Article There Are Two Component Parts of the Gospel

There Are Two Component Parts of the Gospel ​

by Ray Faircloth for discussion at Thursday 7/29/21 Bible Study


The Gospel’s major component is the future establishment on earth of the literal “kingdom of God,”/“kingdom of heaven.” This will involve the returning Jesus who laid the foundation for the Kingdom by his death and resurrection. It is now clear that the further major part of the Gospel concerns everything about Jesus the Messiah including his death and resurrection. So, to teach, as many famous evangelicals do, that the gospel is only about the death and resurrection of Jesus would be only part of the Gospel i.e., an incomplete gospel. As we have seen already there is just one gospel. However, it has two major components which are:

1. The Kingdom of God, yet to be established on earth.
2. Everything about the king of the Kingdom, Jesus Christ and so including his death and resurrection.

This full gospel is summed up for us in Acts 8:12: “But when they [the Samaritans] believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ...” This phrase, “The name of Jesus Christ” means everything about Jesus. It concerns everything he did (including his death and resurrection) and said in his teachings, so that we can understand his character and what his prime focus was, namely, the kingdom of God. So, the Good News is about the spectacular visible reappearance on earth of the Lord Messiah Jesus to begin the first ever truly righteous administration of our planet—the Kingdom of God. It will totally change our political landscape, so that truly virtuous and delightful conditions will begin to prevail for mankind. The kingdom will be world-wide.

Jesus’ Prime Purpose Was to Preach

the Good News of the Kingdom of God​

Mention of the Kingdom of God is all over the New Testament. In the Gospel accounts it occurs in Matthew 52 times, Mark 19 times, Luke 44 times, and John 4 times although John also uses the phrase “life of the age to come” as a synonym for the kingdom many dozens of times. So, it was the preaching or proclaiming of the Kingdom of God that was paramount for Jesus, as he said:



“I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43).



Appendix B at the end of this book demonstrates twenty of these statements about the Kingdom of God.

The Great Commission Has Failed if

the Kingdom Is Not Preached​

If the proclaiming of “the Kingdom of God” is excluded, then Christians would be in violation of the Great Commission that Jesus set as the prime work for Christians. This was a command from Jesus when he said: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations ... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28: 19, 20). So, irrespective of the size of their missions around the world, those who proclaim only the death and resurrection of Jesus, but not the future establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth, are failing to preach the full gospel.

The further false views of the Gospel concern misinterpretation of what God’s kingdom actually is. There are three particular incorrect views. These are:



The Kingdom is paradise in heaven.

The Kingdom is an ethical rule in one’s heart.

The kingdom is the Church.



In earlier chapters we saw that the Kingdom is not paradise in heaven. However, there are many who teach that the Kingdom is an ethical rule in one’s heart and that the more Christians there are the better the world will become. Does the Bible really show this to be the case?

§



The Kingdom Is Not

an Ethical Rule in One’s Heart

​

It is well known that the King James Version of the Bible presents Jesus as saying, “the Kingdom of God is within you,” and so leading to the claim that it is a spiritual state i.e., an ethical rule in one’s heart, rather than a literal Kingdom with a king ruling over the world population. Several other translations of the Bible have followed the KJV in this. But is this really what Jesus meant?

The “Within You” and

“Needing No Sign” Renderings

​

Typical but misleading renderings of Jesus’ words in Luke 17:20-21 are:

“Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, ….” (ESV also see the NASB)

“… nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you’” (NKJV and GW)



TRANSLATION POINTS:

The phrase “not coming with signs to be observed” in the ESV and NASB should be rendered as: “the kingdom of God is not coming with observation” or “with your careful observation” (NIV). This is the correct rendering according to Greek lexicons and the UBS interlinear text. The phrase “with signs” is not even in the Greek.

The phrase “within you” in the NKJV, KJV, and GW should contextually be translated as: “the kingdom of God is in the midst of (Gk. entos) you” or “among you.” (Also see ISV, NRSV, NAB, NET, NJB, REB, CSB, Moffatt, and Rotherham.



So, the NIV captures both aspects correctly as:

“Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Additionally, the previous NIV used the phrase “careful observation.” So, Jesus is here saying to the Pharisees that they do not have to go looking (i.e., “with careful observation”) here or there for the kingdom because when it arrives it will be very evident to everyone just as the king of the kingdom Jesus, standing in their midst, is very evident to the Pharisees and “within their grasp” as N.T Wright renders this phrase. Next and for his disciples only, Jesus develops that thought with the use of a simile which shows that the coming of the kingdom will be as evident as lightning:



“Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day” (Luke 17:22-24).



Indeed, verse 20 does not mean that the kingdom will not be coming without an observable physical sign. If that is what Jesus had meant then he would have been contradicting all that he said in the Olivet Discourse where the visible sign is:



“When you see the desolating abomination, standing where he should not” (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains” (Mark 13:14 NAB)



Indeed, if the Kingdom is simply a spiritual state in one’s heart how could the Scriptures possibly state that, after the ministry of Jesus, Joseph of Armithea was still “waiting for the Kingdom” (Mark 15:43).

The Physical and Spiritual Conditions

in the Kingdom​

Although Christians should display all of the qualities that are intrinsic to the Kingdom of God some have argued that the Kingdom concerns only the spiritual qualities within Christians. They have based this idea on the words of Romans 14:17 because Paul writes: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking [i.e., regulations of the Mosaic Law] but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). However, Jesus’ words in a number of Scriptures demonstrate also the physical nature of the Kingdom including:



“and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:29, 30).



Shailer Matthews, D.D., Professor of Theology, Chicago Seminary shows that the Kingdom is not primarily about ethical ideals:



So far from the eschatological Kingdom of God being a secondary element in the early church, it is its great conditioning belief. The preaching of the first evangelists was not a call to ethical ideals or an argument as to certain truths. Rather it was the proclamation of a Message.

The Messianic Hope in the New Testament, pp. 144.​

So, the Kingdom is far more than simply demonstrating ethical ideals in one’s life. Indeed, the view that the Kingdom is an ethical rule in one’s heart is simply a substitute for the real Kingdom of God. But could it be that “the Kingdom of God” is just another term for the Church as has been promoted by a few denominations?

§​

The Church Is Not the Kingdom of God

​

There are several denominations which teach the idea that the Kingdom of God is synonymous with the church. Certainly, this is another of the substitutions made concerning the Kingdom of God and cannot be correct because Christians are shown in the Scriptures to be heirs of the Kingdom, but not heirs of the Church.

Christians Are Heirs of the Kingdom,

but Not Heirs of the Church

​

The disciple James shows that Christians are “...chosen...to be...heirs of the kingdom” (James 2:5). So, it is impossible for a person to be an heir of a particular thing and to be its possessor at the same time. Christians, themselves actually are the church; whereas they do not yet possess the kingdom because it is an inheritance. Furthermore, the Kingdom is yet future and at that future time Christians must enter the Kingdom. This will occur, “when the Son of Man comes in his glory” … It is all a matter of Christians as having been invited to, “inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:31, 34). This is why the Apostle Peter could say, “...there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:11). Indeed, these are existing believers, i.e., the church; yet they will inherit and enter the kingdom in the future. Hence the kingdom cannot be the church.

The Church Is of “Flesh and Blood,”

But the Kingdom Will Be Constituted of Immortals​

Because Paul said that: “…flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” (1 Cor. 15:50) it is clear that mortals cannot inherit the Kingdom, and yet that is what the members of the Church currently are i.e., “flesh and blood.” Such mortal persons constitute the church and so cannot inherit the kingdom. So, the church cannot be the Kingdom as theologian Hans Conzelmann notes that:

It cannot really be disputed that Luke means by the Kingdom a future entity. The spiritualizing interpretation according to which the Kingdom is present in the Spirit and in the Church is completely misleading…It is the message of the Kingdom that is present, which in Luke is distinguished from the Kingdom itself. He knows nothing of an immanent [i.e., already present] development on the basis of the preaching of the Kingdom. Theology of St. Luke, p. 122.



It is reassuring that, neither the idea of a spiritual and ethical rule in one’s heart is the actual Kingdom or that the idea that the Church is the Kingdom, are true to Scripture. However, it is very reassuring that the Kingdom will be a literal rulership over the earth with Jesus as King, so that everything that is currently wrong with the management of the earth will be changed dramatically for the better.

Dealing with a Misunderstood Interpretation

in Revelation 1:6 and 5:10​

The passages state that Jesus, “...made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father ... and you have made them a kingdom and priests...they shall reign on the earth.” However, this is not “a kingdom of priests” as in Exodus 19:6, but rather it concerns two separate offices—kings and priests. Christians are to rule as kings with Christ (2 Tim. 2:12); but because Revelation, written around A.D. 96, concerns “things which must soon take place” these statements must be part of the prophetic pattern of the book of Revelation and therefore future. Furthermore, because Christians are to rule as kings with Jesus only from a time after their resurrection (Rev. 20:4) they cannot be kings before that future time. So, while John views the church as ‘a kingdom’ in the sense that they will be kings, he is not saying that they are “the kingdom of God”—a future political entity of a spiritual nature. Additionally, Christians are not yet ruling “on the earth,”—something they would do the moment they become kings. For these reasons Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 do not indicate that the church is the kingdom. Moreover, it can be shown clearly that the Kingdom is yet future.

§



The Kingdom Is Future ​

Although Paul, in Colossians 1:13, says that Christians have been “transferred…to the Kingdom of [God’s] beloved Son” and so are experiencing the Kingdom now, the vast majority of texts show that the full experiencing of the Kingdom is yet future. So, what is meant by the statement in Colossians? It simply means that Christians now live their lives in harmony with the precepts of the coming Kingdom. However, Jesus made it plain that the Kingdom in its full expression will arrive when he himself returns:



“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, in the new world (regeneration), when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel’” (Matt. 19:28).



Jesus has clearly not yet sat down upon his throne as having established the Kingdom which will take place immediately after the Great Tribulation. So, Jesus warned that, “...when you see these things [the Great Tribulation etc] taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near” (Luke 21:31). Furthermore, in the parable of the Nobleman who goes “…to a far country”.....verse 23 indicates that there will be a long time lag when he says: “why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming, I might have collected it with interest” (Luke 19:11-27). In terms of the physicality of the Kingdom Jesus says, “I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes” (Luke 22:18). This is because when Jesus returns the heavenly voices will announce that, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ…” (Rev. 11:15). So, Christians must be patient while anticipating Jesus’ return to establish the Kingdom with its centre in Jerusalem.

We Get a Taste of the Power of the Kingdom Now​

However, Christians now get a taste of life in that future Kingdom because of:



The many biblical descriptions of the coming Kingdom paradise contained in the Scriptures.

Fellowship with other believers.

Having Christ in their lives as holy spirit,



Also, it is as the writer to the Hebrews stated that: “…those who have once been enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift...and have tasted the ... powers of the age to come…” (Heb. 6:4, 5 ESV) —all because, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col. 1:13). Evidently, the Kingdom existed in God’s and Jesus’ minds from before Paul’s time. So, all the realities of the future kingdom may be tasted now because Christians are no longer in the domain of darkness and have been “transferred” out of Satan’s world. Furthermore, we get a taste of the kingdom power when we read of the kind of abilities Jesus was granted. For example: “if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt. 12:28).

But what kind of Kingdom will it be?

§​

The Kingdom Will Be Paradise on Earth ​

The purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate that:



The coming Kingdom of God will be set up on earth with a returned Jesus as King in the literal Jerusalem of the future.



The coming Kingdom of God will be for the blessing of the nations



Jesus, with his associate rulers, will immediately set about the task of bringing about paradise conditions so that all war, crime, poverty and pollution are steadily and likely miraculously eradicated. Increasingly the nations will be living in harmony.



But first we must look at the background to the biblical statements and promises concerning the coming Kingdom.

The Promise God Made to Abraham

Applies Also to Christians​

An examination of the promises made to the ancestors of the Jews all concerned the earth and there is never any promise of going to heaven. This is why Paul could say: “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed’” (Gal. 3:8) and it will be, “the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world...” (Rom. 4:13). In fact, when we refer to God’s promises in Genesis (12:2, 3; 13:14-17; 17:7, 8; 26:2-4; 28:13-14) as given to the forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob we find that the promises are about inheriting the land, producing progeny, and being a blessing to all nations. As one example of this promise we find that God said to Jacob:



“Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 26:3-4).



So, the three aspects of the promise are encapsulated here. But there is no mention of going to heaven at any time.

Abraham and Others

Have Yet to Receive the Promises​

It may seem surprising to some that Abraham did not receive the prime promise in his lifetime. However, this was shown by Steven in his address to the Sanhedrin (High Council of the Jews) saying:



“[God] moved him [Abraham] to this land in which you now dwell. And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him” (Acts 7:4b-5).



Later the writer of the letter to the Hebrews further commented on ALL the ancestors and faithful individuals that, “These all [including Abraham—vs. 8, 9] died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them” (Heb. 11:13). So, we can be sure that all these ones will get the fulfilment of the promise when Jesus returns to resurrect them.

Christians Have the Abrahamic Promises​

In fact, exactly, the same promises to the ancestors apply to Christians because Jesus confirmed them according to Paul who said:

“…that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers...” (Rom. 15:8).



Paul later elaborated on this confirmation by explaining to the Christians in Galatia:



“…that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith ... Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made ... And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:14, 16, 29).



Therefore, the entire thrust of God’s promises to faithful Hebrews who anticipated Christ, as well as Christians as “Abraham’s seed” concern inheriting the land, producing progeny, and being a blessing to all nations; but there is no promise of going to heaven! It is only by misapplication of the few phrases used by Paul and explained earlier in this book that the pagan Greek notion of going to heaven was adopted by second century Christians.

Paradise Always Refers to Life on Earth

​

From the very beginning of biblical statements about mankind’s habitat the definition of paradise (a Persian loan-word) was of a park-like place of perfection on the earth—a utopia. Indeed, the Greek word used in the Septuagint for the translation of the Hebrew word was paradeisos, “And Yahweh elohim planted a garden [Gk. paradeison] in Eden, in the east” (Gen. 2:8 NOG). This rendering was also the case in Genesis 2:9; 2:10; 2:15; and 3:2. These facts give us the definition of the word “paradise” throughout the Scriptures.

​

THREE OCCURRENCES OF “PARADISE” IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

The seditionist hung next to Jesus pleads, “…remember me when you come into your kingdom! He [Jesus] said to him… truly I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42, 43). Jesus here equates the Kingdom with paradise, and paradise was thought of by first century Jews, only as related to the earth. However, please note that commas were not used in the Greek uncial manuscripts of the New Testament. So, a number of translations render this verse with the comma/punctuation placed after the word “today.”

• “I say unto thee this day: With me shalt thou be in paradise”Rotherham.
• “Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I assure you even today: you will one day be with me in Paradise.’ ‘Today’ probably belongs in the first part of the sentence” Das Neue Testament, translated by Wilhelm Michaelis.

• “I promise you today, you will indeed be with me in that future paradise” Anthony Buzzard.

• “I assure you today, you will be with me in paradise” (KGV).

When one examines the context, both immediate and far, any punctuation must come after the word “today.” In fact, the Greek adverb appears in the Septuagint (LXX) and the New Testament 221 times. In 170 of these occurrences the adverb follows the verb it modifies e. g. in the Old Testament as, “I say unto you today”; “I testify to you today” “as many as I command thee today, that ye may live” (Deut 11:8).



The second occurrence of the word “paradise” in the New Testament was when Paul stated that, “…a man [probably himself]…was caught up to the third heaven ... this man was caught up to paradise” (2 Cor. 12:2, 4). This seems most likely to be the 3rd “heavens and earth” (sky and land) that Peter later described in 2 Peter 3:5, 7, 13 as “new heavens and a new earth” and was therefore Paul’s vision of the coming paradise on earth which John also describes.



The final occurrence of the word “paradise” was Jesus’ promise to Christians that, “to the one who conquers, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7).



So, living in such a future paradise on earth is what Jesus offered the dying criminal. It is also what Paul had a vision of, and is the promise in the book of Revelation. There is no reason to think that any of these three occurrences of the word paradise ever inconsistently refer to heaven while others refer to earth. So, the Scriptures consistently use the term paradise in a setting that is of the earth. There is no thought of it as being relocated to heaven, but rather our prayer should be, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

§​

 

[TrudyZ]

Thanks Ray, I enjoyed reading your post. And yes, few people who call themselves "Christian', understand the Kingdom of God which is yet to be fully accomplished. What do you think of what is said in Revelation 10 after the strong angel that was sent from God spoke? " “You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” It appears to me that a great preaching work will be underway after the 7 thunders utter their voice.


And Jesus' words, "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” to me means something deeper than the surface.
Prior to Christ's New Covenant, in the Mosaic Covanant, if one is born a Jew in the flesh or born an Israelite, a man was considered a man of God through the blood line and was considered a member of God's people. But since Christ, a member of God's people now have to be born through the spirit, that is, 'the word of God'. Consider John 6:63 where Jesus said, "It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." And also the consideration of Apostle Pauls words about being born again.

 

[Tsarina Andadora]

And Jesus' words, "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” to me means something deeper than the surface.
Prior to Christ's New Covenant, in the Mosaic Covanant, if one is born a Jew in the flesh or born an Israelite, a man was considered a man of God through the blood line and was considered a member of God's people. But since Christ, a member of God's people now have to be born through the spirit, that is, 'the word of God'. Consider John 6:63 where Jesus said, "It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." And also the consideration of Apostle Pauls words about being born again.

That's a really beautiful way to look at that verse. The idea being family ties and the acts of the Law don't save and can't offer salvation.

Salvation comes from a deeper more meaningful spiritual place. Obviously being human isn't bad, Jesus even ate after his resurrection, but what is fallen can't create or beget or make whole. Only Jesus did that for us.

God bless!

 

[Tsarina Andadora]

Thanks Ray, I enjoyed reading your post. And yes, few people who call themselves "Christian', understand the Kingdom of God which is yet to be fully accomplished. What do you think of what is said in Revelation 10 after the strong angel that was sent from God spoke? " “You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” It appears to me that a great preaching work will be underway after the 7 thunders utter their voice.


And Jesus' words, "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” to me means something deeper than the surface.
Prior to Christ's New Covenant, in the Mosaic Covanant, if one is born a Jew in the flesh or born an Israelite, a man was considered a man of God through the blood line and was considered a member of God's people. But since Christ, a member of God's people now have to be born through the spirit, that is, 'the word of God'. Consider John 6:63 where Jesus said, "It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." And also the consideration of Apostle Pauls words about being born again.

There Are Two Component Parts of the Gospel ​

by Ray Faircloth for discussion at Thursday 7/29/21 Bible Study


The Gospel’s major component is the future establishment on earth of the literal “kingdom of God,”/“kingdom of heaven.” This will involve the returning Jesus who laid the foundation for the Kingdom by his death and resurrection. It is now clear that the further major part of the Gospel concerns everything about Jesus the Messiah including his death and resurrection. So, to teach, as many famous evangelicals do, that the gospel is only about the death and resurrection of Jesus would be only part of the Gospel i.e., an incomplete gospel. As we have seen already there is just one gospel. However, it has two major components which are:

1. The Kingdom of God, yet to be established on earth.
2. Everything about the king of the Kingdom, Jesus Christ and so including his death and resurrection.

This full gospel is summed up for us in Acts 8:12: “But when they [the Samaritans] believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ...” This phrase, “The name of Jesus Christ” means everything about Jesus. It concerns everything he did (including his death and resurrection) and said in his teachings, so that we can understand his character and what his prime focus was, namely, the kingdom of God. So, the Good News is about the spectacular visible reappearance on earth of the Lord Messiah Jesus to begin the first ever truly righteous administration of our planet—the Kingdom of God. It will totally change our political landscape, so that truly virtuous and delightful conditions will begin to prevail for mankind. The kingdom will be world-wide.

Jesus’ Prime Purpose Was to Preach

the Good News of the Kingdom of God​

Mention of the Kingdom of God is all over the New Testament. In the Gospel accounts it occurs in Matthew 52 times, Mark 19 times, Luke 44 times, and John 4 times although John also uses the phrase “life of the age to come” as a synonym for the kingdom many dozens of times. So, it was the preaching or proclaiming of the Kingdom of God that was paramount for Jesus, as he said:



“I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43).



Appendix B at the end of this book demonstrates twenty of these statements about the Kingdom of God.

The Great Commission Has Failed if

the Kingdom Is Not Preached​

If the proclaiming of “the Kingdom of God” is excluded, then Christians would be in violation of the Great Commission that Jesus set as the prime work for Christians. This was a command from Jesus when he said: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations ... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28: 19, 20). So, irrespective of the size of their missions around the world, those who proclaim only the death and resurrection of Jesus, but not the future establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth, are failing to preach the full gospel.

The further false views of the Gospel concern misinterpretation of what God’s kingdom actually is. There are three particular incorrect views. These are:



The Kingdom is paradise in heaven.

The Kingdom is an ethical rule in one’s heart.

The kingdom is the Church.



In earlier chapters we saw that the Kingdom is not paradise in heaven. However, there are many who teach that the Kingdom is an ethical rule in one’s heart and that the more Christians there are the better the world will become. Does the Bible really show this to be the case?

§



The Kingdom Is Not

an Ethical Rule in One’s Heart

​

It is well known that the King James Version of the Bible presents Jesus as saying, “the Kingdom of God is within you,” and so leading to the claim that it is a spiritual state i.e., an ethical rule in one’s heart, rather than a literal Kingdom with a king ruling over the world population. Several other translations of the Bible have followed the KJV in this. But is this really what Jesus meant?

The “Within You” and

“Needing No Sign” Renderings

​

Typical but misleading renderings of Jesus’ words in Luke 17:20-21 are:

“Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, ….” (ESV also see the NASB)

“… nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you’” (NKJV and GW)



TRANSLATION POINTS:

The phrase “not coming with signs to be observed” in the ESV and NASB should be rendered as: “the kingdom of God is not coming with observation” or “with your careful observation” (NIV). This is the correct rendering according to Greek lexicons and the UBS interlinear text. The phrase “with signs” is not even in the Greek.

The phrase “within you” in the NKJV, KJV, and GW should contextually be translated as: “the kingdom of God is in the midst of (Gk. entos) you” or “among you.” (Also see ISV, NRSV, NAB, NET, NJB, REB, CSB, Moffatt, and Rotherham.



So, the NIV captures both aspects correctly as:

“Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Additionally, the previous NIV used the phrase “careful observation.” So, Jesus is here saying to the Pharisees that they do not have to go looking (i.e., “with careful observation”) here or there for the kingdom because when it arrives it will be very evident to everyone just as the king of the kingdom Jesus, standing in their midst, is very evident to the Pharisees and “within their grasp” as N.T Wright renders this phrase. Next and for his disciples only, Jesus develops that thought with the use of a simile which shows that the coming of the kingdom will be as evident as lightning:



“Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day” (Luke 17:22-24).



Indeed, verse 20 does not mean that the kingdom will not be coming without an observable physical sign. If that is what Jesus had meant then he would have been contradicting all that he said in the Olivet Discourse where the visible sign is:



“When you see the desolating abomination, standing where he should not” (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains” (Mark 13:14 NAB)



Indeed, if the Kingdom is simply a spiritual state in one’s heart how could the Scriptures possibly state that, after the ministry of Jesus, Joseph of Armithea was still “waiting for the Kingdom” (Mark 15:43).

The Physical and Spiritual Conditions

in the Kingdom​

Although Christians should display all of the qualities that are intrinsic to the Kingdom of God some have argued that the Kingdom concerns only the spiritual qualities within Christians. They have based this idea on the words of Romans 14:17 because Paul writes: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking [i.e., regulations of the Mosaic Law] but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). However, Jesus’ words in a number of Scriptures demonstrate also the physical nature of the Kingdom including:



“and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:29, 30).



Shailer Matthews, D.D., Professor of Theology, Chicago Seminary shows that the Kingdom is not primarily about ethical ideals:



So far from the eschatological Kingdom of God being a secondary element in the early church, it is its great conditioning belief. The preaching of the first evangelists was not a call to ethical ideals or an argument as to certain truths. Rather it was the proclamation of a Message.

The Messianic Hope in the New Testament, pp. 144.​

So, the Kingdom is far more than simply demonstrating ethical ideals in one’s life. Indeed, the view that the Kingdom is an ethical rule in one’s heart is simply a substitute for the real Kingdom of God. But could it be that “the Kingdom of God” is just another term for the Church as has been promoted by a few denominations?

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The Church Is Not the Kingdom of God

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There are several denominations which teach the idea that the Kingdom of God is synonymous with the church. Certainly, this is another of the substitutions made concerning the Kingdom of God and cannot be correct because Christians are shown in the Scriptures to be heirs of the Kingdom, but not heirs of the Church.

Christians Are Heirs of the Kingdom,

but Not Heirs of the Church

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The disciple James shows that Christians are “...chosen...to be...heirs of the kingdom” (James 2:5). So, it is impossible for a person to be an heir of a particular thing and to be its possessor at the same time. Christians, themselves actually are the church; whereas they do not yet possess the kingdom because it is an inheritance. Furthermore, the Kingdom is yet future and at that future time Christians must enter the Kingdom. This will occur, “when the Son of Man comes in his glory” … It is all a matter of Christians as having been invited to, “inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:31, 34). This is why the Apostle Peter could say, “...there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:11). Indeed, these are existing believers, i.e., the church; yet they will inherit and enter the kingdom in the future. Hence the kingdom cannot be the church.

The Church Is of “Flesh and Blood,”

But the Kingdom Will Be Constituted of Immortals​

Because Paul said that: “…flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” (1 Cor. 15:50) it is clear that mortals cannot inherit the Kingdom, and yet that is what the members of the Church currently are i.e., “flesh and blood.” Such mortal persons constitute the church and so cannot inherit the kingdom. So, the church cannot be the Kingdom as theologian Hans Conzelmann notes that:

It cannot really be disputed that Luke means by the Kingdom a future entity. The spiritualizing interpretation according to which the Kingdom is present in the Spirit and in the Church is completely misleading…It is the message of the Kingdom that is present, which in Luke is distinguished from the Kingdom itself. He knows nothing of an immanent [i.e., already present] development on the basis of the preaching of the Kingdom. Theology of St. Luke, p. 122.



It is reassuring that, neither the idea of a spiritual and ethical rule in one’s heart is the actual Kingdom or that the idea that the Church is the Kingdom, are true to Scripture. However, it is very reassuring that the Kingdom will be a literal rulership over the earth with Jesus as King, so that everything that is currently wrong with the management of the earth will be changed dramatically for the better.

Dealing with a Misunderstood Interpretation

in Revelation 1:6 and 5:10​

The passages state that Jesus, “...made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father ... and you have made them a kingdom and priests...they shall reign on the earth.” However, this is not “a kingdom of priests” as in Exodus 19:6, but rather it concerns two separate offices—kings and priests. Christians are to rule as kings with Christ (2 Tim. 2:12); but because Revelation, written around A.D. 96, concerns “things which must soon take place” these statements must be part of the prophetic pattern of the book of Revelation and therefore future. Furthermore, because Christians are to rule as kings with Jesus only from a time after their resurrection (Rev. 20:4) they cannot be kings before that future time. So, while John views the church as ‘a kingdom’ in the sense that they will be kings, he is not saying that they are “the kingdom of God”—a future political entity of a spiritual nature. Additionally, Christians are not yet ruling “on the earth,”—something they would do the moment they become kings. For these reasons Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 do not indicate that the church is the kingdom. Moreover, it can be shown clearly that the Kingdom is yet future.

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The Kingdom Is Future ​

Although Paul, in Colossians 1:13, says that Christians have been “transferred…to the Kingdom of [God’s] beloved Son” and so are experiencing the Kingdom now, the vast majority of texts show that the full experiencing of the Kingdom is yet future. So, what is meant by the statement in Colossians? It simply means that Christians now live their lives in harmony with the precepts of the coming Kingdom. However, Jesus made it plain that the Kingdom in its full expression will arrive when he himself returns:



“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, in the new world (regeneration), when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel’” (Matt. 19:28).



Jesus has clearly not yet sat down upon his throne as having established the Kingdom which will take place immediately after the Great Tribulation. So, Jesus warned that, “...when you see these things [the Great Tribulation etc] taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near” (Luke 21:31). Furthermore, in the parable of the Nobleman who goes “…to a far country”.....verse 23 indicates that there will be a long time lag when he says: “why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming, I might have collected it with interest” (Luke 19:11-27). In terms of the physicality of the Kingdom Jesus says, “I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes” (Luke 22:18). This is because when Jesus returns the heavenly voices will announce that, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ…” (Rev. 11:15). So, Christians must be patient while anticipating Jesus’ return to establish the Kingdom with its centre in Jerusalem.

We Get a Taste of the Power of the Kingdom Now​

However, Christians now get a taste of life in that future Kingdom because of:



The many biblical descriptions of the coming Kingdom paradise contained in the Scriptures.

Fellowship with other believers.

Having Christ in their lives as holy spirit,



Also, it is as the writer to the Hebrews stated that: “…those who have once been enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift...and have tasted the ... powers of the age to come…” (Heb. 6:4, 5 ESV) —all because, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col. 1:13). Evidently, the Kingdom existed in God’s and Jesus’ minds from before Paul’s time. So, all the realities of the future kingdom may be tasted now because Christians are no longer in the domain of darkness and have been “transferred” out of Satan’s world. Furthermore, we get a taste of the kingdom power when we read of the kind of abilities Jesus was granted. For example: “if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt. 12:28).

But what kind of Kingdom will it be?

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The Kingdom Will Be Paradise on Earth ​

The purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate that:



The coming Kingdom of God will be set up on earth with a returned Jesus as King in the literal Jerusalem of the future.



The coming Kingdom of God will be for the blessing of the nations



Jesus, with his associate rulers, will immediately set about the task of bringing about paradise conditions so that all war, crime, poverty and pollution are steadily and likely miraculously eradicated. Increasingly the nations will be living in harmony.



But first we must look at the background to the biblical statements and promises concerning the coming Kingdom.

The Promise God Made to Abraham

Applies Also to Christians​

An examination of the promises made to the ancestors of the Jews all concerned the earth and there is never any promise of going to heaven. This is why Paul could say: “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed’” (Gal. 3:8) and it will be, “the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world...” (Rom. 4:13). In fact, when we refer to God’s promises in Genesis (12:2, 3; 13:14-17; 17:7, 8; 26:2-4; 28:13-14) as given to the forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob we find that the promises are about inheriting the land, producing progeny, and being a blessing to all nations. As one example of this promise we find that God said to Jacob:



“Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 26:3-4).



So, the three aspects of the promise are encapsulated here. But there is no mention of going to heaven at any time.

Abraham and Others

Have Yet to Receive the Promises​

It may seem surprising to some that Abraham did not receive the prime promise in his lifetime. However, this was shown by Steven in his address to the Sanhedrin (High Council of the Jews) saying:



“[God] moved him [Abraham] to this land in which you now dwell. And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him” (Acts 7:4b-5).



Later the writer of the letter to the Hebrews further commented on ALL the ancestors and faithful individuals that, “These all [including Abraham—vs. 8, 9] died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them” (Heb. 11:13). So, we can be sure that all these ones will get the fulfilment of the promise when Jesus returns to resurrect them.

Christians Have the Abrahamic Promises​

In fact, exactly, the same promises to the ancestors apply to Christians because Jesus confirmed them according to Paul who said:

“…that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers...” (Rom. 15:8).



Paul later elaborated on this confirmation by explaining to the Christians in Galatia:



“…that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith ... Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made ... And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:14, 16, 29).



Therefore, the entire thrust of God’s promises to faithful Hebrews who anticipated Christ, as well as Christians as “Abraham’s seed” concern inheriting the land, producing progeny, and being a blessing to all nations; but there is no promise of going to heaven! It is only by misapplication of the few phrases used by Paul and explained earlier in this book that the pagan Greek notion of going to heaven was adopted by second century Christians.

Paradise Always Refers to Life on Earth

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From the very beginning of biblical statements about mankind’s habitat the definition of paradise (a Persian loan-word) was of a park-like place of perfection on the earth—a utopia. Indeed, the Greek word used in the Septuagint for the translation of the Hebrew word was paradeisos, “And Yahweh elohim planted a garden [Gk. paradeison] in Eden, in the east” (Gen. 2:8 NOG). This rendering was also the case in Genesis 2:9; 2:10; 2:15; and 3:2. These facts give us the definition of the word “paradise” throughout the Scriptures.

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THREE OCCURRENCES OF “PARADISE” IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

The seditionist hung next to Jesus pleads, “…remember me when you come into your kingdom! He [Jesus] said to him… truly I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42, 43). Jesus here equates the Kingdom with paradise, and paradise was thought of by first century Jews, only as related to the earth. However, please note that commas were not used in the Greek uncial manuscripts of the New Testament. So, a number of translations render this verse with the comma/punctuation placed after the word “today.”

• “I say unto thee this day: With me shalt thou be in paradise”Rotherham.
• “Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I assure you even today: you will one day be with me in Paradise.’ ‘Today’ probably belongs in the first part of the sentence” Das Neue Testament, translated by Wilhelm Michaelis.

• “I promise you today, you will indeed be with me in that future paradise” Anthony Buzzard.

• “I assure you today, you will be with me in paradise” (KGV).

When one examines the context, both immediate and far, any punctuation must come after the word “today.” In fact, the Greek adverb appears in the Septuagint (LXX) and the New Testament 221 times. In 170 of these occurrences the adverb follows the verb it modifies e. g. in the Old Testament as, “I say unto you today”; “I testify to you today” “as many as I command thee today, that ye may live” (Deut 11:8).



The second occurrence of the word “paradise” in the New Testament was when Paul stated that, “…a man [probably himself]…was caught up to the third heaven ... this man was caught up to paradise” (2 Cor. 12:2, 4). This seems most likely to be the 3rd “heavens and earth” (sky and land) that Peter later described in 2 Peter 3:5, 7, 13 as “new heavens and a new earth” and was therefore Paul’s vision of the coming paradise on earth which John also describes.



The final occurrence of the word “paradise” was Jesus’ promise to Christians that, “to the one who conquers, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7).



So, living in such a future paradise on earth is what Jesus offered the dying criminal. It is also what Paul had a vision of, and is the promise in the book of Revelation. There is no reason to think that any of these three occurrences of the word paradise ever inconsistently refer to heaven while others refer to earth. So, the Scriptures consistently use the term paradise in a setting that is of the earth. There is no thought of it as being relocated to heaven, but rather our prayer should be, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

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Brother. My dear dear brother. These posts have been a balm and a salve to my heart. God bless you and thank you!