The Gospel of the Kingdom part 4 As Proclaimed by Christ, John the Baptist & the Apostles

According to the Word of God, which cannot be broken, the proclamation of the kingdom of God is inseparably related to destroying the works of the devil. Welcome to Call to Glory, the cutting edge weekly podcast dedicated to helping you know Christ, the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings. If this is your first time tuning in, please be sure to like, share, comment, and subscribe. In this part of our series, What is the Gospel? We've been looking at the Gospel of the Kingdom. Now, this is the original gospel or good news that Christ and John the Baptist proclaimed to the people of Israel at the beginning of their public ministries. Looking deeper, the Jewish context and heritage of the New Testament is most clearly seen in what the New Testament writers call the Gospel of the Kingdom. And mind you, I'm not talking about the Torah or any of the other Hebrew scriptures. I'm talking about the New Testament. And as we began to see in our last episode, the Gospel of the Kingdom is in fact Christ's declaration of war against Satan and his kingdom. Not the feel-good, syrupy, cotton canty, emasculated and powerless Christianity that permeates Western culture, nor is it the overrealized kingdom now eschatology and hyper charismatic antics of the modern apostles and prophets movement, generally known as the New Apostolic Reformation, or simply NAR, neither is it found in Torah observance and the exaltation of rabbinical Jewish customs, traditions, and practices taught by the Hebrew roots movement, as well as many in the Messianic movement, but rather it is the power of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ, the hidden mystery of God's eternal and infinite wisdom, the same power and glory we see throughout the gospel accounts, the book of Acts, really the entire New Testament, and it is the same power and the same suffering, death, and resurrection that marks every genuine disciple of Christ. As the Apostle Paul wrote, for the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. And with that, let's continue looking at the kingdom proclaimed by Christ and as understood by his Jewish disciples and followers. We'll begin with Matthew's account of the mother of Zebedee's sons asking him to grant them the top positions in his kingdom. From the New King James. Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from him. And he said to her, What do you wish? She said to him, Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right hand and the other on the left, in your kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They said to him, We are able. So he said to them, You will indeed drink my cup and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with. But to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by my Father. Make no mistake about it. She wasn't thinking of heaven or a spiritual kingdom, not at all. This woman, like every other Jewish follower of Christ we see in the gospel accounts, was waiting with deep longing and anticipation for the restoration of the kingdom that God had promised to Israel. Note also that Christ did not correct her eschatology. He didn't tell her she was mistaken or that it was really a spiritual kingdom somewhere in heaven. On the contrary, he most definitely affirmed her expectation of a coming Jewish kingdom on this earth, just as the Hebrew scriptures proclaimed. This is actually as good a time as any to address the error of supersessionism or what is also known as replacement theology, not doing so because it is diametrically opposed not only to the biblical gospel of the kingdom, but to Christ Himself. They are absolutely one hundred percent mutually exclusive. Now a comprehensive study of this is again well beyond the scope of this podcast, but however, since we are looking at the gospel of the kingdom, it has to be addressed and called out as the major error it is. Let's look at one of the main passages used by supersessionists to support their claim that the Jewish people and the nation of Israel forfeited their place in the kingdom by rejecting Christ. I'm referring to the parable of the wicked vine dressers in Matthew 21. Let's look at the relevant portion, which comes after Christ told what the owner of the vineyard was going to do to the vine dressers who killed his son in order to take his inheritance. Starting in verse 40. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine dressers? They said to him, He will destroy those wicked men miserably and lease his vineyard to other vine dressers who will render to him the fruits and their seasons. Jesus said to them, Have you never read in the scriptures the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone? This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it, and whoever falls on this stone will be broken, but on whomever it falls it will grind him to powder. Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking of them. Of course, supersessionists rely heavily on verse 43 to support their claim that God took the promised kingdom from the nation of Israel and gave it to the Gentiles. And I'll freely admit that a superficial reading of that passage does indeed appear to support their claims. After all, doesn't it say that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it? And that the chief priests and Pharisees knew he was speaking of them? Yes, it sure does. However, when you look a little deeper, it's evident that the supersessionist interpretation is not only a dishonest reading of this passage, but also flies in the face of the overwhelming weight of biblical testimony to the contrary, and I mean nonstop from Genesis to Revelation. Well, so then what does this passage actually mean? Well, very clearly that Christ would indeed judge every unfaithful Jewish religious leader who rejected him, and not only take away their inheritance in the kingdom, but also give it to an ethnically Gentile people. This is consistent not only with his condemnation of the wicked Jewish, religious, and political leaders elsewhere in the New Testament, but also with the many Old Testament prophecies such as Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 34 against the false prophets, priests, shepherds, and leaders of Israel. And it's also perfectly consistent with Paul's warning to Gentile believers in Romans 11 not to boast against the natural branches that were broken off because of unbelief. And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in. Well said, because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he may not spare you either. Notice that Paul freely acknowledges that unfaithful Jews were broken off from their own olive tree to make room for believing Gentiles. Now this is exactly what Christ was speaking of in Matthew 21, verse 43. And so we have the correct interpretation of this passage. Now the takeaway here is do not let anyone under any circumstances steal or rob you of your rightful destiny and inheritance in his kingdom. In light of that, let's look at Christ's prophecy in the all of the discourse in Matthew 24, specifically what he said about the gospel of the kingdom in verse 14. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Notice very carefully that Christ did not say the gospel of the kingdom, but rather this gospel of the kingdom. Why is that important? Because he clearly and specifically meant the good news of the kingdom that he had been proclaiming throughout his entire ministry. Not a Gnostic, Gentile, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, supersessionist, dispensational, Calvinist, reformed, or covenant theology gospel of the kingdom, but the good news that the exact same Davidic kingdom promised in the Hebrew scriptures, of which he is the true and rightful heir, is coming. In his own words, the gospel of the kingdom, not only of salvation, but of his coming kingdom, will be preached in all the world as a witness to the nations just before the end of the age. The prophetic and eschatological significance of the kingdom should be very evident here, and as the end of the age rapidly approaches, we would all do well to pay very close attention. Let's now look at chapter twenty six, where we see Christ and his disciples celebrating the Passover just before his betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion, also known as the Last Supper. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat, this is my body. Then he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. Notice carefully how Christ told the disciples that he was looking forward to drinking the fruit of the vine new with them in his father's kingdom. Now that's neither symbolic nor an allegory, nor was it ever intended to be read that way. Again, using just a little bit of sanctified common sense, it should be evident to everyone that you don't eat or drink wine in a spiritual realm. No, Christ meant exactly what he said. The literal physical kingdom here on earth when he returns, which, by the way, is totally consistent with what he told the apostles in Luke twenty two, thirty that they would eat and drink with him at his table in his kingdom. Notice also that here he refers to the kingdom as his father's kingdom, while in Mark and Luke's account he uses the term the kingdom of God. These aren't different kingdoms any more than the kingdom of heaven is different from the kingdom of God. The only possible distinction may be what we see in 1 Corinthians 15, when Paul says that Christ will hand his kingdom over to the Father when everything has been fulfilled, but even then it's still the same kingdom. We also see many references in Mark and Luke to the same kingdom, and it's important to remember that none of these things happened in a vacuum. The cultural, sociological, religious, and eschatological context is still the fervent Jewish expectation of the coming kingdom. With that in mind, let's look at a few examples in Mark's account, starting in chapter one, at the very beginning of Christ's ministry. Now, after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. Now we looked at this passage in some detail in our first episode of this series. If you haven't seen that or any of our previous episodes, you can find them in the description below. Now just before his transfiguration, we read the following. And he said to them, Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power. Now Christ was of course referring to the coming outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, which we'll be taking a very close look at in our next episode. Now moving on to the end of chapter 9, we see Christ warning against letting our hands, feet, and eyes cause us to sin. Now, while much can indeed be said about this passage, our focus here is on the kingdom. So let's look at verses 47 to 48. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye rather than having two eyes to be cast into hellfire where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. Notice first how Christ says nothing about entering into heaven, but rather the kingdom of God. Notice also how he says that it's better to enter the kingdom with one eye than to be cast into hell with two. While it is certainly true that Christ's exhortation to pluck out an offending eye or cut off an offending hand or foot was hyperbole, his reference to enter the kingdom was neither symbolic nor allegorical, nor was it ever intended to be read that way. On the contrary, he was again referring to a literal physical kingdom with a literal physical body. Note also that his admonitions in verses forty two to forty six against an offending hand and foot were spoken in the context of an entering life, whereas his warning against an offending eye is in the context of entering the kingdom of God. Different standards? Different destinations? Not at all. This is classic Hebrew parallelism, which Christ often used to emphasize the importance of what he was saying, so there's no ambiguity here. He is clearly equating entering into eternal life with entering the kingdom of God, not heaven or spiritual or a gentile kingdom, the literal earthly kingdom promised to David, and make no mistake about it. This is totally and perfectly consistent with the testimony of Scripture, not just in the New Testament, but all the way from Genesis to Revelation. Let's now look at chapter 14, where we again see Christ and the disciples celebrating the Passover just before his arrest and crucifixion, also known, of course, as the Last Supper. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. Then he took the cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And he said to them, This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. Assuredly I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. Notice carefully how Christ again said how he was looking forward to drinking the fruit of the vine new in the kingdom of God. As we've stated before, that's neither symbolic nor an allegory, nor was it ever intended to be read that way. And like Matthew's account, this is totally consistent with what he told the apostles in Luke, chapter twenty two, verse thirty, that they would eat and drink with him at his table in his kingdom. And speaking of Luke, let's look at a few of the many references to the kingdom in his account, beginning in chapter four. Now when it was day, he departed and went into a deserted place, and the crowd sought him and came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them, but he said to them, I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent. And he was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee. Notice how Christ said that the reason he was sent was to preach the kingdom of God. In light of this, let's look at what the apostle John wrote about why he came. From first John chapter three. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Now reading these two passages together, two things should be crystal clear. One, according to the Word of God which cannot be broken, the proclamation of the kingdom of God is inseparably related to destroying the works of the devil. And second, any opposition, resistance to, or distortion of the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom, no matter what the motive, is not from the Holy Spirit. Does this sound too harsh, even perhaps unloving or uncharitable, or God forbid, judgmental? Well turn with me to a very well known passage in Matthew 16, and let's see how Christ handled a similar situation with the Apostle Peter, starting at verse 21. From that time Jesus began to show to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised the third day. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, Far be it from you, Lord, this shall not happen to you. But he turned and said to Peter, Get behind me, Satan. You are an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men. While Peter's concern was both understandable and well intentioned, Christ's sharp response leaves no doubt that the spirit behind his concern was not God, but rather Satan. Volumes have been written about this, so there's no need to rehash what's already been said. Suffice it to say that good intentions are not the standard by which we discern and judge spiritual truth. That's exactly how the spirit of Antichrist deceives many. On the contrary, our plum line must always be the word of God, and that is precisely why the apostle John also exhorted us to test the spirits. Others may or may not have Christ or our best interest at heart, but either way, one thing is sure, as John also wrote, they are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us. He who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. According to the Word of God, we're either following the Spirit of truth or the Spirit of Error. To the extent that you or I listen to, follow, or God forbid, love the world and the things in the world, God's word plainly declares that we are being led by the spirit of error and walking in darkness. This often manifests as what has been accurately described as the beautiful side of evil, and as I hope we can all see, man's standard of what is good and what is evil is often very different from what God has said in his word. Secular humanism and most especially religion, no matter how well intentioned or outwardly clean and respectable, are quintessential examples of this. On the other hand, to the extent that we listen to, follow, and love the teaching and commandments of the Scriptures, the Word of God declares that we are being led by the Spirit of truth and walking in the light. The choice before all of us is really no different than what Adam and Eve faced in the garden. Either walk humbly with God and submit ourselves to what He defines good and evil to be, or be seduced by the serpent into eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When you get right down to it, it's really just that simple. In Peter's case, his understanding of what the scriptures said about Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection was hindered by his natural soulish affection and concern. Christ, however, saw right through that and spoke directly to the real issue. We would do well to follow his example. And so it is concerning the gospel of the kingdom. Since the scriptures equate the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom with destroying the works of the devil, who do you think has a vested interest in twisting, distorting, discrediting, and otherwise hindering the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom? I can assure you it's neither Christ nor the Holy Spirit. And so I say again that any opposition or resistance to the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom, no matter what the motive, is not from the Holy Spirit. Judge for yourself. But moving on through Luke's account, let's look at a few more references to the kingdom, starting in chapter eight. Now it came to pass afterward that he went through every city and village preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And in chapter nine we read, Then he called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And the apostles, when they had returned, told him all that they had done. Done. Then he took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. But when the multitudes knew it, they followed him, and he received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. Then he said to another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God. And then in chapter ten, whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you, and heal the sick there, and say to them, The kingdom of God has come near to you, but whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you. But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city. Moving on to chapter thirteen, the Jewish character of the kingdom is again very clearly seen, starting in verse twenty-eight. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And in chapter fourteen, we again see that those who were following Jesus understood it to be a literal physical kingdom where people will actually eat and drink. Look at verse 15. Now when one of those who sat at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Now we see from his response that Jesus did not in any way correct his eschatology, but rather answered with the parable of the kingdom. Someone, however, will undoubtedly point to the following passage as evidence that Christ was actually referring to a spiritual kingdom. Well, let's look. Now when he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God does not come with observation, nor will they say, See here or see there, for indeed the kingdom of God is within you. Christ was not denying the literal fulfillment of the promised to Vidic kingdom, not in the least. What he was saying was that the kingdom of God would begin as an internal kingdom, with the new covenant promise of his law written in their minds and on their hearts, just as it was foretold by the Hebrew prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and we'll address this in more detail shortly. Once again we see the kingdom is everywhere. Let's look at Luke's account of the Passover Seder, or if you prefer, Last Supper that Christ shared with his apostles just before his betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. When the hour had come, he sat down and the twelve apostles with him. Then he said to them, With fervent desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Then he took the cup and gave thanks, and said, Take this and divide it among yourselves, for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. Just like Matthew and Mark's accounts, we again see how Christ was looking forward to drinking the fruit of the vine new in the kingdom of God. And as we said earlier, that is neither symbolic nor an allegory, nor was it ever intended to be read that way. In fact, Christ could not have been clearer that he was speaking about the promised Davidic kingdom when he privately told the twelve about their place and relationship to him when it arrives. Let's look at chapter twenty-two, verse twenty eight. But you are those who have continued with me in my trials, and I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as my Father bestowed one upon me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Honestly, how can anyone read this passage and think Christ was speaking of a Gentile kingdom or a spiritual kingdom somewhere in heaven? Make no mistake, this is not an allegory, nor was it intended to be allegorized. It is a prophecy by the Lord Jesus Christ himself that will have a literal fulfillment here on this earth when he returns. Even the thief on the cross was looking for the coming kingdom. And Mark and Luke also record in their gospel accounts that Joseph of Arimathea, who was a prominent council member, was himself waiting for the kingdom of God. Let's look at Luke's account in chapter 23. Now, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. Finally, while John doesn't really speak of the gospel of the kingdom per se, the kingdom is again everywhere. Let's look at the well-known dialogue between Christ and Nicodemus in chapter three, starting at verse one. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Now it's very difficult here in the 21st century with almost two thousand years of history and church tradition separating us from the Jewish setting of this conversation, but try to put yourself in the place of Nicodemus and see things through his eyes. Remember that he was a prominent Jewish leader whose eschatological worldview was founded on the hope of the resurrection and on God's kingdom promises to Israel, as recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures. He knew nothing of Augustine or the other church fathers, the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, the Protestant Reformation, replacement theology, covenant theology, dispensationalism, spending eternity in heaven, evangelical Christianity, and most certainly not a Gentile kingdom. Notice also how Christ's emphasis is on seeing and entering the kingdom of God. Now, although not expressly stated in the text, you can be sure that the kingdom he was referring to was the promised Davidic kingdom of the Bible. And you can also be absolutely sure that Nicodemus, just like every other Jewish person following Christ in the New Testament, knew exactly what he was talking about. The only disconnect was everyone in Israel, including the apostles, initially thought that the Davidic kingdom was going to be restored in its ultimate physical and outward manifestation in their lifetime. Somewhat understandable, but still wrong. Let's look at one example in Luke 19. Now, as they heard these things, he spoke another parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. Notice that this is one of the reasons Christ spoke to the people in parables. Why do I say that? Because, as Luke records, they thought and expected that the kingdom would appear immediately. They all knew very well what the scriptures said, but they neither understood what they meant nor how to apply them. Put another way, they all had correct doctrine concerning the kingdom. However, that knowledge was a stumbling block to them since they did not have eyes to see and ears to hear what Christ, the prophet greater than Moses, was actually saying to them about his timing and fulfillment. It was just as Christ told the Jewish leaders in John's gospel. You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of me, but you are not willing to come to me that you may have life. I wonder, are we any different? They didn't yet realize that just as it was also prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures, the kingdom of God would begin as an internal kingdom with the new covenant promise of his law written in their minds and on their hearts. This of course began with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. And so we see, beginning with the book of Acts, the apostles and other disciples of Christ proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom with ever increasing power and understanding, first to the Jewish people in Israel and elsewhere, then to the Gentiles. We'll begin looking at this in our next episode. If this is your first time tuning in, please be sure to like, share, comment, subscribe, and ring the bell so you can be notified whenever we post new episodes. If you like what you've heard today, please also leave a review wherever you're listening to this podcast. Tell us what you loved about this episode, how it may have helped or encouraged you, or you can simply leave a comment about any other topics you'd love to hear us cover in the future. Finally, remember to always keep your lamps trimmed, lit, and full of oil. Show him and see you next time.