Kingdom Now and Yet to Come
Many years back I wrote a 35-page report on the Kingdom of God.
I didn't realize then just how relevant it would remain.
Today it is a more needful study than ever, as "Kingdom Now" and "Dominion" theology continue to make inroads into the taking away of our future hope of a reign with Christ by over-emphasizing the present-day phase of the Kingdom's functioning.
There are really two problems involved, of course.
The Kingdom-now folk rightly suggest that some future-kingdom people are often "sitting around" waiting for Jesus to come and rescue them from all the trouble of the world.
They got their sins forgiven and had their experience, maybe even a sign or wonder, and now they just plod on with their normal life waiting for the appearing of Jesus' Kingdom.
The other problem is the Dominionist response to these folks.
They insist that the Kingdom is already here, and wrest Millennial prophecies that are clear enough for a child to comprehend, and make those verses serve their own ends, a growing power center here and now.
Their dreams begin to look a lot like Rome's mis-guided political aspirations of the first centuries of our church and beyond.
Both errors can be corrected by a proper understanding of Kingdom.
In the work mentioned above I have assembled all passages relating to this serious subject and shown readers how it all fits together.
There has been a Kingdom since long before Jesus came.
There has been a desire for the rule of Heaven from the beginning.
When the King finally came to earth and announced that the Kingdom was now here, many began to assume He meant a literal physical reign, long promised by the prophets.
Jesus set their ideas straight on His way back to Heaven.
Times and seasons.
Times and seasons.
There is a time for a physical Kingdom.
It will come.
Jesus will literally rule all the earth.
The government will literally be on His shoulder, as he literally reigns from the literal Throne of the literal David in literal Jerusalem.
All in due time.
For now, you will receive power from the Holy Ghost to preach repentance and remission of sins.
Do that.
I'll take care of the Kingdom part.
So the Spirit has come.
And as Jesus is preached to hearts all over the planet, the Kingdom of God is extended to every nation on earth.
One on one.
Jesus is king over hearts through His Spirit.
Sins are forgiven.
Men are called out.
The Gospel keeps travelling, bringing more and more souls into the Kingdom.
Yes, that Kingdom, that brings righteousness and peace and joy to the heart of man, that kingdom is here.
But think not that that is all God has in mind, an invisible kingdom with an invisible king, whose territory cannot be ascertained, whose laws are written on the heart and not in the capital city's law books, which city itself is also invisible.
No, Daniel and Isaiah and all the parables of Jesus on this subject, all point ahead to a time at the end of all when one last very bloody rebellion shall occur.
The rebel will be God Himself.
He shall come and pour His wrath on those who have continued to oppose Him.
Then the Kingdoms of this world, all of them!, will become, by His power alone, the Kingdoms of Jesus! Those who have suffered with Him during the long exile of the King and His subjects will now reign with Him.
"Come inherit the Kingdom," He says at the very end to the righteous nations.
The Kingdom is given to the saints at the very end, the time when the saints possess the Kingdom, says Daniel.
For now the Kingdom may possess us.
But then we will possess it.
Review: Kingdom now: Jesus reigning as Lord of my life and the lives of all his true people worldwide.
We normally call this bunch the church, and the true ones are that, the called out assembly of the living God.
Our King is invisible.
Our borders are invisible.
Our count is unknowable.
Kingdom then: Jesus rules visibly and forcibly following a military coup worldwide.
Those who are truly His now reign, also visibly.
Our borders, the entire planet.
Our count, the entire remaining population of the earth.
I warn believers, that continuing confusion between these two kingdoms can only cause more serious problems: chaos in leadership, perverted Scriptures, division of God's people, wrong expectations, wrong mission statements and visions, and eventually an amalgamation with the coming world religious system.
I didn't realize then just how relevant it would remain.
Today it is a more needful study than ever, as "Kingdom Now" and "Dominion" theology continue to make inroads into the taking away of our future hope of a reign with Christ by over-emphasizing the present-day phase of the Kingdom's functioning.
There are really two problems involved, of course.
The Kingdom-now folk rightly suggest that some future-kingdom people are often "sitting around" waiting for Jesus to come and rescue them from all the trouble of the world.
They got their sins forgiven and had their experience, maybe even a sign or wonder, and now they just plod on with their normal life waiting for the appearing of Jesus' Kingdom.
The other problem is the Dominionist response to these folks.
They insist that the Kingdom is already here, and wrest Millennial prophecies that are clear enough for a child to comprehend, and make those verses serve their own ends, a growing power center here and now.
Their dreams begin to look a lot like Rome's mis-guided political aspirations of the first centuries of our church and beyond.
Both errors can be corrected by a proper understanding of Kingdom.
In the work mentioned above I have assembled all passages relating to this serious subject and shown readers how it all fits together.
There has been a Kingdom since long before Jesus came.
There has been a desire for the rule of Heaven from the beginning.
When the King finally came to earth and announced that the Kingdom was now here, many began to assume He meant a literal physical reign, long promised by the prophets.
Jesus set their ideas straight on His way back to Heaven.
Times and seasons.
Times and seasons.
There is a time for a physical Kingdom.
It will come.
Jesus will literally rule all the earth.
The government will literally be on His shoulder, as he literally reigns from the literal Throne of the literal David in literal Jerusalem.
All in due time.
For now, you will receive power from the Holy Ghost to preach repentance and remission of sins.
Do that.
I'll take care of the Kingdom part.
So the Spirit has come.
And as Jesus is preached to hearts all over the planet, the Kingdom of God is extended to every nation on earth.
One on one.
Jesus is king over hearts through His Spirit.
Sins are forgiven.
Men are called out.
The Gospel keeps travelling, bringing more and more souls into the Kingdom.
Yes, that Kingdom, that brings righteousness and peace and joy to the heart of man, that kingdom is here.
But think not that that is all God has in mind, an invisible kingdom with an invisible king, whose territory cannot be ascertained, whose laws are written on the heart and not in the capital city's law books, which city itself is also invisible.
No, Daniel and Isaiah and all the parables of Jesus on this subject, all point ahead to a time at the end of all when one last very bloody rebellion shall occur.
The rebel will be God Himself.
He shall come and pour His wrath on those who have continued to oppose Him.
Then the Kingdoms of this world, all of them!, will become, by His power alone, the Kingdoms of Jesus! Those who have suffered with Him during the long exile of the King and His subjects will now reign with Him.
"Come inherit the Kingdom," He says at the very end to the righteous nations.
The Kingdom is given to the saints at the very end, the time when the saints possess the Kingdom, says Daniel.
For now the Kingdom may possess us.
But then we will possess it.
Review: Kingdom now: Jesus reigning as Lord of my life and the lives of all his true people worldwide.
We normally call this bunch the church, and the true ones are that, the called out assembly of the living God.
Our King is invisible.
Our borders are invisible.
Our count is unknowable.
Kingdom then: Jesus rules visibly and forcibly following a military coup worldwide.
Those who are truly His now reign, also visibly.
Our borders, the entire planet.
Our count, the entire remaining population of the earth.
I warn believers, that continuing confusion between these two kingdoms can only cause more serious problems: chaos in leadership, perverted Scriptures, division of God's people, wrong expectations, wrong mission statements and visions, and eventually an amalgamation with the coming world religious system.
