ESCHATOLOLOGY

THE DOCTRINE OF LAST THINGS

The Resurrections

The Old Testament witness to the resurrection.

1. Abraham believed in the resurrection of the body (Heb. 11:19).
2. The son of the widow of Zarephath was raised from the dead by Elijah (I Kings 17).
3. The Shunamite's son was raised from the dead (II Kings 4:32-35).
4. A man who was being buried by the Moabites rose from the dead when his body touches Elisha's bones (II Kings 13:20-21).
5. Job believed in a resurrection of the body (Job 19:25-27).
6. David believed in a resurrection of the body (Psa 16:10; 17:1).
7. Isaiah and Daniel prophesied concerning the future resurrection (Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:1-3).

The Greek word translated "resurrection" is used some more than 40 times in the New Testament in the uniform and exclusive sense to mean the "raising up" of the dead.

1. Two kinds of resurrection.
   The Scriptures suggest that there are two different kinds of resurrection.
   1. the resurrection of the righteous, known as a resurrection of life and a better resurrection, and
   2. the resurrection of the wicked, known as the resurrection of damnation.

   "²⁸ Do not marvel at this;
   for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice
   ²⁹ and come forth, those who have done good, to the reurrection of life,
   and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment."
   (John 5:28-29)

2. The order of resurrections.
   The Scriptures suggest a definite order in the resurrections:
   1. Christ the firstfruits;
   2. they that are Christ's at His coming;
   3. the wicked dead, the enemies of Christ.

   "²² For as in Adam all die,
   so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
   ²³ But each in his own order;
   Christ the first fruits,
   then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
   ²⁴ Then comes the end,
   when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father
   after destroying every rule and every authoriy and power.
   ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies
   under his feet.
   ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death."
   (I COR. 15:22-26)

   The book of Revelation teaches that there are two resurrections:

   "⁴ Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed.
   Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded
   for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God,
   and who had not worshiped the beast or its image
   and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands.
   They came to life again, and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
   ⁵ The rest of the dead did not come to life again
   until the thousand years were ended.
   This is the first resurrection.
   ⁶ Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection!
   Over such the second death has no power,
   but they shall be priests of God and of Christ,
   and they shall reign with him a thousand years."
   (Rev. 20:4-6)

   1. The first resurrection consists of those who will reign with Christ a thousand years, during the millennium. They are:
      1. Those who sat on thrones to whom judgment was given.
      2. Those beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God.
      3. Those who had not worshiped the beast, nor his image, nor received his mark on their foreheads nor on their hands.
   2. The rest of the dead were not resurrected until the end of the thousand years when they will appear before the great white throne of judgment.

ESCHATOLOLOGY

THE DOCTRINE OF LAST THINGS

The Judgments

In both the Old and New Testaments, there is taught that there will be a final future judgment of believers and unbelievers, and of the Gentile nations as well as of Israel.

"¹² ... Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy,
¹³ before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth." (Psa. 96:12b-13)

"For God will bring every deed into judgment,
with every secret thing, whether good or evil." (Eccl. 12:14)

"²⁷ And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
and after that is judgment,
²⁸ so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many,
will appear a second time without sin
to those expecting him for salvation." (Heb. 9:27-28 ERS)

"³⁰ The times of ignorance God overlooked,
but now he commands all men to repent,
³¹ because he has fixed a day
on which he will judge the world in righteousness
by a man whom he as appointed,
and of this he has given assurance to all men
by raising him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31)

"³¹ When the Son of man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
then he will sit on his glorious throne.
³² Before him will be gathered all the nations,
and he will separate them one from another
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
and he will place sheep at his right hand.
but the goats on the left.
³³ Then the King will say to those on his right hand,
'Come, O blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world....'

⁴¹ Then he will say to those at his left hand,
'Depart from me, you cursed,
into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; ...'

⁴⁶ And they will go away into eternal punishment,
but the righteous into eternal life." (Matt. 25:31-33, 41, 46;
see also Matt. 13:39, 49; John 12:48; I Cor. 4:5; Phil 3:18-21; II Thess. 1:7-10; II Tim. 4:1-2}

In the book of Revelation, two great judgments are taught:

1. one preceding the millennium, at "the first resurrection" (Rev. 20:4-5), and
2. one following the millennium, "the great white throne" judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).

"⁴ Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed.
Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded
for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God,
and who had not worshiped the beast or its image
and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands.
They came to life again, and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
⁵ The rest of the dead did not come to life again
until the thousand years were ended.
This is the first resurrection."
(Rev. 20:4-5).

"¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it;
from his presence earth and sky fled away,
and no place was found for them.
¹² And I saw the dead, great and small,
standing before the throne, and books were opened.
Also another book was opened, which is the book of life.
And the dead were judged by what was written in the books,
by what they had done.
¹³ And the sea gave up the dead in it,
Death and Hades gave up the dead in it,
and all were judged by what they had done.
¹⁴ Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.
This is the second death, the lake of fire;
¹⁵ and if any one's name was not found written in the book of life,
he was thrown into the lake of fire."
(Rev. 20:11-15).

Who is the judge of these judgments?

In the Old Testament, the judge is God,

"¹² ... Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy,
¹³ before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth." (Psa. 96:12b-13)

"For God will bring every deed into judgment,
with every secret thing, whether good or evil." (Eccl. 12:14)

"²² The Father judges no one,
but he has given all judgement to the Son,
²³ that all may honor the Son,
even as they honor the Father.
He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. ...

²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself,
so he has granted the Son also to have life himself,
²⁷ and has given him authority to execute judgment,
because he is the Son of man.
²⁸ Do not marvel at this;
for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs
will hear his voice
²⁹ and come forth,
those who have done good, to the resurrection of life,
and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment."
(John 5:22-23, 26-29).

"⁴² For he commanded us to preach to the people,
and to testify that he is the one ordained by God
to be the judge of the living and the dead." (Acts 10:42)

1. Believers.
   Those who believe, both living and dead, will be judged before Christ's millennial reign (Rev. 20:4-5) at "the first resurrection." A comparison of Matt. 19:28 and II Cor. 5:10 implies that the Apostles will be judged first before the twelve tribes of Israel over whom they will become judges. By analogy, believers in general will be judged before they become judges (I Cor. 6:2-3; Rev. 20:4).
2. Unbelievers.
   The wicked dead will be judged at the "great white throne" (Rev. 20:5, 12).
3. Satan and the fallen angels.
   Satan will be judged before and after the milllennial reign. Before the millennium he is bound and cast into the bottomless pit for the duration of the millennium. At the end of the millennium, he is released for a "little season.' and leads the nations in the final battle against God (Rev. 20:7-9). He will be defeated and then he will be judged and cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).

What are the principles of the judgment?

In general, the Bible states that all shall be judged according to their works which are recorded in God's books (Rev. 20:12). The main principle of judgment, which determines eternal blessedness or damnation, rests on an individual's trust in God and the reception of God's gift of salvation. Their names are written in the Lamb's book of life and those whose names are not written in the book of life are at the great white throne judgment thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15).
The unbelieving nations will be judged according their works (Rom. 1:12-16) and by their treatment of Israel and of New Testament believers, the "brethern" of their judge (Gen. 12:3; Zech. 12:9; Matt. 25:40).

What is the outcome of the judgment?

1. Believers will be all saved because their names are written in the Lamb's book of life (Rev. 20:15); but not all shall be rewarded (I Cor. 3:11-15). Crowns will be given at the judgment seat of Christ. The Bible lists the following crowns:
   1. An incorruptile crown -- to those who strive for mastery in all things (I Cor. 9:25).
   2. A crown of righteousness -- to all those who have love the Lord's appearing (II Tim. 4:8).
   3. The crown of life -- to the man who endures temptation and to those who are faithful even to death (James 1:12; Rev. 2:10).
   4. A crown of glory that fades not away -- to the shepherds of the flocks who were examples to their flocks (I Pet. 5:4).
2. Unbelievers or the wicked dead are not saved because their names are not found written in the book of life and will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15).
3. Satan and the fallen angels, the beast and the false prophet are all cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20; 20:10).

How many judgments are there?

Among evangelical Protestants, there are two answers to this question, depending upon on one's view of the millennium.

1. The amillennialists believe that the Bible teaches one general resurrection of the dead at the end of the present age when Christ comes. This is taken to mean and imply that there is only one judgment, since the judgment is said to follow the resurrection (Rev. 20:11-15). The so-called judgment of nations (Joel 3:1-3) is then subsumed under this one final judgment. Thus all peoples, whenever they lived, saved and unsaved, appear before Christ in this final judgment.
2. The premillennialists, generally, distinguish four judgments:
   1. the judgment of believers at the judgment seat (bema) of Christ after the rapture;
   2. the judgment of Israel;
   3. the judgment of the nations at the end of the great tribulation and before the millennium, when the living Gentile nations are judged according to their treatment of Israel (Joel 3:1-3; Isa. 2:4; Matt. 25:31-46), which, in the ususal premillennial scheme, occurs after Jesus Christ returns to earth in glory following the great tribulation and before the millennium; and
   4. the "great white throne" judgment.
   The premillennialists disagree among themselves on some aspects of these judgments, especially on those matters related to the time of the rapture. They are in general agreement on the judgment of the nations and the great white throne judgment.

ESCHATOLOLOGY

THE DOCTRINE OF LAST THINGS

THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES

The phrase "the times of the Gentiles" refers to the extensive period of history when the Gentiles are the dominant world power and the people of Israel are subject to these powers. The only biblical reference to the times of the Gentiles is Luke 21:24, during the discourse of Jesus (Luke 21:5-38) concerning the fall and destruction of Jerusalem and the Tribulation. Jesus declared:

"And they shall fall by the edge of the sword,
and shall be led away captive into all nations;
and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles,
until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."
(Luke 21:24 KJV)

"Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant,
we should been as Sodom,
and we should have been like unto Gomorrah."
(Isa. 1:9)

This dream was so disturbing that the king could not continue to sleep. The king demanded that his wise men tell him both the content of his dream and its interpretation. The wise men could not fulfill the king's demands (Dan. 2:1-13). Daniel who was a young Jew taken from Jerusalem as a hostage asked God to reveal to him the content and interpretation of the king's dream. God granted Daniel's request. So Daniel was able to tell the king his dream and its meaning.

In the interpretation, Daniel started at the top of the image and moved downward to the bottom of the image. This downward movement represented the passage of time. The upper parts of the image represent earlier times and the lower parts represent later times. The head of gold represented both the Babylonian kingdom and its great king.

"³⁸ and wherever the son of men dwell, or the beast of the field,
or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand
and caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold.
³⁹ And after you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you,
then another of bronze, which will rule over all the earth."
(Dan. 2:38-39 NAS).

Babylon was followed by a second Gentile kingdom, represented by the image's two arms and breast of silver (Dan. 2:39). This kingdom was Medo-Persia. The two arms coming together in the one breast represented this kingdom. Two distinct people, the Medes and the Persians, were united together in 550 B.C. under the same king to form one great power. The Medio-Persia was followed by a third Gentile kingdom, represented by the image's belly and thighs of bronze (Dan. 2:39). This was the kingdom of Greece under Alexander the Great and his successors. The one belly is divided into two thighs was an accurate portrayal of the Grecian kingdom. Greece conquered the Medo-Persian kingdom in 331 B.C. After Alexander had extended and unified his kingdom, he died at a young age of 33. His kingdom was divided among his four leading generals. But only two of these divisions played an important part in Jewish history. They were headquartered in Syria and in Egypt. Daniel said the Greece would rule over all the earth, referring to the world known to Daniel and his contemporaries. Alexander's kingdom ruled more of the earth than did Babylon and Medo-Persia, but not the whole earth.

Greece was succeeded by a fourth Gentile kingdom, represented by the two legs of iron and the two feet and ten toes of iron and clay.

"⁴⁰ Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron;
inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things,
so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces.
⁴¹ And in that you saw the feet and toes,
partly of potter's clay and partly of iron,
it will be a divided kingdom;
but it will have an toughness of iron,
inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay.
⁴² And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery,
so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle.
⁴³ And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay,
they will combine with one another in the seed of men;
but they will not adhere to one another,
even as iron does not combine with pottery."
(Dan. 2:40-43 NAS).

The two feet and ten toes of the image represent the final form of the Gentile world dominion in time. The language of Daniel 2:41 indicates that the feet and toes were a different and the final stage of the Roman kingdom was in contrast to the earlier "leg" stage. The legs consisted of iron, but the feet and toes consisted of a mixture of iron and clay. This difference of substance represents two distinct stages of existence of the Roman kingdom: an earlier and later stage. Just as iron is strong, the early stage will be militarily and politically strong. But the final stage of the Roman Empire will be militarily strong, but since clay is characterized by brittleness, the later stage will be characterized by division. Different groups of people and nationality will combine with one another to form the final stage of the empire, but they will not adhere completely with one another. It appears that the final form of the Roman Empire will consist of a federation of several parts. These parts will federate for the sake of militrary strength, but they will not integrate to the extent of losing their ethnic and cultural identities.

Since the image of the dream had ten toes, the final stage will consists of a ten-division federation. Indeed, Daniel 7:23-24 indicates that the eventual Roman kingdom will consist of a federation of ten divisions with ten equal rulers.

"²³ Thus he said, 'The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom of earth,
which will be different from all the other kingdoms,
and it will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.
²⁴ As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kingdoms will arise;
and another will arise after them,
and he will be different from the previous ones
and will subdue three kings.
²⁵ And he speak against the Most High
and wear down the saints of the Highest One,
and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law;
and they will be given into his hand
for a time, times, and half of time.'"
(Dan. 7:23-25 NAS; see Revelation 17:12).

Since this "feet and toes" stage has never existed and the Roman Empire was never historically a ten-division federation of ten equal rulers, this stage of the Roman Empire is still future and that in the future the Roman Empire will be revived in a ten-division federated form. The Roman Empire that historically collapsed in Western Europe in A.D. 476 will be brought to life again in the ten-division federation that will ultimately give its allegiance to the Antichrist (Revelation 17).

Daniel sees that the Roman Empire was to be succeeded by a fifth kingdom represented by the stone in the dream.

"⁴⁴ And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed,
and that kingdom will not be left for another people;
it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms,
but it will itself endure forever.
⁴⁵ Inasmuch as you saw that stone was cut out of the mountain
without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold,
the great God has made known to the king
what will take place in the future;
so the dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy."
(Dan. 2:44-45 NAS)

In the dream, the stone struck the image in its feet, causing the whole image to be destroyed. This event means several things:

1. The coming of the kingdom of God will take place when the last stage of the revived Roman Empire is in existence.
2. When the kingdom of God comes, it will destroy the revived Roman empire.
3. When God's kingdom destroys the last stage of the Roman Empire, it will thereby destroy all of the Gentile world dominions.

"Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time,
and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors,
and the wind carried them away
so that not a trace of them was found.
But the stone that struck the statue
became a great mountain and filled the whole earth."
(Dan. 2:35 NAS)

The End of the Times of the Gentiles.

There are several different interpretations of when the Times of the Gentiles will end. Because the stone in Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream represents both the kingdom of God and Jesus Christ, its appearance in the dream portrays the coming of Christ to establish His kingdom. Now since the Bible presents two coming of Christ, this raises the question: At which coming did Christ establish the kingdom of God, the first or the second coming?

1. Some have argued that the divine kingdom of Daniel was established by Christ during his first coming and that the kingdom is totally spiritual.

   "¹⁴ Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee,
   preaching the gospel of God,
   ¹⁵ and saying, 'The time is fulfilled,
   and the kingdom of God is at hand;
   repent and believe in the gospel.'"
   (Mark 1:14-15)

   "Jesus answered, Truly, Truly, I say to you,
   unless one is born of water and the Spirit,
   he cannot enter the kingdom of God."
   (John 3:5)

   According to this view, the kingdom consists either of the rule of the church or of the spiritual rule of Christ in the human heart, and the Gentile kingdoms that was crushed by the kingdom of God was the ancient Roman Empire, not a future revived Roman Empire.
2. Now according to the interpretation of some Bible teachers, Daniel's prophecy of the seventy weeks recorded in Daniel 9, the times of the Gentiles should have ended during the Roman rule over Jerusalem at the time of Christ's first coming. But because the Jews as a nation rejected Him as the Messiah, the times of the Gentiles was extended until Christ's second coming, as Christ Himself predicted in Luke 21:24.
3. Others assert the future kingdom of God foretold by Daniel 2 has already come and been established by Christ in a spiritual sense during His first coming, but that it has not yet been established in its political sense. According to this view, Christ will not establish the kingdom in its political sense until His second coming.

1. According to Daniel's interpretation of the imaginery of the king's dream, the stone did not appear and destroy the image until the "feet and toe" stage (the ten-division federation stage) of the fourth kingdom (Rome). This stage is still future because the Roman empire has never consisted of a ten-division federation in the past. This implies the conclusion that the coming of Christ portrayed by the dream must be the future second coming of Christ and that the dream was indicating that the future kingdom of God would not be established until that second coming.
2. Daniel stated that the future kingdom of God would be set up "in the days of those kings" (Dan. 2:44). Because this statement was part of Daniel's interpretation of the "feet and toes" stage of the Roman Empire, "those kings" must be reference to the kings who will rule the future, federated, revived Roman Empire (see Dan. 7:23-23; Rev. 17:12-13). Thus, Daniel's statement signified that Christ will come to establish God's kingdom when the future revived Roman Empire dominates the the world. He did not do it when the ancient Roman Empire was the dominant Gentile power.
3. The imagery of the king's dream suggests that there would be no coexistence of the Roman Empire and the future kingdom of God. The appearing of the stone represented the coming of Christ to establish God's kingdom. After the stone crushed the image, every remnant of the image was blown away before the stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth (Dan. 2:34-35). This indicates that every remnant of the Gentile world dominion, including its last form (the Roman Empire), would be gone before the future kingdom of God would be established to rule the earth. In contrast with this imagey, both views that assert the future kingdom of God foretold in Nebuchadnezzar's dream was established (in at least some form) during Christ's first coming would require several centuries of coexistence between the Roman Empire and the future kingdom of God. It is a fact of history that the Western Roman Empire lasted more than 400 years after the first coming of Christ, and the Eastern Roman Empire lasted more than 1400 years after that first coming.
4. The imagery of the dream corresponds with the Apostle John's description of Christ's second coming and the millennial rule of Christ. In the book of Revelation chapter 19-20, John indicates that Christ will crush Gentile world power at His second coming and then He will rule the earth for 1000 years.

The Apostle John has recorded in the book of Revelation a detailed description of the last years of the times of Gentiles, the last seven of which is identified by dispensationalist Bible teachers as Daniel's seventieth week. These seven years of the tribulation is characterized by conquest, war, famine, persecution of Christians, death, and hell. The Antichrist, supported by the false prophet of the end times, will rule the kingdom of the earth with a confederacy of ten kings (see Rev. 17:11-18).

The last three and a half years of this tribulation period at the end of the age are especially noted by John as an unparalleled time of trouble (Rev. 11:2-3; 12:6, 14; 13:5; cf. Dan. 12:6-7). During this time God will extend a final invitation to the nations to repent (Rev. 9:21; 16:9, 21); and the judgment of God will pour forth over the earth to a limited extent of one-third destruction at first (Rev. 8:7-12). But with the continued rejection of God by the nations, the final judgments, the undiluted wrath of God, will bring total destruction (Rev. 13 and 16). In fury, the Antichrist gathers the armies of his confederacy at Armageddon to fight against the Lamb, and he and his allies are destroyed by the brightness of Christ's second coming (Rev. 19:11-21; cf. II Thess. 2:8). And thus ends the "times of the Gentiles."

Three events will mark the end of the times of the Gentiles:

1. the restoration of the Jews to Palestine;
2. the control of the temple at Jerusalem by the Jews (Rev. 11:1-2);
3. the completion of God's purpose among the Gentiles (Rom. 11:25-27).

ESCHATOLOLOGY

THE DOCTRINE OF LAST THINGS

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

The Hebrew word malekut that is translated "kingdom" 95 times in the King James Version (KJV) occurs 143 times in the Old Testament; it is also translated "reign" 25 times, "royal" 14 times, "realm" 7 times, "empire" and "kingly" once each. The word is used 118 times with reference to kingdoms of the world; the kingdoms of Nebucharnezzar, Belshazer, Darius, Ahasuerus, Saul, David, Solomon, etc. The remaining occurences of the word are used in two ways:
(1) the rule of God over men (Dan. 4:17, 25, 34; 5:21; Psa. 103:19; 145:11-13); and
(2) the Messianic kingdom of God will set up in the end times. The features of this kingdom are the following:

1. God promised to David this kingdom, which would last "forever" (I Chron. 17:11, 14; cf Acts 2:29, 30).
2. God will set up this kingdom in the days of the last world kingdom (Dan. 2:44).
3. This kingdom will never be destroyed, but will abide forever (Dan. 2:44).
4. This kingdom will consume and destroy the other kingdoms existing in the world at the end times (Dan. 2:44).
5. God will give this kingdom to the Son of Man (Dan. 7:14).
6. All people, nations, and languages will constitute this kingdom (Dan. 7:14).
7. The saints of the Most High will possess the kingdom (Dan. 7:18, 23).
8. Righteousness will characterize the kingdom (Psa. 45:6; cf. Heb. 1:8).

The Greek word translated "kingdom" without the these qualifying phrases "of heaven" and "of God" occurs fifty-seven times in the New Testament. Five of these in Matthew where it is in a context of "kingdom of heaven", and therefore would indicate identity with "kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 8:12; 13:38, 41, 43; 25:34). The two occurences in Luke are also in contexts of "kingdom of God", and would indicate identity with "kingdom of God" (Luke 19:12, 15). One occurence is in Acts 20:25, though rendered "kingdom of God" in the King James Version, omits the qualifying phrase "of God" in the best manuscripts according to Nestle's Greek New Testament.

A survey of the use of word translated "kingdom(s)" in the New Testament apart from the the expressions "of heaven" and "of God" reveal the following:

1. It refers to kingdoms of the world (Matt. 4;8; 24:7; Heb. 11:33; Rev. 16: 10; 17:12, 17-18).
2. The kingdoms of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord at the end of the age (Rev. 11:15).
3. It refers to God's rule: "thy kingdom come"; "thine is the kingdom" (Matt. 6:10, 13).
4. Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 4:23; 9:35).
5. The gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness before the end of the age (Matt. 24:14).
6. The word is used in reference to Satan's kingdom (Matt. 12:25, 26).
7. The unrighteous do not inherit the kingdom (Eph. 5:5); the poor of the world are heirs (James 2:5).
8. The mother of Zebedee's children requested that her sons might sit on the right and left of the Lord in His kingdom (Matt. 20:20, 21).
9. The Lord will drink with His disciples once again the fruit of the vine in the Father's kingdom (Matt. 26:29).
10. The Lord will judge the quick and the dead at the appearing and His kingdom (II Tim. 4:1). Righteousness is the scepter of His kingdom (Heb. 1:8).
11. Paul preached the kingdom and the grace of God to all at Ephesus (Act 20:24, 25). He aso told the Colossians that believers already have been translated into the kingdom (Col. 1:13). He told the Thessalonians that they were called unto His kingdom and glory (I Thess. 2:12). He said that he would be preserved unto the Lord's heavenly kingdom (II Tim. 4:18).
12. The writer to the Hebrews told them that they received a kingdom which cannot be moved (Heb. 12:28).
13. The Apostle Peter said that an entrance will be ministered to believers into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (II Pet. 1:11).
14. The Apostle John wrote to the believers of Asia Minor that he was a companion with them in the kingdom of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:9).
15. After the last resurrection, Christ will deliver the kingdom to the Father (I Cor. 15:24).

1. John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2).
2. Jesus (Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luke 4:43; 8:1; 9:11; Acts 1:3-6).
3. The Twelve Apostles (Matt. 10:7; Luke 9:2; 10:9, 11).
4. The keys of the kingdom is given to Peter (Matt. 16:19).
5. Those who would wholly follow Jesus (Luke 9:60).
6. Philip (Acts 8:12).
7. Paul at Ephesus (Acts 19:8); Paul at Rome (Acts 28:23. 31).

1. Disciples, not others, are to know the mysteries of the kingdom (Matt. 13:11; Luke 8:10).
2. Kingdom is like a man sowing seed (Matt. 13:24; Mark 4:26).
3. Kingdom is like a mustard seed (Matt. 13:31; Mark 4:31; Luke 13:18-19).
4. Kingdom is like leaven in dough (Matt. 13:33; Luke 13:20-21).
5. Kingdom is like hidden treasure (Matt. 13:44).
6. Kingdom of heaven is like a pearl of great value (Matt. 13:45).
7. Kingdom of heaven is a net full of fish (Matt. 13:47).
8. Kingdom of heaven is like a householder of new and old treasures (Matt. 13:52).
9. Kingdom of heaven is like a king taking account of his servants (Matt. 18:23).
10. Kingdom of heaven is like a householder who hired laborers to work his vineyard (Matt. 20:1).
11. Kingdom of heaven is like a king who invited guests to the marriage of his son (Matt. 22:2).
12. Kingdom heaven is like ten virgins meeting the bridegroom (Matt. 25:1).

1. Doing the will of the Father (Matt. 7:21).
2. Plucking out an eye to enter, if necessary (Matt. 9:12).
3. Being converted and having the attitude of little children (Matt. 18:3; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17).
4. Riches somehow hinders entrance; the rich hardly enter the kingdom (Matt. 19:23-24; Mark 10:23-25; Luke 18:24-25).
5. Obedience to commmandments is not far from entrance into the kingdom of God (Mark 12:34).
6. No man looking back is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62).
7. One should leave families for the kingdom's, if necessary (Luke 18:29).
8. New birth, of water and spirit, is necessary for entrance (John 3:3, 5).
9. The kingdom of God is entered through much tribulation (Acts 14:22; cf. Rom. 5:3).
10. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (I Cor. 15:50).

1. The poor in spirit (Matt. 5:3).
2. Those persecuted for righteousness' sake (Matt. 5:10).
3. Those who break God's commandment are least in the kingdom, whereas those who teach His commandments are great in the kingdom of God (Matt. 5:19).
4. Some disciples would see the kingdom come with power before their death (Mark 9:1).
5. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets are in the kingdom, also many from the East and West, North, and South, will set down in the kingdom with them (Matt. 8:11; Luke 13:28-29).
6. The least in the kingdom is greater than John the Baptist, the greatest born of women (Matt. 11:11; Luke 7:28).
7. Those with a humble attitude like children constitute the kingdom (Matt. 18:1, 4; 19:14; Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16).
8. Joseph of Arimathea waited for the kingdom (Matt. 15:43; Luke 23:51).
9. Pharisees did not enter, and they hindered those who wanted to from entering (Matt. 23:13).
10. Publicans and harlots will enter before the chief priests and elders of Israel (Matt. 21:31).
11. Some who made themselves ennuchs for the kingdom's sake (Matt. 19:12).
12. Paul's fellow workers (Col. 4:11).
13. Thessalonians who suffered for the kingdom (II Thess. 1:5).

According to the dispensationalist theology, a literal, earthly, political, Messanic kingdom was offered by Christ at His first coming. Christ came first to Israel as King; but the Jews rejected the kingdom and crucified the King. Whereupon the kingdom was postponed and held in abeyance unto the second coming of Christ when it will be finally realized. Those who hold this view affirm that the Scriptures to teach the following:

1. The Jews expected such a kingdom (Luke 2:25).
2. The circumstances of Christ's birth indicated His coming as King (Matt. 2:2; Luke 1:32-33; 67-68).
3. John the Baptist, Chirst, and His disciples preached the kingdom as "at hand" (Matt. 3:1-2; Mark 1:14-15; Acts 1:3).
4. The kingdom message was not to be proclaimed to the Gentiles (Matt. 10:5-6; Matt. 15:24; Rom. 15:8).
5. The triumphal entry into Jerusalem was the prophetic fulfillment of the coming of the Messianic King (Matt. 21:4-5,9; Zech. 9:9). Although He had been already rejected, this official offer of a kingdom, in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, was "another opportunity" for the nation to accept the King (Matt. 11:20-30; 12:14-21; John 6:66; 18:39-40).
6. When Christ and His offer of the kingdom were rejected by Israel, the realization of the kingdom was postponed and is now during the Church age being held in abeyance, in mystery form (Matt. 13:35).
7. When Christ and His offer of the kingdom was rejected, He began to speak to His disciples of His death (Matt. 16:21; 16:17-18).
8. Upon His rejection by Israel, Christ also announced His purpose to build the Church and His turning to the Gentiles with salvation, which purpose was not revealed before in Old Testament times.

These Bible teachers hold that Christ's offer of a kingdom to Israel was a "bona fide" offer. Had He been accepted as King, the promised Davidic kingdom would have been set up. But this raises the question: if Christ had been accepted, how then could He become the rejected, crucified Redeemer of the world? There are two answers usually given to this question:

1. God in His foreknowledge knew that Christ would be rejected and that a redemption would be realized which would bring salvation to the Gentiles; or
2. God never intended the cross in the first place, but would have provided salvation through the Jewish system of sacrifice (S. D. Gordon).

1. The present state of the kingdom of God is a spiritual one of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Rom. 14:17; John 18:36; Col. 1:13).
2. John the Baptist, Christ, and the disciples at His first coming preached repentance, as necessary for entrance into the kingdom (Matt. 3:2; John 3:3, 5).
3. This kingdom of salvation was offered to all, being proclaimed to Israel first because they were Christ's own kindred in the flesh and bearers of the the promises (Luke 2:30-32; Matt. 10:5-6; John 4:39-42; 10:16; Rom. 9:4-5; 10:11-13; Isa. 49:6).
4. The phrases "kingdom of heaven" and "kingdom of God" are used interchangeably as shown in the following comparison of the two expressions in the Synoptic Gospels:

   Matthew	Mark	Luke
   Jesus preached the "kingdom of heaven" as at hand (4:17)	Jesus preached the "kingdom of God" as at hand (1:15)
   Parable of Sower describes "kingdom of heaven" (13:11)	Parable of Sower describes "kingdom of God" (4:11)	Parable of Sower describes "kingdom of God" (8:10)
   "Kingdom of heaven" is like to grain of mustard seed (13:31)	"Kingdom of God" is like to grain of mustard seed (4:30)	"Kingdom of God" is like to grain of mustard seed (13:18)
   "Kingdom of heaven" is like to leaven (13:33)		"Kingdom of God" is like to leaven (13:20)
   Concerning His transfiguration, Jesus said that some would not taste death until they saw the Son of man coming in "his kingdom" (16:28)	Concerning His transfiguration, Jesus said that some would not taste death until they saw the "kingdom of God" come (9:1)	Concerning His transfiguration, Jesus said that some would not taste death until they saw the "kingdom of God" come (9:27)
   Better to enter "into life" with only one eye than having two eyes to be cast into hell (18:9)	Better to enter "into kingdom of God" with only one eye than having two eyes to be cast into hell (9:47)
   Suffer little children to come, "for such is the kingdom of heaven" (19:14)	Suffer little children to come, "for such is the kingdom of God" (10:14)	Suffer little children to come, "for such is the kingdom of God" (18:16)
   Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter the "kingdom of heaven" (18:3)	"Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." (10:15)	"Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." (18:17)
   That a rich man shall hardly enter the "kingdom of heaven (19:23) It is easier for a camel to go through a needle that for a rich man to enter into the "kingdom of God" (19:24)	That a rich man shall hardly enter the "kingdom of God" (10:23)	That a rich man shall hardly enter the "kingdom of God" (18:24)
   Christ said He would not drink of the vine until the "kingdom of my Father" (26:29)	Christ said He would not drink of the vine until the "kingdom of God" (14:25)	Christ said He would not drink of the vine until the "kingdom of God" (22:18)
   The reward for the poor of spirit is the "kingdom of heaven" (5:3)		The reward for the poor of spirit is the "kingdom of God" (6:20)
   The least in "kingdom of heaven" is greater than John the Baptist (11:11)		The least in "kingdom of God" is greater than John the Baptist (7:28)
   Jesus commissioned the disciples to preach the "kingdom of heaven" (10:7)		Jesus commissioned the disciples to preach the "kingdom of God" (9:2)
   Many shall sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the "kingdom of heaven" (8:11-12)		Many shall sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the "kingdom of God" (13:28)
   "Kingdom of heaven" suffers violence from the days of John the Baptist (11:12)		"Kingdom of God" is preached since the days of John the Baptist (16:16)

   "The kingdom of God" and "the kingdom of heavens" are linguistic variations of the same concept. Jewish idom often substituted a suitable term for deity (Luke 15:21; Matt. 21:25; Mark 14:61; I Macc. 3:50; Pirke Aboth 1:3). Matthew preserves the Semitic idiom while the other Gospels render it into idomatic Greek. See Matt. 19:23-24 for their identity of meaning.
5. The kingdom of God is also the kingdom of Christ. Jesus speaks of the kingdom of the Son of Man (Matt. 13:41; 16:28), "my kingdom" (Luke 22:30; John 18:28). See "his kingdom" (Luke 22:30; John 18:36); "thy kingdom" (Matt. 20:31; Luke 23:42; Heb. 1:8); "the kingdom of his beloved Son" (Col. 1:13); "his heavenly kingdom" (II Tim. 4:18); "the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Pet. 1:11). God has given the kingdom to Christ (Luke 22:29), and when the Son has accomplished His rule, He will restore the kingdom to the Father (I Cor. 15:24). Therefore, it is "the kingdom of Christ and of God" (Eph. 5:5). The kingdom of this world is to become "the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ" (Rev. 11:15). There is no tension between "the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ" (Rev. 12:10).
6. The kingdom will be realized in an earthly, political sense at the second coming of Christ (Matt. 25:31; Luke 19:12-15; II Tim. 4:1; Rev. 11:15).