AN EARTHLY KINGDOM? (2)
LIBERTY AND LOVE #92
Daniel prophesied that the kingdom of God would be established in “the days of these kings” (Dan. 2:44), the Roman dynasty, which was the last of four world-ruling empires that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream (Dan. 2:1-45). The Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman kingdoms were the four world-ruling kingdoms between the time of Daniel and the time of Christ.
Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream revealed that God’s kingdom would be established during the days of the last of these world-ruling man-made kingdoms—that of Rome. Some premillennialists assert that since this is true, the Roman dynasty must be resurrected sometime in the future. But Jesus and the apostles lived and worked under Roman rule in the first century. Therefore, the kingdom that Daniel prophesied and the church which was established during the period that Daniel predicted that it would be, are one and the same.
Also, Daniel stated that the kingdom of God “would never be destroyed” (Dan. 2:44). Notice Christ’s similar language in reference to the church: “Upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…” (Matt. 16:18-19) Daniel said that the kingdom would never be destroyed, and Jesus affirmed that the gates of hades would never “prevail against” his church.
The kingdom would be “established” in the days of Roman rule, and the church would be “built” in the days of Roman rule. So, either God had two different institutions in mind here, and neither of them will ever be destroyed, or, Daniel and our Lord were talking about the same thing, the body of Christ, the church.
The latter is the evident truth. The church was no “after-thought” on the part of God—but its establishment was what God promised all along. Notice also that Jesus said, “...On this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven...” (Matt. 16:18-19). Jesus used both descriptions to refer to the same thing. The church is the kingdom and the kingdom is the church.
In Mark 9:1, Jesus stated that some among His hearers (His immediate audience on that occasion) would not die until they witnessed the establishment of the kingdom. On the day of Pentecost, just weeks later, the church was established. When one perceives the kingdom to be yet futuristic, Christ’s words here become inexplicable. But if we acknowledge that his reference was to the establishment of the assembly—the church, saved believers—on the day of Pentecost in A.D. 33, then there is logical harmony between the words of Christ and the time of the Kingdom’s establishment.
In addition, John the Baptist, the apostles, and Christ himself spoke of the kingdom as being “at hand” before Acts the second chapter (Matt. 3:2; 4:17; 10:7). Thereafter, the kingdom is spoken of as being present (Col. 1:13; Rev. 1:9). In other words, before Acts 2, the kingdom is coming, and after Acts 2, the kingdom is here. What happened in Acts 2? The church was established. Therefore, the kingdom is the church.
Again, many Bible students claim that Christ will establish his kingdom in Jerusalem when he returns, and then begin to reign as King. But Christ is now reigning over His people. Paul said that he is now the head of the church (Col. 1:18) Since the Greek word translated “church” in this passage is a word meaning the “called out ones,” a reference to his people, then Colossians 1:18 means that he is now reigning over his people.
The premillennial concept of the kingdom portrays Christ as a future king, yet its proponents call Him “King of kings” now. How can he be the King of kings if he has not established his kingdom? If Christ’s kingdom has not yet begun, then he is not reigning over his people, which would make it a mistake to call him King. But we maintain it is the premillennial doctrine that is a mistake, for when Paul described him as “the head of the body, the church,” this was the same as calling him the King over his kingdom.
Dewayne Dunaway
