The Kingdom Is Already A Present Reality

If the issue is whether or not the kingdom is present or future, what difference would it make?

 

I meant if they were unanimous on this point, would their other differences matter with respect to the OP?

 

This is obviously referring to Christ. I'd say that this has been fulfilled at his 1st coming.

Wait, this isn't the gospel message!

Now, anyone would have to admit that this hasn't been fulfilled literally.


Lacy

 

Jesus illustrated for us how to understand the two-fold nature of Christ's Kingdom. (A present spiritual Kingdom and, yet still, a coming suckling-child-playing-on-a-snake-hole physical kingdom.)

Spiritual Elias=John-the-Baptist, preceeded Christ at his first coming. the Kingdom was established but not manifested. It is spiritually present. It is absolutely real and has caused great good in the world, but it is not the Kingdom spoken of by the prophets.


Literal Elias "truly shall first come"! He will preceed the coming of King Jesus who will sit down in David's literal throne in literal Jerusalem. (Luke 1:32, 33)

Obviously they're not going to be "sitting down with Abraham, etc." in the Kingdom that it "within you". That would be a little freaky.


Lacy

 

Hey, y'all. Read this. I think this will settle your arguments.

You don't know the difference between "kingdom of God" on one hand and "kingdom of heaven," do you Bob? I'm sorry I couldn't point it out to you on the other thread. You must have "pull" with "the management," eh?

Kingdom of God is wherever God the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit is. The Father is in heaven -- the Son was here ("koG is among you") -- the Spirit is in believers. That puts the "kingdom of God" in heaven -- among us -- in us.

There is coming a day that we all pray for -- "Thy kingdom come, Thy will ..." It is postMK. post Rev 20. It/He comes down PHYSICALLY (Rev 21:3) in a shining city, New Jerusalem, to a perfect, sinless, deathless New Heavens/New Earth. The throne of "God and of the Lamb" is in it, Rev 22:1.

So is the "kingdom of God" here today? Like scripture says, it is "within us" -- God the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. That's it!

Kingdom of heaven is the world from Adam through the MK. It is a concept only dealt with by Matthew and in parables. It reveals that, while Satan is the unlawful possessor of the PHYSICAL kingdom, Christ's SPIRITUAL kingdom has existed and will survive till He returns and reigns supreme (which change of power is what The Revelation is all about)!!

So, is the "kingdom of heaven" here today? Yes, but it is spiritual, not physical. And it includes some who are saved and many more who are lost. Perhaps the best images of this are 1) the wheat and tares, 2) the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins (ex: Philadelphia and Thyatira), 3) the good fish and bad fish, 4) wicked, slothful servants and good servants, etc.

That is to say, like the KoG, the "kingdom of heaven" is unseen to the world, also ("not given to them"). For instance, Israel and the church are the same -- one "fold," not two. One continuous relationship through faith, unchanged by the cross. Through the "kingdom of heaven" parables, the plans of God for His Son's kingdom are revealed to us until our faith become sight.

skypair

 

Well said, Ed!

That gets us a lot closer to the truth!!! :applause:

I might delineate them manifested in time to us as:

1. Kingdom of Heaven -- Adam to the MK (note: the last KoH parable timewise is the kings' wedding supper for His son at the beginning of the MK)
2. Kingdom of Christ -- the MK
3. Kingdom of God -- New Heavens and New Earth, eternity

skypair

 

Acts 3:19-21 speaks of a “restoration of all things” that will come after Jesus returns. That is explicit in the passage and teaches us several things.

1. It is a restoration, meaning that it is a return of something that previously existed but has gone away. That, according to the OT and the NT is the kingdom of Israel with the Davidic king.

2. It cannot come until Jesus returns.

Of this the prophets spoke, which again is the prophecy of a coming earthly kingdom. It says nothing of any kind of spiritual kingdom. That is nowhere found in the OT. The Scriptures alone will bring us to the conclusion that the kingdom does not now exist but that one day it will be restored when Jesus comes back.

 

I agree with you in principal, especially the last couple paragraphs of your post. I think that context can sometimes determine a different facet of the term "Kingdom."

I admit that God does not use words idly, so I will not rule out some subtle distinction. However, I have studied the terms and, in scrpture, these terms (and several others as far as I can tell) all refer to the same thing; the Literal Millenial reign of Christ on the earth.

Here are my reasons for believing this at this point.

1) The Jews expected the literal Davidic reign. Luke 1:32,19:11, Acts 15:16

2) Jesus never corrected the disciples when they inquired about a literal kingdom. He also never clarified that more than one "Kingdom" was involved. Acts1:6 and chapter, Matt 20:21 & cc. These were perfect opportunities to "straighten out" these poor misled Jews. The Jews had it right.

3) In the Gospels the terms "Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are used interchangably.

• In Matt 4:12'17 Christ declares the KOH is at hand.In Mark 1:14,15 the KOG is at hand.
• Im Matt 19:14 Christ says Suffer little children, ...for of such is the kingdom of heaven. In Mark 10:14 and Luke 18:16 it is KOG.
• Matt 13:31-33 KOH is compared to a mustard seed and Leaven. In Mark 4:30-32 and Luke 13:18-21 it is KOG.
• PLEASE READ MATTHEW 19:23,24 where the terms are found together referring to the same thing and the rich man's difficulty at getting in.
• Also see Matt 5:3 vs Luke 6:20;
• Matt 13:11 vs Mk 4:11;
• Matt 16:28 vs Luke 9:27 &Mk 9:1

4) There are other terms "Kingdom of Christ" and "Kingdom of the Father" etc. that are all also used in the same contexts with no stated or inplied distinctions.

• [see Matt 13:41-43vs Eph 5:5;
• Matt 26:29 vs 2 Pet 1:11

"The Kingdom" normally refers to Christ's coming literal earthly 1000 yr. reign. The Jews would have understood it no other way. (I'm not sure they would have been able to sumise it's 1000 yr. duration from the OT,) nontheless, when they referred to messiah's kingdom it was the Messianic Kingdom.

On occassion, the term "Kingdom" refers to God's universal soverignty. Context bears this out. But the normal usage of "KOH", "KOG", "Kingdom", Kingdom of Christ" and "Kingdom of the Father" etc.is to refer to the MK.

Lacy

 

That sounds cool. Kinda poetical-like. What does it mean?

Lacy

 

I have trouble with this premise. I think it is very highly suspect, however, would be interested in proof from the scriptures.

Lacy

 

Well, I usually am skeptical of such assertions myself but the distinction that Matthew makes seems to be only in Matthew. Stick by your guns," though, if you are so inclined. I was just trying to be helpful.

skypair