Thy Kingdom Come

By Randy Nettles

God is the sovereign over all of creation. However, He chose Earth as the place to create life to inhabit, rather than the billions or trillions of other planets in the Universe. On the sixth day of creation, God created man in His own image. “And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:27-28).

“A true theocracy was established at the time of creation, when God was recognized as sovereign, and the sovereignty that belonged to God was delegated unto man, who was to rule over the earth in an exercise of mediate authority. In this theocracy, Adam was regarded as deriving his authority from God; therefore, since he was called upon to submit, rulership was God’s. Submission to her husband was enjoined upon Eve in that Adam was the divinely appointed ruler in the first theocracy on planet Earth.” {1}

After the fall, humanity effectively rid itself of the sovereign rule of God, its King. One of the consequences of this disobedience to God’s one and only rule not to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was that now mankind could choose evil over good, and Satan’s whisperings over God’s word. They had effectively made Satan the new King of Earth.

“With the repudiation of this authority of God by Adam’s disobedience, God announced (In Genesis 3:15) the inception of a program that would manifest that authority, which was repudiated by bringing a new creation into existence through the ‘Seed of the woman’ that would be willingly subject to Himself. The redemptive program now parallels the development of the kingdom program and is a necessary adjunct to it, but is not identical with it. The method of establishing God’s authority is through the medium of redemption, but the re-establishment of that authority remains God’s primary purpose.” {2}

Following the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, humanity’s sinfulness became increasingly severe. This sinfulness resulted from humanity’s rejection of God’s right to rule over them. The period of the antediluvian patriarchs ended with the great flood of Noah’s day. Only eight people survived to repopulate the Earth.

Following the flood and until modern times, God has established several theocratic kingdoms. 1) The theocratic kingdom under human government: This ‘kingdom’ would extend from the post-flood period to the Tower of Babel. 2) The theocratic kingdom under the patriarchs: God called Abram (Abraham) out of a pagan nation to fulfill his will. Abraham and his ‘seed’ would become the people through whom God would establish His purpose on earth, and through whom all men should receive blessing. God made an unconditional covenant with Abraham concerning a land, a seed, and a blessing.

The anticipated fulfillment of this program is through one who is to be King (the Messiah), from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10). During this period, this theocracy was administered by divinely appointed representatives, such as Moses. 3) The theocratic kingdom under the judges: One of the judges, Gideon, refused to be crowned king. “And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you” (Judges 8:23). Samuel, one of the last judges of Israel, was also the first prophet besides Moses. The people recognized him as a divinely appointed representative of the theocracy, but they didn’t approve of his sons, so they sought a king like those of the surrounding nations. Samuel didn’t like this, but God told him to do what the people wanted. 4) The theocratic kingdom under the kings: God had

Samuel appointed Saul as Israel’s first king. After several instances of blatant disobedience to God’s will (administered by Samuel), Saul was eventually replaced by David, a man after God’s own heart. His reign was particularly associated with the development of the theocratic kingdom (as we shall see below). Solomon, David’s son, was the last divinely appointedruler of Israel and the last king over all twelve tribes. 5) The theocratic kingdom under the prophets: After Israel split into two different kingdoms, Judah and Israel, the kings of Israel and the people under their authority became more apostatized with regard to God’s word and even began worshipping other ‘gods.’ The prophets were the divinely appointed spokesmen for God, who relayed God’s message to the kings, who usually didn’t listen or obey.

“The prophet Ezekiel recounts the departure of the Shekinah Glory, a symbol of God’s presence. With the departure of the Shekinah Glory from the temple, God marks the close of the theocratic kingdom in Israel’s past history and of the nation, and the kings who were to have manifested that kingdom were scattered from their land. The “time of the Gentiles” began, in which Israel is set aside until the Messiah comes. The “future theocratic kingdom” now becomes the major theme of the prophet’s message.” {3}

We will examine this future theocratic kingdom later in this article.

THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL AND GOD’S COVENANT WITH DAVID

In 2 Samuel 5, David is made King over all of Israel. He was 37 years old at the time. Previously, he was king over the tribes of Judah (and Benjamin) for 7.5 years. One of the first things King David did as king of all 12 tribes of Israel was to defeat the Jebusites, a Canaanite tribe that had never been expelled from the land. He captured Jerusalem, a fortified stronghold also called Zion, and made it his capital.

2 Samuel 5:12 says, “And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’s sake.” 2 Samuel 7 recounts the story of David’s desire to build a house (temple) unto the LORD Yahweh. The LORD was pleased with this request but informed David that, because he was a man of war with blood on his hands, he would allow only his son to build the temple (1 Chronicles 28:2-6).

The LORD, however, said he would make David a ‘house,’ in regard to his descendants. The house of David is an everlasting covenant regarding the kingdom of Israel and establishes the throne of his kingdom forever. “And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people, Israel, and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more.”

“Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your loins, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever. In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David” (2 Samuel 7:9-10,16-17).

Of course, we know Solomon, a son of David, built the First Temple, but the promise of an everlasting kingdom will only be fulfilled when Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, becomes king of Israel (and the world) after Daniel’s 70^th week is complete and He returns to establish His physical kingdom for a thousand years and into eternity.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Psalm 22, written by King David, is best known as a prophecy concerning the ‘suffering messiah,’ who would later be identified as Jesus of Nazareth, who was tortured and crucified approximately a millennium after David was king. However, in this psalm, David also prophesies about the future Kingdom of the LORD (Yahweh). “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations” (Psalm 22:27-28). We know this occurs after Christ’s Second Coming when he establishes His millennial kingdom.

Psalm 45, written by the sons of Korah, is another prophecy concerning Israel’s king (i.e., “the King of kings”) and kingdom. “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. Thou love righteousness, and hate wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows” (Psalm 45:6-7). This verse refers to the future King and refers to him as ‘God.’ It also says that God (the Father) has anointed God (the Son) with the oil of gladness (the Holy Spirit) above all others.

In Psalm 145, David refers to God as his king (vs. 1), and his kingdom is everlasting. “They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations” (Psalm 145:11-13).

These verses state that the LORD (Yahweh) or God is to be king, whereas the verses in 2 Samuel state that one of David’s descendants would always be on the throne. So, which is it, will God be Israel’s king, or will it be a human descendant of David? I would imagine that in biblical (O.T.) times, these scriptures would have been difficult to understand. Of course, in hindsight (from reading the New Testament), we know the answer, “it is both.” Jesus, the Son of man (through David and Abraham) and the Son of God, will rule Israel and the world forever. The prophet Isaiah was the first to receive this great revelation from God.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7). This is one of many O.T. prophecies that are considered to be a “dual reference prophecy.”

DUAL REFERENCE PROPHECIES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

References to the Lord’s First and Second Comings are scattered throughout the Old Testament, as if they were a single event (if one didn’t have the New Testament). These “dual reference prophecies” could only be determined as such after the First Coming had already taken place. They were written so that it was impossible to know beforehand that the Lord’s First Coming would only fulfill part of the prophecy. The writers of these prophecies often switch from the First Coming to the Second Coming in the middle of a sentence or the following one, as if they were one event.

The first part of Isaiah 9:6 refers to the First Advent, while the remainder of the passage and verse 7 refer to Christ’s Second Advent, when he will reign as King of Israel forever.

The Holy Spirit might have made sure these prophecies were written this way because it could have possibly been only one event if the Jews had accepted Jesus as the Messiah when He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey as their King, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Another example of a “dual reference prophecy” is found in Isaiah 61. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:1-2).

At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, when he was in the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah 61:1-2. However, Jesus stopped before the end of verse 2, leaving out the phrase “and the day of vengeance of our God.” He then closed the book and sat down. Jesus told them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

Jesus said He was the fulfillment of this prophecy and had come to do the things listed therein. But by stopping his reading where he did, he revealed he hadn’t come (yet) to fulfill the last part of Isaiah’s prophecy, “the day of vengeance of our God.” In other words, there would be a time separation between the year of the Lord’s favor (First Advent) and the day of His vengeance (the Day of the Lord – Tribulation). Without the benefit of the Luke 4 passages, one would assume that the Day of the Lord (day of vengeance) in Isaiah 61:1-2 would occur directly after the Messiah’s ministry. However, we now know these are two distinct events separated by thousands of years.

Of course, the most apparent dual reference prophecy is found in Daniel 9:24-27, known as the 70 weeks (sevens) prophecy. If you were living in the times of Daniel when he recorded this prophecy, you would think the 70th week (verse 27) would come concurrently after the 69th week (verses 25-26), without any gap of time between them. Many people still believe this because they don’t know about dual fulfillment prophecies.

Once the disciples truly realized that Jesus was the Messiah (after His resurrection) and the subject of Daniel 9:26, they expected that He would return soon after His ascension to begin His day of vengeance and establish His kingdom. They were unaware of the vast time gap between the 69th and 70th weeks. As a matter of fact, just before Jesus ascended to heaven, the apostles asked him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:6-7).

It is clear from the apostles’ question that Jesus never mentioned an extended period in which Israel would be set aside while his attention would be focused on the Gentiles and the Church. They didn’t even know about the Church at this time or that Gentiles would be a part of it. They would not ascertain this fact definitively until 20 years later, when James (and Peter) told them at the Jerusalem Council (according to Acts 15:7-18); even then, they didn’t know how long the time of the Gentiles would last.

From reading the New Testament (especially the Pauline Epistles), we know that Jesus will resume His focus on Israel after the Rapture. After the Holy Spirit indwelt Church is removed from the earth, God’s divine clock will reset, and Daniel’s 70th week will begin (with a brief interval between the Rapture and the Tribulation). The dual reference prophecies were written so that, if the Jews had accepted Jesus as their King and Messiah, He could have fulfilled them within the allotted 70-week period, without a substantial gap between the 69th and 70th weeks.

THE SON OF MAN’S EVERLASTING KINGDOM

Daniel also prophesied about this everlasting kingdom. “And 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” (Daniel 2:44). “These kings” are the ten toes (ten kings) of Daniel 4:42. They are also the ten kings of Daniel 7:7-8 and Revelation 17:12-18. Jesus Christ is the “stone cut without hands” that smites and consumes all the other kingdoms mentioned.

Daniel also mentions this king and kingdom in Daniel 7:13-14, “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” This is the only time in the Old Testament where the name “Son of man” is used as a term for deity. The term “Son of man” appears 87 times in the New Testament and always refers to Jesus Christ, the same God-man mentioned in Daniel 7:13 and Isaiah 9:6.

Malachi was the last prophet recorded in the Tanakh (the Old Testament). He prophesied around 430 BC, fourteen years after Nehemiah went to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and the city (many scholars believe this was the start of Daniel’s 70 sevens prophecy). Malachi prophesied about the coming of Israel’s Messiah.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

During the Second Temple period, messianic hope was very strong. It was during this time that Jesus lived, but He did not fit the description of the promised Messiah. The Jewish people looked for a political and military Messiah (a warrior king, like David) who would deliver them from Roman occupation and oppression. Jesus just didn’t fit the bill (little did they know - See A Man of War: The Lord is His Name: By Randy Nettles - Rapture Ready). For the Jews, the Messiah was to be from the lineage of David and would rule as king of Israel. He would bring everlasting peace to Israel and usher in the glorious kingdom.

Israel’s Messiah is predicted in Malachi 3: “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:1). This prophecy in Malachi 3 was fulfilled approximately 460 years later, when John the Baptist began preaching and teaching in the Judean wilderness.

John is the fulfillment of “my messenger“ mentioned in the first sentence of Malachi 3:1. In the second sentence of this verse, “the Lord (’adon’ in Hebrew) whom you seek” and “the messenger of the covenant” is Jesus of Nazareth, who is called the Christ (anointed one or Messiah).

John was continuing the work of the Old Testament prophets by preaching about the Kingdom of God. However, he told the Jews to repent, for the time is “at hand” (or near). Matthew called it the Kingdom of Heaven. “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, ‘Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” (Matthew 3:1).

During John the Baptist’s ministry, the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to inquire about his identity. John knew what they wanted to know and told them straight up, “I am not the Christ.” They then asked him if he was Elijah the prophet. “And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No” (John 1:21).

The priests were referring to the last prophecy in the Old Testament, when Malachi prophesied, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6). Evidently, the Pharisees saw John as a prophet sent from God. “Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah” (John 1:22-23).

John is quoting Isaiah 40:1-3, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. John told the Pharisees that he was fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy by preparing the way of the Messiah and his kingdom.

The Pharisees then asked John, “Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elijah, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose” (John 1:25-27).

John’s baptismal rituals were for “spiritual cleansing,” dependent on the confession of sins, in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah to establish his kingdom. The site on the Jordan River where John baptized Jesus was the exact location where Joshua and the Israelites entered the Promised Land on Nisan 10 (the same Jewish day on which Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem, thereby fulfilling Zechariah 9:9). It is also the site where Elijah was taken up into heaven.

John recognized the significance of this history and the prophecy that Elijah would return before the day of the Lord. He most likely chose this area intentionally as the site for his ministry. Although John did not claim to be Elijah or the prophet who was to precede the Messiah, Jesus testified that he was (or could be).

After John was arrested, Jesus withdrew to Galilee (where he recruited most of his disciples) and, like John, proclaimed the coming kingdom. “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (Matthew 4:17-23).

Mark 1:14 also says, “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

The term “gospel” means “good news.” If a Jew (or Gentile) heard that the ‘kingdom of God/heaven’ is near, it would indeed be extremely good news. The four Gospel Books in the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, refer to the “good news” of Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah. He is the fulfillment of all the O.T. prophecies concerning a Son of David who will establish an everlasting kingdom with Israel at the head of nations.

Jesus did not preach the gospel of grace through faith in His atoning work on the cross, and His death and subsequent resurrection, to the Jews. He preached the gospel of the coming kingdom and of repentance so one could enter said kingdom. Jesus said that the gospel of the kingdom was at hand because their long-awaited Messiah had finally come. Of course, they would have to acknowledge Him as such, and ultimately, they didn’t.

“The message of Jesus was initially a message of hope, of blessing, and of salvation. But after the announcement by the leaders that Jesus received His power from Satan (Matthew 12:24), and so was a blasphemous impostor, His message turned to one of judgment on that generation in Israel. While this announcement did not cancel the covenants and promises given to Israel concerning the earthly kingdom of David’s greater Son, but only postponed the realization of those hopes, yet it did consign that generation to a physical and temporal judgment which was inescapable (Luke 19:27). Thus the kingdom program for Israel, which began with such high hopes at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, ends with the somber note of judgment and postponement.” {4}

To be continued in Thy Kingdom Come - Part II.

Randy Nettles

rgeanie55@gmail.com

Randy Nettles articles: Article Archives – Rapture Ready

Endnotes:

{1} Things To Come - A Study in Biblical Eschatology by J.Dwight Pentecost pg. 435

{2) idid. - pgs. 435-436

{3} ibid. - pgs. 441-442

{4} Pentecost-TheRelationshipOfTheChurchToTheKingdomOfGod.pdf