The Continuity of the Kingdom Message in Scripture
What do you think about modern Israel?
One thing I know for sure is that since there was never a "third testament" written, the Church today is obviously meant to be preaching the same message that was presented in the Four Gospels, the same message that is explained in the Epistles, the same message that was foreseen in the Old Testament - and that is, the Good News that Jesus and His Kingdom are coming.
But as for God's plans for the modern geo-political entity of Israel, I'm still unclear.
I guess it does affect one's view of a Middle East Solution.
Regarding the nature of the Kingdom, I've heard it said that whilst the Four Gospels declared "the Kingdom is at hand", Paul preached simply "the Kingdom of God" as more of a present reality.
Some go further and claim that Paul's message of the Kingdom was not at all the same as the message of the Kingdom in the Four Gospels. Because Israel rejected the Kingdom, what Paul was now offering the Gentiles, it is claimed, was therefore something other than what John the Baptist and Jesus came offering Israel. The existence of the Gentile Church, they claim, was an unexpected insertion into God's program - something the Prophets neither foresaw nor mentioned - a different program which necessitated a different message.
Then I've heard it said amongst some preterists that the message of the coming Kingdom in the New Testament refers not to some future, literal Second Coming of Christ, but that it has exclusive and final reference to the establishment of the predominantly Gentile-Church as the new world Theocracy, replacing Jerusalem following the destruction of the Temple in AD70.
But it seems to me that each of these variations imply that the Four Gospels, or even parts of the Epistles, no longer have direct relevance for the CHURCH AGE. It implies that our message today should be quite different to that of the New Testament.
But I feel that the entire New Testament is still our book, and that the message of the Kingdom has remained unchanged throughout the entire New Testament.
And I feel that the New Testament message of the Kingdom matches exactly with Old Testament predictions about the Kingdom.
I feel that the nature of the Kingdom did not change due to Israel's rejection of the Messiah. Rather, the Prophets foresaw this precisely, and in their writings they described the Kingdom in those terms.
I could say this about the message of the Kingdom in Scripture:
The Four Gospels ANNOUNCE IT
The Epistles APPLY it
The Old Testament FORESAW it
But it's ALL the SAME MESSAGE!!
That means we are still LOOKING FORWARD TO THE COMING KINGDOM.
Paul called this "the blessed hope". He talked about "looking forward". He said that his hope was the same hope that all the tribes of Israel were looking for (based on their reading of the Old Testament).
I feel that the writings of the Apostles were made THROUGH THE GRID of the writings of the Gospel.
They were not introducing something else, or something altered. Rather, they were repeating, and expanding and applying the same message, as is contained in the Four Gospels.
The words of the Apostles were spoken THROUGH the Words of Jesus.
The ministry of the Apostles was an application of and a continuing announcement of the very same message that John the Baptist and Jesus began announcing. And that is, the Good News of the Kingdom.
The Scripture which says, "The Church is built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone" could be said like this:
The Church [the entire Church, Jew and Gentile, right up until the Second Coming] is built upon the foundation of the Epistles [the Apostles] and the Old Testament[the Prophets], with the Four Gospels [Jesus Christ Himself] being the chief cornerstone".
In the Old Testament, they looked FORWARD to the coming Kingdom. In the New Testament, the Kingdom was announced as being "nigh at hand".
But in both Testaments we still LOOK FORWARD to it!
The message is that whilst we wait, by faith we receive the power of the Kingdom NOW. The Kingdom is within us. We receive the power of the Kingdom through the Holy Spirit. We receive righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. We receive healing. The baptism with the Holy Ghost is a foretaste, a downpayment, a vouchsafe, a seal guaranteeing what will be our's, when He comes. We have received all things NOW - intrinsically.
But we look forward to the day when we receive it not only intrinsically, but fully, ultimately, perfectly, completely, outwardly, eternally.
He who died to redeem the possibility will come again to rule in ultimacy.
Even if we die before the Kingdom comes, we can still say we've received the Kingdom - because the dead in Christ will be the first to rise, so as to be part of that occasion.
It's an important idea in the New Testament that we have both received the Kingdom and are still looking forward to the Kingdom.
Regarding the Kingdom, we could say it this way:
IT IS WITHIN US
IT IS EXPRESSED THROUGH US
BUT IT IS STILL COMING
Regarding the expression through us of the Kingdom, Paul taught a lifestyle of holiness, or praise, of working hard, earning money, giving to others, godly government, blessed families, blessed nations, a blessed world.
All these things are an expression of the inner Kingdom. But they are not the fullest manifestation of the Kingdom - which is promised us at His return.
No matter how good society becomes as a result of the Kingdom within us, this does not replace the doctrine of a future coming of Christ and of His Kingdom.
The Bible calls that Day a day of judgment and of reward; a day of punishment and of redemption; a day of damnation and of salvation. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death - and death won't be abolished until the Second Coming - no matter how many advancements in medicine the Gospel achieves in society.
Therefore the founding of great nations like the UK, Finland, USA, CANADA and AUSTRALIA and any future accomplishments that may be achieved in society through world missions, through the Church, through the Gospel, through centuries of Gospel work and the blood of martyrs; are to be seen as EXPRESSIONS of the INNER Kingdom - not the fullest, final, ultimate, outward COMING OF THE KINGDOM, to which all of Scripture still looks forward.
The Kingdom has reality in a few expressions:
1) inside us;
2) in the Church and in society today; and
3) it awaits ultimate expression at the Second Coming.
I really am happy with this view of Scripture that I've come up with lately because it allows a combination of all the best elements of orthodox "part-preterism" with "part-futurism" and with some elements of big-thinking "kingdom-now", "reconstructionist", "dominion" theology!
It allows for all the wonderful things our brother Peter has on his heart.
It even makes room for Pastor Gary Zamora's inspirational "Jesus will come again through us" teaching (so long as it still allows room for the belief in the ultimate, literal return of Christ and His Kingdom).
It also gives room for people who want to believe that God has plans to regather modern Israelis into their homeland, and who believe that in the future all nations will come against Israel, and that at that moment Christ will come to rescue the believers and judge the nations.
I wonder what it means in Romans 11:26 where it says, "and so all Israel will be saved"?