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Scripture Reading: Gen. 12:1-2; 26:2-3; 49:10; Exo. 19:6; Num. 24:17, 19; 2 Sam. 7:12-13; Psa. 2:6; 110:1-2, 5; 89:27; Isa. 9:6-7; Jer. 23:5; Dan. 7:13-14; 2:34-35, 44-45; Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:1-23; 4:17; 5:3, 10, 20; 7:21; 18:3-4; 6:10, 33; 20:21-23; John 6:14-15; 12:12-15; 18:33-37; 19:12-22; Matt. 27:11, 29, 42, 45, 50-54; 28:18; Acts 2:32-36; 5:30; Luke 19:12-15; Matt. 23:39; 1 Cor. 15:24-25; Rev. 19:15-16; 11:15; 12:10; Matt. 6:13; Psa. 24:7-10; Matt. 25:31-34; 19:28; Rev. 2:27; 20:4-10; Zech. 8:20-23; Isa. 2:2-3; Acts 3:21
The kingdom, like the church, was foreordained by God for Christ. The church is mainly for the expression of Christ’s life and glory, but the kingdom is mainly for the expression of Christ’s dominion and glory. In eternity past God foreordained that the church would express Christ’s life and glory. Similarly, God prepared the kingdom to express Christ’s dominion and glory. Although the church is not mentioned in the Old Testament, God prophesied in many portions and in many ways concerning the kingdom that He has prepared for Christ.
Beginning with the patriarchs, God brought up the matter of the kingdom. When He called Abraham in Genesis 12, He promised to make Abraham a great nation (vv. 1-2). This promise was for the preparation of a kingdom for Christ. Hence, in the Gospel of Matthew, which is a record of Christ as the King, Christ’s genealogy begins with Abraham (1:1-2). When the inhabitants on the earth rejected God’s rule and dominion and followed the operation of Satan to establish different nations, God called Abraham out from their midst to form another nation that would receive His rule and submit to His dominion. Thus, God enabled Christ to obtain a kingdom on the earth as the sphere for the expression of His dominion.
In Genesis 26 God confirmed His promise to Abraham with Isaac, saying, “To you and to your seed I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father” (v. 3). When Isaac’s son, Jacob, was on his deathbed blessing his sons, God prophesied through him that Shiloh, the Peace bringer, Christ, would come out of Judah to be Ruler of the kingdom, and all the peoples would submit to His authority (49:10).
In Exodus God through Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt and brought them to the foot of Mount Sinai. There God told them, “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (19:6). This indicates that God wanted the children of Israel to be His kingdom. In Numbers 24 God prophesied through Balaam, a Gentile prophet who had been hired to curse the children of Israel, that a Star would come forth out of Jacob and that a Scepter would rise out of Israel (v. 17). Both the Star and the Scepter signify the reigning Christ, the King of the kingdom, who would come forth out of Israel and have dominion to subdue the nations (v. 19).
During the reign of David, God obtained a kingdom that could express Christ’s dominion on the earth. Hence, God promised David, “When your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers, I will raise up your seed after you, which will come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. It is he who will build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Sam. 7:12-13). This reveals God’s intention for Christ, the seed of David, to continue the throne of David. God promised to establish the kingdom and the throne of David’s seed, Christ, forever. For this reason the Gospel of Matthew refers to Christ as the Son of David (1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 21:9).
In other portions of the Old Testament, God prophesied concerning Christ as the King and concerning the kingdom of Christ. In the Psalms David prophesied that Christ would sit at God’s right hand until God made Christ’s enemies His footstool (110:1). In Psalm 2:6 God declares to the kings of the earth, “I have installed My King [Christ] / Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” David also prophesied that Christ would send forth the scepter of His strength from Zion to rule in the midst of His enemies and would shatter kings in the day of His anger (110:2, 5). In Psalm 89:27 Ethan the Ezrahite prophesied that God would make Christ “the highest of the kings of the earth.” Isaiah prophesied that the Mighty God and the Eternal Father would become a child and Son as the Prince of Peace and that the government would be upon His shoulder (Isa. 9:6). Furthermore, there would be no end to the increase of His government and to His peace upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, which He would establish and uphold in justice and righteousness for eternity (v. 7). Jeremiah prophesied that God would raise up to David a righteous Shoot, Christ, to reign as King, act prudently, and execute justice and righteousness in the land (Jer. 23:5). Daniel prophesied that Christ would receive dominion, glory, and a kingdom from God and that all the peoples, nations, and languages would serve Him (Dan. 7:13-14). Daniel also prophesied that at the end of the age Christ would come forth from the heavens, as a stone cut out without hands, to crush the kingdoms of the earth and set up His kingdom (2:34-35, 44-45). His dominion will be an eternal dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom will not be destroyed (7:14). Micah prophesied that Christ would be born in Bethlehem of Judah to be Ruler in Israel and that His goings forth are from ancient times (Micah 5:2).
The prophecies in the Old Testament concerning Christ as King and concerning the kingdom of Christ prove that God foreordained that Christ would have the kingdom, that the kingdom would express Christ’s dominion and glory, and that Christ would be glorified through His reign in the kingdom.
With respect to the kingdom, Christ was born King of the Jews (Matt. 2:1-2; 27:11). Satan desires to usurp the kingship of Christ, and he is jealous of Christ. He used Herod, the governor of the Jews, to try to kill Christ. Under His power and sovereignty, however, God preserved Jesus from Herod’s slaughter (2:1-23).
Christ was sent forth by God to preach the gospel of the kingdom, telling people to repent, for the kingdom of the heavens had drawn near (4:17). The Lord told the disciples that the nature of His heavenly kingdom is altogether different from an earthly kingdom, and He urged them to seek the heavenly kingdom (5:3, 10, 20; 7:21; 18:3-4; 6:10, 33). However, Satan hindered the disciples from understanding the heavenly nature of the kingdom, causing them to consider the Lord Jesus as only the King of an earthly kingdom; hence, the Lord could not lead the disciples to know His heavenly authority (20:21-23). Satan also stirred up the Jews to try to compel Him to be King through earthly methods (John 6:14-15), thus attempting to destroy the kingdom. Satan wanted the kingdom to lose its heavenly nature. Christ, however, perceived Satan’s craftiness and overcame every hindrance. Christ never allowed His authority to become earthly and thus lose its heavenly nature.
Although Satan instigated the Jews to oppose Christ, God arranged circumstances that caused them to welcome Christ as “He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel” (12:13). Later, Satan instigated the Jews to bring this charge against Christ and sentence Him to death. When Pilate asked Jesus, “You are the King of the Jews?” (18:33), the Lord Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My attendants would be struggling so that I would not be delivered to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not from here” (v. 36). This means that His kingdom is heavenly, not earthly. Then Pilate asked again, “So then You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, that I would testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (v. 37). This reply indicates that Christ’s purpose in coming to the earth was to be the King of the kingdom of the heavens. However, the earthly Jews who followed Satan rejected the Lord (19:12-15). In spite of this, when the Lord Jesus was crucified, Pilate wrote a notice that said, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS” and put it on the cross (v. 19). In this way the Lord was marked as the King of the Jews.
Satan caused the Roman soldiers to mock Christ as the King of the Jews, because he hates that the Lord Jesus is the King of the Jews (Matt. 27:27-31). He also caused the rulers among the Jews to ridicule Christ as the King of the Jews (vv. 41-43; Mark 15:31-32; Luke 23:35). However, God used various miraculous events at the time of Christ’s death to prove that Christ was extraordinary (Matt. 27:45-54).
Satan instigated the Jews to kill the Lord Jesus and reject Him as their King, but God raised Him up from the dead (Acts 5:30), gave Him all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18), and exalted Him to His right hand (Acts 2:33), making Him Lord, Christ, and Leader (v. 36; 5:31). Furthermore, God sent the Spirit to testify to the Jews through the apostles that He had raised up Jesus, whom they had killed on the cross and that He had made Jesus the Lord, Christ, and Leader (vv. 30-32; 2:32, 36). However, through Satan’s instigation, the Jews continued to hate the Lord Jesus and refused to receive Him as their King (Luke 19:12-14). Eventually, however, God will cause the remnant of the Jews to welcome the Lord Jesus and to acknowledge Him as the King who comes in the name of the Lord (Matt. 23:39).
When Christ accomplished redemption, He fulfilled the legal procedure for obtaining the kingdom, and then He ascended to God and received the kingdom from God’s hand. In Luke 19 the Lord Jesus compared Himself to a man of noble birth who goes to a distant country, to heaven, to receive a kingdom and then return (v. 12). On the day of Pentecost the Spirit testified through Peter on behalf of Christ that God had made Christ to sit at His right hand until He makes Christ’s enemies His footstool (Acts 2:34-35). In 1 Corinthians 15 the apostle Paul testifies concerning Christ, saying, “He must reign until God puts all His enemies under His feet” (v. 25). Furthermore, Daniel saw in a vision that Christ went before God to receive the kingdom (Dan. 7:13-14). These verses present a great and important matter: in His ascension Christ went to God to receive the kingdom so that when the time comes, His dominion and glory may be expressed.
Christ went to God to receive the kingdom, but He will not remain there; He went “to receive...a kingdom and to return” (Luke 19:12). When the time comes, that is, at the blowing of the seventh trumpet, Christ will go forth from heaven with His dominion, glory, and kingdom and will return to the earth to be manifested as the King of kings. He will break and shatter the nations on the earth with His might and destroy all rebellious powers (Rev. 19:11-16). Thus, the kingdom of the world will become His kingdom (11:15). Then His kingdom and dominion will be fully manifested on the earth (12:10).
Daniel 7:14 says, “To Him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom, / That all the peoples, nations, and languages might serve Him. / His dominion is an eternal dominion, which will not pass away; / And His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.” This verse connects dominion, glory, and kingdom, indicating that they have a special relationship. In order for glory to be expressed, someone must reign, and in order to reign, there must be a kingdom. This is logical. A kingdom is a realm in which someone reigns, and glory is expressed through reigning in such a realm. Hence, the kingdom refers to the realm in which Christ’s dominion and glory are expressed. Although to a small degree Christ’s dominion and glory are now expressed in the church, this expression is weak, spiritual, and hidden; it is not visible to the physical eye. In the future the expression of Christ’s dominion and glory through the kingdom will be strong, solid, and visible. On that day people will see and know Christ’s dominion and glory.
The church is the Body of Christ (Col. 1:24); it is an organism that expresses the life of Christ. Although the church has the glory of Christ, this glory is mysterious and hidden. The kingdom is a realm in which Christ’s dominion is expressed. The glory of Christ is not only in the kingdom; His glory is openly manifested in the kingdom. When the church is mentioned, we are reminded of Christ’s life, but when the kingdom is mentioned, we should be reminded of Christ’s dominion and glory.
When the kingdom is manifested, Christ will be “the King of glory” (Psa. 24:7-10). When He judges all the nations living on the earth, He will be the King sitting on “the throne of His glory” (Matt. 25:31-34). In the kingdom He will sit on “the throne of His glory” (19:28) and reign for a thousand years over the nations on the earth, with the divine and heavenly authority that God has given to Him (Rev. 2:27). He will also execute justice and righteousness in the land (Jer. 23:5). At that time the overcoming believers will be His companions reigning with Him (Rev. 20:4, 6). The remnant of the Jews saved in the future will be priests on earth, teaching the nations on His behalf (Isa. 2:2-3; Zech. 8:20-23). These nations are the sheep, those who heard the eternal gospel to fear God and who treated the Christians and Jews well during the great tribulation (Matt. 25:31-40; Rev. 14:6-7). These nations will be the people on the earth and will be guided by the Jews to obey and serve Christ. In the age of the kingdom, the time of the restoration of all things (Acts 3:21), Christ as the King of glory will be the center of everything, and His glory will be expressed through His dominion (Matt. 6:13).
The expression of Christ among men began with His incarnation and will consummate in eternity. As the Word, He became flesh and accomplished redemption on the cross. The cross produces the church, the church brings in the kingdom, and the kingdom ushers in eternity. Although Christ was expressed in His incarnation, this expression is not as adequate as His expression in the church. However, the church cannot express Him as adequately as the kingdom, nor can the kingdom express Him as adequately as eternity. In other words, in relation to Christ, the church cannot match the kingdom, nor can the kingdom match eternity future. Christ needs incarnation, the church, the kingdom, and eternity future. The kingdom expresses His dominion and glory in a fuller way than the church, but this expression is still not sufficient. His expression needs a realm that is larger and better than the kingdom. He needs eternity future, infinity, in order to have the fullest expression. This expression will be ushered in by the coming kingdom.
In the last days of the kingdom, Christ will deal with Satan and the last rebellion of mankind to clear up all powers in the universe that oppose God (Rev. 20:7-10). Then He will deliver up the kingdom to God (1 Cor. 15:24). The kingdom will thus be ended, eternity will begin, and Christ will enter into His fullest and ultimate expression.
