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The Kingdom of God 
First Published Feburary 14, 2008.
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Jesus’ words recorded in the synoptic gospels have brought about a great debate concerning the subject of  “the kingdom
 
of God.” Questions arise like: has the kingdom of God come, or is the kingdom still allusive, or is the kingdom coming in a
 
progressive manner?
 
 
There are many approaches one can take in trying to come to a consensus on the proper view of the kingdom of God.
 
Frederick Borsch states his approach as follows:

 

R. David Kaylor states he will follow the premises of Funk and Smith who derived eleven presuppositions for the Jesus Seminar.[2] Werner Kummel likes the approach of word studies as he states in his book,

 

Rudolf Bultmann states: “Every interpretation of history presupposes a hermeneutic method. But usually the historians do not reflect upon this presupposition.”[4] Kaylor believes that, “positions taken must be supported by evidence and rational argument.”[5] This can be a fairly subjective criterion to live by. Paul Tan states:

So, how shall we proceed? T. W. Manson makes this observation:

With this in mind we will let the Scriptures speak for it-self while following two presuppositions. One:

 

And two, we will stand on the principle of the following Scripture:

From the synoptic gospels we will examine the statements Jesus made concerning the kingdom of God and attempt to

 

answer the opening questions that elude many.

 

The Problem Defined

“The key to the meaning of the Kingdom is Christology. Jesus not only utters the message of the Kingdom of God, He is Himself the message.”[10] As we look at some Gospel text this view will be found not far from the overall truth.

 

The record of Jesus’statement in Mark, coupled with His statements recorded in Luke, will give us some insight to the historical time line of the kingdom of God.

Jesus proclaims a clear distinction in God’s economy at this point in history. The proclamations of the Law and the Prophets have come to fulfillment in the presence of Jesus. Just as Jesus stated, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”[13] This supports Vos’s position that the kingdom is an extension of the Old Testament prophecy and Jesus expected everyone to understand that.[14] Jesus states, “andJerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”[15] This continues to show that Jesus recognized economies or God working in stages, in bringing the kingdom of God to us in history. This would support Ladd’s position that, “God’s reign expresses itself in different stages through redemptive history.”[16]

 

Through several of Jesus’ statements we can begin to see how Jesus presented the kingdom of God in the present.

 Jesus makes the following statement in Mark 9:

 

The Scriptures continues on in that context and states that a week later Jesus was transfigured in a glorious form along with Moses and Elijah. If you follow grammatical-historical hermeneutics this would be seen as a fulfillment of what Jesus had just stated a week before. If this is the correct interpretation, then one aspect to the kingdom of God could be seen as of another dimension of our present world, one not accessible in our present form. Another aspect of the kingdom can be seen in Matthew 12 and says,

If taking on a correct attitude and view concerning the nature of the kingdom results in bringing us closer to the kingdom, then this may suggests that another aspect of the kingdom is spiritual. Consider what is recorded in Luke,

This illustrates that another aspect of the present Kingdom is its progressive nature. It grows and spreads in a mysterious manner. The kingdom of God was expected to come in a physical presence, but instead Jesus spoke in terms of its nature and its mysteries, of its birth, and growth and finally its appearance in the future. How should we understand this?

 

The Mysteries Explained

 

            'You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;

And you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;

For the heart of this people has become dull,

And with their ears they scarcely hear,

And they have closed their eyes

Lest they should see with their eyes,

And hear with their ears,

And understand with their heart and return,

And I should heal them.'[20]

 

What did Jesus mean by the mysteries of the kingdom? Simply put, He was referring to things about the kingdom that were not revealed in times past. How do we know this? Consider the words of the Apostle Paul,

According to these two texts it was never God’s intention to deliver the earthly kingdom to Israel at this time in history. The mystery that is to be revealed at this time is a new economy or a new stage of the progressive kingdom. In simpler terms the kingdom of God was going to be offered to the Gentiles through the mystery of, “Christ in you”, “that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”[22] Thus the Church becomes the next stage in the kingdom revealed. This is something Kaylor doesn’t understand. Kaylor believes that Jesus spoke in parables because of political dangers of the day,[23] when clearly the Scriptures state that the parables were given to hide the mysteries from the nation of Israel at that time. Kaylor also believes that the Gospel writers were some how on a different page when it came to the ways of the historical Jesus.[24] It is clear, from the Scripture stated so far, that the historical Jesus and the Gospel writers, which some were Apostles and most were, eye witness of Jesus’ life, were in complete harmony concerning the mysteries of the kingdom. Jesus life was not a manipulation by the church to get Jesus to be something He was not. This view would only come by not accepting any of our presupposition.

 

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Footnotes

[1] Frederick Hauk Borsch, Many Things in Parables (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1988) , 7.

[2] R. David Kaylor, Jesus the Prophet (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1994) , 14-15.

[3] Werner George Kummel, Promise and Fulfilment, By Dorathea M. Barton (London: SCM Press LTD, 1957) , 19.

[4] Rudolf Bultmann, History of Eschatology (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1957) , 110.

[5] Kaylor, Jesus the Prophet, 5.

[6] Paul Lee Tan, The Interpretation of Prophecy ( Winona Lake: Assurance Publishers, 1974) , 21.

[7] T. W. Manson, The Teaching of Jesus (Cambridge: The University Press, 1931) , 4.

[8] Milton S. Terry, Biblical Hermeneutics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1974) , 19.

[9] 2 Tim. 3:12-17 (NAS)

[10] George E. Ladd,Jesus and the Kingdom , (New York: Harper and Row, 1964;

reprint, The Presence of the Future (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1974) , 27.

[11] Mark 1:14-15 (NAS)

[12] Luke 16:16-17 (NAS)

[13] Matt. 5:17 (NAS)

[14] Geerhardus Vos, The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the kingdom of God and the Church (New York: American Tract Society, 1903) , 12.

[15]Luke 24:21 (NAS)

[16] George Eldon Ladd, The Gospel of the Kingdom (Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1959) , 22.

[17] Mark 9:1 (NAS)

[18] Mark 12:28-34 (NAS) 

[19] Mark 4:26-29 (NAS)

[20]Matt. 13:10-15 (NAS)

[21]Eph. 3:1-10 (NAS)

[22] Col. 1:26-27 (NAS)

[23] Kaylor, Jesus the Prophet, 126.

[24] Kaylor,Jesus the Prophet, 91.

 

 

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