Kingdom Truth
If the kingdom age is to last one thousand years, why is it so often spoken of in the prophecies as last:
ing “‘forever’’?
As to the duration of the kingdom — (forever), it should be noted that the kingdom passes through many phases. It exists at the present time in the “mystery” form of Matthew 13. Upon the return of the King, it will be set up in the form predicted by the prophets, of whose testimony Isaiah 11 is an illustration. The continuance of that form of the kingdom is fixed at 1,000 years, according to the 20th chapter of Revelation, and that phase of the kingdom culminates in the delivery of the kingdom to God, even the Father, according to 1 Corinthians 15:24, at which time it takes on its eternal form or phase. Bear in mind also that this phase of the kingdom is to be continued in the new heavens and the new earth.
In Matthew 5:19 we are told that whoever breaks one of the commandments and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. How do you reconcile this with the modern teaching that Christians are not under the law?
You quote our Lord’s words incorrectly. Not “one of the commandments,” but, “one of these commandments,” 7. e., in the Sermon on the Mount.
The Sermon on the Mount is kingdom, not church, truth. Christ was preaching the kingdom as “at hand” to Israel, and the great sermon has been called “the constitution of the kingdom of heaven.’’. That kingdom was rejected by the Jews, but will be set up when our Lord returns (Acts 15:16). Then the sermon will be in force as legislation. It will be true that, “Whosoever shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” There is, of course, a moral application to the Church of the truth enunciated in the Sermon on the Mount.
Explain what is meant by the phrase, “the development of the kingdom.”’
The kingdom of heaven is Messiah’s kingdom, and has to do with the re-establishment of the divine authority in the earth. It exists in Scripture in five aspects: (1) Foretold in the Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7: 8-16; Psa. 89:3, 4, 20, 87; Isa. 11:1-16; Jer. 28:38-8; Ezek. 34:22-26; 87:21-25; Luke 1:30-38); (2) “At hand” (Matt. 8:1-3; 4:17; 10:5-7); (8) Rejected (Matt. 12:20-26; John 19:14-16); (4) In “mystery” (Matt. 18:1-51). This is the present form of the kingdom of heaven. It is, briefly, a mixed condition of good and evil within the kingdom — wheat and tares grow together; good fish and bad are taken in the same net. That this is not the final state is clearly stated. It is only ‘until the harvest,’ and the harvest is “‘the end of the age” (not “‘world”). ‘Then the righteous shall shine forth as the sun” (Matt. 13:43), for then begins the fifth form of the kingdom of heaven, namely, the kingdom in glory. The return of the King introduces this phase of the kingdom of heaven (Luke 19:12-19; Acts 15:14-17, etc.). It should be remembered that it is the glory form which the prophets saw and described. The mystery form of Matthew 13 was not revealed to them (Matt. 13:17). The glory form lasts until “all things are subdued unto” the King (Christ), when the distinctive “kingdom of heaven” is merged in the kingdom of God, “that God may be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:24-28).
Will there be sin during the millennium, and will human life run about the same length as now?
There will be death during the millennium (Isa. 65:20) but as the last clause indicates, human life will be prolonged in general. Though the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, etc., and righteousness will prevail, sin and death are not eliminated, as the verse previously quoted shows. Revelation 20 proves that the evil heart will still be in man, and those who remain in rebellion against God, Satan will gather to battle against the holy city, verses 7-15. The regenerate will serve Christ from the heart, — the unregenerate because the rule of Christ will compel instant obedience and subjection, though it may be only outwardly.
Give an illustration of the statement, ‘Figures are often found in the prophecies, but the figure invariably has a literal fulfillment.”’
It would be, perhaps, more accurate to say, the thing figured, or the meaning hidden in the figure, has a literal fulfilment. For instance, in the 87th chapter of Ezekiel the prophet sees a vision of a valley full of dry bones. Then as he views the bones, he sees them covered with flesh and skin; and they stand up, an exceeding great army. This is the figure. Verses 11-14 explain the figure. These bones are the whole house of Israel, and the meaning of the new life given to the bones is explained to be a future restoration of Israel to their own land — the land of Palestine. The thing figured by the vision of the valley of dry bones will be literally fulfilled. Israel will be literally brought back to her own land, according to verses 11-14. Then follows the figure of the two sticks that become one stick in the hand of the prophet. That is explained to mean a future reunion of the ten tribe kingdom with Judah and Benjamin. There shall no more be two nations, but one nation, like the one stick made out of the two sticks, and that will be literally fulfilled. In other words, we have but to ascertain the meaning of the figure, and we have then something that in the plan of God will be fulfilled literally.
In view of the fact that Israel as a kingdom ceased some hundreds of years before Christ came, please explain Genesis 49:10 — “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh come.”’
We are always to bear in mind concerning Israel the fact that its constitution was essentially religious, not civil. It was a theocracy, not a monarchy nor a democracy. The unseen God was the king, but the government of the people religiously, as established in the monarchy legislation, did continue until the coming of Messiah. The Jewish people, after the Babylonian captivity, were always under the political overlordship of some Gentile power, but always maintained their theocratic rule in religious matters. This continued until the destruction of the temple and the final dispersion of Israel in A. D. 70. At that time, Messiah having come, the sceptre and all religious and political authority over Israel was vested in Him.
If the kingdom of heaven is the sphere of profession, and the kingdom of God is spiritual, why is the parable of the Mustard Seed used of both?
The explanation lies in the fact that the kingdom of God in this age and the kingdom of heaven have this in common, that from an insignificant beginning they had a rapid growth. On the day of Pentecost, for example, the first day when the gospel was preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, three thousand were added to the Church; that is, three thousand really and truly believed and were therefore brought into the kingdom of God. This would correspond with the rapid growth of the mustard tree from the smallest of seeds, but in all the detail of its meaning, the parable of the Mustard Seed could not be interpreted of the kingdom of God. The central thought in both cases of this parable is that stated, — the rapid growth from a small beginning. As applied to the kingdom of heaven, certain details are added in Matthew.
What is “‘the kingdom of heaven’’ in Matthew 25, and whom do the “foolish virgins’? represent?
?
The phrase, “kingdom of heaven,’ in Matthew 25 means the phase or form of the kingdom described in Matthew 13, as the “mystery” form of the kingdom, extending from the rejection of the King at His first advent to “the harvest” at His second coming in glory. The chief characteristic of the mystery form of the kingdom is that tares and wheat, believers and professors, grow together until the harvest; the net takes good fish and bad. In other words, the kingdom of heaven during this dispensation is the sphere of profession. Hence, in Matthew, from chapter 18 to the end, the parables take account of that fact, and are filled with warnings for professors. That the
Lord could be imagined as denying one of His own, or casting one of His blood-washed ones into outer darkness, is most solemn warning of the danger of making Scripture fit theories.
In this parable of the Virgins, all alike have lamps, but the foolish virgins “took no oil,’ and the Lord said, “I know you not.” These two facts fix the status of the foolish virgins. Oil is the symbol of the Holy Spirit (see Rom. 8:9). Besides, the Lord could not say to any believer, ““I know you not,’ however unspiritual that believer might be.
What is the “kingdom of God”’ in contrast to the “kingdom of heaven’?
The kingdom of God is, briefly, all moral intelligences in affectionate submission to the will of God. It includes “an innumerable company of angels,” ‘“‘the general assembly and church of the first-born,” and “the spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb. 12:22, 23) — that is, all the saved of past and future dispensations though not included in the distinctive body, the Church. For this reason all that is real in the mystery form of the kingdom of heaven is in the kingdom of God (Matt. 13:38, 48). In other words, the true believer of this age who is in the Church which is Christ’s body, is one of the “children of the kingdom” in the mystery form of the kingdom of heaven, and is also in the kingdom of God, since all true believers belong to that kingdom. For this reason many parables and other kingdom sayings are used in Matthew of the kingdom of heaven, in Luke of the kingdom of God. If an American traveling abroad registers in one city as a resident of the United States, and in another city as a resident of Wisconsin, there is no contradiction, because Wisconsin is in the United States. But so is Louisiana in the United States, and yet there are many differences of climate, customs and laws between Louisiana and Wisconsin. The kingdom of God, then, is the large inclusive term; the kingdom of heaven and “the Church” are (in so far as real faith is exercised) within the kingdom of God, but lesser, and having distinctions between each other.
In what sense was the kingdom of heaven suffering violence as stated in Matthew 11:12?
Various interpretations of Matthew 11:12 (“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force’) are suggested. Some hold it to mean that men of determined will, of strong or “violent” natures, were pressing into the kingdom despite all obstacles; that, in other words, the kingdom was attracting the strong and resolute. This is absurd. As usual, the context gives the interpretation, — ‘“To what shall I liken this generation,” etc. The meaning obviously is that the kingdom in its then weakness was suffering violence. John the Baptist was in prison, and the King Himself was soon to be slain and His disciples scattered.
What is the glory referred to in Haggai 2:7?
However translated, it refers to millennial glory. The comfort for the old men was the comfort of the man of faith who was thus assured that God had not forsaken Israel, but was yet to re-establish His temple in more than the former glory. They might not live to see it, but the assurance would be a comfort and stay to them.
What does ‘‘Gog and Magog”’ in Revelation mean?
The reference to “Gog and Magog” in Revelation 20:8 seems to be conclusive that not the nations of Europe as a whole, but Russia, is in view in the “Gog and Magog” prophecies.
How can passages which refer to the regathering of Israel be distinguished from those which refer to the millennial age?
As the regathering of Israel into their own land is contemporaneous with the setting up of the millennial kingdom, therefore we do not need to distinguish passages which relate to the regathering from those which relate to the millennium. The regathering is an incident of the millennium — belongs to the prophetic foreview of the millennium.
What will be Israel’s place in the future?
Israel’s distinction, glory and destiny will always be earthly. They will also be a spiritual people, Jehovah’s own possession. There is no division, however, between the saved Jew and the saved Gentile of this dispensation, both being in the Church. But after the Church is complete, at the end of this dispensation, there will of necessity be a division. The “holy Jerusalem” of Revelation 21 is the “bride, the Lamb’s wife,’ for whom is the ‘new heaven,” while the “new earth’ will be for Israel, the tabernacle of God to be with them, and “God himself shall be with them and be their God.” The distinctive New Testament spiritual and heavenly blessings are for the Church; those blessings of and on the earth, for Israel. Jehovah, the supreme God of both, reigning in person over the earth with Israel, and at the same time, in heaven with the Church (Ezek. 87:25-28; Ezek. 43:7, 9; Mic. 4:7; Jer. 17:25; Hos. 2:16-21; Joel 3:20; Ezek. 36:28; Rev. 21:3, 4).
What is the meaning of ‘Ten men shall take hold of the skirt of a Jew,’’ in Zechariah 8:23?
Verse 28 undoubtedly refers to the millennium, as such a condition of affairs has never yet been realized. “Ten men” is simply a figurative proportion of Gentiles as compared with Israelites, who will seek the Lord during the millennium. Chapter 8:3-8 refers to the final restoration, when truth and righteousness shall prevail. These elements never have prevailed on this earth, with God “dwelling in the midst.” A careful comparison of the prophecies with history will usually enable us to place the prophecies where they belong.
If righteousness is to cover the earth during the kingdom age, where will Satan find the army spoken of in Revelation 20:7-9?
The army of Satan gathered at the end of the thousand years will of course be descendants born during the thousand years of those who are spared among the nations to enter the kingdom. The fact that the kingdom age begins with a purgation of the nations does not imply that the descendants of those who are saved and enter the kingdom will all be Christians. Some of the wickedest men in the world today are the sons of godly parents. So it will be during the tribulation.
Will there be salvation during the millennium?
There will be salvation for none who reject Christ now or during the tribulation preaching. There will be salvation for all born during the millennium, but on the alone condition of faith, as now. That all will not believe during the millennium, — see Revelation 20:7-9.
Who will inhabit “the new earth” after the millennium?
The earthly people, or the inhabitants of the “new earth,” are to be Jewish, the subjects of the “everlasting” Messianic kingdom promised to David’s seed, Jesus Christ (2 Sam. 7:16; Isa. 9:7; Luke 1:32, 33). Doubtless they will be saved through the purgation of the earth by fire, as Noah and his family were preserved through the purgation of the earth by water.
What is the difference between ‘‘the gospel of the kingdom’’ and ‘‘the gospel of the grace of God’’?
The “gospel of the kingdom” is the glad tidings that Christ is to set up His kingdom on earth, according to 2 Samuel 7:8-16; Luke 1:81-88; Acts 15:16, 17; Isaiah 11:1-12; Jeremiah 16:18-15; 23:5-8, etc.
The “gospel of the grace of God” is the glad tidings that, “now once in the end of the ages hath Christ appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself’; and that “by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:39); that ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Its formula is, ‘“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” It should be remembered that the gospel of the kingdom will be the peculiar testimony of the believing remnant during the great tribulation, after the Church is taken away, and before the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”’
What is the generation referred to in Matthew
24:34?
This must be taken to refer to the Jewish race or nation for the following reasons:
1. The Greek word genea, translated “generation,” means primarily (as does indeed the English word), “race, kind, family, stock, breed’? (Webster); “An age, race or generation of men” (Greenfield); “Men of the same stock, a family” (Thayer). To so interpret, therefore, the passage in question is but to give it its natural unforced meaning.
2. ‘All these things” of which Christ had been speaking were not fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem. (a) The gospel had not then been preached in all the world. (b) There was no greater tribulation then than has occurred hundreds of times since. (c) So far from the Son of Man then coming to gather His elect, the Jews were then dispersed and deported with a thoroughness never before equalled. (d) None of the things enumerated in Matthew 25 were then fulfilled.
3. The tribulation is yet future, because it is described in the Revelation, a book written after the destruction of Jerusalem.
4. And hence the return of the Lord is yet future.