____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ December 22, 1991 ____________________________________________________ Has God's Kingdom Come? by Tom Edwards There are many of our religious friends who are still waiting for God's kingdom to be established on earth. They believe that this will take place during a future thousand year reign of Christ from the city of Jerusalem. The Bible, however, teaches that Christ's kingdom has already been established, and it is synonymous with the church. Let us consider a few of these passages. In Daniel, mention is made of a succession of kingdoms that would become world-ruling empires. They are Babylon (70 years), the Medes and Persians (200 years), Greece (130 years), and Rome, which ruled as an undivided kingdom for about 500 years. Notice specifically Daniel 2:44, ``And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.'' The ``those kings'' in this passage has reference to the time of the Roman Empire. It would be during this time that the God of heaven would establish His kingdom upon earth. Jesus, who lived during the time of the Roman Empire, taught that the kingdom of heaven was ``at hand'' (Matt. 4:17). This was also what John the baptist (Matt. 3:2) and the disciples of the Lord (Matt. 10:7) were preaching. According to Mark 10:1, Jesus testified that there were some who had heard him that very day who would not ``taste death'' until after they saw the kingdom of God come with power. Either this happened as Jesus said it would or we should expect to find some people living today who are about 2,000 years old and still awaiting the fulfillment of the Lord's promised kingdom. A false belief held by many today is that Jesus was hindered from establishing his kingdom, due to the Jews' rejection of Him; and, therefore, he founded the church instead as a last-minute substitute. This doctrine is false because of various reasons: First, God knew that His Son would be rejected before He even sent Him. The book of Isaiah was written 700 years prior to the Lord's incarnation, yet it foretells, ``He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him'' (Isa. 53:3). This particular chapter points to the crucifixion of Jesus. Also in Psalm 22 we find explicit language that well depicts the Lord's suffering on the cross. No, it was not a surprise to God that His Son would be rejected. Furthermore, the church itself is spoken of as being part of God's pre-ordained plan. As Paul informs the Ephesians, ''...that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly kingdom. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord'' (Eph. 3:10,11). The church is simply those who have been bought by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the actual Greek word for ``church'' literally means ``the called out.'' Christians are those who have been called out from the world to enter a new spiritual realm where they are made to sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6). The conditions one must meet to become a part of the church are the same as what it takes for one to become part of God's kingdom. Also, God's instructions as to how one should live in the church (which the faithful child of God is continually in for it is figuratively the body of Christ) are the same instructions as to how one should live in the kingdom. The Gospel itself is sometimes referred to as ``the gospel of the kingdom'' (Matt. 4:23). Prior to Acts 2, both the church and the kingdom have been spoken of as that which was yet to come. Jesus had said, ``I will build My church'' (Matt. 16:18), and in Matthew 3:2, ''...the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'' But in Acts 2:47, we read of the first instance of the church being in existence; the verse reads, ''...And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.'' And concerning the kingdom: ``For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,'' (Col. 1:13). In Revelation 1:9, John also acknowledges being in the kingdom. Prophetically, Jesus is foreshadowed as being ``One like a Son of Man'' who ``came UP TO'' the ``Ancient of Days'' in order to receive ``dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him'' (Dan. 7;13,14). This inspired scene is of that future event when the Lord would ascend back to the right hand of God after having finished His work on earth (Acts 1:1-11). From the context in Daniel 7, Jesus does not come ``back down to earth'' to receive this kingdom, but rather when He ascends ``up to'' God in heaven. It was also at this time when He would receive ``dominion and glory.'' And this He did. Christ has been highly exalted and given a name above every name (Phil. 2:9-11). He has been raised ``far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,'' (Eph. 1:21,22). The Lord could never receive anymore power than He already has, and to bring Him back down to earth to literally reign from Jerusalem and sit on a literally throne of David is a demotion and in no way an exaltation. Christ came into this world to suffer once. He no longer has to suffer any more, but would it not be a suffering for Him to have to merely give up the blissfulness of heaven's glory to come into this world and become a part of this physical realm once again? According to Daniel, Jesus received the kingdom the same time he received His dominion and glory. Also, if he has not yet received the kingdom, then what is one of the consequences? Daniel states that the purpose for Christ's receiving the kingdom was so that ''...all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him.'' Therefore, if the kingdom has not yet been established, then we who are Gentiles are without hope and must keep waiting until it is established so that we can then become a part of His kingdom and be able to serve Him. The truth reveals, however, that every Christian is a part of God's kingdom which Jesus established soon after having ascended back to heaven. We must be born of water and the Spirit in order to enter this kingdom (John 3:5), and if we remain faithful, we will one day be gathered up with everyone else who is a member of God's kingdom in order to be delivered up to God (1 Cor. 15:24). Now is the time to become one of the Lord's loyal subjects in His eternal kingdom so we can each be ready for whenever that time will be when Christ will present His kingdom of the redeemed before His Father in glory. Won't you begin allowing the Lord to be your King this very day? ___________________________________________ BIBLE QUIZ (Water Baptism) 1. Which of the following men made the statement in one of his epistles that ``baptism now saves you''? Was it a) Paul, b) Peter, c) James, or d) Jude? 2. Who in the book of Mark declares that ``He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved''? 3. What two conditions are specified in Acts 2:38 that one must do in order to have his sins forgiven? 4. According to Romans 6:3,4, baptism is for which one of the following reasons: a) to show our sins have already been forgiven, b) to be able to walk in newness of life, or c) to become members of a particular denomination? 5. In Galatians 3:26,27, Paul shows how one is put into Christ. What two conditions are necessary, according to this passage, for this to happen? 6. In John 3:5, Jesus teaches that a man must be born again before he can enter the kingdom of heaven. What are the two things one must be born of in order to make this possible? 7. Paul's sins were forgiven after having met the Lord on the road to Damascus and prior to his being baptized. True or False? (For help on this, see Acts 22:16, which occurs after Paul's encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus.) 8. Paul speaks of baptism as how in Colossians 2:12? Does he refer to it as a) a sprinkling, b) a burial, or c) a pouring? 9. The ``WHEREIN also ye are risen with him'' (KJV) or, as the New American Standard Version renders it, ``IN WHICH you were also raised up with Him'' (Col. 2:12) is referring to which one of the following? a) baptism, b) faith, or c) the Spirit? 10. How many baptisms does Ephesians 4:5 teach are for today? 11. About what hour of the night was the Philippian jailer baptized? (See Acts 16:25-34.) 12. Both the Ethiopian eunuch and the Philippian jailer rejoiced before they were baptized. True or false? (For help with this, consider the above passage along with Acts 8:38,39.) 13. Must one be baptized for the right reason or could just any type of baptism suffice? (See Acts 19:3-7.) 14. How many ``infant baptisms'' do we read of in the New Testament? 15. On the basis of what Jesus teaches in Mark 16:16 and Paul's instruction in Roman 10:17, why would or would not baptism be for infants? 16. What does Jesus say of little children in Matthew 19:14? (Compare also Matt. 18:1-4). 17. As we examine these Scriptures, baptism is shown as being something one must do for which of the following reasons: a) to have sins washed away and become a Christian b) to join a particular denomination, or c) to show that sins have already been washed away, prior to being baptized? Answers: 1) B (1 Pet. 3:21) 2) Jesus (Mark 16:16) 3) ``repent and be baptized'' 4) B 5) One must have faith and be baptized. 6) water and the Spirit 7) False 8) B 9) A 10) One 11) About the midnight hour 12) False 13) One must be baptized for the right reason. 14) None 15) Infants aren't able to hear the word of God and believe it. 16) The kingdom of heaven belongs to them. 17) A ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________