THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST IS HERE

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   John the Baptist and Jesus said the same thing regarding the kingdom.

1.    John (Matt. 3:1-2)

 

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye:  for the kingdom is at hand.

 

2.    Jesus (Matt. 4:17)

 

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent, for the kingdom is at hand.

 

B.   Both of these men proclaimed that that kingdom was soon to come.  It was imminent or at hand.

1.    They were both inspired by the Holy Spirit of God.

2.    John was prophet of God.  Jesus was both a prophet and the Son of God.

3.    NOTE:  Surely, these two men were not mistaken about their message.

 

C.   And yet, we have individuals who do not believe the kingdom was established in the first century.  It was thwarted by the Jews we are told.  God, therefore, postponed it.  Today, we are told, we are still waiting on that kingdom to be established.

1.    John Walvoord:  “The present age is characterized by the dominion of sin and unbelief, while the millennial kingdom will be characterized by the reign of Christ and peace on the Earth” (“The Millennial Kingdom”).

2.    Charles Ryrie:  “The glorious kingdom which is yet to come, will be established on Earth, demonstrating God’ sovereignty in a way that has never been fully realized before” (“Dispensationalism”).

3.    Dwight Pentecost:  “The establishment of the kingdom will bring an end to the current age of sin and rebellion, ushering in the reign of Christ, a reality which is still future” (“Things to Come”).

4.    Jerry Falwell:  “The promise of a future kingdom is central to our faith; we anticipate the day when Christ will return and establish His reign on earth.”

 

D.   In this lesson, we want to talk about the fact that the kingdom is here right now.  It came in the first century, and Jesus has been ruling on His glorious throne since that time.  The title of our lesson is:  “The Kingdom of Christ Is Here.”

 

I.             THE PROPHECIES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

 

A.   The prophecies of the Old Testament point to a kingdom to be established in the first century.

1)    Established in the days of the Romans kings (Dan. 2:44)

 

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed:  and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

 

a)    The days of these kings refers to the Roman kings.  Babylon was the first kingdom.  The Medo-Perian kingdom was the second kingdom.  Greece was the third.  And, Rome was the fourth.  In the first century, the Roman kings were in power.

b)    Today, the Roman government is not a monarchy.  It is a parliamentary republic. 

c)    NOTE:  The premillennialists have to manufacture a crazy application in an attempt to claim it will be fulfilled in the near future.  There are some who believe that the rise of the European Union will be the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy.  This, however, is not a nation of kings.  It is an alliance of 27 European countries.

 

2)    At His resurrection, Jesus would be given a kingdom (Dan. 7:13-14).

 

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.

 

a)    Almost all commentators will agree that Daniel saw an event that happen immediately following the Lord ascension into heaven.

b)    He comes the Ancient of days, that is, His heavenly Father, and is given a kingdom.

c)    Question:  Did this happen at the ascension as Daniel prophecied?  Or, is the Lord still waiting to receive the kingdom from the Father?

 

II.           THE KINGDOM PARABLES

 

A.   The kingdom parables can only be applied to the church, not to some future kingdom (Matt. 13:24; 33, 44, 45, 47, 52).

 

B.   Kingdom parables usually begin with words like:  “The kingdom of heaven is like…” 

 

C.   Six times in Matthew 13, this phrase can be found.  The interpretation of the parables cannot describe the premillennial kingdom to come.  They do, however, describe the church which is presently in existence.

1.    “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed” (Matt. 13:31).

2.    “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven” (Matt. 13:33).

3.    “The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field” (Matt. 13:44).

4.    “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls” (Matt. 13:45)

5.    “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net” (Matt. 13:47).

6.    “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder” (Matt. 13:52).

 

III.         THE SEED OF THE KINGDOM

 

A.   Right now, the church is to be sowing seed.  This is the teaching of “The Parable of the Sower.”

1.    The seed is the word of God (Luke 8:11).

 

Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.

 

2.    The seed is also referred to as “the word of the kingdom” (Matt. 13:18-19).

 

Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.  When any one heareth the word of the kingdom…”

 

a)    If the word is the seed of the kingdom, then, when it is planted, the kingdom will be produced.

b)    Example:  The day of Pentecost (Acts 2:22, 37, 41 47)

 

Ye men of Israel hear these words…Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart…Then they that gladly received his word were baptized…”And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

 

1)    The word was planted

2)    There were honest and good hearts that were pricked.

3)    The seed germinated and men obeyed the gospel.

4)    The church, the kingdom, was established on Pentecost day.

 

IV.         JESUS’ REFERENCE TO THE KINGDOM

 

A.   Jesus referred to the church and the kingdom synonymously (Matt. 16:18-19).

1.    Jesus was speaking to Peter following Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God.

2.    Jesus first promises to build His church upon that confession (v. 18).

 

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.

 

3.    In the next verse, and in the same breath, Jesus tells Peter that He will give him the keys of the kingdom (v. 19).

 

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven:  and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

 

4.    Jesus uses the term “church” and “kingdom” interchangeably. 

a.    Thus, the church is the kingdom and the kingdom is the church.

b.    If the church is here the kingdom is here.  If the kingdom is here, the church is here.

 

V.           JESUS IS PRESENTLY REIGNING OVER HIS KINGDOM

 

A.   The Premillennialist is waiting for Jesus to return to establish His kingdom and reign upon His throne in the city of Jerusalem.

 

B.   Right now, Jesus is ruling over His kingdom (1 Cor. 15:25-26).

 

For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet.  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

 

1.    Jesus will continue to reign until He has overcome all enemies.

2.    The last enemy He will destroy will be death.  NOTE:  This happens at the resurrection.

3.    Therefore, Christ will reign until the resurrection of the dead.

 

C.   Then, Paul tells us, Jesus will deliver the kingdom back to the Father when the resurrection occurs.  No, He does not establish a kingdom.  He gives it back to the Father (1 Cor. 15:22-24).

 

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.  But every man in his own order:  Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are his at his coming.  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and authority and power.

 

VI.         THE KINGDOM WOULD COME WITH POWER

 

A.   The kingdom would come with power (Mark 9:1). 

 

B.   The power would come when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles (Acts 1:8).

 

C.   The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). 

 

D.   The Holy Spirit came and the power came.  When the power came, the kingdom also came.  If not, then Jesus lied to His disciples. 

 

E.   Paul told the Colossians that they had been delivered from the power of darkness and had been translated into the kingdom (Col.1:13).

1.    They were in the kingdom.

2.    A person cannot be put into something that does not yet exist.

 

VII.       ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS INTO THE KINGDOM

 

A.   The things one must do to become a citizen of the kingdom are the same things one must do to become a member of the church.

1.    To enter into the kingdom, one must be born of water and of the Spirit (John 3:3, 5).

2.    To enter into the church one must hear the message of the Spirit and be baptized in water in order to walk in newness of life (Acts 2:22, 37-38; 8:36-38; Rom. 6:3-4).

 

B.   The new convert is added by the Lord to the church (Acts 2:47).

The new convert is delivered from the world and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son (Col. 1:13).

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   The hype of Premillennialism is exciting the multitudes.

1.    The signs of Christ’s coming

2.    The anti-Christ

3.    The Rapture

4.    The Great Tribulation

5.    The Thousand-Year Reign

6.    The Jews as God’s chosen people

 

B.   Yet, all of it is false. 

1.    Jesus came to establish His kingdom the first time He came.

2.    He did not fail in that mission.  He established His kingdom beginning in Jerusalem in the days of the Roman kings just as the prophets predicted.

3.    His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.  It is not of this world (John 18:36).

4.    He is reigning over His kingdom right now.  He is the head of the church right now.

5.    When He comes again, the dead will be raised, and Jesus will return the kingdom back to the Father.

 

C.   All can become members of that kingdom, if they will be born again, that is, if they will be born of water and of the Spirit.