The
Study of the Doctrine of the Last Days
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Session Twenty-Seven:
JESUS, THE COMING
KINGDOM OF GOD
Introduction
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More than 700 years before the birth of
Christ, the prophet Isaiah was able to look into the future and predict,
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of
the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains . .
." (2:2). A younger contemporary of Isaiah, Micah, prophesied of
the same event: "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that
the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established . . ."
(4:1). Eschatology is the study of the "last days." It is the
quest to understand the establishment of the "mountain of the house
of the Lord."
Several years after Isaiah and Micah, Daniel, in his revealing of the
dream of the king of Bablyon, again spoke of "a great mountain
[that would fill] the whole earth" (2:35). In the interpretation of
the dream, the "mountain" is revealed to be the coming kingdom
of God "which shall never be destroyed" and "stand for
ever." Daniel’s interpretation of the coming kingdom of God sets
the standard for Israel’s prophets in the coming centuries. They also
prophesied of the coming Messiah (the anointed One) to establish His
reign of peace, joy, and righteousness.
The dream of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Bablyon, as revealed by Daniel
related to the kingdoms of men being destroyed and consumed by the
kingdom of God:
Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image,
whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form
thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast
and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of
iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a
stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet
that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the
iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces
together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and
the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the
stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the
whole earth. (Dan. 2:31-35)
After revealing that the head of fine gold represented the king of
Bablyon, Daniel preceded to reveal how the kingdoms of men would
degenerate from brilliance to drabness. The golden age of man declined
through silver, brass, iron, and iron and clay until it would be broken
and scattered by the wind. And in the aftermath, "shall the God of
heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed . . . and it
shall stand for ever" (2:44). For Daniel and all the succeeding
prophets, the establishment of God’s kingdom would be the consummation
of the ages.
The expectation of the long awaited Messiah who would come to destroy
evil and establish a kingdom of righteousness began in the days of
Abraham, patriarch of the Jewish nation. Long before the people of
Israel began to conceive themselves as a nation, God spoke to their
father Abram:
Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy
father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of
thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great;
and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee,
and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the
earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:1-3).
God promised a great nation would come to Abraham and his
descendants. The nation would be blessed of God. He would not only bless
the descendants of Abraham but he promised to bless the people that
would honor and revere the nation that God would establish. He also
promised to curse the people who would curse the nation. The promise of
God to Abraham forever produced in his descendants the expectations of a
coming kingdom of God that would be blessed and protected by God
Himself.
The descendants of Abraham have never been confused by the fact that God
had promised a coming kingdom of peace, prosperity, and justice. The
wrongs of evil would be punished and the righteousness of the good would
be rewarded. That expectation, that hope has grounded the people of God
for centuries.
The confusion occurs over just when this promised kingdom would be
experienced in all of its glory. The descendants of Abraham during the
time of David just knew that they were in the realized kingdom, the
fulfillment of the promise of God. Their understanding with all the
hopes and dreams of experiencing the glory of the kingdom was shattered
when the Northern ten tribes of Israel were defeated and deported to
never be heard of again. When the holy city and the temple of God was
destroyed in the south, the destruction of the glory of the kingdom of
David was completed. The prophets of captivity held to their belief and
with visionary zeal proclaimed that the promise of God was still
true--He would restore the kingdom promised to Abraham. The latter house
of the Messiah would be greater than the former house of David. Many of
the descendants of Abraham are still waiting in expectation for the
restoration of the nation of Israel.
After the advent of Jesus and a renewed interest in the "coming of
Christ (Messiah)," the Christian church around the year of 500 A.
D. began to believe that the physical presence of the organized church
was in fact the promised kingdom of God. The material and temporal
kingdom of Roman Catholicism became the fulfillment of the expectation
of the coming kingdom of God. With its desire to spread peace and
justice, the visible church spread throughout the world with its hope of
bringing the righteousness of God. Many in Catholicism still believe
they are the physical manifestation of the kingdom of God. On the other
hand, many within the Roman church have had their dreams and hopes
shattered with each passing day. Again, many Catholics are waiting in
expectation for the fulfillment of the realized kingdom of God.
It was not until the beginning of the Twentieth Century a renewed
interest in the physical kingdom of God being established on earth came
to the forefront of man’s thinking again. With the rise of
conservative Biblical scholarship, a rekindled emphasis on the last days
became prominent. This modern revival of eschatology began when a group
of Christians (later to be known as "premillenialists") began
to interpret a biblical concept of history. It was suggested that the
entire history of man would eventually come to its consummation with the
end of the present world and the establishment of the realized kingdom
of God in all of its glory in the world to come. Most conservative and
fundamental Christians today are enrapturedly waiting for Jesus to come
and establish his physical kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness upon
the earth.
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CD 27 Is
Approximately Forty-Five Minutes of Exposition
on the Words of Jesus Found in the Gospels
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REQUEST
BOOK SEVEN AND CD'S NOW
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Session Twenty-Eight:
JESUS, THE DAY OF
THE LORD
Introduction
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A human being is a creature of two different
worlds. He is a flesh and blood body that has been quickened by the
breath of life, the Spirit of God. Since the body is inanimate material,
it has to be infused with life by a force outside of itself. The
spiritual has to penetrate the physical before life can be experienced
by that which has no life.
Since this birth of the spiritual within the physical is the marvel of
created existence--a mystery which ultimately cannot be understood nor
explained, the attempt by enlighten man to describe it is always in
great flowing terms of symbolism. Often it is the experiencing of a
vision or a dream, which is usually highly allegorical, that prompts the
endeavor to understand the mystery. Since the truth of the mystery is
always concealed in symbolism and in allegory, the attempt to understand
what is being given for the enlightenment of man often becomes the
twisted ranting of man’s imagination that brings only greater
conclusion and deception.
From the planting of a seed to the coming forth of the kingdom of God
among men, the miracle of life is consistent in the events of its
mystery. The outward husk of the seed must be destroyed before the
essence of new life within can come forth in its glory. The kingdoms of
men must be broken into pieces before the means of their annihilation
spreads forth in a great nation of God filling the whole earth. The
coming forth of the miracle of life within the created world always
comes forth in the labor pains of the physical.
This moment of time, when the essence of the Spirit would break forth
out of the flesh, came to be known in the prophecies of the Old
Testament and the teachings of the New Testament as the "Day of the
Lord." It was a special time, a special day when God’s will and
purpose in the created world would be fulfilled.
It is not only the process of the new life for the individual it is also
the way by which God brings about his will and purpose in the world as a
whole. As in Daniel’s interpretation of the dream of the king of
Babylon, it always has both judgment for the physical world and
restoration of the spiritual domain. It always depicts the end of a
present age and the coming of a new age.
The prophet Amos was probably first to use the phrase, the "Day of
the Lord:" "Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to
what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.
As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the
house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not
the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no
brightness in it?" (5:18-20). Amos is only speaking of the judgment
aspect of this special time of God that eventually would bring
restoration. The physical world of man’s existence must come down.
The prophet Joel gave both the judgment and the restoration of the day
of the Lord. The Lord spoke through Joel and said, " ye shall know
that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and
none else . . . I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth,
blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into
darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day
of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call
on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in
Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the
remnant whom the LORD shall call. (2:30-32). Those who would call on the
name of the Lord in the midst of this judgement and be restored to
newness of life, would do so because the Lord said, "I will pour
out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see
visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days
will I pour out my spirit" (2:28,29). The Lord further promised the
restored remnant, "ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and
praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with
you . . . And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I
am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be
ashamed" (2:26,27).
With Peter quoting the prophecy of Joel to explain what was happening to
the followers of Jesus on the Jewish feast day of Pentecost, he is
understanding that out of the judgment of the nation of Israel was
coming a new nation. The present age of the physical nation of God was
giving birth to a new age. The power, the glory, and the honor of the
new kingdom of God was being experienced. By the Holy Spirit, this new
nation was being infused with the life of God, Jesus Christ, the
"Day of the Lord."
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CD 28 Is
Approximately Forty-Five Minutes of Exposition
on the Words of Jesus Found in the Gospels
|
REQUEST
BOOK SEVEN AND CD'S NOW
|
TOP
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Session Twenty-Nine:
JESUS, THE COMING
OF CHRIST
Introduction
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A few hours before His death, Jesus told his
disciples that He was going to have to leave them. Then, He said,
"I will come again." (John 14:3). When Jesus was taken up into
the heavens by the Father, two men in white apparel told the disciples
who were witnessing the ascension, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye
gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into
heaven, shall come again in like manner as ye have seen him go into
heaven" (Acts 1:11). The return of Christ is probably the most
dominant theme in the New Testament, especially if importance is
measured by the number of times a subject is mentioned. The return of
Jesus is referred to over 300 times. The expectancy of the coming of
Christ is found in every letter and book of the New Testament.
Peter wrote, "That the trial of your faith, being much more
precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire,
might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of
Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:7). James inscribed, "Be ye also
patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth
nigh" (James 5:8). Paul recorded, "And the very God of peace
sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body
be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1
Thess. 5:23). John penned, "And now, little children, abide in him;
that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed
before him at his coming" (1 John 2:28). Jude communicated ,
"Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints"
(Jude 14). Finally, the Bible closes it record with, "Even so,
come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22.20).
Jesus Himself talked of his return: "I go to prepare a place for
you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also"
(John 14:2,3). He added, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will
come to you" (John 14:18). Finally, He stated, "Ye have heard
how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you" (John
14:28).
There are three keys words that were used by the early followers of
Jesus when they talked of the coming of Christ. The most dominant of the
three words is usually translated "coming." Surprisingly,
perhaps, it is not translated from the word meaning, "to come"
or "to go," as if you are in one place and need to come to
another place. The key word that is most often used to translate the
"coming of Christ" means, "a being near." The King
James Version translates the original word as "coming" and
"presence." The coming of Christ is to experience the nearness
or presence of Christ.
The second most often used word in the "coming of Christ" is
translated from the word meaning, "disclosure." The root of
this word means, "to take off the cover, i.e. disclose." It is
translated by the King James Version as "appearing,"
"coming," "lighten," "manifestation,"
"be revealed," and "revelation." The coming of
Christ is the disclosure of Christ.
The original word is where we get our word apocalypse. The revelation of
Jesus Christ came to be understood in the apocalyptic events of the
destruction of the present evil age to usher in the new age of peace,
joy, and righteousness. Thus, the last book of the New Testament is the
"Revelation" of Jesus Christ--the apocalypse of Jesus Christ.
The third word used in the "coming of Christ" is translated
from a word meaning, "a manifestation." It is translated by
the King James Version as "appearing" and
"brightness." As Paul wrote, "then shall that Wicked be
revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and
shall destroy with the brightness of his coming" (2 Thess 2:8).
Wickedness is always "rendered entirely useless" (destroyed)
with the manifestation (brightness) of his presence (coming).
The early followers knew that Jesus has promised that He would return to
them. He had said, "I will not leave you comfortless; I will come
to you." They believed that Jesus had not only returned to them by
the Holy Spirit on the Jewish Feast of Pentecost but they also believed
that the revelation of His presence would be manifested
every time the present condition of life needed to be brought to an end
and a new beginning experienced. They knew Jesus would come into their
world and save them. They lived their lives in the expectancy of the
coming of Christ.
For example, When Paul was in Athens because he had been forced to leave
Thessalonica by envious nonbelievers, he wrote back to the Thessalonian
disciples and raised a penetrating question (1 Thess. 2:19,20). In the
midst of persecution and affliction (an apocalyptic event), he ask them,
"what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing?" He answered
the question for them: "Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord
Jesus Christ at his coming?" Then, simply stated, "For ye are
our glory and joy." Experiencing the manifestation of Jesus Christ
in their relationship, the nearness of Christ had produced such glory
that in the midst of the afflictions he was experiencing hope and joy.
Is it any wonder then that they continually lived in the expectancy of
the coming of Christ.
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CD 29 Is
Approximately Forty-Five Minutes of Exposition
on the Words of Jesus Found in the Gospels
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REQUEST
BOOK SEVEN AND CD'S NOW
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TOP
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Schedule