This brief chapter anticipates the time when the Kingdom of God, present in mystery through the Church is at last realized in the presence of the One “whom heaven must keep until the universal restoration comes which God proclaimed speaking through His holy prophets”{593}. As a result of the secret hidden in the Father concerning the reconstitution of God’s people and the dispensation set apart to establish it, Paul confirms that it is the next age that is in a meaningful sense “the Kingdom of Christ”{594}. In this age the implementation of Christ’s reign on earth is confined to His Church for only she acknowledges Him as Sovereign and observes His Royal Charter. Luke confirms that it is at Christ’s second coming that the restoration promised to Israel by the Old Testament prophets truly comes about in the world. Paul speaks again of this consummation in Ephesians:
God made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of times; the summing up of all things into Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth{595}
Reference to the Greek Interlinear Bible clarifies that Paul is envisaging an administration that Christ will be heading-up or gathering together into one. Paul refers again to this concept of final restoration in his letter to the Church at Rome, placing it in the context of their current predicament; not just for the Christian but the whole of creation:
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God{596}. For the creation was subjected to futility; not willingly but because of Him who subjected it in the certain hope that the creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God{597}. For we know that the whole creation groans and labours in birth-pangs. Not only (they) but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, being the redemption of our body{598}
This passage from Romans chapter 8 is prone to mistranslation for it fits neither traditional Catholic nor Reformed apocalyptic expectations whereas the major theologian of the second century (Irenaeus) who will have been acquainted with the immediate successors of the Apostles better understood the matter: “It is fitting therefore that the creation itself, being restored to its primeval condition should without restraint be under the dominion of the righteous, and the apostle has made this plain in the epistle to the Romans when he thus speaks: ‘For the expectation of the creature awaits the manifestation of the sons of God’{599} . With the notable exceptions of the King James Version and New King James Version, there is also a reluctance to translate “huion tou theou” as “sons of God” in verse 19. As can be seen above, the apostle refers to sons (huioi) and children (tekna) within the one cohesive passage inferring two distinct groups. The sons of God will be revealed to creation who in turn will receive liberation as children of God. “Sons of God” has both regal and divine overtones, for as Paul has just indicated, the Christian is to be adopted as a child into the divine family. That will be fulfilled when the body is redeemed (v23), the current version being the cause of the Christian’s and indeed humanity’s moral predicament. Christians are certainly numbered amongst God’s children – the Spirit confirms it with their spirits (v16); the sons of God are those being led by the Spirit of God (v14) who share in Christ’s sufferings and will share His glory (v17).
This is the greater of the two restorations spoken of in Scripture, the lesser being the restoration of Christendom to prepare for it so that a coherent gospel concerning the Kingdom may be proclaimed{600}. Then shall the whole earth be seen to be full of God’s glory{601} and the outcomes depicted in Old Testament prophecies will at last have been fulfilled. Below is an example of such a prophecy from the Book of Isaiah that, like all other Old Testament prophecy, bi-passes the inauguration of the Kingdom through the Church and envisages the joyful events of its fulfilment, which align with Paul’s depiction in Romans when “the whole of creation is brought into the same glorious freedom as the children of God{602}:
And there shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding
The spirit of counsel and might
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight is in the fear of the Lord
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked
Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
The wolf shall also dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat
The calf and the young lion and fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together,
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea{603}
Aspects of this prophetic revelation that are especially relevant to this chapter have been highlighted:
i) The Man appointed to judge humanity is meek and lowly of heart. He will apply the thoroughly comprehensible standards He indicated during His earthly ministry{604};
ii) The Gospel of the Kingdom is Good News both for the poor in spirit{605} and those who are materially poor{606};
iii) The wicked as defined in chapter six of this document will have no positive role in the new order and will be physically removed from earth. “These shall incur punishment of age-enduring wholesale ruin from the face of the Lord and the glory of His strength”{607};
iv) The faithfulness of Christ (pisteos Iesou Christou), in particular His atoning death for sin will have been the primary means by which humanity is able to benefit from the restoration;
v) The restoration will be as much physical as it is spiritual incorporating both a renewed heaven and a renewed earth; humanity reconciled to itself and to God; the animal Kingdom at peace with itself and benign towards man as its caring overseer.
Jewish expectation of the restoration
God’s first choice people will have understood from prophecies like this that a divinely appointed king would come effectively to restore the Davidic dynasty, ushering in a time of peace, justice and security focused around the race of Israel. What they will not have expected, even though His death could be understood retrospectively as being foretold in the Fourth Song of the Servant{608} is that their longed-for messiah would be executed, resurrected and returned to heaven leaving the Jewish nation still under the control of her political oppressors. Our Jewish fathers in the faith would quite reasonably have expected the political aspects of prophecy to have been fulfilled for, after all, it is what their Scripture and ours affirmed. Even the preacher of righteousness who was sent by God to “prepare the way of the Lord”, having himself been placed in prison became disillusioned and confused enough to ask:
Are you the coming one or should we look for another?{609}
Jesus’ reply to John’s disciples who had visited his prison throws further light on the present and future context of what Matthew calls “basileain ton ouranon” – the reign or kingdom of the heavens; whilst Luke and Mark, referring to precisely the same concept use “basileain tou theou” – the reign or kingdom of God:
So He replied to the messengers, go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor{610}
From this, the imprisoned prophet was to understand that the Kingdom of God/heaven was in the process of initiation. Symbolically at least it represented the overthrow of Satan, the one responsible for leading the world astray{611} and blinding men’s minds to the truth of the gospel{612}, as well as being responsible for physical sickness{613} and more mysteriously, the one who has been granted the power of death{614} and harnesses the souls of the wicked{615}. Until Satan is placed out of harm’s way, God’s Kingdom cannot be fully realized.
Jesus’ ministry was evidence that the Kingdom of God was underway: this is what it would be like when Israel’s God came to reign on earth{616}: the healing of souls, but also the healing of bodies, society and ultimately the whole world. But that is not how it has panned out. The miraculous healing activity has not been in evidence since the end of the apostolic age. The fate of “the prince of this world” was sealed on the cross{617} but the fulfilment of his demise was deferred, for he still deceives its people such that they are more inclined to worship Mammon than JHWE. Further clues to the nature of the Kingdom are provided by another statement of our Lord:
And from the days of John the Baptist till now, the kingdom of the heavens suffers violence, and violent men take it by force{618}
Jesus was referring to what John Baptist had earlier had to contend with when he was less than over-welcoming towards some who had come to him for baptism:
Brood of vipers! Who taught you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance!{619}
These were some of the Sadducees and Pharisees who had come to be baptized in the name of the coming Messiah, believing it would as the prophet said, give them final immunity from the punishment they deserved. The Jews had expected the Old Testament prophecies to be fulfilled through an administration to be established by God’s anointed one (not necessarily a deity), and that he would physically stay at the helm whilst the predictions were realized. The reason this did not come about was partly Israel’s failed historical mission as light to the Gentiles but also what Jesus came to refer to as “this faithless and perverse generation”, who even after His ascension to glory rejected the apostolic witness to His Kingship{620}. As outlined in the opening chapter, Old Testament prophecy has been subverted by the fact that a universal church has been formed to replace Israel as priesthood for the world{621}. Jesus superseded the Temple and the Mosaic Covenant to provide a new and living way by which those who were now to make up “His peculiar people” could be spiritually united with Him and sanctified to serve as kings and priests within that Kingdom. He had become the surety of a better covenant with the Torah being replaced by the royal law of love for neighbour written on tablets of flesh in the believer’s heart{622}; whilst the blood of bulls and goats had been replaced sacramentally by something more precious to be appointed for sprinkling, which not only remits sin and pardons but has power to cleanse the conscience from dead works so as to serve the living God{623}. That was the Good News, but there was also a downside.
An inaugurated eschatology
The cleansing, restoring and reconciling of creation depicted in the eleventh chapter of Isaiah’s prophecy featured above is to be inaugurated but not fully realized in the dispensation that succeeds it. The Kingdom of God is arriving in two stages; the rolling together of eschatological events having been both re-ordered and re-structured. According to Isaiah, when the promised redeemer arrived, the wicked were to be dealt with (i.e. removed), the remaining people are chastened but brought to peace with their God and each other, the animal Kingdom is tamed and at peace with itself and humanity, and God’s Holy Mountain, referring to Jerusalem, is safe and secure under its divine Head. Moreover, the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of God for the Lord would have become King of the world:
When that day arrives, living waters will issue from Jerusalem, half towards the eastern sea half towards the western sea; they will flow summer and winter. Then JHWE will become king of the whole world{624}
Note: “God will become King of the World”. The Creator and Sustainer of the universe does not exercise His kingship on planet earth{625}, yet one day He will do, through Christ with His people. Then how beautiful on the mountains shall be the feet of him who comes in the name of the Lord and announces to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!” For as Paul well knew such a proclamation was not valid at the inception of the gospel age, which is why the apostle subverted that prophecy from Isaiah in his letter to the Romans{626}. The messenger has been pluralized for Paul now relates it to the preaching of the gospel by the Church, whilst the apotheosis of Isaiah’s message concerning the reign of God on earth has been omitted. When God’s Kingdom is realized it will correspond in scope and shape to Paul’s eschatological expectations set out in Romans 8:21-25. That will be when Jesus Christ commands His angels to bind the prince who continues to have authority over sickness and death and destroys his power base in the world. That eradication of wickedness cannot be subsumed within the current mission of the Church, who along with the rest of the world must wait patiently, for what has been subverted for the greater good has not been forgotten{627}. Such is the “inaugurated but yet to be realized” nature of the Kingdom of God as we currently perceive it. It is inaugurated being present in mystery through the Church, intended to function as a counter-kingdom. For acknowledging Christ as her Sovereign Head and observing His Charter, she is to exercise authority quite differently from the kingdoms of this world both in terms of her self-governance and outreach. For just as Jesus’ Kingdom was not of this world, likewise the Church’s authority is not derived from this world order - otherwise her servants would crusade through the world and seek to convert her by force{628}.
Everyone incorporated within the Church through baptism can be said in a sense to be in the Kingdom of God. Yet Paul had warned Christian disciples at Derbe, “we must all experience many hardships before we enter the Kingdom of God”{629}; and as Jesus indicated, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter it. He also told His would-be disciples carefully to evaluate the cost of discipleship, like someone intending to build a tower or a king about to go to war{630}. That cannot be referring to obtaining Church membership, receiving a sacrament or making a profession of faith; rather it is the assessment to be made by those who are to enter pilgrimage as learners of the Christ. Such who are called, chosen and remain faithful will be fitted for Kingdom service in eternal partnership with the One before Whom every knee must bow, whether on earth or in the heavens or under the earth when He is shortly revealed as Lord of all. That is the context of the resurrection and imperishable crown for which Paul strove and disciplined his body like an athlete so as not to be disqualified from the prize{631}. It would be achieved through personal self-discipline aided by grace: - “Strive to enter (the Kingdom of God) by the narrow gate, for many I say to you will seek to enter and will not be able” says Jesus. The irony is that those who take up the challenge of the gospel and in Paul’s words, “aim for glory, honour, incorruptibility and eternal life by persevering in good works”{632} will find that as they take the Master’s yoke upon them and learn from Him, He is gentle and lowly of heart, and they will find rest for their souls.
This chapter has been distinctly short for Scripture does not provide any detail concerning how Christ will restore all things or the exact nature of His people’s involvement in it; only that it will be set in motion at His coming. Knowing more detail at this stage could compromise the role of faith. What has become essential is a better understanding of the Good News message (the gospel) within the churches so that a suitably unified witness can be provided to the world. Given the Church’s current configuration that cannot be a painless process, still less the purging and regeneration of creation that shall follow it – “the great and dreadful day of the Lord”{633}.