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BY
ROMANS SENDRIKS
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 15
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 17
i
1
Introduction
Many evangelical scholars are in agreement that the kingdom of God is not only one of
the central themes of the entire Bible, but it was the prominent and explicit teaching of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God. Jonathan T. Pennington asserts, rightly so in this student’s opinion, that
the theme of God’s kingdom is the central message of Jesus Christ’s teaching and ministry, as
well as being the grand theme throughout all of Scripture.1 For the sake of clarity, it is worth
noting that the phrase “the kingdom of God” does not occur in the Old Testament writings. It is
frequently mentioned in the New Testament, particularly in the synoptic gospels, where it is the
central theme in the proclamation of Christ.2 However, various Old Testament writers have
indirectly pointed to God as the King who sovereignly rules over all things, and the rule of His
Despite its prominent status in biblical theology, or perhaps because of it, the theme “the
kingdom of God” has always been subject to cultural influences that have resulted in changing
viewpoints during various periods of time and in different trends of theological thought. 3 The
kingdom of God has been interpreted as the hidden rule of God in man’s heart, as the solution to
the ethical problems of social life, as the liberation of poverty and the establishment of justice. 4
1
Jonathan T. Pennington, “The Kingdom of Heaven in the Gospel of Matthew,” The Southern Baptist
Journal of Theology 12 no 1 (Spring 2008), 44-51.
2
Richard B. Gaffin, “Kingdom of God” in New Dictionary of Theology, The Master Reference Collection,
ed. Sinclair B. Ferguson and David F. Wright (Downer Groves, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1988), 367-69.
3
Herman Nicolaas Ridderbos, “Kingdom of God/ Kingdom of Heaven” in New Bible Dictionary, Third
Edition, ed. J. I Packer and Donald J. Wiseman (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1994), 647-650.
4
Stephen J. Nichols, “Introduction” in The Kingdom of God, Theology of Community, ed. Christopher W.
Morgan and Robert A. Peterson (Wheaton IL: Crossway, 2012), 21.
2
In addition, it has been identified with the church as the very present kingdom of God, and in this
vein of thought, God has replaced Israel with the church.5 In the futuristic sense, the kingdom of
God has caused much debate among scholars as to whether the thousand-year reign of Jesus
Since this is true, that from centuries past to the present day, the theme of God’s kingdom
has been understood in different ways by various scholars, then the question is, what is God’s
kingdom and how should the theme of God’s kingdom be understood in the light of Scripture?
To address this question, the student of this research paper will discuss various interpretations of
God’s kingdom, then, based on exegetical analysis and the student’s best understanding of
currently accepted hermeneutical principles, will attempt to show the weaknesses of those
interpretations and to offer a more adequate view of the kingdom of God in light of Scripture.
Adolf von Harnack, the liberal 19th century scholar, defined God’s kingdom as the secret
rule of God in man’s heart, based on Jesus’ parables in the synoptic gospels that teach that God’s
The kingdom of God comes by coming to the individual, by entering into his soul
and laying hold of it. True, the kingdom of God is the rule of God; but it is the rule of the
holy God in the hearts of individuals; it is God Himself in His power. From this point of
view, everything that is dramatic in the external and historical sense has vanished; and
gone, too, are all the external hopes for the future. Take whatever parable you will, the
parable of the sower, of the pearl of great price, of the treasure buried in the field – the
5
William D. Barrick, “The Kingdom of God in the Old Testament,” The Master’s Seminary Journal 23,
no. 2 (Fall 2012): 173-192.
6
Paige Peterson, Revelation, NAC, vol. 39 (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Company, 2012). 351.
3
word of God, God Himself, is the kingdom. It is not a question of angels and devils,
thrones and principalities, but of God and the soul, the soul and its God.7
There is little doubt that God’s kingdom is about God’s sovereign rule, as both the Old
and New Testaments point out. As Harnack points out, God’s rule in His kingdom is not hidden
in man’s heart, as if God must timidly go into man’s heart in order to exercise His divine rule.
Rather, His rule is vividly displayed through all He has created. The author of Psalm 93 clearly
describes how God majestically rules over all creation, and how the harmony and beauty of
creation reflect His kingship. This kingship of the invisible God was ultimately made visible to
mankind through His Son Jesus Christ (Col 1:15-17), who exercised His divine power in one
instance to silence the wind and calm the sea. This divine action, reported by the authors of the
synoptic gospels, indeed pointed out that Christ is the King not only of the human heart, but of
If the rule of God in His kingdom is not hidden in man’s heart, as Harnack points out
based on those parables that illustrate God’s kingdom using hidden treasure and a pearl of great
price, how then should one studying the word of God understand these parables in Matthew
13:44-46? This student suggests that these two passages from the gospel of Matthew do not
indicate that the kingdom of God is the secret rule in man’s heart, but instead point out the value
of God’s kingdom once it is discovered by His sovereign grace. Michael Green supports this
perspective, that these passages indicate the preciousness of the kingdom of God:
These two little gems of parables go together. Both stress the incalculable value of
the kingdom: it is worth any sacrifice. Both stress the cost of gaining it: it will cost all we
have… So, the message of these twin parables is clear. People find the kingdom in many
ways. Some come upon it by accident, some after a long and patient search. But it is
7
Adolf von Harnack, What is Christianity? (New York, NY: Harper, 1956), 56.
4
God graciously allows sinners to find His kingdom and be part of it, where there is peace,
joy, and hope for the future messianic kingdom. Once a saved sinner is part of this precious
Gustavo Gutierrez, the Catholic theologian from Peru who is generally considered the
founder of liberation theology, is convinced that the kingdom of God is the exercise of social
If we believe that the Kingdom of God is a gift which is received in history, and
if we believe, as the eschatological promise – so charged with human and historical
content – indicates to us, that the kingdom of God necessarily implies the reestablishment
of justice in this world, then we must believe that Christ says the poor are blessed
because the kingdom of God has begun: “The time has come; the Kingdom of God is
upon you.” (Mark 1:15). In other words, the elimination of exploitation and poverty that
prevents the poor from being fully human has begun. They are blessed because the
coming of the kingdom will put an end to their poverty by creating a world of
fellowship.9
A weakness of this position, that exercising the kingdom principles here on earth by
establishing social justice through which one attempts to end exploitation and poverty and help
poor people become human, is that it does not always guarantee a sincere life change. Basic
physical needs such as food, clothing, shelter, education and so on, can be met nowadays through
the various social activities that non-profit organizations provide, but they will never guarantee
internal changes in the recipients. Temporary solutions for fixing the contemporary issues of
8
Michael Green, The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven (Downers Grove, IL: 1988), 160.
9
Gustavo Gutierrez, A Theology of Liberation (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1986), 33, 72, 74.
5
society, do not fix sinful man’s broken relationship with God, and do not establish God’s
kingdom here on earth. These social activities are noteworthy and very much needed, but if the
heart of man is not transformed by the power of God, the person will remain guilty before God
From the synoptic gospels, we learn that Jesus Christ, the very Epicenter of God’s
kingdom, did not ignore man’s physical needs. Christ Himself, exercising kingdom power,
provided bread and fish for five thousand people. At that time, those were the basic elements
necessary for man’s physical existence. Christ even cast out demons and healed the sick with His
divine kingdom power, but he never left out the most crucial element of God’s kingdom – the
verbal proclamation of it. Christ’s verbal proclamation of the kingdom of God carried a
mysterious power that left no man ignorant as to his personal relationship with God.
Whenever Christ taught on the kingdom of God, His teaching always left his audience
marveling. They either asked how to inherit this kingdom, or they became angry. None of His
audience was left neutral. There was either a positive or a negative response to the proclamation
of God’s kingdom. In Romans 1:16, Paul claimed that the gospel is the power of God for
salvation both for Jews and Gentiles, and that it leaves remarkable and irreversible changes in
God is himself righteous, and those men and women are righteous who are ‘in the
right’ in relation to God and his law. When, therefore, the righteousness of God is
revealed in the gospel, it is revealed in a twofold manner. The gospel tells us first how
men and women, sinners as they are, can come to be ‘in the right’ with God and second
how God’s personal righteousness is vindicated in the very act of declaring sinful men
and women ‘righteous’. This second aspect of the matter is not dealt with immediately,
but the former is expanded sufficiently to show that the principle on which God brings
people into the right with himself is the principle of faith, and for this statement Old
Testament authority is adduced in the words of Habakkuk 2:4b, ‘the righteous shall live
6
by his faith’. Habakkuk 2:4b may be called the ‘text’ of this Epistle; what follows is in
large measure an exposition of the prophet’s words.10
Every sinner’s heart desperately and miserably cries out for being guilty of offending the
holy God by sinning against Him alone. Deep inside, from birth, every person carries the sense
of being completely condemned by God. Everyone seeks for the unshakeable hope that is found
only in Jesus Christ, the Savior of His people. It seems difficult to establish that man’s heart can
be changed just by exercising social justice under the title of God’s kingdom, without also
proclaiming the glorious gospel of the kingdom of God that brings the sinner to an awareness of
his sins, that leads him to repentance and, through faith, to placing his trust in Jesus Christ as his
personal Savior and Lord. Social justice alone is not what is needed for the poor – they also
desperately need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit through the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
From this comparison, it appears that the kingdom of God is not exercising social justice,
the kingdom of God is Christ Himself who changes sinners’ hearts and places them in His
kingdom as the gospel of the kingdom is preached, and one day when saved sinners are
resurrected, they will reign with Him in the age of the Millennium.
When one considers the debate of the theme of God’s kingdom in the context of the
church, many evangelical scholars who understand the twofold concept of God’s kingdom, are
aware that there are a variety of inadequate views on God’s kingdom in relation to the church as
the body of Christ. For example, Michael F. Bird, analyzing Howard A. Snyder’s book, Models
10
Frederick Fyvie Bruce, Romans: Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale New Testament
Commentaries, vol. 6 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 84.
7
of the Kingdom, has observed what he considers a misconception on God’s kingdom in relation
to the church:
One strand of Christian tradition has identified the kingdom of God with the
visible institution of the church on the earth. The institution, hierarchy, property of the
church is the very embodiment of God’s reign. One can detect biblical materials to
support this. The words of Jesus to Peter at Caesarea Philippi were: “And tell you that
you are Peter and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not
overcome” (Matt 16:18). In this controversial text, Peter, the rock for the new
community, is given a great authority from which is to exercise his ministry. In Hebrew,
entering the “church” is described as coming “to Mount Zion, to the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb. 12:22). Again, one can see the potential links
between God’s reign and church structure.11
Bird continues that this view is closely connected with the Roman Catholic church, and is
This has been a popular image of the church wherever Christianity has had
political influence and power. It has been the official Roman Catholic position since the
Council of Trent. You could say that this model is also prevalent in conservative circles
in the United States, where preachers aspire, as I heard one chap say, to get every soul
“converted, baptized, and enrolled to vote.”12
For example, Michael A. Fahey in the Roman Catholic Systematic Theology argues:
The community that emerged from Jesus’ preaching, life, death resurrection – namely the
church – cannot be identified purely and simply with God’s reign, the basilica. The
church is, rather, a privileged locus for the advancement of the rule of God still be to be
realized. Some modern Catholic writers describe the church as an instrument of God’s
reign. This formulation is potentially misleading if it suggests that God’s reign comes
through our [the church] efforts, when clearly it occurs by God’s gracious and free
intervention.13
11
Michael F. Bird, Evangelical Theology: A Biblical and Systematic Introduction (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2013), 708.
12
Ibid., 708.
13
Michael A. Fahey, “Church,” in Systematic Theology Roman Catholic Perspective, second edition, ed.
Francis Schussler Fiorenza and John P. Calvin (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2011), 328.
8
Here Fahey suggests that believing that the church could be the instrument in God’s
hands to advance His kingdom is a misleading concept and possibly not true unless one views
the church as God’s kingdom. Furthermore, based on the early Catholic church fathers’ use of
parables from the synoptic gospels to equate the Catholic church with the kingdom of God,
Fahey, also, apparently believes that the Catholic church is God’s kingdom.14
As for the Protestants, Stephen J. Wellum has noticed that some who believe that the
church is the kingdom of God, support their view with the passage from Matthew 3:24-30.15 One
recent Protestant scholar who believes that the church is the kingdom of God is Martin H.
How, then, do Kingdom and Church relate to each other? We might answer this question
in the light of Biblical materials by saying that the Church is that community where the
powers of God's Kingdom are at work in a hidden way as they were in the life and words
of Jesus. The Spirit's power is made available through Word and sacrament, which are
the only sure signs we have of the ultimate triumph of God's Kingdom. In a derivative
sense, therefore, the assembly of believers, gathered around Word and sacrament,
comprise the Kingdom. That is why occasionally the parables speak of entering the
Kingdom. They mean thereby that a person becomes a member of that community which
has an eternal destiny, and which may be called the new Israel. The grace of God rules
there, in, over, and among men, because forgiveness, life and salvation are offered there
through the means of grace.16
In considering the argument that the church is the kingdom of God, one should be wary
of equating the church to the kingdom itself. George Eldon Ladd has pointed out five aspects of
the kingdom of God in relation to the church. First, the church is not the kingdom of God, for
Jesus and His followers preached that the kingdom of God was near, but not the church. They
14
Ibid., 328.
15
Stephen J. Wellum, “Editorial: Reflecting on the Kingdom of God,” Southern Baptist Theological
Journal 12 no 1 (Spring 2008): 2-3.
16
Martin H. Scharlemann, “Kingdom and the Church,” Concordia Journal, 2 no 1(March, 1978), 48-52.
9
preached the good news of the kingdom, but not the good news of the church (Acts 8:12; 19:8;
20:25; 28:23, 31). Second, the kingdom creates the church, for people enter into the kingdom of
God. As people believe, they become joined together in the human fellowship of the church.
Third, the church witnesses to the kingdom (Matt 24:14). Fourth, the church is the instrument of
the kingdom because the power of the Holy Spirit is manifested through disciples to heal the sick
and cast out demons, as it was in the ministry of Jesus (Matt 10:8; Luke 10:17). Finally, the
church is the custodian of the kingdom of God, for the church has been given the keys to the
Based on these five aspects of God’s kingdom, the church, meaning God’s people here on
this earth, is just the assembly of ambassadors who advance God’s coming kingdom in the
future. The ambassadors represent God’s kingdom as it is described in the word of God. If the
church were identical to the kingdom of God, then there would be no prophecies in the book of
Revelation concerning the coming kingdom, particularly the reference in chapter 20.
If the church were identical to the kingdom of God, then God’s kingdom would not have
a futuristic aspect in the context of the messianic rule on the throne of David. For example,
Revelation 20 indicates that the kingdom of God will be established on earth by Jesus Christ
after His second coming, in the future. This millennial messianic kingdom of Christ will follow a
unique period of tribulation and distress for Israel, cosmic signs, the rescue of God’s people, and
the judgment of the nations.18 Second, Jesus Christ, who is the epicenter of God’s kingdom,
would not ask in the Disciple’s Prayer, “Your kingdom come and your will [in this kingdom] be
17
George Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: WB Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 1993), 111-119.
18
Michael J. Vlach, “The Kingdom of God and the Millennium,” in The Master’s Seminary Journal 23 no.
2 (Spring 2012): 225-254.
10
done on the earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10). Many scholars consider this petition to be
concerning the future coming of God’s kingdom. Leon Morris explains this concept:
The kingdom of God is a most important concept in this Gospel (see on 3:2).
There is a sense in which the kingdom is a present reality, but here it is the future
kingdom that is in mind [of Christ]. The petition looks to the coming of the time when all
evil will be done away and people will gladly submit to the divine Sovereign… The
prayer looks for God to take action, not for worshipers to bring the kingdom into being.
The prayer looks for the full realization of all that the kingdom means and for the will of
God to be perfectly done (the words your will be done are absent from the Lukan
version).19
Third, if the church were the kingdom of God, then to disagree with the church would be
to disagree with God.20 How can someone disagree with God, who is perfect and holy? Since the
church is full of imperfect believers who are just growing in completeness, then how could the
church be the kingdom of God? Finally, if the church were the kingdom of God, then Christ
would not have to foretell of His second coming to the disciples (Matthew 24-25; Mark 13 and
Luke 21).
Therefore, based on the word of God, one can affirm that the kingdom exceeds the
church; and the church, the messianic community, has been created from the inside out by the
King for His pleasure, and for His coming kingdom. The church, according to the word of God,
does everything in the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus, for the glory of God, to
advance this glorious kingdom to shine in the dark places of this world. This kingdom that has
19
Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, PNTC, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, WB Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 1992), 145.
20
Michael F. Bird, Evangelical Theology: A Biblical and Systematic Introduction, 709.
11
often been confused with the church, is an eschatological kingdom that brings to completion all
The kingdom of God has not only been wrongly identified with the church as if it were
the very kingdom of God established on earth, but it has also been confused with the nation of
Israel. Some theologians hold the view that God has replaced the nation of Israel with the church,
as His kingdom. This view is based on several passages from both the Old and New Testaments
which show Israel’s unfaithfulness to God and their rejection of Jesus of Nazareth as the
Messiah. For example, the same Martin H. Scharlemann who was quoted above equating the
church with the very kingdom of God, also believes that Israel has nothing to do with God’s
kingdom. He is in good company from the past – Justin Martyr, Martin Luther, and Karl Barth
would have agreed with him. Scharlemann argues that as a result of Israel’s failure to glorify
God and to make His name known among the pagan nations, the church is now the New Israel.
He states that in the age of the New Testament, God’s rule is no longer associated with Israel as
His nation as it was until the days of Solomon, whose idolatry made it abundantly clear that the
reign of God and the kingdom of Solomon were no longer the same thing.21
This replacement theology can be found not only among some evangelical scholars, but
among liberal scholars as well, particularly among those who have written extensive
commentaries on the Pauline Letters. For example, John Gager, examining liberal theologians’
arguments on the church as the replacement of Israel, has the following observation regarding
their opinions:
21
Scharlemann, “Kingdom and the Church,” 48-52.
12
“Paul regards Jesus as Savior only for Gentiles, and not for Jews. The Jews are
saved in their own special way under the terms of the Mosaic covenants. As such, Paul
envisaged Israel as a continuing entity with her own set of privileges and blessings that
was still available to them. Jesus was to bring Gentiles into the heritage of Israel, and
Israel’s only problem was those who denied that Jesus was the instrument to redeem the
Gentiles.”22
As can be easily verified, nowhere in Paul’s letters does he ever point to the church as
being Israel, nor does he transfer to the church those roles that have historically been exclusive to
Israel. On one hand Israel is God’s chosen nation in the context of redemptive history. On the
other hand, the church is the body of Christ. Those two roles are neither parallel, nor is one a
replacement for the other. Rather, they are different redemptive dimensions of the same
humanity.23 In Romans 1:16, Paul clearly states that he is not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the
power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, both Jews and Gentiles. Despite
Israel’s prominent status in redemptive history, the Jews are no more than equal with Gentiles in
terms of salvation, since it proceeds from the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ alone. If
the view that the church has replaced Israel in God’s future coming kingdom is favored by some
evangelical scholars, then they must disregard God’s faithful promise of restoring Israel as the
nation under the reign of Messiah in the millennial age (Ezekiel. 37:21-28; Isaiah 11:1-16).
Furthermore, if it were true that God has replaced Israel with the church, then multiple
passages would not exist in the word of God which indicate that God has not rejected Israel as
His own special nation. Examples include Romans 11:1-5, 25-27, Isaiah 59:20-21, Jeremiah
31:33-34, and Acts 1:6-7. Regarding God’s faithful promise to the nation of Israel as His people,
22
John Gager, Reinventing Paul (Louisville: Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2000), 238.
23
Craig A. Blaising and Darrell L. Bock, “Conclusion,” in Dispensationalism, Israel and the Church
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), 383- 84.
13
Colin G. Kruse points out that Romans 11 specifically talks about Israel as a nation not being
rejected by God:
In these verses Paul reinforces the assertion made in 11:1 by adding: God did not
reject his people, whom he foreknew. The reference to God’s not rejecting his people
appears to be a quotation from 1 Samuel 12:22 (‘For the sake of his great name the Lord
will not reject his people’; cf. Ps 94:14, LXX 93:14). The reference to ‘his people, whom
he foreknew’ in this context refers to the nation Israel. Contrary to what the present
situation in which the majority in Israel had rejected the gospel might indicate, God has
not rejected his people. In this context God’s foreknowledge relates to the nation, not to
individuals.24
Indeed, God has not rejected Israel and in their place accepted the church as the new
Israel. Israel will still have a distinctive role in God’s coming kingdom. This concept of Israel as
a nation having its own role in the coming kingdom, is seen in several passages of the New
Testament. One example that possibly points out the significance of Israel’s role as a nation in
God’s kingdom is where Jesus Christ selected his twelve disciples not from the Gentiles, but
Parallels could be drawn between the twelve disciples in the New Testament and the
twelve tribes of Israel in the Old Testament, which somehow seems to indicate that God has in
mind the restoration of Israel as a nation. In the Old Testament, the twelve tribes of Israel were in
a privileged position, chosen by the holy God to be His representatives on earth. Their main task
was to make God’s name known among the pagans. In the same way, in the New Testament,
Christ selected twelve disciples who were the very eyewitnesses of His divine ministry here on
earth, of His death and resurrection. He authorized these twelve disciples to build the church that
24
Colin G. Kruse, Paul’s Letter to the Romans, PNTC, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: WB Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 2012), 423.
14
will advance the kingdom of God in both the near and distant future. How? By making God’s
Another promise of Christ’s that makes Israel’s role in His coming kingdom appear
prominent is that these twelve disciples who sacrificially followed Christ will one day sit on
twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes in those days when Christ will sit on His glorious
throne (Matthew 19:28; Lk. 22:28-30). R. T. France suggests that these twelve disciples who will
rule over the twelve tribes in His kingdom, will be the leading representatives of the community
Israel cannot be ignored as the nation that is special to God, the one which God chose
from among all those in the history of the world to bring forth the messianic seed, which seed
would leave remarkable changes not only for the world in general, but for each person
The millennial age, the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the great
eternal, unconditional covenants of the Old Testament, particularly the Davidic covenant (2
Samuel 7)26 has always been subjected to various interpretations throughout the centuries, from
the past to the present. For example, futurists or premillennialists are convinced that the return of
Jesus Christ precedes and inaugurates a thousand-year reign of peace. Postmillennialists believe
that the reign of Christ is through His church and that Christ returns at the close of a victorious
25
Richard Thomas France, The Gospel of Matthew, NICNT (WB Eerdmans Publishing Company: Grand
Rapids, 2007), 760.
26
Paul N. Benware, Understanding End Times Prophecies: A Compressive Approach (Chicago, MI:
Moody Publishers, 2006), 192.
15
age. Amillennialists sincerely and seriously believe in Jesus Christ’s reign, but treat the thousand
years as allegorical or spiritual.27 Since the book of Revelation is full of allegorical and
metaphorical images, one must carefully examine the term “thousand-year reign” very closely
within the context of the book itself. Robert H. Mounce is helpful regarding the nature of the
Judging from the amount of attention given by many writers to the first ten verses
of chapter 20, one would think they were the single most important segment of the book
of Revelation. The tendency of many interpreters at this point is to become apologists for
a particular view of the millennium. Without denying the significance of this important
passage, it should not be elevated above such basic themes as the return of Christ, the
final judgment and removal of all wickedness, and the splendor of the eternal state. A
careful reading of the millennial passage (vv. 1–10) will show that it is probably limited
to the resurrected martyrs alone, and that it contains no specific indication that their reign
with Christ takes place on earth or that it necessarily follows the second advent. This
commentary understands the millennium portrayed as an earthly reign that follows the
second coming of Christ, although the text itself does not rule out alternate
explanations.28
The student of this research paper believes that the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ
will take place literally. Christ will reign with His people for these thousand years.
Conclusion
If the kingdom of God is not the church, if Israel as a nation has not been replaced with
the church, if the kingdom is not a social gospel or the hidden rule of God in the heart of man,
then what is the kingdom of God? The logical conclusion is that it is about the character and
nature of the sovereign rule of God manifested in a visible way through Jesus Christ’s sinless
27
Peterson, 351.
28
Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, NICNT (Grand Rapids: WB Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1997361.
16
earthly life, selfless ministry, death, and resurrection. The kingdom of God is about repentance
and the forgiveness of sins, the restoration of one’s broken spiritual and physical life, humility,
suffering, selfless service, self-denial, and eternal life, all of which one can only obtain through
faith in Christ alone. The kingdom of God is something that actively happens right now rather
than something that passively exists only in the far distant future. God’s kingdom is both present
in the lives of believers on earth today, and at the same time future in the manifestation of the
full reign of Christ with His saints in the new earth and heavens.29
29
Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, 53.
17
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