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A BIBLICAL FRAMEWORK FOR WORSHIP AND OBEDIENCE IN AN AGE OF GLOBAL
DECEPTION
Part VI:
N E W T R U T H S O F
T H E K I N G D O M A R I S T O C R A C Y
This is the sixth and final
part of this series on God’s historical framework of revealed doctrine. This
series has covered so far the historical and doctrinal truths from the creation to the first advent of Jesus
Christ. One further area of truth remains: the origin and purpose of the
Church. As a fitting conclusion to this series, therefore, Part VI completes
the framework with the doctrine of the Church or, in terms of the great
Apostles’ Creed, “The Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.”
Part VI follows the same
approach used in Parts II, III, and IV. Several key historic events will be
specified. Then a doctrine or group of doctrines will be linked to these events
along with a expose of unbelieving and pagan opposition to these doctrines. The
reader will notice in this part more than in the previous ones (except Part V)
that prior truths in the framework are necessary to understand properly the
newer and later truths. Christ’s ascension and session, for example, requires
understanding of the prior OT truths of the call of Abraham and the reign of
David.
The previous five parts left
the biblical framework consisting of eighteen key events:
|
Resurrection of the King Death of the King Life of the King Birth of the King |
|
Restoration of a Remnant Exile and End of the
Kingdom Fall of the Kingdom Decline of the Kingdom Golden Era of Solomon Rise and Reign of David Conquest and Settlement Mt. Sinai Exodus Call of Abraham |
|
(Noahic) Covenant Flood Fall Creation. |
These eighteen key events
mark the progress of God’s story. The last two of these events, however, left a
historical and theological puzzle. The King had come to establish the Kingdom of
God which was promised in the OT but was rejected, died, and departed from
mortal history through resurrection. What, then, became of the promised
Kingdom?
Recall from Part IV of this
series when we discussed the Millennial issue. Remember that there arose prior
to the New Testament appearance of Jesus Christ a dispute over when the
promised triumphant Kingdom of God would appear. Clearly Israel was God’s
priestly nation among the international community (Exod. 19:6; Isa. 2:1-4). Was
Israel to assume international leadership under the Messiah before or after the
judgment and resurrection that would end history? In short, was the triumphant
Kingdom to be inside mortal history or was it essentially the eternal state?
After Christ came and was rejected, the controversy became more complex because
of the rise of the Church and its relationship with the Kingdom and Israel. Was
the Church a “spiritualized” version of Israel and the Kingdom (amillennialism)?
Or was it actually a nation-like entity replacing Israel that was to conquer
the world and bring into existence a physical-political kingdom to hand over to
the Messiah (postmillennialism)? Or was the Church a “new body” distinct
from Israel which somehow prepared the way for the yet-to-be realized Kingdom (premillennialism)?
The King Himself warned his
followers of His rejection by Israel and the ensuing historical age between His
first and second advents. This teaching was something new and not clearly
foreseen in OT prophecy. Jesus filled in details not covered by the ancient
prophets who saw only the broad features of both advents but were not clear on
their distinction (I Pet. 1:11). As the nation began to reject His ministry,
Jesus spoke a series of parables about the “mysteries of the Kingdom” (Matt. 13:11).
Briefly, these parables teach that the judgment of evil and subsequent
establishment of the Kingdom will occur at the end of the inter-advent age
(Matt. 13:39-42,49; cf. 7:21-23; 25:34).
Professor Alva McClain puts
it well:
“The present age, viewed
from the standpoint of the Kingdom, is a time of preparation. During
this period the Son of Man is sowing seed (v. 37), generating and developing a
spiritual nucleus for the future Kingdom, a group called “sons of the kingdom”
(v. 38). At the same time He is permitting a parallel development of evil in
the world under the leadership of Satan (vs. 38-39). It is the purpose of God
to bring both to a “harvest,” when the good and the bad will be separated, and
then to
establish the Kingdom in
power and righteousness (vs. 41-43,49).[1]
[Emphasis original]
The newly revealed details
of the inter-advent age, then, picture the present time as a period of history
in which preparations are being made for the yet
future Kingdom. This age, however,
is not the Kingdom itself.
This view of the present age
is fiercely opposed by amillennialists and postmillennialists who fear that it
relegates the Church to a secondary role and detracts from the central purpose
of the first advent of Christ. Most of these proponents follow the Reformed
theology of the second and third generation Protestants. This theology we
discussed briefly in Part V of this series when we developed the atonement of
Christ. Such advocates of Reformed theology insist that divine cause-effect
must be explained as though we can totally comprehend it. Therefore, they
demand that Christ died for only the elect (lest the atonement be “wasted” and
God’s purpose “for naught”). The relationship of the atonement to the non-elect
tends to be downgraded or ignored in this view. Likewise, they demand that
Israel’s rejection of Christ (which is so central to the Cross) marked the end
of that nation’s position in God’s plan and hence the Kingdom promises to it.
The idea that Jesus made a genuine offer to bring the Kingdom to Israel prior
to the Cross and that Israel rejected this offer but will one day still receive
the Kingdom is anathema to this kind of Reformed theology. Proponents of this
theology believe that this approach makes the Cross a mere “plan B” in history
because it results from the negative side of a choice.
Such theology, however,
forgets that very similar “offers”, “rejections” , and “plan B’s” occurred in
past history. In Eden the offer to man to dominate and subdue the earth was
rejected and brought about our present fallen mortal history with the need for
the Cross (the result of a negative choice). In the centuries after the flood
the offer to build a new civilization was rejected and resulted in the calling
out of a counter-culture in Abraham (result of a negative choice). Immediately
after Mt. Sinai the offer of Canaan to Israel was rejected and resulted in a
second miraculous invasion under Joshua (result of a negative choice). In the
days of Samuel the offer of a politically simple theocracy was rejected and
resulted in the rise of the monarchy which defined the role of Messiah (result
of a negative choice). During the fall of the kingdom and exile, the offer of
an end-time restoration of the nation was made impossible by the depth of
apostasy and resulted in a partial restoration and
postponement of the final
restoration as announced to Daniel (Dan. 9:20-27) (result of negative choices).
Each of these situations could be similarly criticized as bringing about “plan
B’s”, but that is the clear pattern of God’s working in history.
This pattern climaxes with
the career of Jesus Christ and the inter-advent age. The five events which we
will study in this Part VI of the series develop the doctrines that clarify the
nature and mission of the Church and its relationship to the Kingdom of God.
These events cover the ascension of the King to His heavenly throne, the
sending of the Spirit to planet Earth, the emergence of the Church out of
Israel, the historic maturing of the Church, and the exit of the Church out of
history through the rapture event. Together these events and their linked
doctrines define the features of the Christian life. This approach avoids
approaching the Christian life as though it were merely as aspect of
psychology.
Three appendices deal with
special details. One briefly contrasts Dispensational theology with Reformed
theology which is a much needed topic in today’s evangelical world. The second
covers the Pre-tribulational/Post-tribulational Rapture controversy which has
important practical effects in the Christian life. Finally, the third appendix
develops the present social implications of the Church’s role in the Kingdom of
God.
These appendices will
provide a contrast to what historically has often resulted from Reformed
theology, viz., the rise of large institutional “state churches” which
dominated their respective nations. With the Church seen as replacing Israel in
the plan of God (“replacement theology”) such an institutional political
presence is inevitable. Experience has shown, however, that such institutions
have not been good spiritual witnesses to the gospel or to any manifestation of
the Kingdom of God. Postmillennial expectations of a political conquest by the
Church of world society sufficient to bring about Kingdom conditions have gone
unachieved. Not only has there been that failure but there has always lurked
within these institutional churches a latent anti-Semitism which conflicts with
the warning of Genesis 12:3. This Part VI,
then, in clarifying the role
of the Church presents important truths for everyday Christian living.