Think on These Things
June 1999
3. When Was the Kingdom Established?
Many denominations teach that Jesus is coming to this earth in the near future to establish a kingdom that will last for 1000 years. There are literally thousands of variations of the details of this doctrine, as is true of any teaching that is not based on the scriptures.
Jesus talked about establishing only one kingdom when he preached (consistently with John the Baptist’s teaching) that "the kingdom is at hand" (Mk. 1:15; Mt. 4:17). If Jesus said this now, would you think that he was talking about two thousand years from now?
This was an eternal kingdom and one that, once established, would have no end (Lk. 1:33, Dan. 2:44). There were some living in Jesus’ time who saw the kingdom come with power (Mt. 16:18-28; Lk. 9:27; Mk. 9:1). So this one eternal kingdom has been established!
Those who teach the future establishment of a kingdom must disagree with the obvious, clear teachings of Jesus that are recorded in these scriptures. This requires endless speculation and theorizing, including a "multiple-kingdom" concept that Jesus never taught.
Much of this error is due to a misunderstanding of the nature of the kingdom. Being a spiritual kingdom, it cannot be seen and observed as are the physical kingdoms of man (Lk. 17:20-21). Jesus said: "My kingdom is not of this world" (Jn. 18:36). It is unfortunate, but those who teach a future kingdom cannot fully understand or participate in the kingdom that they should be citizens of now. Hopefully this issue can provide the scriptural insight to correct this.
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The goal of this page is to promote morality and justice in our society (Prov. 14:23).
The importance of modesty. Received by the TTT web site 5/8/99:
"Dear Brother,
"My name is Vijay, and I am originally from India. I want to share
a very important spiritual concern with you. As an international student, I have been in
the states for almost 2 years (came in fall, ‘97) so this will be the second summer
for me here. I want to tell you that
it was so difficult for me last summer to be involved in the church. That is because there
are no church standards on good clothing. So many dress like the world. I come from India,
where culturally and morally, things are 100 times better than in America. No woman would
go out in public in shorts; that would be an extreme disgrace. Here the culture has been
affected by the feministic movement, but why should the church of Jesus Christ be affected
by it? Brother, please do something about it. The devil is doing a lot of things that we
have to check. When I think about it, tears come in my eyes." [Edited slightly for
grammar and conciseness — dbb.] (Vijay is attending a denominational church in
Pennsylvania, which professes to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.)
I promised Vijay I would do what I could. I ask those who know Jesus’ great commission (Mt. 28:18f): how do we expect to convert the people in India (and most other places) to Christ when we display ourselves so explicitly and without shame? Our "Hollywood culture" has done such a job to our sensitivities over the past fifty years that revealing one’s thighs has become accepted as modest. Similarly, the profane speech and explicit sexual activity that we pay money to witness in the movies and on TV have desensitized our moral consciousness. Christians who refuse to see the harm of immodesty are dishonest when they say that they are committed to carrying out the Great Commission of Jesus. Christians wake up: You are noticed!!!
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When Was the Kingdom Established?
If we can determine the time at which the kingdom was established, identifying it becomes quite simple. Let’s try to follow Jesus’ reasoning when he said:
1. It would be established shortly and with power (Mk. 9:1).
2. The terms of entry to it would be that one be "born of water and the Spirit" (Jn. 3:5).
3. When asked when it would be restored, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses ... both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:6f).
If we can identify when the apostles received the power from the Holy Spirit and began adding citizens to the kingdom by their being born of water and the Spirit, then we can identify when the kingdom was established.
We do not have long to wait after what is recorded in Acts 1. Clearly, the events for which the apostles were commanded to wait at Jerusalem (see Acts 1:4) are recorded in Acts 2. Read Acts 2 and observe the following:
1. This occurred well within the lifetime of Jesus’ Mk. 9:1 hearers, and it is clearly the power that Jesus told them of in Acts 1.
2. When asked what they must do, "...Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). And, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls"(Acts 2:41).
3. Peter stated that Jesus was "raised up to sit on his throne" (Acts 2:20). It is unthinkable for Jesus to be sitting on a throne as king without a kingdom!
The church built by Jesus (Mt. 16:18f) was also established at this point. The Greek word for "church" (ekkleesian) was not a religious word (as "church" is now). Its merely meant "the called out." Thus, the church of Christ consists of those who Christ "called out." Who would these be if they were not citizens of His kingdom? His church consists of all those who "receive his word, are baptized, and continue steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine" (Acts 2:41f). This is the "called out" that you should be a member and citizen of today.
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"Jesus will soon come to set up his kingdom."
but Paul stated (Col. 1:12) that God had already ...
"... delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son ..."
Paul went on to state that in Christ "we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins ..." Being in Christ is synonymous with being in the "body of Christ," which is the church (Col. 1:18). The terms of entrance for the church, the kingdom, and the body of Christ are the same: "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:3-4).
Death to the old life and being raised to "walk in newness of life" are synonymous with repentance (Acts 2:38) and being "born of the water and the Spirit" (Jn. 3:5). The terms of entry, the time that they were established (Acts 2), and the membership/citizenship are all the same for the church and the kingdom. Why look for another kingdom when we are more than conquerors" now (Rom. 8:37)?
[Anticipating that teachers of a 1000-year worldly reign will cite Rev. 20, we refer you to "Myth 6" of Seven Myths of Denominationalism, on the TTT web site. If you cannot reach it, please write; we will send at no cost.]
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