CHRIST INCARNATE--HIS SECOND COMING
In Acts 1:11 one reads: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." (Bold type for emphasis) This passage expresses both the ascension of Jesus Christ and His second coming. After considering the Lord's second coming itself, a consideration of the Messianic kingdom and the eternal kingdom will be made.
THE SECOND COMING ITSELF
"Though theologians
differ about the time
and the manner of Christ's second advent, all who receive the
Bible
seriously do agree that He will return to this earth." (Chafer, Systematic
Theology, V:280) That the Bible teaches His second coming is
clear
just by the verse quoted above. To deny the second coming
literally
is, if one were consistent, to deny His first advent. The
prophecies
concerning Christ's first coming, however, were literally fulfilled.
There
is, therefore, no really good reason for not treating the prophecies of
the second coming literally.
Where people have differed on the details of the
second
coming, it has generally been due to careless attention to what the
Word
of God says and due to a tendency to allegorize when something
does
not fit a person's scheme of things. Therefore, any idea
that
Christ's coming is a spiritual and invisible one; any idea
that
Christ's coming is His presence in the midst of the church; any
notion
that the disciples misunderstood the Lord in expecting His return; any
presentation that the "New Jerusalem" of the book of
Revelation
is "the ideal church"; any thought that His coming is at the death of
a
believer; or any teaching that implies His coming was that
on
the day of Pentecost or in the destruction of Jerusalem in
70
A. D. is patently false and contrary to the plain teaching of
Scripture. The Old Testament and the disciples were looking for a
visible, earthly setting up of the kingdom, and our Lord
nowhere
tried to correct their so-called misunderstanding.
In examining the second coming
of Jesus Christ
one must keep in mind that the church is an entirely new thing.
Thus,
there are Scriptures which tell of His coming for His bride; on
the
other hand, there are Scriptures that speak of His coming to
judge
the nations and in particular Israel and to reign in Jerusalem on
David's
throne. In connection with the former, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 is
the
key passage; it is, however, not the only one. The presentation
of
this truth was covered quite extensively in the web page
Last Things. The Scriptures to
be
considered here are in regards to the latter matters.
Jude 14, 15. This earliest of
prophecies
is spoken by Enoch but recorded by Jude (cf, the
study of Jude); though apparently quoted from an so-called
book
of Enoch; this does not in any way endorse that book as Scripture
any
more than Paul's quotation from a Greek poet does. In considering
this
passage, Enoch had prophesied of the coming of the Lord
with his saints as well as God's judgment on all wickedness.
Deuteronomy 30:1-8. This passage
speaks
of the judgment upon Israel and their final regathering.
This
regathering can not be equated with the return under Zerubbabel for at
least
two reasons. First, that return was only a small portion of the
Jewish
nation and not a complete return "from all the nations, whither the
Lord
thy God hath scattered thee." Secondly, Israel was again
scattered
in 70 A.D.; and until 1948 A. D. were scattered through the nations of
the
world. Even this recent return is incomplete, but it is the
beginning
of that return. There will yet be a further influx of
Israelites to the nation Israel prior to Christ's return to
reign.
Psalm 2:6-9. This passage switches
to Christ's
relationship to the Gentile nations. It speaks of His reign
in
Jerusalem under the phrase "My holy hill of Zion." The
term "heathen" refers to the Gentiles who are in rebellion against
Him.
His sonship is referred to in this passage, and it clearly shows
that
God is setting His King to rule in Zion (Jerusalem). His rule
will
be with a rod of iron showing that no rebellion will be allowed.
There is even the admonition to "Serve the Lord with fear, and
rejoice
in trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and ye perish form
the
way, when His wrath is kindled but a little." (Psalm 2:11, 12)
The
last of the verse shows that those who trust in Him shall be
blessed.
Isaiah 63:1- 6. This description of
Christ's coming is very realistic of what the nations can
expect
at His return. It speaks of the salvation for true Israel;
it
declares His judgments against those nations which rejected Him and
persecuted
the nation Israel. The figure of treading a wine press is
very
vivid and shows the completeness of the crushing of all
opposition
to God's rule. It is interest that this One Who treads the wine
press
of God's wrath is none other that the meek and lowly Savior.
He
came the first time as a lamb to be sacrifice; He is coming the second
time
as a lion to rule over this sin-cursed earth.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10. This passage
shows
that Jesus Christ will return the second time to take vengeance on the
unbelievers and send them to what people generally call "Hell."
These
unbelievers will be "punished with everlasting destruction from the
presence
of the Lord"; there is no annihilation here. These
unbelievers
are pictured as having "everlasting destruction". Revelation
20:10
shows a similar fate for Satan; and unbelievers at the white throne
judgment
likewise have a similar end.
Daniel 2:34, 35. This passage sets forth
Christ
as the smiting stone that will bring an end to Gentile rule. Some
may
argue that the word "Christ" (or Messiah) is not used in this passage.
Christ
is pictured, however, as a stone or rock in the Old Testament and
declared
such in the New. The day is coming when the Gentile nations will
cease
to be the head in the world; whereas the nation Israel will be the head
country
with Gentiles being servant to it.
Zechariah 14:1-4. This prophetic
passage
declares that Jerusalem will yet be besieged and only the return of
Christ
will be their salvation. His return will be on the Mount of
Olives.
There will be cataclysmic occurrences at His return; these are
pictured
in Luke 21:25-27 and Matthew 24:29. This also ties in with the
deliverance
of creation at His return when the sons of God (believers)
will
be manifested.
2 Thessalonians 2:8-12. This passage
shows
that the wicked individual will be revealed and then Christ at his
coming
will destroy him. This one comes with the working of Satan.
The context of this passage sets forth the fact that this
evil
one will be revealed after the removal of the One who restrains evil.
That
One can only be the Holy Spirit Who indwells every believer.
Thus,
He will be removed; but when? when believers are removed at the
rapture,
for He indwells them forever (John 14:16). The picture of
this
passage shows that Christ will return during the greatest time of
evil,
not to a world converted to Christ.
Matthew 23:37-25:46. This extended
passage
is, in a sense, Jesus farewell address to the nation Israel.
Though
this writer will not be discussing this passage in detail, its primary
message
is to Israel in view of the fact that Matthew's emphasis was on
the
kingship of Christ and the kingdom of heaven. Great
harm
and misunderstanding has existed due to attempts to make this passage
apply
to the church. The ten virgins have often been interpreted
to
be the church. Interestingly, Psalm 45 8-15 gives the virgins as the
attendants
of the bride. It is the marriage feast that is pictured in
Matthew.
The virgins are attendants and in all probability refer to
Israel.
Nowhere in this passage is there any hint that the virgins are
the
bride. The closing section (25:31-46) deals with the Gentile
nations
in regards to the nation Israel. There are four major aspects to
this
passage: 1) the great tribulation; 2) the fact of Christ's
second
coming; 3) the judgment of Israel; and 4) the judgment of
the
nations.
Acts 1:9-11. This passage presents the
historical fact of the ascension. It also declares,
however,
the promise of Christ's return. It is the "same Jesus" that is to
return.
The disciples were expecting Him to restore the kingdom to Israel
as
clearly shown in their question in Acts 1:6. It is wrong to think that
they
were mistaken; Christ does not rebuke them for their thinking, for it
was
correct. What was wrong was their thinking He would do it then
(Note
the phrase "at this time" in verse 6). Jesus addressed the time
element,
but not the notion of the restoration of the kingdom to
Israel,
for they were not wrong in that.
Acts 15:16-18. The context of
this
passage is the first council which was to determine whether Gentiles
had to
become Jews (be circumcised and keep the law of Moses) in
order
to be saved. James, who apparently was the moderator, summarized
the
discussion and then made the statement of our passage. He showed
that
God was taking out of the Gentiles "a people for His name."
Then,
after that, God would at Christ's coming restore the kingdom to
the
nation Israel. Thus, it was concluded that Gentiles did not need
to
become Jews to be saved.
Isaiah 59:20; 60:1-5. This passage
speaks
of Christ's return; Paul quotes from this passage in Romans
11:26,
27. The passage also indicates that Gentiles shall come to the
light
as well as kings. These things will happen when Jesus Christ
returns
to set up the blessings of the earthly, Messianic kingdom.
Daniel 7:13, 14. These two verses show
that
Gentile dominion ends; it is thus a corollary to the above passage.
It
shows the return of Christ and the everlasting nature of
His
kingdom. This passage also ties in with Matthew 25:31-46.
Malachi 3:1-3. In this passage
(as
in the case of others), the joining of the first and second
advents
is declared without any notion of an interval between them.
The
first part of verse 1 is quoted in the New Testament (Matthew 11:10;
Mark
1:2; Luke 7:27) in regards to John the Baptist. The rest of
the
passage "is nowhere quoted in the New Testament. The
reason
is obvious: in everything save the fact of Christ's first
advent,
the latter clause awaits fulfillment." (C. I. Scofield, Reference
Bible,
982; Italics are his.)
Mark 9:1-9. The three Synoptic authors
(Matthew
16:28-17:13 and Luke 9:27-36) describe the transfiguration in some
detail.
Peter spoke of this event in 2 Peter 1:16-18. The
emphasis
is upon Christ's second coming in His kingdom. This is the importance
of
the transfiguration which also spoke of His coming death.
The
disciples had a great difficulty in the predictions by Jesus of
His
approaching death. The reason is their expectation that the
Messiah
would come to reign over Israel. "It is clear then that the
transfiguration
was not an unveiling of heaven, but of Christ's coming in His
kingdom."
(Chafer, op.cit.,305)
Luke 12:35-40. Luke probably says
quite
a bit about the Lord's second coming. This passage is
representative.
The servants in this passage can not be the church for it
distinctly
says, "when He will return from the wedding." The church is the
bride
and, therefore, can not be the servants. The watchfulness here
has
to be that of Israel. This passage is similar to the one in
Matthew
25. Here in Luke, Israel is pictured as servants.
2 Peter 3:3, 4, 8, 10-13. This passage
of
Scripture presents several aspects of the second coming.
It
mentions that scoffers will "come in the last days" who reject the
return
of Christ. As these were "willingly ignorant" of the
universal
flood, so they deprecate the coming judgment on this earth. He
speaks
of the passing of the old heaven and earth; he may be (as
some
think) referring to the millennium here. On the basis of
these
happenings, Peter exhorts believers by saying, "Seeing then that
all
these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons
ought
ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, . . . ."
These
passages that were studied are not just for one's curiosity; rather
they
are to spur believers on to holiness.
Revelation 19:11-16. Herein is presented
the return
of Jesus Christ in power and glory. With Him is armies on
white
horses, clothed in fine linen. In view of Jude 14, it
should
be clear that these are not angels but saints. If there was
no
other passage in the Bible that Jesus would return as conquering King,
this
one would suffice. Here is no longer the meek Lamb of
God,
but rather He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, King
of
Israel, but even more, "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF
LORDS."
Oh, reader, will you not even now bow the knee to
Jesus
by faith in His finished work on Calvary? If you do, then
you
will be in that glorious band that returns with Him. On the other
hand,
if you don't, you will be forced to bow the knee to Him.
Following this grand return of our Lord, the
battle
of Armageddon takes place followed by the casting of the
beast
and false prophet into the lake of fire. Satan is bound
(20:1ff.)
and the millennial reign of Christ takes place. Satan is
loosed
for a season to head up the final rebellion. He is cast into the lake
of
fire where the beast and false prophet still are. Then comes the
final
judgment of the unsaved at the Great White Throne.
This writer has only sketched briefly the tremendous events to occur at the coming of Christ to this earth.
In this section the millennial reign of Christ here on Earth will be considered. It has been argued that the time of this kingdom is only mentioned in Revelation 20 and thus can be disputed particularly in the light of Peter's statement in 2 Peter 3:8. However, this is fallacious. God only needs to say something once for it to be so. Furthermore, Peter may have been hinting at the millennium in his statement. Equally fallacious is the argument that millennialism is rather recent and the neither the catholic churches nor the reformers held to it. The arguments presented here are based on what the Bible says, not on whether certain groups hold to a truth. Historically, however, millennialism was the doctrine of the early church fathers. Furthermore, the reformers were dealing with the more basic issues of salvation and justification. The more recent rise of millennialism has been due to a return to "What says the Scripture?" The attempts to allegorize the millennial kingdom are doomed at the start. It is only literal interpretation that is the key to understanding. This writer will consider the Messianic kingdom (or millennial kingdom, if you prefer) under two major divisions.
1. Presented in the covenants of Jehovah.
In this section,
though God has made several covenants with Israel, this writer is
concerned
with those that are directly involved in the matter of the
millennial
kingdom. Two covenants are pertinent and both are unconditional.
By
unconditional is meant that no condition was required of
the
persons involved. It was the sovereign grace of God that gave the
covenants. Neither participant contributed anything.
a. The Abrahamic Covenant. The
Abrahamic
Covenant consisted of three parts: 1) he was promised a
great
nation through Ishmael (Cf. Genesis 17:20); 2) he was promised
that
his seed would be like the dust of the earth. This portion
was
fulfilled through Israel. 3) He was promised a spiritual seed
based
on the kind of faith that Abraham had; this was for both Jew and
Gentile.
There are five aspects that are eternal in the covenants.
Two
of these are set forth in the Abrahamic Covenant.
The first of these features is
"an
everlasting nation." Some try to merge this feature into the
purpose
of God for the church; others say that God is through with Israel
as
a nation because of their sin (particularly the sin of
crucifying
Jesus Christ). The Scriptures do not support any such
conclusions.
Passages such as Isaiah 66:22 and Jeremiah 31:31-34 affirm the
continuance
of Israel as a nation. Again, Romans 11:20, 25 (cf. verses
26-29)
show that God is not through with Israel.
The second of these
features
is "an everlasting possession of the land." Deuteronomy
30:3-8
sets forth this fact of the covenant. It is also spelled out in
Genesis
12:7; 13:14-17; 15:7, 18; these passages even give the borders of
the
land. God later confirmed it to Jacob (Israel) (Genesis 26:3, 4; 35:11,
12;
also see 28:13, 14). God warned them of not being faithful and
predicted
three dispersions and three restorations as set forth in Genesis 15:13,
14,
16; Jeremiah 25:11, 12; Deuteronomy 28:25, 36, 37, 63-68; 30:1-5.
The
three dispersions have taken place; until 1948 there was only two
restorations.
Now that third restoration has begun. There is no way
that these passages can be construed for the church except
by extensive allegorizing.
b. The Davidic Covenant. The Davidic
Covenant
sets forth three aspects of the coming millennial kingdom:
the
throne, the king, and the kingdom. These three will become
apparent
as one looks at the Scriptural passages involved. There is grave
difficulties to try to allegorize these passages into some sort of
spiritual kingdom, or for that matter, the church. Only the
literal
method really answers why the King had to be of David's lineage.
John
7:42 shows this to be the case. "There was indeed but one
reservation
in this covenant, namely, that the sons of David succeeding him
would
be subject to chastisement, though the covenant itself could not be
abrogated."
(Chafer, Systematic Theology, V:321)
Isaiah 9:6, 7 shows not only the
divine
nature of the Son, but also the distinct fact that the government
mentioned
here would be upon His shoulder as He sits upon David's throne.
Nowhere
is David's throne pictured as a heavenly throne; rather it was an
earthly
throne that was always in view.
According to Jeremiah 23:5, 6
Christ
was to be born of David's lineage. The same fact
is
presented in Isaiah 11:1-5. Both of these passages
clearly
indicate an earthly reign. As Chafer so aptly states, "These are
not
predictions regarding a general rule of God exercised from
heaven,
as would be true of the kingdom of God, but regarding one
Davidic
in character as well as earthly in its sphere." (Ibid., 324)
Ezekiel 37:21-28 is an extensive
passage
setting for the earthly Messianic kingdom. As Chafer indicates,
"It
matters but little at this point whether it is, as some contend, King
David
who is exalted as a vice regent in the future kingdom or whether the
reference
is to Christ as David's greater Son, because the prophecy here is
exceeding
explicit." (Ibid., 325) This passage clearly states that it is
David
who is the prince. This would be in accord with passages that
state
the prince enters the tabernacle to offer a sacrifice; this would
totally
unnecessary and out of character if it was the Son of
God.
Hosea 3:4, 5 also presents this same picture, and this portion has not
yet
been fulfilled.
Daniel 7:13, 14 briefly
describes
the coming of Christ in the clouds and the giving of
the
kingdom to Him, which kingdom is an everlasting one. The fact
that
it is an everlasting one does not in any way abrogate it being an
earthly
one.
Both Matthew and Luke set forth the
Messianic
reign: Matthew 1:1 declares in the beginning of
the genealogy
that He is the son of David; Luke states it in connection with
the
announcement to Mary that she would bear the Messiah and distinctly
states
that He would have "the throne of His father David."
Matthew
mentions Him as the Son of David in several passages
(Matthew
9:27; 15:22; 20:30, 31; 21:9, 15; and 22:42). The reason for this
is
the Jesus as the Son of David fulfills the Davidic covenant in regard
to
the throne, the King, and the kingdom. Luke presents both advents:
the first event is covered in the birth of the Messiah; the
second
in His having the throne of David. It ought to mention that
Matthew's
use of the kingdom of heaven refers to the rule of
God
on earth.
Acts 2:25-31 again declares that
Jesus
Christ was to sit on the throne of David. Peter quotes from
Psalm
16 and then applies it to the resurrection of Jesus not for
salvation
but rather to "sit on his [David's] throne." It has been affirmed
by
some that both Jesus' disciples and John the Baptist were deluded in
regard
to a restoration of the Davidic reign. In order to hold
such
a position, one must disregard vast parts of Scripture, or at
least
allegorize it. Such alegorization has given rise to many
heretical
groups such as British-Israelism.
Acts 15:13-18 is the conclusion of
the
Jerusalem counsel as given by James. He showed that God had a new
purpose
in this age which was the setting aside of Judaism for the
formation
of the church. After that Christ will return and build the
tabernacle
of David again. This in no way can be construed to be the
church.
Amos 9:11, 12 also clearly sets forth this idea.
Revelation 22:16 identifies Christ
as
the Son of David. This is not just a mere reference
to
Jesus' ancestry, but rather the stating of the fact that Jesus
Christ
will yet fulfill the Davidic covenant as the King on David's throne.
Whether David will be coregent (which this writer believes) or
not,
the fact remains that Jesus will yet sit on the earthly throne of
David.
To avoid this truth requires either an ignoring of the
plain
language of Scripture or an allegorizing that does violence to
that
language.
2. In its several aspects. The kingdom
has taken various forms
throughout history. One should be reminded that this kingdom was
not
really established until after the death of Joshua. Rather
it
was a form of dictatorship with God as the head and Moses
(then
Joshua) chief lieutenant. so to speak.
a. The period of the judges.
The period
of the judges saw the nation under the leadership of
various
judges with God having oversight. This can be seen in Judges
2:16,
18 where it says that God raised up judges as deliverers. In the
final
analysis, the people constantly rebelled against God and the
judges.
At the end of this period under Samuel (the last judge and
first
prophet) they demanded a king, and God told Samuel to "hearken unto the
voice
of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not
rejected
thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them."(1
Samuel
8:7; Cf. Luke 19:14--though in a parable, Jesus was directing this
against
the rulers.)
b. The Davidic reign. Saul was
king
over Israel for a long time; his reign was a failure which prepared the
people
for God's authority to be exercised through David. The Davidic
covenant
was the basis of God's plan through David. It was that
covenant
that led to the prophecies of the coming millennial kingdom.
c. The prediction of the kingdom.
The
main prophecies concerning the future kingdom under the Messiah were
largely
made just before, during, and after the exile of the nation due
to
their sin. The prophets not only condemn the sin, they predicted
the
judgment coming, but also set forth the future blessings under Messiah.
From a few selected passages the nature of the government can be
seen.
The kingdom was to be
theocratic.
That is, it was to be ruled by Emmanuel, God
with
us. Isaiah 7:14 declares this truth and shown by Matthew (1:22,
23)
to refer to Jesus. Also, Jesus Christ was to be heir to David's
throne
as shown by Isaiah 11:1-5; Jeremiah 23:5; Ezekiel 34:23, 24; and Hosea
3:4,
5. Furthermore, this coming One was to born of a virgin
(Isaiah
7:14) in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
The kingdom was to be heavenly in
nature.
This does not mean that it was in heaven; it was
completely
on earth. Isaiah 11:4, 5 picture this aspect as does Jeremiah
33:14-17.
Hosea 2:18 also shows the heavenly nature of it.
Thus,
though this kingdom will be on earth, it still will be a spiritual
kingdom.
The rule of the King will be done in absolute righteousness
and
holiness.
The kingdom was to be in Jerusalem.
It
was also to be universal. This is borne out by Psalm 2:8 as well
as
Isaiah 11:9. Isaiah 42:4 suggests it as well as Jeremiah 23:5 and
Zechariah
14:9. As to it being centered in Jerusalem this is clearly seen
in
such passages as Isaiah 2:1-3; Isaiah 62:1-7; and Zechariah 8:20-23.
Luke
21:24 certainly implies that Jerusalem will be the capital city.
Furthermore, that rule will be over the nation Israel as
predicted
by Isaiah (11:11, 12; 14:1, 2; 60:1-22); Jeremiah (23:6-8; 32:37, 38;
33:7-9)
and Ezekiel (36:16-38; 37:21-25) Micah (4:6-8) confirmed it, also.
There
are several passages which indicate that His kingdom will also be over
all
nations. This writer suggested that above, and other Scripture
can
be cited on that matter.
The kingdom was to be established by the return of
Christ as King. Such passages as Deuteronomy 30:3; Psalm
50:3-5;
Psalm 96:13; Zechariah 2:10-13; and Malachi 3:1-4 all point to this
fact
of the return of Christ as King. These are just some
of
the passages that set forth the nature of the kingdom.
d. The offering of the kingdom.
Jesus
Christ in His ministry was largely presenting the kingdom at hand
because
He the King was present. The events and teachings prior to the
cross
were largely concerning the earthly Davidic kingdom. Matthew's emphasis
was
primarily on the kingship of Christ. Although Jesus Christ
is
presented in His death as a sacrifice, the primary emphasis was on the
setting
forth to the nation, their King. Even Mark, who centers on His
servanthood,
presents Him as king as does Luke, whose main emphasis in on Jesus as
the
Son of man. Luke 1:31-33 clearly shows that this is not a
fanciful
opinion of men. Paul brought this out in Romans 15:8.
John
the Baptist was declared as the forerunner as seen by comparing
Malachi
4:5, 6 with Luke 1:13-17 and Matthew 3:1, 2. When Jesus
began
to preach, His messages was like John's, "Repent ye; for the kingdom of
heaven
is at hand." (Matthew 4:17) Likewise, as recorded in Matthew
10:5-7,
this same message was committed unto His disciples. This message
was
confined to the nation Israel, and thus, can not be the same as the
gospel
of grace proclaimed by the apostles after the death and
resurrection
of Christ. The kingdom was at hand because the King was present.
As
a result, the message of the kingdom required personal
righteousness
in one's life. This is the principle of law, not grace
which
freely bestows the righteousness of Christ on the believer.
Not
only the Sermon on the Mount present this aspect, so does a passage
like
Luke 3:7-14. It is, therefore, that in the early ministry of
Jesus,
the kingdom referred "to the Messianic, Davidic, earthly
kingdom
foreseen in the Old Testament." (Ibid., 346)
e. The rejection of the kingdom.
Christ,
as well as John the Baptist, preached that the kingdom of heaven
was
at hand. This was because the King was present. However,
the
Jews rejected their Messiah and crucified Him instead. This was
all
in the plan of God. To ask what would have happened if
the
Jews had accepted Him as Messiah is, in a real sense, begging the
question.
Christ would have to have died anyway in fulfillment of Old
Testament
prophecy as well as types. How God would have done this does not
concern
us, for it did not happen that way. There was NO
contingency
here; all was in the plan of God. The church age was
a
mystery largely hidden from the Jews. It is revealed by God
through
the Apostle Paul. As Chafer noted, "it was not the death of
Christ and His resurrection which demanded the postponement,
but
rather an unforeseen age" (Ibid., 349), namely, the church age.
The
kingdom for the Jews was postponed until the second coming of
their
Messiah.
f. The present form of the kingdom.
The
present form of the kingdom is that which God exercises authority
in
this present age world. It can be classified as the mystery form
of
the kingdom since the church is a new entity not previously
revealed
in the Old Testament. It is not the Jewish Messianic kingdom, nor
is
it the extending of the blessings of that kingdom to the
Gentiles.
Rather, it is the calling out from both Jews and Gentiles a
people
which constitute His bride, the church. Matthew hints at this in
13:11
when he writes that Jesus spoke of the "mysteries of the
kingdom
of heaven." These mysteries consist of "the Church itself,
its
Head [Jesus Christ], its message of grace, the Body of
Christ
as an organism indwelt by Christ as the believer's hope of glory,
its
ministry, its ultimate removal, and its approaching marriage as the
Bride
of the Lamb." (Ibid., 350) Much can be said of
this
entity including the evil nature of the age, and the church
should
be not conformed to it. Also, it should be noted that Jesus
covers
this in the seven parables of Matthew 13 which will not be covered at
this
time. Jesus touches on the end of this age in Matthew 24;
it
is also touched on by the Apostle Paul as well as Peter in 2 Peter 3:3,
4.
To this might be added John's Revelation in 2:1-3:22 which many
believe
pictures in broad outline the history of this church age.
g. The realization of the kingdom.
As
stated previously, the earthly reign of Messiah was postponed in
God's
ordained plan, but that kingdom is yet to be fulfilled in Christ's
second
coming. After the removal of the church, and before Christ
comes
to rule, the period known as "the time of Jacob's trouble."
This
seven year period (the seventh week of Daniel's prophecy) will
consist
of judgment upon Israel as they for a time accept the false
messiah,
and God's judgment upon the world for the rejection of His Son.
Then, Christ will come with His bride to set up His millennial
reign.
Such passages as Psalm 2:1-9; Isaiah 63:1-6; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; and
Revelation 19:11-21 (to mention a few) shows the conquering of
the
nations of the earth by King Jesus. According to Revelation
20:1-3,
Satan is bound in the abyss. Jesus take the throne of David
in
Jerusalem where He judges Israel as shown in Ezekiel 20:33-44; Matthew
24:37-25:30 as well as the nations (Matthew 25:31-46). Some of
these
nations will enter the millennial kingdom as servants to Israel (See
Isaiah
14:1-4; 60:10, 12, 14, 16). Many other characteristics of
this
reign could be stated, but the broad outline has been given .
This writer has presented some of the salient features of the coming kingdom of our Lord here on earth. Whether a person wants to acknowledge this earthly kingdom or not, it will come to pass just as surely as Christ's first advent took place in literal fulfillment of divine prophecy. This does not mean that there is no heavenly aspect, but Christ will yet reign on earth.
The millennial kingdom is not permanent, for it lasts only for a millennium or for a thousand years. At the end of that kingdom, the eternal kingdom is established. Before discussing that kingdom, certain events take place at the end of the millennial kingdom.
1. Three events prior to final judgment.
Three events seem to
occur between the millennial kingdom and the final judgment.
a.The release of Satan. Probably one of
the
most unusual events is the release of Satan from the abyss where
he
has been during the millennium. This event is recorded in
Revelation
20:7: "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be
loosed
out of his prison." This is again by the divine, sovereign
will
of God. Why God will do this is, of course,
mere speculation
for the Scriptures gives no clue as to the reason. It appears
that,
as Chafer states, it was "to the end that a final demonstration may be
made
of evil as represented by Satan, that sinister being is not only
released
but unhindered in His [sic] renewed program of war and attack
upon
God and His people." (Ibid., 360) It also shows the nature
of
the human heart without Christ after a thousand years of
perfect
peace--the one thing for which the unsaved are always crying out.
Just as the Jews of old cried out, "We will not have this man
rule
over us", so the unsaved in effect will say, "We will not have this man
rule
over us." The same attitude exists today among many people who
have
rejected the truth of the Bible, God's Word.
b. The revolt of mankind.
Mankind
in general will have their period of perfect peace. What is their
response?
Rebellion! This revolt is set forth in Revelation 20:7-9.
Clearly
this revolt is against the Lord Jesus Christ and the saints of God.
Satan
deceives them (the rebellious humans) even as he deceives people now.
It
is a vast army that rises up under Satanic deception. Where did
these
people come from? During the millennium, a great number of
children
will be born of humans who entered the millennium. Many of
those
children who will refuse inwardly to put their faith in the Lord Jesus
(even
under perfect conditions) will then be deceived by Satan to rebel
against
Him. Christ will conquer them (Revelation 20:9), and Satan is
cast
into the lake of fire where the false prophet and the beast still
are.
c. The destruction of heaven and earth.
God has created heaven and earth; therefore, He has the right to
do
with it as He wishes. Thus, God may destroy heaven and
earth.
The destruction is predicted in various Scripture. Matthew
24:35
declares it in regard to the abiding of Christ's words.
Hebrews
1:10-12 states it in connection with His immutability. Revelation 20:11
briefly
mentions it in the passage concerning the great white throne judgment.
2
Peter 3:7, 10-12 is the major passage on this subject. It is the
last
part of the day of the Lord when the heavens shall be
destroyed
by fire, and this includes the earth. Fire purges all manner of
evils, and God will use it in the end to purge the heaven and
earth
of all evil. God will in some way preserved the people who
are
to enter the eternal kingdom which will be on the new earth.
2. The final judgment of mankind. Revelation 20:11 sets forth the great white throne upon which God is sitting It can be argued that this is actually Jesus Christ Who is on that throne. The earth and heaven are said to have fled away and no place found for them indicating their destruction spoke of in the last section. Then, the dead appear before Him to be judged. That these are unsaved, God hating people, is clear from Revelation 20:5, 6 and 20:14. Jesus indicated in John 5:29 that there is a resurrection unto damnation. They stand before God to be judged. They are judged out of the books according to their works. This determines their degree of punishment, not whether they were saved. The Book of Life is also opened to show that their names are not there because they had not received Christ as Savior. They were cast in to the lake of fire. The implication from Revelation 20:9 is that the lake of fire is place of eternal torment.
3. The new heaven and new earth. The
new heaven and new earth
are delineated in Revelation 21:1ff. The truth of it
was,
however, prophesied by Isaiah in 65:17; Isaiah 66:22 shows that Israel
will
continue into the new heaven and earth. Peter set forth in 2
Peter
3:13 the righteous nature of this new heaven and earth.
Also
this passage establishes that God will dwell with mankind here on
earth.
The New Jerusalem which descends
from heaven
furthers this notion. This city is described in Revelation 21 and
is
suggested in Hebrews 12:22-24. The length, breadth and height are
equal
and is set at 12,000 furlongs which is more than 1,500 miles.
Many
think that this city is cubic in shape; however, a pyramid shape fits
the
description just as well eliminating the absurdity of a wall 144
cubits
high (216 feet high for standard cubit; and 252 feet high for the royal
cubit)
smack up against the cubic shape. Furthermore, a pyramid shape
would
put the new temple at the highest point in the city. The nations that
enter this new earth bring their glory into the city.
Revelation 22:15 shows that the place of
eternal
torment is still there and is populated. There is no room in Scripture
for
the notion of annihilation. Revelation 21:27 also suggests
this
fact.
There are some who seem to teach that Christ gives
up
His earthly rule to the Father. They base it on 1 Corinthians
15:24-28.
A couple of things, however, mitigate against such a view.
First, there are passages after passages that teach the eternal
nature
of the kingdom with Christ as its Head. Isaiah 9:6, 7 alone
is
sufficient for this, although there are many other passages.
Even
Revelation 11:15 declares His everlasting rule. It is the
misinterpretation
of 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 (like so many other such
misinterpretations)
is the result of ignoring the context of the verses.
The context has to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ
and
of mankind. Thus, the phrase, "Then cometh the end" must be
interpreted in that light. The passage in 1 Corinthians is dealing with
the
order of the resurrections: first, Christ's resurrection;
then
those who are Christ's at His coming. These are those who take
part
in the first resurrection set forth in Revelation 20:4-6; these are
raised
to glory and reward. The rest of the dead are raised after
the
thousand years to appear before the great white throne for their final
punishment. It is the rule of Christ in His
mediatorial
work that is surrendered, but His reign as King of kings remains.
George N. H. Peters in his extensive work treats this more fully.
(The
Theocratic Kingdom, II, 634-36)
This writer has only briefly touched
on
the final aspects of the kingdom. Perhaps the best
conclusion
of this section is the Apostle's grand statement in 1 Timothy
1:17,
"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be
honour,
and glory for ever and ever. Amen."