone to receive it from the Father (Luke 19:12)?
Jewish and nonjewish believers of the Old Testament constitute one order of God’s elect. Jewish and nonjewish Christians of the New Testament—the assembly which is Christ’s bride—form the second order of God’s elect. The 144,000 Jews and the innumerable multitude of nonjews of Revelation 7:1-17 make up the third order of God’s elect. Hence, believing Jews plus engrafted believing Gentiles of all three orders constitute the heirs of the kingdom. There is nothing symbolical about either the unconditional covenant of grace or its consummation in the kingdom.
Affirming God’s free grace in salvation while denying God’s freedom to complete that salvation in the kingdom does not make sense. On the other hand, denying God’s free grace in salvation while affirming God’s freedom to establish His kingdom is heresy. Although the latter is more heretical than the former, by God’s grace, believers do not have to make a choice of either/or. While the latter is distasteful to the spiritual nature of the Christian, the former is antagonistic to his hope.
Christ’s kingdom which He has gone to receive from the Father is not limited to a period of one thousand years (Luke 1:32-33). It is unfortunate that the word “millennium” has been substituted for the Biblical term “the kingdom of the heavens,” “the kingdom of God,” or “My [Christ’s] kingdom” (Matthew 3:2; Mark 1:15; John 18:36). The Greek adjective chilioi, which means a thousand, is used six times in Revelation 20:2-7. This cardinal adjective which expresses amount is distinguished from an ordinal adjective that expresses degree or position in a series, such as first, second, or third. The adjective chilioi is used only to express one thousand, but the noun chiliades signifies thousands (Revelation 7:4-8; Revelation 11:13; Revelation 14:1; Revelation 14:3; Revelation 21:16). Christ’s kingdom is one in which He shall reign not only a thousand years but also forever. (See Daniel 2:44; Daniel 7:13-14;
Luke 1:32-33; Revelation 11:15.) A true concept of the kingdom involves the total message of the Bible. Hence, the subject of Christ’s kingdom casts light upon the covenants, types, shadows, and prophecies of the Old Testament. Moreover, the study of the kingdom in the teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles in the New Testament makes the light that shone in the Old Testament brighter. There is no explanation for either the past light or the present brighter light without considering the ultimate light as it is displayed in the coming kingdom. Therefore, there is a sense in which the light of truth shines brighter and brighter until it reaches the endless light of the eternal kingdom. There is progression of light in time, but progression gives way to perfection in eternity. The predicted kingdom is never declared to be a kingdom either in heaven or from the world, but it is a kingdom from heaven and not from this place (the world). Therefore, the kingdom is “the kingdom of the heavens [he basileia ton ouranon, genitive of description]” (Matthew 3:2—translation); “the kingdom of God [he basileia tou theou, genitive of description]” (Mark 1:15); “the kingdom which is mine is not from this world [he basileia he eme ouk estin ek, ablative of source, tou kosmou toutou]” (John 18:36—translation). Therefore, the hope of the Christian is not for something that remains in heaven, but it is the fruit of grace which shall descend from heaven in blessed reality to him on earth. Furthermore, the hope that has its source in heaven will never disappoint its recipient. Thus, the hope of the kingdom has its foundation in the covenants of eternity and time. It is presently confirmed by Jesus Christ and the apostles, and faith looks to Jesus Christ’s second advent for its realization. As the first advent of Christ brings regenerating and saving grace to the elect, the second advent shall perfect the elect in the kingdom. The light of prophecy concerning the kingdom was not obscure in the Old Testament. The kingdom described by Daniel cannot be the rise and spread of a mere spiritual kingdom in the midst of earthly kingdoms. It will be a kingdom which shall break in pieces and consume all earthly kingdoms. Christ did not do this at His first advent: And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. —Daniel 2:44 (NASB)
Fifty years subsequent to Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s vision, recorded in Daniel 2:1-49, the prophet himself had a vision that harmonized with his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s vision (Daniel 7:13-14). The kingdom given to the Son of Man is the same kingdom symbolized by the stone that was cut out of the mountain without hands (Daniel 2:45). Christ did not attack the kingdoms of this world when He came to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. On the contrary, the Lord Jesus was apprehended by the Jews and handed over, according to the fixed counsel and prearrangement of God, to be nailed to a cross and killed by the hands of lawless men (Acts 2:23). Thus, the image of Nebuchadnezzar smote the Son of Man, instead of the Son of Man smiting the image.
Daniel described the kingdom as being given to the Son of Man by the Ancient of days:
I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. —Daniel 7:13-14 (NASB) His description is explained by Jesus Christ in Luke 19:11-27. The Ancient of days cannot be both the Father and the Son. According to Luke 19:12, the Son has gone into a distant country “to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.” The kingdom given to Christ by the Ancient of days (the eternal Father) must be distinguished from Christ’s sovereignty. The kingdom belongs to Christ as the Son of David (Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:30-33), but sovereignty is the Son of God’s eternal endowment. Christ’s kingdom is never promised to Him as the Son of God, but it is promised to Him as the Son of Man or Son of David. Hence, Christ’s sovereignty is not His promised reign. Christ’s all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18) differs from His visible unmediated presence bringing all things into subjection to Himself on earth as the Son of David (Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7; Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:32; Romans 1:3-4; Php 1:9-11; Revelation 5:10; Matthew 5:5; James 2:5). Furthermore, Christ can never share His sovereignty with His people, but He will share His reign in the kingdom with them (2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:10; Revelation 20:6; Revelation 22:5). Who would be so foolish as to say we are presently reigning with Christ in His spiritual kingdom as we behold Him in His unmediated presence? The kingdom prophesied in the Old Testament is the same kingdom that was taught by Jesus Christ and the apostles in the New Testament. There is no clearer reference to Christ’s future kingdom than the record of the model prayer Christ taught His disciples to pray (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-4):
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. —Matthew 6:9-13
Christ never intended that believers should repeat the model prayer as a mere religious formality. The disciples had referred to John the Baptist’s teaching His disciples to pray, but they evidently thought something was lacking in that teaching. The Lord Jesus had already given a warning about how to pray (Matthew 6:1-8); but now in answer to the disciples’ request, He described the correct method of praying. Paul characterized the heart of the prayer: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. —Romans 8:15
Christians must not overlook the proper order in the model prayer:
(1) God’s interests and
(2) His people’s need. Christ gave the method, and the Holy Spirit gives the utterance of prayer (Romans 8:26-27). The desire to pray is the fruit of grace, but the manner of prayer is a matter of instruction. The model prayer, like the decalogue, was given twice (Matthew 6:1-34; Luke 11:1-54) and taught that responsibility to God precedes personal need. Obedience to God qualifies believers to pray for personal need. The greatest mistake made in prayer is the tendency to look first to one’s need. But God will not be used like a wrecker service for a wrecked or malfunctioned automobile. He has first place or no place at all in the life of an individual. Hence, a person is dependent on the sovereign God to supply his need. God the Father’s attributes of omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence must be recognized by the person praying.
“Our Father [pater hemon, literally means ‘Father of us’]” proves relationship, but we must understand that there is more than one form of relationship to God:
(1) The Father’s relationship to Jesus Christ, His eternal Son, is one of transcendent glory. This is the reason Christ, after His resurrection, said to Mary:
...Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. —John 20:17
Unlike our bodies, the body of Christ, which God had prepared for the Son’s incarnation, was not subject to corruption. However, one phase of His mission must be completed before His earthly body took on “another form [hetera, adjective, locative feminine singular of heteros, which means a different form rather than one of the same form]” (Mark 16:12). This different form is explained:
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. —Luke 24:39 The unfulfilled part of His mission is explained in Hebrews 9:11-12.
(2) The Father’s relationship to all mankind is one of creation and providence. Paul declared before the Athenians that all human beings—elect and nonelect—are living, being moved, and having their existence in God. Furthermore, Paul quoted some of the poets among them who had said, “we are also his offspring” (Acts 17:28). Religionists can take little comfort from this verse because reprobates are included.
(3) The Father’s relationship to the elect is one of grace. This grace was first given to the elect in Christ before the “times of ages” (before the world began) (2 Timothy 1:9). It was then given in time when we were made alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:4-10). Therefore, Christians are indebted to God the Father for not only the grace of election but also life and likeness. The person who approaches God in prayer has reverence for the Father’s name, interest in the future kingdom, and concern for the will of God. Hence, the order of Christ’s model prayer for His servants must not go unnoticed. The prayer’s proper reverence for God the Father is evidenced by interest in the kingdom of God’s Son. Assurance of a future kingdom not only comforts persecuted and suffering believers, but it also dispels the present darkness. There is no explanation for the present imperfection in the Christian life without considering its perfection in the coming kingdom. As important as instruction to the assemblies of Christ is to the present, salvation will not be complete until the subjects of the assembly which Christ is continuing to build are perfected in the kingdom. Considered as a whole, the main idea in the model prayer is the saints’ longing for Christ’s kingdom in which God’s will shall be done on earth. While the politicians’ work is worthless and their hope is hopeless, Christians work, hope, and pray with assurance of faith. Furthermore, while society’s aims are aimless and its anticipation is never realized, Christians set their affections on Christ and His kingdom with the assurance of their present foretaste becoming a reality.
Christ’s instruction in the model prayer stressed something that lay ahead: “Let your kingdom come [elthato he basileia sou]...” (Matthew 6:10—translation). This petition emphasized eschatology. Luke’s account of the model prayer in Luke 18:1-8 follows Christ’s discourse on His second advent in Luke 17:22-37. Thus, our Lord encouraged praying without fainting during the long interval between His first and second advents. The time of suffering and persecution of God’s people occurs between Christ’s two advents (1 Corinthians 4:8; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10; 2 Timothy 2:10; 2 Timothy 3:12). Luke portrayed perseverance in prayer by the parable of a friendless widow who obtained justice from a wicked magistrate by persistent solicitation. Christ applied the parable by showing that if importunity obtained so much from a wicked magistrate, how much more will persistence obtain for the elect from the righteous Judge. The elect alone persevere in prayer. The heavenly kingdom will have an earthly existence—let your kingdom “come” (elthato, aorist active imperative of erchomai, which means to come, to come from one place into another, or to appear). The kingdom is the Father’s to give, and it is the Son’s to receive. When Christ receives the kingdom from the Father, He will return (Luke 19:12). Will He return to the earth with the kingdom? “Let your will [thelema, will or desire] be done [genetheto, aorist passive imperative of ginomai, which means to be done or to take place] as in heaven [hos en ourano], also on earth [kai epi ges]” (Matthew 6:10—translation). God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven will never take place until the son of Man establishes His kingdom on the earth. In fulfillment of prophecy, in the kingdom “...the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). (See Psalms 72:19; Habakkuk 2:14; Zechariah 14:9; Romans 11:26; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1.) The will of God that shall be done on the earth as it is now being done in heaven brings up some important questions that must be addressed:
(1) What is the difference between the “secret things” which belong to the Lord our God and the “things revealed” which belong to us?
(2) How can Christ’s reign with His saints for one thousand years be considered to be forever, or how shall it have no end?
(3) How can the glorified saints come back into time during the millennium?
1. God’s will is a great sphere with two hemispheres—revealed and unrevealed. Man cannot see the sphere of God’s will, but he is responsible to know the hemisphere of God’s revealed will. There are some things concerning God’s will (purpose) that are secret. His eternal purpose is not a matter of prayer. No believer can question the fact that God’s purpose on earth is being fulfilled, and the time is fast approaching when it will be completed. However, one cannot say that the revealed hemisphere of God’s will is being done on earth as it is in heaven. That will not take place until the kingdom is established.
2. There is much confusion concerning the duration of Christ’s kingdom. The first phase of the kingdom will be in time; therefore, we are told that it will continue for one thousand years. During this time period, Christ the King will be ruling with a rod of iron (Revelation 2:27; Revelation 12:5; Revelation 19:15). Why will a rod of iron be used if God’s will is being done on the earth during the kingdom? Since there will be unsaved people during this time period of the kingdom, the rod will be necessary for a righteous government. Scripture proves that unsaved people will be present during the one thousand years (Revelation 20:7-10). However, Revelation 21:1-27; Revelation 22:1-21 show that the power of opposition will have been completely subdued by the superior force of the King of kings. All the judgments will then be over, including the one at the close of the millennium. Therefore, the difference between the millennium and the eternal reign of Christ is His reigning with a rod of iron during the millennium and His reigning without a rod subsequent to the millennium.
3. The glorified saints will come back into time to reign with Christ in the same way Christ came back into time. The glorified Savior came back on several occasions between His taking “another form” and His ascension.
“Let your kingdom come” is a petition for one distinctive future kingdom that shall be given by the Father to His Son for its establishment on the earth. The aorist active imperative Greek verb of request does not suggest that we pray for a gradual coming but for a sudden social and moral change due to the unmediated theocratic rule and reign of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the imperative of entreaty, which carries the idea of urgency or request, can be linked with the petition of Revelation 22:20. “The one witnessing these things is saying, Yes indeed I am coming soon. Amen, Come Lord Jesus” (translation). Who can deny that this prayer is for a future kingdom? A theory is hard pressed for argument to change “Let your kingdom come” into a present kingdom in the heart, the spread of the gospel, Christ’s rule in His assembly, the kingdom of grace, success of the gospel, etc.
One who is already in the kingdom cannot pray for its coming. Therefore, the request “let your kingdom come” points to the future, and it is an expectation as much as a petition. It is a desire uttered by the kingdom’s heirs that expresses faith and hope in a distinctive kingdom whose place of establishment will be the earth. The duration of the kingdom cannot be restricted to a millennium. Even the word “duration,” which means the length of time during which something continues, is out of place when speaking about the endlessness of Christ’s kingdom. The millennium refers to the time of Satan’s being bound, but there is no thought of Christ’s reign being terminated. Such an idea of cessation is contrary to the true conception of Christ. Luke’s statement with reference to Christ’s kingdom was that there shall not be an end (Luke 1:33). This teaches that His kingdom extends into eternity when time shall be no more.