ONE HOPE. ONE BOAST.

April 19, 2013

Day1, Session 5: The Gospel Of The Kingdom! ! ! ! ! ! ! Tim Miller
I. LETTING THE HOLY SPIRIT RENEW OUR MINDS
A. Question for cancer survivors: what were some of the things you felt when you first
heard the news that you had cancer?
B. All human societies and cultures operate from a set of unconscious assumptions that
together constitute what anthropologists call a “worldview. A worldview is the sum total
of our deep level, usually unquestioned, assumptions about reality, or that which is real.
Charles Kraft – worldview is “the culturally structured assumptions, values, and
commitments/allegiances underlying a people’s perception of reality and their
responses to those perceptions.” 1
C. As human beings, we are integrated beings. What we think (mind), what we feel
(emotions), what we choose (will), and our bodily desires and well-being (body) are all
dynamically interrelated aspects of who we are as human beings originally made in
God’s image. Culture and worldview have a significant influence on these different
dimensions of our being. The process of sanctification involves God transforming us on
all of these different levels. Therefore, as we work through issues of worldview and the
influence our theology and practice as the Body of Christ, we shouldn’t be surprised if
we find ourselves at different times experiencing different emotions as God reveals
areas in which we need to adjust our thinking and view of reality. Worldview shifts can
feel unsettling and vulnerable at times. God knows our hearts and minds intimately, and
He knows how to lead us through this process. The truth is that many of us have been
infected with the cancer of Platonism in some way without knowing it. However, Jesus
has promised that the Holy Spirit will guide us into truth.
II. THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM
A. Inextricably bound to the good news of the Day of the Lord, the resurrection, and the
restoration of all things, is the good news of “the kingdom of God.”
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel
of God, 15 and saying, “The time (Grk. kairos) is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God
is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (ESVMk. 1:14-15)
30He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came
to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus
Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. (ESVAc. 28:30-31)
B. Unfortunately, there is a lot of sloppy teaching on the subject of the kingdom of God in
the Body of Christ today. This is due to a number of factors, including: confusion and
distortion created by Platonic thought; unfamiliarity with the Old Testament; proof-texting
and interpreting Bible verses out of their immediate context and the broader context of
Scripture; and the prideful tendency of the human heart to build thought systems that
rationalize and validate some form of a Messianic complex.

1 Charles Kraft, Anthropology for Christian Witness , 52.

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C. In the New Testament we never find an explicit definition of the “kingdom of God.” Why
is this? The answer is that Jesus, the apostles, and all of their Jewish listeners already
had a solid grasp what this term meant due to their knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures
or Old Testament. The New Testament, in other words, presupposes and assumes the
same gospel as that of the Old Testament.
D. A close reading of Scripture shows that are at least four distinct yet interrelated senses
in which the “kingdom of God” needs to be understood. There are texts that pertain to
what I will call: a) the Kingdom of Creation; b) the Kingdom of Eden; c) the Kingdom of
Israel; and d) the Kingdom of the Messiah, or the Messianic Kingdom. Again, these four
are all dynamically interrelated, but failure to recognize their distinct nuances as
portrayed in Scripture can lead to great confusion concerning the nature of the gospel
and Christian discipleship before Jesus returns.
E. In a seminar on the DTN site called “What is the Gospel?” we apply the following nine
questions to texts that are representative of a group of texts that relate to these four
different senses of the “kingdom of God”: 1) Where is the kingdom? 2) Where is the
kingdom headquartered? 3) Who establishes the kingdom? 4) When is the kingdom
established? 5) By what means is the kingdom established? 6) Who governs the
kingdom? 7) Who are the citizens of the kingdom? 8) On what basis are the citizens
included in the kingdom? 9) How is the kingdom administrated? The picture painted by
the answers to these nine questions provide the basis for our answer to question 10:
What is “the kingdom of God”?
III. THE KINGDOM OF CREATION
A. Sample Texts
10 David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise
be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 11
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and
the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the
kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and
give strength to all. 13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious
name. (NIV1 Chr. 29:10-13)
19The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules
over all. 20 Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word! 21 Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who
do his will! 22 Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless
the LORD, O my soul! (ESVPs. 103:19-22)
B. The Kingdom of Creation
1. government with universal domain, encompassing all creation, everything in the
heavens and the earth
2. established in the beginning at creation
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3. founded by God, through the power of God and the wisdom of God
4. was and continues to be headquartered from the highest heaven
5. was, is, and will always be governed and ruled by God
6. citizens=everything in creation
7. basis of inclusion – simply by virtue of the fact that they were created
8. administrated in partnership with angelic powers (of differing ranks, levels of
authority, and assignment) and human beings
IV. THE KINGDOM OF EDEN
A. Sample Texts
1Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the
seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day
he rested (Heb. yishbot –cease, rest, keep the Sabbath; Heb. root ‫ ;שׁבת‬semantic range
of root includes reign, sit, seat, dwelling, throne, sitting, e.g. Am. 6:3, 1 Ki. 10:19;
“resting” is conceptually related to God sitting enthroned as king and reigning) from all
his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he
rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (NIVGen. 2:1-3)
8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden (Garden of Eden) in the east , in Eden
(the region in which the Garden was planted); and there (in the Garden of Eden) he
put the man he had formed. 9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out
of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the
middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil. 10 A river ( downward movement from higher elevation) watering the garden
flowed from Eden (Eden also a high place to the west of the Garden, a mountain);
from there it was separated into four headwaters. (NIVGen. 2:8-10)
16 The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to man.
(ESVPs. 115:16)
4what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory
and honor. 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put
everything under his feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8 the
birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 O
LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (ESVPs. 8:4-9)

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B. Diagram

C. The Kingdom of Eden

1. government whose domain was the earth established in the beginning when God
created the earth
2. founded by God, through the power of God and the wisdom of God
3. was headquartered from the mountain of Eden, in the Garden of Eden, in the
region of Eden
4. was governed and ruled by God, with human beings in a position of delegated
authority
5. was made up of citizens created by God and put in the Garden by God, with a
stipulation of obedience – “don’t eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil”
– for continued inclusion
6. was administrated in loving partnership with human beings
7. before the Fall, the earth existed in a state of perfection under the dominion and
rule of the kingdom of Eden.
V. THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL
A. Sample Texts
18On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I
give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the

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land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites,
the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the
Jebusites.” (ESVGen. 15:18-21)
23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king in place of David his father.
(ESV1 Chron. 29:23)
1When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign
tongue, 2Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion. (NIVPs. 114:1-2)
4 So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant
of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. (NIV1 Sam. 4:4)
8“And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the
sons of David (ESV2 Chron. 13:8)
B. The Kingdom of Yahweh/Israel/David
1. government in the land of Israel, the land promised to the patriarchs
2. set apart from the nations with a priestly calling
3. was established when God brought the Israelites out of Egypt
4. was founded by God, through the power of God and the judgments of God
5. was the actual kingdom of God, but in a typological way
6. under David was headquartered from the city of Jerusalem on the mountain of
Zion
7. was governed and ruled by God, in partnership with the government of Israel,
and ultimately with the Davidic dynasty in a position of delegated authority
8. was made up of citizens whose inclusion was based on being a Jew circumcised
in both heart and flesh, with obedience to the Law of Moses as a stipulation for
continued inclusion
9. was administrated through the various offices of the priesthood and Davidic
government.
VI. THE KINGDOM OF THE MESSIAH
A. Sample Texts
I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and
break down all the sons of Sheth. 18 Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his
enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. 19 And one from Jacob
shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities!” (ESVNum. 24:17-19)
44 “In
the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will
never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those
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kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the
meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands
—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.
(NIVDan. 2:44-45)
3 Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor
and majesty. 4 In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility
and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds. 5 Let your sharp
arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; let the nations fall beneath your
feet. 6 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be
the scepter of your kingdom. (NIVPs. 45:3-6)
1 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a
footstool for your feet.” 2 The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion;
you will rule in the midst of your enemies. 3Your troops will be willing on your day
of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the
dew of your youth. (NIVPs. 110:1-3)
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his
shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will
be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and
upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The
zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (NIVIs. 9:6-7)
B. The Kingdom of the Messiah
1. the government of God that will cover the entire earth, Israel and all nations
2. not yet here, but will be established and set up in the future in context to the Day
of the Lord, the Second Coming, the resurrection of the saints, the reward of the
righteous, and the punishment of the wicked
3. will be established not by human power, but by the Messiah, through the power
of God and the judgments of God (as in the Exodus)
4. will be headquartered in Jerusalem in Israel=restored kingdom of Israel/Davidic
dynasty
5. will be governed and ruled by the Messiah
6. will made up of citizens whose inclusion will be based on repentance and faith in
the gospel
7. will be administrated governmentally in partnership with the saints from Israel
and the Gentile nations.
8. In short, the kingdom of the Messiah or Messianic Kingdom is the restored
kingdom of Israel and the restored kingdom of Eden, under the leadership of the
Messiah. It is God’s ordained instrument for purging evil from the earth.

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VII. “THE KINGDOM” AS DISTORTED BY PLATONISM

A. Throughout church history, there have been a number of different views concerning the
nature of the kingdom of God. Here, I am going to mention four of the most influential
ones:
1. Kingdom = Real Government on the Earth established by the Messiah at the
end of the age. Old Testament saints, early Church (excepting the Gnostics):
Understood the Messianic Kingdom in accord with what we just studied: a real
government, on the earth, headquartered from a restored Jerusalem in a
restored kingdom of Israel, on a restored earth under the leadership of the
Messiah. The Messianic Kingdom is the restored kingdom of Eden and the
restored kingdom of Israel under the governance of the Messiah. It is God’s
ordained instrument for punishing the wicked and removing evil from the kingdom
of creation.
2. Kingdom = Church. This view has been the most influential in the church since
Augustine. According to this view, the Church is the manifestation of the ethereal
“Kingdom of God” in the “physical realm.” According to this view, the “Kingdom of
God” – approximated with “heaven” because of Christo-Platonism – is
“manifested” on the earth in the “natural realm” through the church (even if not
“perfectly,” cf. Plato’s “copies”). God’s “dominion” is, according to this view,
enforced on the earth now through the church, not at the Second Coming by
God’s power. Thus, the Kingdom is ultimately identified and equated with the
church. This has been the dominant view in the Western church from Augustine
(354-430AD) to the Reformers (15th-16th centuries). It is the underlying
foundation for how many in both the Protestant and Catholic traditions
understand the “Kingdom of God” today. “Dominionism” can take different forms
and shapes depending on the ministry focus of a particular stream.
3. Kingdom = Moral Ethic. “With the rise of liberalism during the Enlightenment,
the Kingdom of God became viewed as simply a personal religious experience in
which God reigns over the individual soul through the moral teachings of the
Bible, especially those of Jesus.” 2
4. Kingdom = Divine Reign, Already but Not Yet. Perhaps the most popular view
of the kingdom of God among evangelicals in the academic world today is the
“divine reign” or “already/not yet” view, also known more technically as
“inaugurated eschatology.” The most well-known proponent of this view is
George Eldon Ladd, who taught at Fuller Theological Seminary in the 1950s. In
this view, the ‘kingdom’ that Jesus appointed for his disciples (Lk. 22:29) is ‘royal
rule.’” This view claims that the Messianic kingdom was established in part or
was “inaugurated” at the first coming, and will be “consummated” at the Second
Coming.

2 John Harrigan, “Five-fold Development of the Western Worldview,” www.danieltrainingnetwork.org.

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B. The latter three views are clearly tainted by Platonic thought (though Augustine’s view
much more so than Ladd’s), and depending on the circumstances, have the potential to
undermine the foundation of Christian discipleship in this age as taught by Jesus and
the apostles.

C. Confusion caused by Kingdom=Church. If “the kingdom”=“the church,” then in what

sense? If church=kingdom of creation, then makes no sense since everyone is already
a part of it! If church=kingdom of Eden –are you kidding me? If church=kingdom of
Israel, leads to replacement theology and massive distortion of Scripture. If
church=Messianic Kingdom:
1. Leads to a presumptuous and arrogant mindset. We see ourselves as kings now,
therefore we treat those in our “kingdoms” accordingly (manipulation, control,
greed, etc). Not good, especially when we have money and power. Many
shepherds and congregations have been shipwrecked by this kind of theology.
God will call us to account in the Day of the Lord. Paul rebukes this mindset in 1
Cor. 4.
2. The church ends up taking a self-righteous, hostile stance toward the wicked
now, when God Himself is in fact giving the wicked a window of mercy now; end
up working against God, forgetting that we ourselves are the chief of sinners.
3. When did God lose dominion? The issue isn’t whether God has lost dominion or
not, but how He is exercising His dominion at different times to accomplish His
plan of redemption.
D. Confusion Caused by Kingdom = Moral Ethic. Makes no sense, and can only be
argued for when a Platonic worldview is assumed. The kingdom of creation=moral
ethic? The kingdom of Eden=moral ethic? The kingdom of Israel=moral ethic? If the
kingdom of Messiah=moral ethic – does this mean that Jesus is marching through the

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Edom of my heart in the last days? Does this mean that He is restoring the twelve tribes
of Israel in my heart? Massive distortion of Scripture. Ethics loses its Biblical anchor and
theological motivation.
E. Confusion Caused by Kingdom = Already/Not Yet. If kingdom=already not yet, what
is actually “already,” and what is actually “not yet?”
1. The Kingdom of Creation – has always been, is, and always will be.
2. The Kingdom of Israel – existed in real time and space on the earth in the past,
but the Messiah is not sitting on David’s throne in Jerusalem, and Israel is
definitely not praised as a crown of righteousness in the Lord’s hand yet (Is. 62)
3. Kingdom of Eden –past, “not yet” in that Eden will be restored at Messiah’s return
4. Kingdom of the Messiah – the Messianic kingdom is God’s instrument for
punishing the wicked. If the Messianic kingdom=the church, how much
punishment of the wicked is “already?” Even Annaias and Saphira was an act of
mercy to the church as a whole in light of the Lake of Fire to come (I am
personally glad that God was fully merciful to me)! We must not become self-
righteous Pharisees!
5. Other problems: What are the variables or “keys” that lead to greater
“manifestation” of the kingdom? Often ends up being whatever our particularly
ministry focuses on. Misinterpretation of the work of the Spirit in this age.
Inaugurated eschatology, though less menacing than full-blown Kingdom Now
theology, does not, in my view, honor the Old Testament enough.
F. Platonism creates great confusion by meshing/merging the Messianic Kingdom into the
Universal Kingdom/Kingdom of Creation, and then hoisting it all up into the Platonic
“ideal realm.” The practical effect of this is that God’s true agenda and objectives in this
age – mercy toward the wicked, and pruning, disciplining, and refining His people as
they carry their cross – get obscured. This is because the Messianic Kingdom by
definition, according to Scripture, is His instrument for executing vengeance against the
wicked, purging the world of evil, and rewarding the righteous in context to the Second
Coming and the age to come. In contrast, He is presently governing the kingdom of
creation from His throne at the height of the heavens from a posture of longsuffering
and mercy toward the earth, and this even when He sends judgments in order to drive
people to repentance lest they inherit eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire.
G. The Biblical gospel is inherently bound to time. However, Platonic thought makes time
irrelevant since our hope isn’t bound to time, but to our escape from time. This why
there is so much preaching in the New Testament about the Second Coming, and so
little in the church today. It takes no faith to believe that one day we will die. It takes faith
to believe that God has power to raise us from the dead at the Second Coming.
H. As believers, we must come to terms with the fact that in this age we are sojourners and
pilgrims in preparation to rule in a future kingdom. As long as the nation of Israel is in
exile, we too are in exile, because believing Jews and believing Gentiles inherit the
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promises together at the Second Coming (Heb. 11:40). If the actual kingdom of Israel/
David is the kingdom of the Messiah, and the kingdom of Israel/David is not here, then it
follows that the kingdom of the Messiah is not here. If the absence of the kingdom of
Israel/of David is exile, and the absence of the kingdom of Israel/of David is the current
situation for the people of God, then exile is the current situation for the people of God.
In this age we are called to carry the cross in a place of weakness now, that we might
inherit eternal glory and true royal authority at our Master’s coming!

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