I thankfully accepted the invitation of my fellow members of the editorial committee to write some thoughts on the Biblical revelation of the Kingdom. It is of great importance that we discuss this Biblical truth among us, for the Kingdom is a central reality in the Old as well as in the New Testament. In all His messages, Jesus stressed the Kingdom, rather than the institutional church as it is understood today, as the all-pervading truth. Our Lord went about preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, not the gospel of the church. In this connection it is worthy of note that the reference to the church in the Gospels occurs only twice, while the references to the Kingdom are numerous. Our Lord came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the Gospel.” Daily we pray, instructed by our Lord, “Thy Kingdom Come.” Christ gave us the mandate, “To seek first of all the Kingdom of God and its righteousness.” Afterwards He sent His disciples to preach this identical message, the Gospel of the Kingdom. Still later He sent the 70 with the same message. After Jesus ascended to Heaven, we note from the Acts of the Apostles that the disciples went in all directions preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom.
Even though the Kingdom is a central teaching in the Scriptures, it remains a reality that is hard to define and one that is certainly not easily grasped by a casual reading of the Scriptures. I learned this the hard way early in my ministry. I approached the preparation for a series of sermons on the parables with a rather simplistic definition of the Kingdom, gathered from a textbook in dogmatics. This “learned definition” was helpful in the explanation of one parable, but I soon learned that the same definition did not harmonize with the exegesis of other parables.
What I learned so early in my ministry is the fact that the Bible speaks in different ways about the Kingdom. John the Baptizer comes upon the scene in the New Testament with the message, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Jesus Himself proclaims the message that the Kingdom is within you. When the Christ stood before Pontius Pilate, He polemically uttered the well-known and often misquoted words, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” Do these words really mean, like some opponents of public Kingdom action want us to believe, that the Kingdom of Heaven has nothing to do with “flesh and blood?” Does the Kingdom of Heaven refuse to enter our world of labor, polities, education, social life, family life, etc.? When our gracious Lord teaches us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come,” does He want us to ask, “Father, please let this tired, old world soon disappear and take us up in Heaven?” Furthermore, the Scriptures clearly teach that God is not only King of His people, of His Church, of Israel, but He is also the majestic King of the earth. Are these two separate Kingdoms, one of “grace” and one of “power?” If so, which Kingdom is meant when John the Baptizer proclaims, “God’s Kingdom is at hand” and our Lord declares, “The Kingdom is within you” and “Go, preach the Gospel of the Kingdom.” And which Kingdom do we ask for when we pray, “Thy Kingdom come?”
Does this mean that “the Kingdom,” although a central Scriptural teaching, remains rather nebulous and elusive for God’s people?
Let us take a look at the word “BASILEIA,” the New Testament Greek term for the English equivalent “Kingdom.” We are thankful for the recently published English translation of the theological dictionary edited by C. Kittel. This work helps us to discover the grass root meaning of many New Testament terms. According to this scholarly dictionary, the word “BASILEIA,” usually translated “Kingdom,” signifies first of all the “being,” “nature,” and “state” of the King. Since the reference is to a King, we do best to speak first of His “dignity” or “power.” This is true in the oldest known use of the word.
Geerhardus Vos, in his discussion of Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom of God, comes to the same conclusion. He takes his starting point in the Old Testament. The words, “malkuth” and “melukhah” designate the rule of God. According to this esteemed Reformed scholar we may freely translate these words with “Kingship,” remembering that Kingship means the performance of great acts of salvation for a people by which a relation of leadership is established (Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology, Eerdmans 1959, page 399). To judge from Jesus’ closeness of touch with the Old Testament, we may assume that to Him likewise the abstract idea of “Kingship” would furnish the starting point. Thus “the Kingdom of God” does not refer in the first place to a terrain or territory over which God rules, but the term expresses primarily the idea that God is King. The Kingdom of God conveys the truth that God rules over all of created reality by His Word.
Since the fall into sin, man does no longer acknowledge Him as King. Rebellious man pretends that there is no God. This rebellion in no way detracts from God’s Kingship. He remains the sovereign God, also after the fall into sin. But only the Church, His people, can see and acknowledge His rule. Only Israel knows God as King and, sad to say, even among Israel God’s Kingship is not seen in its fulness. The revelation of this Kingship is seen but faintly in the imperfect rule of the Old Testament kings. Israel keeps on looking forward to the revelation of God’s full Kingship, to the coming of the King in whom the rule of God will be revealed in full splendor. What a thrilling and clear message it must have been for Israel when the Baptizer proclaimed, “Now the Kingdom (Kingship) of God is near.” And decades later the Christ Himself could say, “Now this Kingdom, my Kingly rule is among you.” The shadows fall away and the splendor of God’s rule with its grace and judgment is clearly seen in the Christ. He rules by His Word. He speaks—and the wind and seas obey, graves open and the dead come back to life, the devils flee and sin-hardened hearts are turned to the living God.
Still, our Lord teaches Israel to pray, “Thy Kingdom come.” Of course, for God is not only ruler of Israel, He is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords, He is indeed the ruler of the entire universe. Let this Kingship of God, as it appeared in Christ, be revealed to the entire world, in order that everywhere this God may be acknowledged as King. The second petition opens a marvelous missionary perspective. The ends of the earth must see the manifestation of His gracious rule. “Gather and increase thy church” is the appropriate commentary which the Heidelberg catechism gives on this petition.
When we see the Kingship of God in this perspective, we can never speak of two kingdoms, namely a kingdom of grace and a kingdom of power. For the Kingship of Christ that was seen and acknowledged in Israel is one and the same rule of the Christ that is seen and acknowledged in the world. Hopefully. and let us be milch in prayer for that, every knee will bow before this Kingly rule in faith and obedience and every tongue will confess Him Lord of Glory And we may rest assured, every knee will bow before Him and every tongue will confess Him whether it be with praise or curse when our Lord Jesus will come again upon the clouds of Heaven. The second petition will be heard and his Kingdom will come.
It may not escape our attention that the Scriptures also speak about the Kingdom in language that denotes a territory or terrain. The Bible not only speaks about the “Kingdom of God” or its synonymous term “Kingdom of Heaven” in terms of “coming,” “appearing,” “being near,” and similar terms, but the Word of God speaks about the same Kingdom also in terms of “to call into,” “to enter into,” “to receive,” “to inherit,” “to be cast out from,” and others like these.
Please, keep in mind that this is not a second, separate form of the Kingdom distinct from His Kingly rule. It is not to be called a “Kingdom of grace” in distinction from “the Kingdom of power.” The dignity, reign or rule of the king is expressed in the territory ruled by him, i.e., his “kingdom.” Kittel in his theological dictionary emphasizes the fact that the second meaning of “territory” did not replace the original meaning of dignity. Both meanings are present in “BASILETA.” In Revelation 17:12 and Revelation 17:17 we seem to have the two meanings almost directly alongside one another. It is not difficult to explain the transition from “rule” to the more graphic one of “terrain.” Through the gracious proclamation of our Lord the rule of God became incarnate. His gracious rule of power, righteousness and blessedness came to concrete expression in our world. Because of the concrete Kingdom rule, the response to the Word of the Lord must also be concrete. Especially after His death, when all things were reconciled unto our Lord again (Colossians 1) our Lord could say, “Now go out into my world and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom for all authority has been given to me in Heaven and on earth.” Even though the Kingdom itself is not a concrete organization or institution, for we can never put a finger upon God’s rule and say, “La, here, lo, there,” it does now come to concrete expression in persons, organizations, and institutions.
By His Word He placed His people under His gracious and recreative rule and made them citizens of His Kingdom. This Kingdom takes control of the entire being. Since man is called upon to respond to God’s Kingdom rule everywhere, He takes the whole creation with Him. The Christian must honor Christ’s claim upon every area of life, and seek to press that claim wherever possible. Thus the Lord’s Word must be heard and obeyed in every sphere of life. Christ is the Head of our home, the Lord of our lands, the Lawgiver of our unions, the Principal of our school at every level of education. Everywhere and all the time, all of us are full-time Kingdom workers. What an exciting business, for every day of our life counts for the coming of His marvelous Kingdom.
John D. Hellinga is pastor of the First Christian Reformed Church of Orange City, Iowa.
Even though the Kingdom is a central teaching in the Scriptures, it remains a reality that is hard to define and one that is certainly not easily grasped by a casual reading of the Scriptures. I learned this the hard way early in my ministry. I approached the preparation for a series of sermons on the parables with a rather simplistic definition of the Kingdom, gathered from a textbook in dogmatics. This “learned definition” was helpful in the explanation of one parable, but I soon learned that the same definition did not harmonize with the exegesis of other parables.
What I learned so early in my ministry is the fact that the Bible speaks in different ways about the Kingdom. John the Baptizer comes upon the scene in the New Testament with the message, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Jesus Himself proclaims the message that the Kingdom is within you. When the Christ stood before Pontius Pilate, He polemically uttered the well-known and often misquoted words, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” Do these words really mean, like some opponents of public Kingdom action want us to believe, that the Kingdom of Heaven has nothing to do with “flesh and blood?” Does the Kingdom of Heaven refuse to enter our world of labor, polities, education, social life, family life, etc.? When our gracious Lord teaches us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come,” does He want us to ask, “Father, please let this tired, old world soon disappear and take us up in Heaven?” Furthermore, the Scriptures clearly teach that God is not only King of His people, of His Church, of Israel, but He is also the majestic King of the earth. Are these two separate Kingdoms, one of “grace” and one of “power?” If so, which Kingdom is meant when John the Baptizer proclaims, “God’s Kingdom is at hand” and our Lord declares, “The Kingdom is within you” and “Go, preach the Gospel of the Kingdom.” And which Kingdom do we ask for when we pray, “Thy Kingdom come?”
Does this mean that “the Kingdom,” although a central Scriptural teaching, remains rather nebulous and elusive for God’s people?
Let us take a look at the word “BASILEIA,” the New Testament Greek term for the English equivalent “Kingdom.” We are thankful for the recently published English translation of the theological dictionary edited by C. Kittel. This work helps us to discover the grass root meaning of many New Testament terms. According to this scholarly dictionary, the word “BASILEIA,” usually translated “Kingdom,” signifies first of all the “being,” “nature,” and “state” of the King. Since the reference is to a King, we do best to speak first of His “dignity” or “power.” This is true in the oldest known use of the word.
Geerhardus Vos, in his discussion of Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom of God, comes to the same conclusion. He takes his starting point in the Old Testament. The words, “malkuth” and “melukhah” designate the rule of God. According to this esteemed Reformed scholar we may freely translate these words with “Kingship,” remembering that Kingship means the performance of great acts of salvation for a people by which a relation of leadership is established (Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology, Eerdmans 1959, page 399). To judge from Jesus’ closeness of touch with the Old Testament, we may assume that to Him likewise the abstract idea of “Kingship” would furnish the starting point. Thus “the Kingdom of God” does not refer in the first place to a terrain or territory over which God rules, but the term expresses primarily the idea that God is King. The Kingdom of God conveys the truth that God rules over all of created reality by His Word.
Since the fall into sin, man does no longer acknowledge Him as King. Rebellious man pretends that there is no God. This rebellion in no way detracts from God’s Kingship. He remains the sovereign God, also after the fall into sin. But only the Church, His people, can see and acknowledge His rule. Only Israel knows God as King and, sad to say, even among Israel God’s Kingship is not seen in its fulness. The revelation of this Kingship is seen but faintly in the imperfect rule of the Old Testament kings. Israel keeps on looking forward to the revelation of God’s full Kingship, to the coming of the King in whom the rule of God will be revealed in full splendor. What a thrilling and clear message it must have been for Israel when the Baptizer proclaimed, “Now the Kingdom (Kingship) of God is near.” And decades later the Christ Himself could say, “Now this Kingdom, my Kingly rule is among you.” The shadows fall away and the splendor of God’s rule with its grace and judgment is clearly seen in the Christ. He rules by His Word. He speaks—and the wind and seas obey, graves open and the dead come back to life, the devils flee and sin-hardened hearts are turned to the living God.
Still, our Lord teaches Israel to pray, “Thy Kingdom come.” Of course, for God is not only ruler of Israel, He is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords, He is indeed the ruler of the entire universe. Let this Kingship of God, as it appeared in Christ, be revealed to the entire world, in order that everywhere this God may be acknowledged as King. The second petition opens a marvelous missionary perspective. The ends of the earth must see the manifestation of His gracious rule. “Gather and increase thy church” is the appropriate commentary which the Heidelberg catechism gives on this petition.
When we see the Kingship of God in this perspective, we can never speak of two kingdoms, namely a kingdom of grace and a kingdom of power. For the Kingship of Christ that was seen and acknowledged in Israel is one and the same rule of the Christ that is seen and acknowledged in the world. Hopefully. and let us be milch in prayer for that, every knee will bow before this Kingly rule in faith and obedience and every tongue will confess Him Lord of Glory And we may rest assured, every knee will bow before Him and every tongue will confess Him whether it be with praise or curse when our Lord Jesus will come again upon the clouds of Heaven. The second petition will be heard and his Kingdom will come.
It may not escape our attention that the Scriptures also speak about the Kingdom in language that denotes a territory or terrain. The Bible not only speaks about the “Kingdom of God” or its synonymous term “Kingdom of Heaven” in terms of “coming,” “appearing,” “being near,” and similar terms, but the Word of God speaks about the same Kingdom also in terms of “to call into,” “to enter into,” “to receive,” “to inherit,” “to be cast out from,” and others like these.
Please, keep in mind that this is not a second, separate form of the Kingdom distinct from His Kingly rule. It is not to be called a “Kingdom of grace” in distinction from “the Kingdom of power.” The dignity, reign or rule of the king is expressed in the territory ruled by him, i.e., his “kingdom.” Kittel in his theological dictionary emphasizes the fact that the second meaning of “territory” did not replace the original meaning of dignity. Both meanings are present in “BASILETA.” In Revelation 17:12 and Revelation 17:17 we seem to have the two meanings almost directly alongside one another. It is not difficult to explain the transition from “rule” to the more graphic one of “terrain.” Through the gracious proclamation of our Lord the rule of God became incarnate. His gracious rule of power, righteousness and blessedness came to concrete expression in our world. Because of the concrete Kingdom rule, the response to the Word of the Lord must also be concrete. Especially after His death, when all things were reconciled unto our Lord again (Colossians 1) our Lord could say, “Now go out into my world and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom for all authority has been given to me in Heaven and on earth.” Even though the Kingdom itself is not a concrete organization or institution, for we can never put a finger upon God’s rule and say, “La, here, lo, there,” it does now come to concrete expression in persons, organizations, and institutions.
By His Word He placed His people under His gracious and recreative rule and made them citizens of His Kingdom. This Kingdom takes control of the entire being. Since man is called upon to respond to God’s Kingdom rule everywhere, He takes the whole creation with Him. The Christian must honor Christ’s claim upon every area of life, and seek to press that claim wherever possible. Thus the Lord’s Word must be heard and obeyed in every sphere of life. Christ is the Head of our home, the Lord of our lands, the Lawgiver of our unions, the Principal of our school at every level of education. Everywhere and all the time, all of us are full-time Kingdom workers. What an exciting business, for every day of our life counts for the coming of His marvelous Kingdom.
John D. Hellinga is pastor of the First Christian Reformed Church of Orange City, Iowa.