Kingdom of Israel And Messiah

Daniel Training Network Gospel Seminars

What Is The Gospel? Seminar – Session 5

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Unfortunately, there is a lot of unclear and disjointed teaching on the subject of the kingdom of God in the Body of Christ today. A close reading of Scripture shows that are at least four distinct yet interrelated senses in which the “kingdom of God” needs to be understood. There are texts that pertain to: a) the Kingdom of Creation; b) the Kingdom of Eden; c) the Kingdom of Israel; and d) the Kingdom of the Messiah, or the Messianic Kingdom. Again, these four are all dynamically interrelated, but failure to recognize their distinct nuances as outlined in Scripture can lead to great confusion concerning the nature of the gospel and Christian discipleship in this age. Join us in this session as we explore the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of the Messiah.

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6 VIEWS OF “THE KINGDOM” >

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Kingdom Of Israel And Messiah

THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL

THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL

A. Where is the kingdom?

¹⁸ On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, ¹⁹ the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰ the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, ²¹ the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” (^ESVGen. 15:18-21)

⁷ Restore us, O God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. ⁸You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. ⁹You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land. ¹⁰ The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches. ¹¹It sent out its boughs to the Sea, its shoots as far as the River. (^NIVPs. 80:7-11)

B. Where is the kingdom headquartered?

¹¹ The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath that he will not revoke: “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne— ¹² if your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever.” ¹³ For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling: ¹⁴ “This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it (^NIVPs. 132:11-14)

Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of David his father. (^ESV1 Chron. 29:23)

C. Who establishes the kingdom?

We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. (^NIVJosh. 2:10)

D. When is the kingdom established?

¹ When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue, ²Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion. (^NIVPs. 114:1-2)

¹⁴ “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. ¹⁵ We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. (^NIV1 Chron. 29:14-15)

¹² “Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping. For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were. ¹³Look away from me, that I may rejoice again before I depart and am no more.” (^NIVPs. 39:12-13)

E. By what means is the kingdom established?

Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. (^ESVEx. 6:6)

¹³ So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. ¹⁴ There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel! (^NIVJosh. 10:13-14)

F. Who governs the kingdom?

So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. (^NIV1 Sam. 4:4)

⁷ And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.(^NIV1 Sam. 8:6-7)

“Now Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are careful in all they do to walk before me as you have done.’ (^NIV1 Ki. 8:25)

¹¹ When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³ I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. ¹⁴ I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’ ” (^NIV1 Chr. 17:11-14)

‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’” (^NIVPs. 89:4)

G. Who are the citizens of the kingdom?

⁴ You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; ⁶ and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” (^ESVEx. 19:4-6)

H. On what basis are the citizens included in the kingdom?

And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised (^ESVLev. 12:3)

Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. (^ESVDeut. 10:16)

⁵ It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (^NIVDeut. 9:5)

²⁴ “ ‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. ²⁵ Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. ²⁶ But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things, ²⁷ for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. ²⁸ And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you. ²⁹ “ ‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. ³⁰ Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.’ ” (^NIVLev. 18:24-30)

I. How is the kingdom administrated?

“And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David (^ESV2 Chron. 13:8)

² Then King David rose to his feet and said: “Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for the footstool of our God, and I made preparations for building….⁵ And of all my sons (for the Lord has given me many sons) he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. (^ESV1 Chron. 28:2,5)

J. What is “the kingdom of Israel”? The “kingdom of Israel” was a government based in the land of Israel, set apart with a priestly calling; was established when God brought the Israelites out of Egypt; was founded by God, through the power of God and the judgments of God, as a type of the future kingdom of Israel; under David was headquartered from the city of Jerusalem on the mountain of Zion; was governed and ruled by God, in partnership with the government of Israel, and ultimately with the Davidic dynasty in a position of delegated authority; was made up of citizens whose inclusion was based on being a Jew circumcised in both heart and flesh, with obedience to the Law of Moses as a stipulation for continued inclusion; was administrated through the various offices of the priesthood and Davidic government.

THE KINGDOM OF THE MESSIAH

THE KINGDOM OF THE MESSIAH

A. Where is the kingdom?

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongsand the obedience of the nations is his. (^NIVGen. 49:10)

⁵ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. ⁶ In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness. (^NIVJer. 23:5-6)

⁸ Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. ⁹ You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” (^NIVPs. 2:8-9)

²⁷ All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, ²⁸ for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. ²⁹ All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive. (^NIVPs. 22:27-29)

B. Where is the kingdom headquartered?

² In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. ³ Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. ⁴ He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. ⁵ Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord. (^NIVIs. 2:2-5)

¹For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. ² The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. ³ You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. (^NIVIs. 62:1-3)

¹⁶ In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “men will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. ¹⁷ At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. (^NIVJer. 3:15-17)

¹The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. ²The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar….⁶ He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river. ⁷ When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. ⁸ He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. ⁹ Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. ¹⁰ Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Great Sea. ¹¹ But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. ¹² Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” (^NIVEzek. 47:1-2, 6-12)

C. Who establishes the kingdom?

¹⁷ I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. ¹⁸ Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. ¹⁹ And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities!” (^ESVNum. 24:17-19)

⁴ This is what the Lord says to me: “As a lion growls, a great lion over his prey— and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against him, he is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor— so the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights. ⁵ Like birds hovering overhead, the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.” ⁶ Return to him you have so greatly revolted against, O Israelites. ⁷ For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made. ⁸ “Assyria will fall by a sword that is not of man; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them. (^NIVIs. 31:4-8)

⁴⁴ “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. ⁴⁵ This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. (^NIVDan. 2:44-45)

D. When is the kingdom established?

³¹ “You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. ³² The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, ³³ its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. ³⁴ While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. ³⁵ Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth….⁴² As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. ⁴³ And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. ⁴⁴ “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. ⁴⁵ This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. (^NIVDan. 2:31-35, 42-45)

“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. ² Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. ³ Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. (^NIVDan. 12:1-3)

²⁰ Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. ²¹ See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer. 27 In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword, his fierce, great and powerful sword, Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea. ² In that day— “Sing about a fruitful vineyard: ³ I, the Lord, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it. ⁴ I am not angry. If only there were briers and thorns confronting me! I would march against them in battle; I would set them all on fire. ⁵ Or else let them come to me for refuge; let them make peace with me, yes, let them make peace with me.” ⁶ In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit. (^NIVIs. 26:20-27:6)

³ Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty. ⁴ In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds. ⁵ Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet. ⁶ Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. (^NIVPs. 45:3-6)

E. By what means is the kingdom established?

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise (NIV-“crush”) your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (^NKJVGen. 3:15)

⁴⁴ “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. ⁴⁵ This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. (^NIVDan. 2:44-45)

⁹ You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” ¹⁰ See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. (^NIVIs. 40:9-10)

¹ The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ² The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies. ³Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth. (^NIVPs. 110:1-3)

²⁷ See, the Name of the Lord comes from afar, with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; his lips are full of wrath, and his tongue is a consuming fire. ²⁸ His breath is like a rushing torrent, rising up to the neck. He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction; he places in the jaws of the peoples a bit that leads them astray. ²⁹And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people go up with flutes to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel. ³⁰ The Lord will cause men to hear his majestic voice and will make them see his arm coming down with raging anger and consuming fire, with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail. ³¹The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria; with his scepter he will strike them down. ³² Every stroke the Lord lays on them with his punishing rod will be to the music of tambourines and harps, as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm. ³³Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze. (^NIVIs. 30:27-33)

¹⁷ I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. ¹⁸ Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. ¹⁹ And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities!” (^ESVNum. 24:17-19)

¹Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.” ² Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress? ³ “I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing. ⁴ For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come. ⁵ I looked, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that no one gave support; so my own arm worked salvation for me, and my own wrath sustained me. ⁶ I trampled the nations in my anger; in my wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground.” (^NIVIs. 63:1-6)

¹Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! ² As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! ³ For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. ⁴ Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. ⁵ You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. (^NIVIs. 64:1-5)

See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. (^NIVIs. 40:10)

F. Who governs the kingdom?

⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (^NIVIs. 9:6-7)

G. Who are the citizens of the kingdom?

²⁴ The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. ²⁵ He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. ²⁶ “ ‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. ²⁷ Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’ (^NIVDan. 7:24-27)

² In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. ³ Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. ⁴ The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. ⁵ Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy. ⁶ It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain. (^NIVIs. 4:2-6)

¹¹ “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen (NIV- “David’s fallen tent”) and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, ¹² that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” (ESV note: “Hebrew; Septuagint (compare Acts 15:17) that the remnant of mankind and all the nations who are called by my name may seek the Lord” ) declares the Lord who does this. (^ESVAmos 9:11-12)

“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. ² But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. ³ Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things,” says the Lord Almighty. (^NIVMal. 4:1-3)

H. On what basis are the citizens included in the kingdom?

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (^NIVPs. 51:17)

“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. (^NIVIs. 66:2)

¹ Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. ² Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. ³ When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. ⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. ⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”— and you forgave the guilt of my sin. ⁶ Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. ⁷ You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. (^NIVPs. 32:1-7)

“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord. (^NIVIs. 59:20)

⁵And now the Lord says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength— ⁶ he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” (^NIVIs. 49:5-6)

³⁰ “Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. ³¹ Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? ³² For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live! (^NIVEzek. 18:30-32)

¹ “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; ² look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many. ³ The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. (^NIVIs. 51:1-3)

⁵ And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. ⁶ And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (^KJVGen. 15:5-6)

I. How is the kingdom administrated?

¹A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. ² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord— ³ and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; ⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. ⁵ Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. (^NIVIs. 11:1-5)

²⁴ Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: “Ah, I will get relief from my foes and avenge myself on my enemies. ²⁵ I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. ²⁶ I will restore your judges as in days of old, your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.” ²⁷ Zion will be redeemed with justice, her penitent ones with righteousness. ²⁸ But rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the Lord will perish. (^NIVIs. 1:24-28)

³ Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. ⁴ On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. ⁵ You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. ⁶ On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. ⁷ It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime—a day known to the Lord. When evening comes, there will be light. ⁸ On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter. ⁹ The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. ¹⁰ The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in its place, from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. ¹¹ It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure. ¹² This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. ¹³ On that day men will be stricken by the Lord with great panic. Each man will seize the hand of another, and they will attack each other. ¹⁴ Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. ¹⁵ A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps. ¹⁶ Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. ¹⁷ If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain. ¹⁸ If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. ¹⁹ This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. (^NIVZech. 14:3-9)

J. What is the “kingdom of the Messiah”? – The kingdom of the Messiah is the government of God that will cover the entire earth, Israel and all nations; will be established and set up in the future in context to the Day of the Lord, the Second Coming, and the resurrection of the saints, the reward of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked; will be established not by human power, but by the Messiah, through the power of God and the judgments of God (as in the Exodus); will be headquartered in Jerusalem in Israel; will be governed and ruled by the Messiah; will made up of citizens whose inclusion will be based on their having repented and persevered in faithfulness to the Messiah through tribulations and trials; will be administrated governmentally in partnership with the saints from Israel and the Gentile nations. In short, the kingdom of the Messiah or Messianic Kingdom is 1) the restored kingdom of Israel; 2) the restored kingdom of Eden 3) the Father’s appointed means for purging evil from the kingdom of creation.

REVIEW

REVIEW

A. The Kingdom of Creation

1. government with universal domain, encompassing all creation, everything in the heavens and the earth

2. established in the beginning at creation

3. founded by God, through the power of God and the wisdom of God

4. was and continues to be headquartered from the highest heaven

5. was, is, and will always be governed and ruled by God

6. citizens=everything in creation

7. basis of inclusion – simply by virtue of the fact that they were created

8. administrated in partnership with angelic powers (of differing ranks, levels of authority, and assignment) and human beings.

B. The Kingdom of Eden

1. government whose domain was the earth

2. established in the beginning when God created the earth

3. founded by God, through the power of God and the wisdom of God

4. was headquartered from the mountain of Eden, in the Garden of Eden, in the region of Eden

5. was governed and ruled by God, with human beings in a position of delegated authority

6. was made up of citizens created by God and put in the Garden by God, with a stipulation of obedience – “don’t eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil” – for continued inclusion

7. was administrated in loving partnership with human beings

8. before the Fall, the earth existed in a state of perfection under the dominion and rule of the kingdom of Eden.

C. The Kingdom of Israel/David

1. government in the land of Israel, the land promised to the patriarchs

2. set apart from the nations with a priestly calling

3. was established when God brought the Israelites out of Egypt

4. was founded by God, through the power of God and the judgments of God

5. was the actual kingdom of God, but in a typological way

6. under David was headquartered from the city of Jerusalem on the mountain of Zion

7. was governed and ruled by God, in partnership with the government of Israel, and ultimately with the Davidic dynasty in a position of delegated authority

8. was made up of citizens whose inclusion was based on being a Jew circumcised in both heart and flesh, with obedience to the Law of Moses as a stipulation for continued inclusion

9. was administrated through the various offices of the priesthood and Davidic government.

D. The Kingdom of the Messiah

1. the government of God that will cover the entire earth, Israel and all nations

2. not yet here, but will be established and set up in the future in context to the Day of the Lord, the Second Coming, the resurrection of the saints, the reward of the righteous, and the punishment of the wicked

3. will be established not by human power, but by the Messiah, through the power of God and the judgments of God (as in the Exodus)

4. will be headquartered in Jerusalem in Israel=restored kingdom of Israel/Davidic dynasty

5. will be governed and ruled by the Messiah

6. will made up of citizens whose inclusion will be based on repentance and faith in the gospel

7. will be administrated governmentally in partnership with the saints from Israel and the Gentile nations.

8. In short, the kingdom of the Messiah or Messianic Kingdom is the restored kingdom of Israel and the restored kingdom of Eden, under the leadership of the Messiah. It is God’s ordained instrument for purging evil from the kingdom of creation.

E. Questions for discussion:

1. Throughout the New Testament, the Second Coming of Jesus pervades the teaching of the apostles. Yet, this subject is hardly mentioned, let alone the focus, of most pulpits today. Why do you think this is the case?

2. Which one of the above is the “kingdom of God”?

3. Which of these are presently in operation?

4. If all of the above are the “kingdom of God” in an important sense, how do they relate to one another?

5. What is the difference between the “rule of God” and the “kingdom of God”?

6. Which of the above involves the rule and reign of God?

7. How does the Bible portray God exercising His rule in context to each of the above? What does this reveal about God?

8. Which kingdom is established in context to judgment and the punishment of the wicked?

9. What does this say about the way God is presently governing the kingdom of creation?

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