Prophecy of the Kingdom
When John the Baptist was preaching in the wilderness of Judea, it preaches repentance qualifying it with a message that the kingdom of heaven had come near (Matthew 3:2). Consistent with John the Baptist, Jesus preached the identical message regarding repentance and the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 4:17). Consequently, when Jesus sent his laborers, it was necessary for his apostles to deliver the same message of the kingdom to the multitudes who would hear and ultimately follow Jesus (Matthew 10:7). The question which needs to be answered is: was the kingdom introduced with message or was it confirmed? While the message was new in its wording, the concept of the kingdom was very familiar to the Jewish people. After the death of Joshua and witnessing Israel function under governance structure led by judges, it was noted that there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). Having no king had more impact than just simply having no king but it represented a state of complete moral deterioration.[1] However, when it became evident that the Prophet Samuel was coming to the end of his term as judge and his heirs were unsuited to succeed him, the elders of Israel did not ask for another judge, but rather a king (1 Samuel 8:5). While this disappointed Samuel and God instructed Samuel to explain the havoc a king of Israel would wreak, the elders maintained that the kingship governance structure was the optimal structure for battle situations (1 Samuel 9:20). While this concept of a kingdom appeared highly desirable for the people of God, an enlightened understanding of the kingdom revealed that the true kingdom is fulfillment of prophecy.
To understand the prophecy of the kingdom, three areas of focus need to be explored:
1. Kingdom Reframed
The kingdom with which Israel identified was an earthly political kingdom. The rule of Solomon offers a relevant example.
“And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life” (1 Kings 4:21, New International Version).
It was clear that the kingdom over which Solomon ruled was a physical and geographical kingdom. It had physical boundaries and had legalistic requirements of its subjects. However, there was a kingdom being discussed by the prophets which described a different structure.
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. Of the greatness 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” (Isaiah 9:6-7, NIV).
While there are physical kingdom descriptors, the kingdom Isaiah described is one without boundaries of space or time. It was a kingdom to a ruler with all power and infinite everlasting authority. This reframing of the kingdom set the stage for a prophecy which would be fulfilled by Jesus.
2. Kingdom Reflected
As the kingdom began to be reframed in the context of kingdom with all power and authority and one which transcended even time and space, the kingdom would need to reflect an emblem which corroborated this eternal position.
“When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands.But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-16, NIV).
God made a promise to David which consisted of essential elements in understanding the prophecy of the kingdom. First, the kingdom orchestrator would come from the lineage of David. David, the earthly king, would initiate a generation which would produce and establish a kingdom which God Himself would establish. Second, the throne of his kingdom would be established forever. With this covenant, the prophecy of the kingdom was solidified by the immutable fact that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2).
3. Kingdom Revealed
As the kingdom was reframed from an earthly temporal kingdom to an spiritual eternal kingdom and confirmed by a covenant with God, the kingdom needed to revealed and visualized for the prophecy to realized in the context and in comparison to any other kingdom.
“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. 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. The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy” (Daniel 2:44-45).
God revealed to Daniel that kingdoms will come and go. Kingdoms will come in many shapes and forms with varying degrees of influence and power. However, as the kingdom is revealed, the prophecy holds that not only will the kingdom endure forever but, it will crush and bring to submission all the kingdoms which preceded it.
Next Blog – The Message of the Kingdom
Conceptually, the kingdom was both prophesied about and established regarding its role in the plan of salvation through covenant. To God be the Glory for the prophecy of the kingdom!
Be sure to visit my next blog to learn more of how the kingdom was introduced during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ and strategies to effectively steward the message of the kingdom.
Bibliography
Schnittjer, Gary Edward, and Mark L. Strauss. Old Testament Narrative Books: The Israel Story. Brentwood, Tennessee: B&H Academic, 2023.
[1] Gary Edward Schnittjer and Mark L. Strauss, Old Testament Narrative Books: The Israel Story (Brentwood,Tennessee: B&H Academic, 2023), 102.
Kingdom Business 