Premillennialism
What Is The Kingdom?
In Daniel 2 there is recorded a dream that Nebuchadnezzar had and the interpretation of which God gave to Daniel. Basically it foretold the coming of four kingdoms, the last one of which was Rome. In Daniel 2:44, Daniel explains that "in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed." The New Testament opens telling how John the Baptist came preaching "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2). From Luke 3:1-3 it is obvious that John's work was done during the reign of Rome. According to Mark 1:15, Jesus preached saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of heaven is at hand." In Mark 9:1 Jesus told some of His followers that they would not taste of death till they saw the kingdom of God come with power.
It is clear from the New Testament that He did build His kingdom, and it was built during the days of the Roman government. The inspired Apostle Paul said that he and the brethren at Colossae had been "delivered out of the power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son." (Col 1:13). Notice the past tense. Obviously, by the time Paul wrote the letter to the church at Colossae the kingdom was in existence and they were members of it. In Rev. 1 John said that he was a brother and partaker with the brethren of the seven churches of Asia in the kingdom. John was in it, so clearly it was in existence.
But what is the kingdom? in Luke 22:29-30, as Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper, he said to His apostles, "I appoint you a kingdom, even as my Father appointed me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom" The Lord's table (His Supper) is in the kingdom. But surely, His Supper is seen to be in the church. (1 Cor. 11:17-34). In Acts 20:28, Paul told the elders of Ephesus that the church was puchased with the blood of Christ. In Rev. 5:9-10, Christ purchased the kingdom with His blood. From these and similar passages the church and the kingdom are the same institution. In Matt. 16:17-19 Peter made the great confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Then Jesus promised to give the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Peter. Keys indicate authority to open. Thus Peter had been given authority to open the kingdom of heaven. He did this as recorded in Acts 2. When Peter told people what to do to be saved, he was using the keys to open the door to the kingdom of heaven. However, Acts 2:47 says the saved were added to the church. It is from these considerations that in Matt. 16:18-19 it may be fairly concluded that the church and the kingdom are simply two aspects of the same institution.
In addition to the preceding paragraph, our attention has been called by E. C. Coffman to the following matters, to show that the kingdom and the church are the same institution, just looked at a little bit differently.
- There is no difference in the "ruler" and authority.
- Christ is the head of the church (Col. 1:18)
- Christ is also king of the kingdom (Acts 17:7; Rev. 1:5)
- There is no difference as to how to enter: people who are born of water and the Spirit enter the kingdom (John 3:3-5). This is how one enters the church. (1 Cor. 12:13)
- Both were established at the same time: the church in Acts 2:16-17, 47; the kingdom in Acts 2:30ff
- There is no difference in that they were established at the same place: Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3) the church, which is God's house (1 Tim. 3:15; Acts 2:5, 30-33).