The
Annunciation/Oddi Altarpiece
From Dr. Everett Ferguson My Former Teacher
The God of Heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed (Dan. 2:44).
The kingdom of God, which was the theme of Jesus' preaching (Mark 1:15), has received many different interpretations. I will bypass these interpretations and try to set forth an accurate account of a basic biblical understanding of the kingdom of God.
The Meaning of the Kingdom
In Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, the primary meaning of kingdom is kingship, that is, royal power or kingly rule. The words more often refer to those under the reign rather than to those under the realm in which the rule is exercised, to the dominion rather than the domain. This meaning may be seen quite clearly in the story of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar's madness in Daniel 4. While the king was boasting of the magnificent capital he had built and his power and majesty, there came a voice from heaven: To you, King Nebuchadnezzar, the word is spoken: the kingdom has passed from you (Dan. 4:30-31, REB). Babylon as a realm, of course remained; it was Nebuchadnezzar's exercise of kingship that was removed. The occasion was a period of insanity. Afterward, the king acknowledged God's sovereignty (Dan. 4:34), and as the story proceeds in the words of Nebuchadnezzar, "At that very time I was restored to my right mind and, for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and royal splendor returned to me..., and I was reestablished in my kingdom and my power was greatly increased" (Dan. 4: 36 REB). The realm was not restored; it was Nebuchadnezzar's rule that was reestablished. A New Testament illustration is provided by Revelation 11:15: The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever.
Kingship does not operate in a void, so the word kingdom is often used to close connection with the people or territory living under a given reign. That usage gives the secondary meaning of realm has a meaning evident in references to the kingdom of Judah (2Chron. 11:17; 20:30), to Babylon (Dan. 1:20), to Persia (Ezra 1:1). In the New Testament, this derivative meaning occurs in such passages as the temptation narrative, where the devil offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world (Matt. 4:8: Luke 4:5), and in Herod Antipas' offer of half his kingdom to the daughter of Herodias (Mark 6:23).
The political/legal metaphor of a kingdom takes on distinctive connotations when applied to God and his people. The kingdom of God refers to his majesty and activity more often than to his people. The concept or symbol indicates that God is at work, ruling and accomplishing his purposes. The kingdom is active, not static. The rule of God presupposes a people and seeks a people over whom to exercise his rule, so sometimes God's kingdom is his people.
The Kingdom of God and Israel
God as king and the effects of his sovereignty are common motifs in the Old Testament, even if the exact phrase 'kingdom of God' does not occur. The event that is under the basis of the covenant with Israel, the deliverance from Egypt, was also the time when God's everlasting reign was declared (Exod. 15: 18). God is elsewhere described as ruling over his people (Judges 8:23), and he is often called king (e.g. Numbers 23:21; Pss. 74:12; 95:3; Jer. 10:7, 10). He is king over the whole universe and over all nations (Pss. 22:28; 29: 3-4, 10; 47:2, 6-8; 96:10-13; 99:1-4), but especially is he king over Israel (Deut. 33:5; Isa. 41:21; 43:15). Because God was their king, the prophet Samuel argued that Israel should not have a human king (I Sam. 12:12; cf. 8:7). That God is the universal and everlasting king is affirmed in the New Testament, as in the impressive doxology of I Timothy 1:17, "To the king of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever."
Furthermore, different forms of the Hebrew word for kingdom occur in descriptions of God. Since God is always king, his kingdom is an ever-present reality. The dynamic, active sense of kingdom is particularly evident in the passages using kingdom (or kingship) about God. The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all (Ps. 103: 19). The parallelism characteristic of Hebrew poetry helps define the meaning of kingdom through associated words, and that feature should be observed in may of the passages to be cited. Note especially Psalm 145:11-13:
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power,
to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
Kingdom is associated with power, mighty deeds, and dominion, and God's kingdom is everlasting. The cluster of words in 1 Chronicles 29:11 is significant:"Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. For dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations" ( Ps. 22:28). The everlasting nature of God's kingdom is in contrast with earthly kingdoms: How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his sovereignty is from generation to generation (Dan. 4:34).
The manifestation of God's kingdom among the nations in the Old Testament was Israel. An example of the meaning of realm is Exodus 19:6, where Israel is denominated as the Lord's dominion (NRSV). The human king was intended to be the representative and servant of God (Deut. 17:14-20; 2 Sam. 23:1-7; Ps. 61: 6-7; and esp. Ps. 72:1-4). Hence, the king was to be God's anointed ( 1Sam. 24:6, 10; Pss. 45:7; 89:20) and God's son ( 2 Sam. 7:14; Pss. 2:7; 89:27).
The nation of Israel and her kings proved to be quite imperfect manifestations of the reign of God. So, the prophets looked forward to a time when God would invade the affairs of human beings, overthrow evil, and demonstrate his sovereignty. They speak of God's rule in the future tense. Although God is always king and always exercises kingship, the prophets look to a time when this will be manifested among his people in a special way. The Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before his elders he will manifest his glory (Isa. 24:23). Those who have been saved shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's (Obad. 21). And the Lord will become a king over all the earth (Zech. 14:9). As a result of subjugation to foreign powers, this expectation of a future exercise of God's kingship was intensified during the inter-testamental period.
The Kingdom of God and Jesus
In the ministry of Jesus as described in the Gospels, we hear much about the kingdom and meet for the first time in the biblical writings the exact phrase kingdom of God. Jesus, however was clearly not introducing a new concept. The Old Testament passages referred to above, and others, as well as writings from the apocrypha, the pseudepigrapha, and Qumran texts, make it evident that the concept of God's kingdom was a prominent and quite intelligible among Jesus' Jewish hearers. The topic of the kingdom of God in the preaching of Jesus and its relation to him is too large for complete treatment, but we want to call attention to certain features that correlate with themes in this short writing.
All three Synoptic Gospels characterize the central theme of Jesus' preaching as the kingdom of God. From that time [the arrest of John the Baptist] Jesus began to proclaim, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near, or is at hand (Matt. 4:17; cf. 4:23: proclaiming the good news of the kingdom). Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near (or is at hand); repent and believe in the good news (Mark 1:14-15). Jesus said to them, 'I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose' (Luke 4:43).
When Jesus declared the time is fulfilled, he was saying that it was time for all God said and did in Israel's history to be brought to completion. The universal reign of God was about to be manifested in a new and special way. The hopes expressed in the Old Testament prophets were ready to be realized. Jesus sums up that earlier message as the kingdom of heaven. The former phrase is used uniformly in Mark and Luke's reports of Jesus' teaching; the latter, with few exceptions, occurs in Matthew's reports. The phrases are equivalent. The Jews customarily used circumlocutions in order to avoid use of the divine name. The word heaven was one of the common substitutions (cf. Matt. 21:25; Luke 15:21). What cannot be determined is whether Jesus commonly used heaven and Mark and Luke adapted the wording to their Gentile audiences, or whether Matthew accommodated Jewish sensibilities and adopted heaven for whatever term Jesus used.
The proximity of the kingdom is expressed by a word (engiken, come near or at hand) that means to approach or draw near, spatially or temporally. God was ready to act in a new way and overthrow his enemies and manifest his kingship. His kingdom was in the process of coming; it was nearby, even breaking in. The nearness required that the people repent and prepare themselves for the rule of God. The imminence of the kingdom meant that all concerns had become secondary (Luke 9:57-62). The age of fulfillment now dominated the scene and transcended all normal life activities.
As the phrase at hand indicates, Jesus normally spoke of the kingdom in the imminent future. However, he eschewed setting any timetable for the divine action (Matt. 24:36; Mark13:32; cf. Acts 1:6-7). Sometimes Jesus referred the kingdom as the heavenly bliss of the saved in contrast to the punishment of others (Matt. 8:11-12), which draws on the imagery of Ps. 107:3 and Isa. 25:6-9. As a consequence of the imminence of the kingdom, Jesus could speak of it as present in his miracles (Matt. 12:28; Luke 11:20). The verb phthano in these verses brings out the proleptic nature of the kingdom, for the verb suggests something that is present but not yet fully attained or realized (cf. Phil. 3:16; I Thees. 2:16). The kingdom was also present in his own proclamation (Luke 16:16; Matt. 11:12) and present (Luke 17:20-21), among you or within your reach. The power of the kingdom was present in Jesus' ministry. In his teachings, he showed what was required by God's kingdom.
The phrase kingdom of God emphasizes the most important thing Jesus had to say about the kingdom: it is God's. And this coincides with the whole ministry of Jesus, which was God-centered. This kingdom is active, working to overthrow the forces of evil (Matt. 12:28). God gives the kingdom to whom ever he chooses (Luke 12:32). The kingdom must be received, and Jesus taught the qualities necessary to receive God's rule: the humble, teachable, receptive spirit of children (Mark 10:15). Similar teaching is found in Matthew 18:3-4, which uses the expression to enter the kingdom, terminology associated in Matthew with not trusting in riches (Matt. 19:23-24; cf. 5:3). An alternative expression is to inherit the kingdom (Matt. 25:34).
Jesus' teaching about the kingdom, its nature, and those who posses it, is summarized in the opening petitions of the Lord's prayer.
Our Father in heaven,
your name be hallowed;
your kingdom come;
your will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven
The three central phrases are parallel in structure in Greek. They may be taken as equivalent in significance. For God's name to be sanctified and for his will to be done is for his kingdom (his rule) to come. On earth as it is in heaven modifies all three phrases, not just the last. The petition is for the holiness, kingship, and purposes of God to be realized on earth as they are in heaven.
There is implicit within Jesus' ministry a close association of himself with the kingdom. This is particularly evident in Luke's presentation. He interchanges Jesus with the kingdom of God in the sayings in Luke 14:26 and 18:29, and in Acts he associates the preaching of the kingdom of God with the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12; 28:23, 31). To follow Jesus is to be a follower of the Kingdom of God (Luke 9: 60-62; 18:28-29). In the accounts of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Matthew parallels Son of David and the one who comes in the name of the Lord (Matt. 21:9); Mark parallels the coming one with the coming kingdom of David (Mark 11:9-10); and Luke speaks of the king who comes in the name of the Lord (Luke 19:38; cf. John 12:13, King of Israel). Luke associates the kingdom with Jesus and the twelve disciples as well as with God (Luke 22:29-30). Luke shares with Matthew the motif of Jesus as king. Whereas, Matthew traces this theme throughout the Gospel, from birth (Matt. 2:2) to triumphal entry (Matt. 21:5, quoting Zech 9:9), crucifixion (Matt.27:11, 29, 37, 42), and resurrection (Matt. 28:18 all authority), using the title 'son of David' for Jesus nine times; Luke associates the kingship of Jesus with his occupying the throne of David at his resurrection (Luke 1:32-33; Acts 2:30-31, 34-35; 13:22-23, 34-35; cf. 17:7; see above on the covenant of David associated with Christ's resurrection). A text that may have encouraged this association of kingship with the resurrection was 2 Samuel 7:12, I will raise up your [David's] offspring after you..., and I will establish my kingdom.
All three Synoptic Gospels relate that Jesus was tried on a charge of being a messianic pretender, a king (Matt. 27:11, 37; Mark 15:2, 26; Luke 23: 2-3, 38). (Note the interchange in the different accounts between king of the Jews [Matt. 27:42], Messiah of God [God's anointed one] (Luke 23:35), and the combination of the two titles, the Messiah, the king of Israel [Mark 15:32.] John elaborates on the conversation between Pilate and Jesus. In response to Pilate's question, Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus declared, My Kingdom is not from this world, if it was, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews (John 18:33-36). After acknowledging that he was a king, Jesus identified his kingly work as testifying to the truth (John 18:37). His kingdom of truth.
One important text that appears to place some chronological limits on the expectation of the coming of the kingdom is Mark 9:1: Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come with power. While some claim that the meaning of the above statement is controversial, it is hard to see how such plain language can be disputed. Jesus said that some of those He was speaking with were going to be alive when the Kingdom came.