A Scriptural view of the
advancement
of Christ's Kingdom By
Jack Kettler
The following is a study
dealing
with the advancement of Christ's Kingdom in
history. It is a survey of
traditional postmillennial Protestant
eschatology. No claims are made for
originality. The writer is dependent on
numerous brilliant theologians.
The God of Holy Scripture is
Sovereign. Right now, He is governing this
world by the word of his power. He
is presently giving covenantal blessings and
cursing according to his good
pleasure. None can stay his hand. He
controls all things including history. Men
should fear and tremble before him.
The Scriptures set forth a much
different view of history than many would
like to believe. God not only
controls history but has planned it as well.
See Dan. 4:34-35 and Ephesians
2:11. There is a continual advancement of
redemptive history in the Bible.
God's purposes are not thwarted. Satan will
not be a winner in human history.
Christ Jesus has gained the victory. Satan's
power has been broken. He is
presently chained. He has always been
restricted to doing only what God
Almighty has permitted. Will Jesus be the
winner in history or Satan? What
sayeth the Scriptures?
We will survey Old and New
Testament
passages to see the continual advancement of
redemptive history. The kingdom of
Christ in history will subdue all others.
Then and only then will come the end
of the age. At this point, death itself will
be forever defeated and the
kingdom turned over to God the Father. Let
us start with the book of Genesis.
The first passage we will consider is
Genesis 3:15.
This verse is
significant because it sets forth God's
promise of redemption and the defeat of
Satan:
“And I will put enmity between
thee
and the woman, and between thy seed and her
seed; it shall bruise thy head, and
thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
This verse is recognized as the
first messianic prophecy. The verse speaks
of the war between the followers of
righteousness and Satan. From the seed of
the woman, Christ would come and
defeat Satan. Satan appears to gain the
victory when Christ is crucified.
Christ then rises victoriously from the
grave and crushes Satan's head. Eve
says that she had gotten a man from the
Lord. It is significant that Adam and
Eve named their first son Cain (to possess
or to bring forth). See Genesis 4:1.
The meaning of Cain's name evidences the
fact that Adam and Eve understood
God's promise of a redeemer who would come
forth from Eve and would defeat
Satan. They thought that this promise would
be fulfilled immediately as
evidenced by their firstborn son's name.
They thought God through Cain would bring
forth deliverance from the curse.
It is
essential to see the promises of growth of
the godly
seed in human history. The verses that
follow will continue to set forth the
theme begun in Genesis 3:15 of the
Messianic victory in history:
“And I will bless them that
bless
thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and
in thee shall all families of the
earth beblessed.Genesis12:3 And I will
make thy seed as the dust of the
earth: so that if a man can number the dust
of the earth, then shall thy seed
also be numbered.” (Genesis 13:16)
“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. And he believed in the LORD;
and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
(Genesis 15:5-6)
And I will make thee
exceedingly
fruitful, and I will make nations of thee,
and kings shall come out of thee.
Genesis 17:6
“That in blessing I will bless,
and
in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as
the stars of heaven, and as the sand
which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed
shall possess the gate of his
enemies; And in thy seed shall all the
nations of the earth be blessed; because
thou hast obeyed my voice.” (Genesis
22:17-18)
“And, behold the LORD stood
above
it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham
thy father, and the God of Isaac:
the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I
give it, and to thy seed; And thy
seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and
thou shalt spread abroad to the
west, and to the east, and to the north, and
to the south: and in thee and in
thy seed shall all the families of the earth
be blessed.”
(Genesis 28:13-14)
The above
verses set forth the clear promises of
victory for
the godly seed. Consider the following
points that we see from the above
passages:
·All families would be blessed,
·All nations blessed,
·Unable to number the Godly
seed,
·Nations and kings (plural) to
come
forth,
·Possessing the gates of your
enemies
The following New Testament
passages
prove that these Abrahamic promises are
fulfilled in Christ.
“These promises prove that the
blessing of Abraham might come on the
Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we
might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith....And if ye be Christ's,
then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs
according to the promise.” (Galatians
3:14, 29)
“Ye are the children of the
prophets, and of the covenant which God made
with out fathers, saying unto
Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the
kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto
you first God, having raised up his Son
Jesus, sent him to bless you, in
turning away every one of you from his
iniquities.” (Acts 3:25-26)
The universal Abrahamic
promises of
victory flow right into the new covenant of
Christ. These promises are
fulfilled through the preaching and teaching
of the gospel. There are other
important messianic promises to consider:
“Why Do the heathen rage, and
the
people imagine a vain thing? The kings of
the earth set themselves, and the
rulers take counsel together, against the
LORD, and against his anointed
saying, Let us break their bands asunder,
and cast away their cords from us. He
that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh, the
Lord shall have them in derision.
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath,
and vex them in his sore
displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my
holy hill of Zion. I will declare
the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou
art my Son, this day have I
begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give
thee the heathen for thine
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the
earth for thy possession. Thou
shalt break them with a rod of iron, thou
shalt dash them in pieces like a
potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye
kings: be instructed, ye judges of
the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and
rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and ye perish from the
way, when his wrath is kindled but a
little. Blessed are all they that put their
trust in him.” (Psalm 2)
“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 governor among
the nations.” (Psalm 22:27-28)
“He shall have dominion also
from
sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends
of the earth. They that dwell in
the wilderness shall bow before him, and his
enemies shall lick the dust. The
kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall
bring presents: the kings of Sheba and
Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall
fall down before him: all nations
shall serve him.” (Psalm 72:8-11)
“The LORD said unto my Lord,
Sit
thou at my right hand, until I make thine
enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall
send the rod of thy strength out of Zion:
rule thou in the midst of thine
enemies.” (Psalm 110:1-2)
These Messianic Psalms clearly
show
Christ's dominion over all of the earth. In
2 Samuel we see the promise of the
Davidic covenant:
“He shall build a house for my
name,
and I will stablish the throne of his
kingdom forever...And thine house and thy
kingdom shall be established forever before
thee: thy throne shall be
established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:13, 16)
The Davidic promise shows there
will
be a kingdom and One who sits upon a throne
forever. This is fulfilled in the
New Covenant of Christ. The earthly throne
of David was a type of the heavenly
throne.
Christ now
sits upon this throne and rules:
“This Jesus hath God raised up,
whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore
being by the right hand of God exalted,
and having received of the Father the
promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed
forth this, which ye now see and hear. For
David is not ascended into the
heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said
unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right
hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool.”
(Acts 2:32-35)
It is significant that Peter
quotes
Psalm 110:1 as proof that this is now
happening. Christ is now ruling and
exercising
dominion. Christ does this through the
preaching of the gospel. Individuals are
converted, and begin living lives in
conformity to what has been commanded. See
Matthew 28:20. Those converted are part of
Christ's inheritance. (See Psalm 2)
Additional
passages that show Christ's dominion:
“And it shall come to pass in
the
last days, that the mountain of the LORD's
house shall be established in the
top of the mountains, and shall flow unto
it. And many people shall go and say,
Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of
the LORD, to the house of the God
of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways,
and we will walk in his paths: for
out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the
word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
And he shall judge among the nations, and
shall rebuke many people: and they
shall beat their swords into plowshares, and
their spears into pruning hooks:
nation shall not lift up sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war any
more.” (Isaiah 2:2-4)
The above verse shows Christ's
victory and rule in history. The phrase
"last days" has specific
reference to the end of the old Jewish world
order. See I Corinthians 10:11 and
Hebrews 9:26. These verses speak of the end
of the world, as it relates to the
end of Old Testament Covenant order. 1 Peter
4:7 speaks of the Old Covenant as
ready to pass away. Hebrews 1:2 says
specifically that the Christians in the
first century were living in the “last
days.” We see the destruction of the
Jewish temple in 70 A.D., and the end of the
Old Testament sacrificial system.
We are now living in the New Covenant world
order, which is characterized by
the rule of Christ in history through the
preaching of the gospel and its
effects in history. Isaiah has more to say
concerning Christ's dominion:
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, Counsellor, 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.
The phrase “no end to his
government”
presents a powerful argument against the
concept of the defeat of Christ's
kingdom before the second coming.
Premillennialists say, “yes there will be an
end to Christ's government.” Consider the
next verse:
“They shall not hurt nor
destroy in
all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be
full of the knowledge of the LORD,
as the waters cover the sea. And in that day
there shall be a root of Jesse,
which shall stand for an ensign of the
people, to it shall the Gentiles seek:
and his rest shall be glorious.” (Isaiah
11:9-10)
This passage speaks of the
gospel
age. “...to it shall the Gentiles seek”
clearly finds fulfillment during the
gospel age. The phrase “...the earth shall
be full of the knowledge of the LORD”
speaks of the extent of the influence of the
gospel. There is no hint of the
defeat of Christ's kingdom.
“For, behold, I create new
heavens
and a new earth, and the former shall not be
remembered, nor come into mind.
But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that
which I create: for, behold, I
create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people
a joy. And I will rejoice in
Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the
voice of weeping shall be no more
heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There
shall be no more thence an infant
of days, nor an old man that hath not filled
his days, for the child shall die
an hundred years old, but the sinner being
an hundred years old shall be
accursed. And they shall build houses, and
inhabit them, and they shall plant
vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They
shall not build, and another
inhabit, they shall not plant, and another
eat: for as the days of a tree are
the days of my people, and mine elect shall
long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labour in vain, nor bring
forth for trouble, for they are the
seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their
offspring with them. And it shall
come to pass, that before they call, I will
answer, and while they are yet
speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb
shall feed together, and the lion
shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust
shall be the serpent's meat. They
shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy
mountain, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah
65:17-25)
These passages in Isaiah
65:17-25 are
not talking about heaven because it is said
there are still sinners and death.
It is also interesting to note that Jesus is
not said to be physically present
upon earth, which constitutes a powerful
argument against a premillennial
interpretation of these passages. These
verses should be understood in a
figurative sense. Some premillennialists
believe these verses are talking about
the millennium, but it should be noted that
the word millennium is not even
mentioned. Revelation chapter twenty
contains the only passages in the Bible
that use the word millennium. Sound
hermeneutic principles demand that we do
not use an obscure passage in a book, which
utilizes apocalyptic writing to
interpret other portions of scripture. This
is exactly what the proponents of
premillennialism
do.
Isaiah in Old Testament
figurative
language sets forth the blessings of
Christ's gospel upon the earth during the
New Covenant Church age. In the book of
Ezekiel, we can see the growth of the
church and the spread of the gospel
utilizing Old Testament forms:
“Afterward He brought me again
unto
the door of the house, and, behold, waters
issued out from under the threshold
of the house eastward: for the forefront of
the house stood toward the east,
and the waters came down from under from the
right side of the house, at the
south side of the altar...Afterward he
measured a thousand, and it was a river
that I could not pass over: for the waters
were risen, waters to swim in, a
river that could not be passed over... Then
said he unto me, These waters issue
out toward the east country, and go down
into the desert, and go into the sea:
which being brought forth into the sea, the
waters shall be healed. And it
shall come to pass, that every thing that
liveth, which moveth, whithersoever
the rivers shall come, shall live: and there
shall be a very great multitude of
fish, because these waters shall come
thither: for they shall be healed, and
every thing shall live whither the river
cometh.” (Ezekiel 47:1, 3, 5, 8-9)
The passages in both Isaiah and
in
Ezekiel show an advancement of God's
redemptive purposes in history. We do not
see defeat for God's kingdom in history.
In the book
of Daniel, we see that Christ's kingdom
will
defeat all human kingdoms:
“Thou, O king, sawest, and
behold a
great image. This great image, whose
brightness was excellent, stood before
thee, and the form thereof was terrible.
This image's head was of fine gold,
his breast and his arms of silver, his belly
and his thighs of brass, His legs
of iron, his feet part of iron and part of
clay. Thou sawest till that a stone
was cut out without hands, which smote the
image upon his feet that were of
iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Then was the iron, the clay the brass,
the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces
together, and became like the chaff
of the summer threshing floors, and the wind
carried them away, that no place
was found for them: and the stone that smote
the image became a great mountain,
and filled the whole earth.” (Daniel
2:31-35)
“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.” (Daniel 7:13-14)
Jesus identified himself as the
very
person of Daniel 7:13-14. Matthew 26:64
provides biblical proof of this. The
Jews knew the significance of this claim as
evidenced by their reaction in
verse sixty-five. The Jews delivered Christ
to the Romans to be crucified,
seemingly giving Satan the victory. Remember
Genesis 3:15. Christ rose from the
dead victorious and is now seated on the
heavenly throne (Acts 7:55).
Satan's power
has been broken:
“And he said unto them, I
beheld
Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” (Luke
10:18)
“Or else how can one enter into
a
strong man's house, and spoil his goods,
except he first bind the strong man? And
then he will spoil his house.” (Matthew
12:29)
“And having spoiled
principalities
and powers, he made a show of them openly,
triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians
2:15)
“And I saw an angel come down
from
heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit
and a great chain in his hand. And
he laid hold on the dragon, that old
serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan,
and bound him a thousand years.” (Revelation
20:1-2)
The above four selections are a
reality now. The passage in Revelation is
not something that will happen in the
future; it is a present reality. Some
comments concerning the period when this
book was written will be necessary. This is
because futuristic interpreters
inadvertently undermine the clear teaching
of scripture that Satan is bound or
restricted. The texts that reveal when the
prophecy of this book will take
place are called time indicator texts. They
show that the book of Revelation is
historical, not eschatological. See
Revelation 1:1, 3 and Revelation 22:6,1 0.
John in 22:10 is told: “...seal not the
sayings of the prophecy of this book:
for the time is at hand.” Compare Rev. 22:10
with Daniel 12:4. Daniel is told
to “shut up the words, and seal the book.”
The burdens of Daniel’s prophesy
deals with the coming of the Messiah. See
Dan. 9:24-27. This would happen in
approximately 500 years. Daniel is told to
“seal the book” and John is told, “seal
not...the prophecy” of this book. These two
commands are exact opposites,
proving that John's Revelation was fulfilled
in the first century. The biblical
conclusion is that: Just as the time
indicator texts of Revelation show “The
time is at hand” 1:3, and “...which must
shortly be done”, and “Behold, I come
quickly” 22:6. Many Old Testament prophecies
have already been fulfilled and
bring glory to God and build the faith of
God's people. The prophecy of
Revelation is fulfilled like the prophecy of
the virgin birth.
It will be important to
consider the
extent of Christ's power. Does He only have
partial control of the Universe or
sovereign control?
Consider the
two following verses:
“And Jesus came and spake unto
them,
saying, all power is given unto me in heaven
and earth.” (Matthew 28:18)
“And what is the exceeding
greatness
of his power to us-ward who believe,
according to the working of his mighty
power. Which he wrought in Christ, when he
raised him from the dead, and set
him at his own right hand in the heavenly
places. Far above all principality,
and power, and might, and dominion, and
every name that is named, not only in
this world, but also in that which is to
come: And hath put all things under
his feet, and gave him to be head over all
things to the church, Which is his body,
the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
(Ephesians 1:19-23)
What did
Jesus teach concerning the growth of his
kingdom?
Consider two parables:
“Another parable put he forth
unto
them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like
to a grain of mustard seed, which a
man took, and sowed in his field: Which
indeed is the least of all seeds: but
when it is grown, it is the greatest among
herbs, and becometh a tree, so that
the birds of the air come and lodge in the
branches thereof. Another parable
spake he unto them, The kingdom of heaven is
like unto leaven, which a woman
took, and hid in three measures of meal,
till the whole was leavened.” (Matthew
13:31-33)
These parables set forth
identical
teaching as Daniel 2:31-35 showing how
Christ's kingdom will subdue all other
kingdoms. Now let us turn to an important
passage that ends the debate
concerning the alleged earthly defeat of
Christ's kingdom in history:
“For he must reign, till he
hath put
all enemies under his feet. The last enemy
that shall be destroyed is death.
For he hath put all things under his feet.
But when he saith all things are put
under him, it is manifest that he is
excepted, which did put all things under
him. And when all things shall be subdued
unto him then shall the Son also
himself be subject unto him that put all
things under him that God may be all
in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:25-28)
The Scripture is clear, right
now
Christ is reigning. His kingdom is moving
forward in history. He will continue
reigning until all things are put under him.
Not until then, and only then,
will this present age of the gospel close.
It is time for Christians to renew
their efforts of preaching the gospel and
disciplining of the nations. We have
good reasons to believe that our efforts
will be successful. Our reasons are
found in the promises of God who cannot lie.
We also have repeatedly seen in
Scripture the fulfillment of prophecy, which
encourages our efforts.
“Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost: Teaching them [the nations] to
observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you: and, lo I am with you always,
even unto the end of the world.
Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
Will our efforts to fulfill
this
great commission and the disciplining of the
nations be successful? It should
be noted that this commission comes with a
promise. The stone of Daniel 2:35
will never be destroyed. The stone becomes a
mountain and fills the whole
earth. This is the kingdom that can never be
destroyed Daniel 2:44. This is
Christ's Church. The mustard seed (the
Church) will become a great tree.
Consider the
two following scriptures:
“And I say also unto thee, that
thou
art Peter, and upon this rock I will build
my Church, and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew
16:18)
“Unto him be glory in the
church by
Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world
without end. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:21)
I will close with the words of
one
of the great Christian hymns. It is again
time in our churches sing and take
seriously the words of this great hymn that
sets forth the teaching of the
Bible concerning Christ's victory over the
nations. This hymn was composed
during a time when believers took seriously
Christ's command to disciple the
nations. Today many believers are caught up
in attending speculative prophecy
conferences and reading into the Bible
(eisegesis) contemporary news events.
Onward,
Christian soldiers, Marching as to war,
With the cross of
Jesus Going on before.
Christ
the royal Master leads against the foe
Forward
into battle, See, his banners go.
At
the sign of triumph, Satan's host doth
flee.
On
then, Christian soldiers On to victory.
Hell's
foundation’s quiver At the shout of
praise.
Brothers,
lift your voices, Loud your anthems
raise.
Like
a mighty army Moves the church of God,
Brothers,
we are treading Where the saints have
trod,
We
are not divided, All one body we,
One
in hope and doctrine, One in charity.
Crowns
and thrones may perish, Kingdoms rise
and wane,
But
the church of Jesus Constant will
remain,
Gates
of hell can never Gainst that church
prevail
We
have Christ's own promise, And that
cannot fail.
Onward,
then, ye people, Join our happy throng,
Blend
with ours your voices In the triumph
song
Glory,
laud
and honor Unto Christ the King
This
through countless ages Men and angels
sing.
Onward
Christian soldiers Marching as to war,
with
the cross of Jesus going on before.
Sabine Baring-Gould, 1865. Amen!
“Blessed art thou, O LORD:
teach me
thy statutes.” (Psalm 119:12)
“Study to shew thyself approved
unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
“To God, only wise, be glory
through
Jesus Christ forever. Amen.” (Romans 16:27)
and “heirs according to the
promise.” (Galatians 3:28, 29)
Mr. Kettler has previously
published
articles in the Chalcedon
Report and Contra
Mundum. He and his wife Marea
attend the Westminster, CO, RPCNA Church. He
served as an ordained ruling elder
in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. He
worked in and retired from a fortune
five hundred company in corporate America
after forty years. He runs two blogs
sites and is the author of the book
defending the Reformed Faith against
attacks, titled: The
Religion That
Started in a Hat. Available at:
www.TheReligionThatStartedInAHat.com