ULDAH MINISTRY

No,108　　OCTOBER . 2004

【 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 】

"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. …but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown king Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you lay on your bed are these: "As you were lying there, O king, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. … "After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron -for iron breaks and smashes everything -and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. … "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure for ever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands -a rock that broke the gold to pieces. "the great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy." DANIEL 2:20~22…:28~29…:39~40…:44~45.
Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land: "May your prosper greatly! I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. "For he is the living God and he endures for ever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions." DANIEL 6:25~27.
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. …but the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it for ever -yes, for ever and ever.' …As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favour of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. …Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.'
DANIEL 7:13~14…:18…:21~22…:27.

Jesus taught His disciples how to pray; when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans…for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. "This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one'(Matt.6:6-13. Lines added). This prayer is called the "Lord's Prayer" and has come to be universally used in the Church whenever services are held up to this day. However, amazingly and ironically most Christians do not seem to be aware of the meaning and request of their prayers. It is a strange fact that the subject of the 'kingdom of God' has not intently been expounded in Christian theology, whether academic or not, though Jesus' foremost focus of His teaching was placed on the issue.
When it comes to man's redemption, Jews and Christians use different terms. While Jews expect to 'share in the World to Come' as a result of their faithful observance of Torah and their continual faithfulness to God, Christians believe in 'salvation through Jesus Christ' and in the 'entrance to the kingdom of God.' Despite significant differences in the understanding of the future, both faiths expect the messianic fulfilment at the end of time. Indeed Jesus taught such an eschatological future kingdom and yet His kingdom was very radical, imminent and also very earthly. The same, somewhat residing contradiction within the concept of the kingdom can be found in the Jewish concept of the 'World to Come,' in that it seems rather contradictory, being both earthly and eternal. The prime cause of the difficulty in producing a definitive picture of the kingdom lies in the lack of biblical information itself. Nevertheless, in the Hebrew Bible the 'kingship of God' is frequently referred to and it seems to point to the same prospect as that of the 'kingdom of God' taught by Jesus in the New Testament.
Another cause is the fact that the same terminology has been interpreted differently and understood in different frameworks, throughout the centuries of the entire church history. For example, the term, the 'kingdom of God' has come to be equated with the church since the days of St. Augustin whose influence over the understanding of the kingdom as a political rule of the church dominated the medieval Church. Christendom, a political earthly entity of God was thought to take over the whole world. Contrary to Jesus' teaching of the preparation for the persecution against His true disciples and the invisibility of God's kingdom, Christendom powerfully flourished over Europe: "My kingdom is not of this world…my kingdom is from another place"(John 18:36. Line added). Such a strong militarily and politically structured kingdom, which man would desire was never the kingdom of God that Jesus brought in.
From the sixteenth to the seventeenth centuries, the Reformation opened the eyes of the church to the sovereignty and the 'kingship of God' behind the scene beyond works and efforts on man's side: 'In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will' (Eph.1:11. Line added). One of the most popular but misleading interpretations of the 'kingdom of God' is the view that regards the kingdom as a mere internal phenomenon in man's heart. This interpretation has prevailed since the nineteenth century on the basis of Jesus' reply to the Pharisees; 'the kingdom of God is within you' (Lk.17: 20-21). However, a careful examination shows that the context does not allow such a psychological interpretation because the 'kingdom of God' cannot be materialised within non-believing Pharisees in their hearts but it would indeed be reality among those who belong to Christ, despite its invisibility. Only those who believe in Christ can taste its existence even in this world because "where two or three come together in my (Jesus') name, there am I (is He) with them" (Matt.18:20), i.e., because the invisible king is always there with His followers to the very end of the age .
When the social commitment and involvement of the gospel was emphasised, Christians mistakenly thought they could establish an ideal society by demonstrating humanitarian and charitable activity. However, they failed in understanding Jesus' teaching about the 'kingdom of God,' which is to be radically inaugurated by God but not politically structured by man. Of course practising what helps the poor, the weak, the neglected, the oppressed and the outcast in the society is God's foremost heart but all these works can easily turn out to be man-centred agendas where man's pride, self-righteousness and competition rather than the needs of others are satisfied. It would be a good reminder that things from above alone can perfectly satisfy man's needs.
On the other hand, there are those who believe in the 'kingdom of God' as the future reality alone; Jesus' teaching of the kingdom and the Sermon on the Mount and all other related teachings are totally irrelevant now for those who emphasise the future aspect alone. However, for apparent reasons, this view cannot appropriately respond to the question of why Jesus needed to teach so many seemingly irrelevant subjects that emphasise the present aspect for those living on this side of the world. There are also those who support a contemporarily prevailing "Dominion theology" which claims the victorious take-over of countries, cities and villages by Christendom. The advocators believe that they can achieve enormous Christian influence over every area of the society by the power of the Holy Spirit and the world would welcome Jesus' return with adequate preparation. All those thinking may partially be true but none of them seems to properly comprehend the 'kingdom of God,' that Jesus taught.
Though greatly neglected by Christians, what is worth noting is the fact that in the Hebrew Bible, the 'kingdom of God'in Israel's daily life and the restored Jewish kingdom in the future have both a distinctively earthly emphasis. It depicts God's reign from present to future and finally expects an ideal king's everlasting reign of peace and justice to be inaugurated only through the utter defeat and complete destruction of the present Israel. The final state of the restored kingdom would be a universal salvation through the cleansed and restored Israel, and only at that time, Jews' initial calling as a witness of the one God to the whole nations will be fully enacted in their messianic kingdom,and this happening after the long years of rebellion and disobedience to their God of Israel.
Bearing all these factors in mind, examining the Scripture can be rewarding. As quoted at the beginning, Daniel illustrates three different phases of the 'kingdom of God'in a bird's eye view from the beginning to the end, through King Nebuchadnezzar's dream and Daniel's interpretation of the dream. It depicts that there is an invisible but eternal kingdom, in which 'a God in heaven who reveals mysteries' reigns．Even Nebuchadnezzar, a pagan king who experienced the powerful sovereignty of the Lord through many miraculous signs, wonders and foretelling of the affairs of the world, exclaimed, 'How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, his dominion endures from generation to generation.'(Daniel 4:3). This kingdom of God exists from the beginning to the end but only those who have hearts to accept it can taste it even on this side of the world. Matthew called this eternal kingdom 'the kingdom of their (the righteous') Father'(Matt.13:43). Daniel and his three friends lived in this eternal kingdom in the midst of a pagan country (Babylon). This was no easy task, but the Lord was gracious to them and responded to their wholehearted obedience with supernatural interventions time and time again. Daniel's friends were rescued out of the fiery furnace because they trusted in the Lord, and 'were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any God except their own God.'(Daniel 3:28). Daniel himself was rescued out of the den of lions with no wound found on him 'because he had trusted in his God' (Daniel 6:23). Hence, for Daniel and his friends, the kingdom of God was a reality even in this world. Daniel's story demonstrates that in his time, very few people lived God's kingdom on earth by applying God's law in their daily lives. However, no matter what happened to them, their faithfulness to the only God was not shaken, as seen in their confession, 'But even if he (God) does not (save us from it), we want you to know O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.' (Daniel 3:18). Jesus taught the disciples to demonstrate the same attitude and faith as Daniel and his friends so as to be 'perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect' (Matt 5:46), and to apply the 'beatitudes' to their daily lives. Thus, those who carefully listen to Jesus' teaching and those who put the Father's will into practice are already living and enacting God's kingdom, and will also inherit the 'coming kingdom of God'. This coming kingdom is characterised by its futuristic aspect. Daniel 7 depicts the process of how this third phase of God's kingdom will be established and brought to completion. The Lord Jesus also taught of the forthcoming day, the age to come in contrast with this age, referring to the Second Coming of the 'Son of man' in futuristic terms.
To sum up, the 'kingdom of God' exists now as a present reality, coexisting with earthly kingdoms of human history. The 'kingdom to come' is a consummation of the present earthly kingdom and furthermore, significantly, though invisible yet from this side of the world, the 'eternal kingdom' has always been (existed), even before the creation of the world, founded upon the three persons of the Godhead.
Jesus ushered in God's kingdom, and primarily taught about it during his earthly ministry. Those who had sought it witnessed the start of this kingdom, experiencing total freedom, peace and abundance in Christ: Look at the birds of the air, … your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?… so do not worry, saying 'what shall we eat' or… For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well (Matt 6:26-33. Lines added).
One of the most exciting promises of Jesus to his followers was that the following signs would accompany them even while living in this world, before the Second Coming; in my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well (Mark 16:17-18). Preaching the gospel and casting out demons were distinct signs of God's kingdom. Casting out demons, which was inseparable from healing in Jesus' ministry, was the only miracle that was never recorded in the Hebrew Bible. Jesus authoritatively performed deliverance ministry which was the very reflection of a clash between the two kingdoms; Satan's and God's. In other words, God' kingdom which was brought down to earth from heaven by Jesus, continues on amongst his followers after his ascension by the help of the Holy Spirit. When He returns to inaugurate His messianic kingdom, and to complete what He began, God's perfect rule will overwhelm the whole earth. Jesus' first coming signalled that the days of Satan's kingdom were numbered, whereas Jesus' return will lead to a dramatic expulsion of Satan and his demons from this world. It is no wonder that the demons trembled with fear when Jesus confronted them. Demons could not help but reveal their identity as they entreated Jesus not to expel them out of the world into the Abyss (place of confinement for evil spirits). In the same way that Jesus' appearance on earth threatened evil spirits as a proclamation of the forthcoming judgement, Jesus' coming was also a proclamation of salvation for those who believed in Him. Their yoke of slavery to sin, to self and Satan, was released from them, enabling them to foretaste the 'glorious freedom of the children of God' (Rom. 8:21), through the difficulties in this world.
Jesus declared in the synagogue at Nazareth that preaching the good news of the 'kingdom of God' was an announcement of 'the year of the Lord's favour', that is, 'the year of Jubilee'. He proclaimed that day that 'today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing' (Luke 4:43). Leviticus 25 explains what the year of Jubilee meant for the Israelites. The Israelites were commanded to take a whole year's rest every seventh year (Sabbath year) after a six year labour so that everyone, including slaves in the land, and even animals and crops in the field could have rest. After seven rounds of Sabbath years(49 years), the fiftieth year was called the 'Jubilee'. Following the 49th year rest, they would have another year's holiday in the 50th year, which was inaugurated by the trumpet blast as a sign of liberty. The Jubilee was therefore a merciful God-given year of rest when everyone would cease to work. By the same token, Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom of God 'the year of God's favour' meant for the believers a time of rest in Him, being freed from their work, effort and burdens; come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matt 11:28-30).
Thus, the immediate breaking in of God's reign in this world has indeed begun by Jesus' three and a half year ministry on the earth and with the last Old Testament prophet John's proclamation of the kingdom; Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near; the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it (Luke 16:16). This earthly kingdom existing in parallel with the present world is a mere reflection of the heavenly kingdom of God, in other words, the invisible eternal kingdom of the Father in heaven and awaits its consummation in the millennium earthly 'kingdom of God to come,' which would be characterised as a Jewish messianic kingdom with Jesus at the reign. The correlation between the three phases of the 'kingdom of God' may be a little clearer now, but the ways of entering them are not as simple, needing further examination.