The kingdom of heaven! This is the theme which engrossed the prophets of old, and formed the basis of the revelation of our Lord and his holy apostles. The rule of God's anointed was the hope of the former, "and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days" (Acts 3:24). The inauguration of that reign constituted the foundation of the proclamation of the latter. As soon as our Lord had been immersed in the Jordan, and had grappled with the tempter in the wilderness, he launched into his mission. "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17). When he sent forth his twelve envoys, he commissioned them as follows: "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 10:7).
It is not too much to say that this challenging subject has occupied the attention of all the intelligent beings of the celestial and infernal realms in all ages, and should form the chief topic of meditation and consideration of all accountable beings who inhabit this terrestrial globe. Our heavenly Father is concerned in the matter as the source of all power or authority (Rom. 13:1), and the Son is equally concerned as the present King, "For he (God) hath put all things under his feet" and he must reign "until the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and authority and power" (1 Cor. 15:24, 27). The holy angels are involved as they shall share with the Son in his glory, when he shall sit upon the throne of his glory (Matt. 25:31), and they are the reapers whom he will send forth to gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity (Matt. 13:41).
In the apocalyptic vision, John was permitted to view a conflict in heaven, wherein Michael and his angels fought against Satan and his angels. When the latter forces were routed, and flung over the ramparts of heaven, the aged apostle, "heard a loud voice saying in heaven. Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ." It should be noted that the same voice expressed a woe for the inhabitants of earth, "for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time" (Rev. 12:7-12).
How startling it is then to contemplate the indifference of mankind toward this momentous subject. When we are aware that the residents of heaven above and hell beneath are continuously motivated by it, how tragic it is to realize that those who are so vitally involved on earth, are oblivious to the import of a question which will spell out their final destiny. It is with a sincere desire to stimulate thought in the spiritual realm that we present the facts found in this book, and trace with you the kingdom of God as portrayed in the divine revelation.
The language of revelation must be submitted to the same laws of interpretation which govern the documents written by men in the same language, to the same persons, in the same age. It is essential that we observe the variety of bearings of any given term, and seek to determine from the context, either adjacent or remote, what is implied in any specific place. Leaving the special New Testament sense of the expressions "kingdom of God" and "kingdom of heaven" to demand our attention later, let us now note a few general facts about them.
The term "kingdom" has to do with government, or the exercise of control, power, dominion or restraint. As applied to God, it signifies a rule or reign manifested in a certain realm or domain by the Eternal One. But inasmuch as God governs in providential and moral aspects, as well as in an evangelical domain, the term "kingdom of God" has a varied content, dependent upon that phase of government under discussion at a given time or place. The radical idea of rule or government is always present, but the subjects and circumstances determine the nature and extent of that rule.
The thought is reiterated in Psalm 47:2, "For the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great king over all the earth." That the nations other than Israel were conceived to be under this moral jurisdiction is evidenced in verse 8: "God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness." Again, "For the Lord is a great God, and a great king above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also" (Psalm 95:3, 4).
It was upon this basis that the prophets asserted the supremacy of God over the various governments of the earth, and declared that he ruled in the kingdoms of men. When Daniel was summoned before Nebuchadnezzar to interpret the dream of the Babylonian king relating to the vision of the great tree which was chopped down until only the stump remained, the haughty monarch related the words he had heard, "This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men" (Dan. 4:17). The prophet confirmed the truth of the declaration by asserting that the dream was a revelation from God to the effect that the king would be humbled by dethronement and debasement for seven years until he learned "that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will" (verse 25, 32). At the end of his period of punishment, Nebuchadnezzar issued a decree of praise and honor to God, "whose domain is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom from generation to generation, and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?" (verses 34, 35).
This further explains the statement of God in Proverbs 8:15, 16: "By me kings reign and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth." As Daniel phrases it, "He changeth the times and seasons: he removeth kings and setteth up kings" (Dan. 2:21). We shall subsequently learn that the nation of Babylon was the first of four great universal monarchies with which God's elect came in special contact either through enslavement or otherwise, and it is significant that to the mighty ruler of the first of these, was given the great lesson of God's supreme sovereignty in the kingdoms of men.
God has not abdicated from this throne, nor has he been deposed by a superior force or greater intelligence, seeing that he is the fountain of both power and wisdom. The universe is his by right of creation. Of him who is the invisible God it is affirmed that all things were not only created by him, but for him, and they are maintained by him (Col. 1:16,17). He made all things by the power of his word (John 1:3); he upholds all things by the word of his power (Heb. 1:3). He is not inactive in the rulership of the universe, for "the laws of nature" cannot uncrown him who decreed the laws. Laws without an enforcing or regulating agent are inconceivable. His government extends over every product of his creation and is both natural and moral, as it affects that which is material and immaterial, unaccountable and responsible.
This was later called "the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David" (2 Chron. 13:8) because "The Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt" (verse 5). It is interesting to note the terms describing the throne of Solomon, the son and successor of David. "And Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom" (1 Kings 1:46). "Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David" (1 Kings 2:12). "I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel" (1 Kings 8:20). "Upon the throne of the kingdom of God over Israel " (1 Chr. 28:5). "Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king" (1 Chr. 29:23).
It is evident that the kingdom of God over Israel is much more limited in extent than the sovereignty of the whole universe. However to the extent of limitation it is deepened in spiritual values and relationships. The maintenance of the relationship was contingent upon continued obedience to the terms of the covenant, which terms were accepted by the nation when initially promulgated (Exo. 24:7) and ratified by the blood sprinkled both upon the book and the people (Exo. 24:8).
That the people of Israel knowingly violated the terms of the covenant and wilfully broke it is amply attested by the holy scriptures. "They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers" (Jer. 11:10). "But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me" (Hosea 6:7). In view of this God declared that he would make a new covenant, not according to the former one which was broken (Jer. 31:31,32).
Since the special kingdom of the Lord in Israel was conditioned upon the covenant, and since a new covenant was decreed, we may expect that the "kingdom of God" in a special sense will also be altered in nature and scope to conform to the character of the new covenant. Accordingly, we are not surprised to hear Daniel say, "In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand for ever" (Dan. 2:44).
Thus, when John the baptizer, came, he announced upon "his showing unto Israel" (Luke 1:80) that "The kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2). It would be incompatible with God's purpose to have two diverse special kingdoms in existence simultaneously, so with the advertisement of the approach of the new reign, Jesus the Christ, informed the leaders of Israel, "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" (Matt. 21:43). Thus we have introduced unto us a third usage of the term "kingdom of God" and this will form the basis of our study in the next chapter.