Chapter I.
THEME
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THE Bible revelation regarding the kingdom presents the purpose, process
and final realization of a divine government in the earth. This objective
is the heart of the kingdom prayer: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done
in earth as it is in heaven." The kingdom revelation is a distinct body
of Scripture running through both the Old Testament and the New and
its study, of necessity, leads to some definite conclusions touching
the meaning of much unfulfilled prophecy, two advents of Christ, the
present age of Grace and the future of both Jews and Gentiles.
Considering
only kingdom passages, both historical and prophetic, such definite
conclusions are not difficult from the fact that this revelation is
presented in those Scriptures which are more easily harmonized than
the familiar body of truth from which are drawn the doctrines of salvation.
Salvation revelations are sufficiently clear; but upon them the theological
discussions of centuries have been centered. On the other hand, such
general study has not been given to kingdom truths. In fact, many students
of theology are confessedly ignorant on this subject. However, there
is no conflict between Salvation and Kingdom themes. They cover widely
different fields of Biblical doctrine.
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In view of these facts, it may be helpful to note some of the essential
values accruing from, and conditions governing, the study of kingdom
truth:
1. Bible interpretation
is incomplete without it.
It stands
to reason, since one-fourth of the Bible is in prophetic form, and five-sixths
of the Bible is addressed to one nation to whom the kingdom promises
are given, that any plan of study which avoids prophecy and ignores,
or "spiritualizes," God's covenants with His chosen earthly people will
be incomplete, misleading and subject to mere human assumptions.
The accurate
study of the kingdom in the Old Testament and the New affords the only
comprehensible approach to the New Testament doctrines of "This present
evil age" (Gal. i. 4)," The church which is his body" (Eph. i. 22, 23),
and "Things to come" (Jn. xvi. 13).
It has been
pointed out that two distinct revelations were given to the Apostle
Paul. In Arabia he received directly from God the gospel of grace (Gal.
i. 11, 12) which he has presented, in the main, in the Roman and Galatian
letters. This is a revelation of a new order, a new relationship to
God, which is neither a perpetuation of Judaism, nor a modication of
that system. Judaism remains intact and follows its predicted course,
according to Scripture, to the end. The new revelation of "the grace
of God which hath appeared," and which is made possible only by the
cross, should not be
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colored by the Judaic teaching. It is a complete system in itself and,
like Judaism, continues intact to its predicted end. For what else is
Paul contending in Galatians if it is not that these two distinct systems
shall not be mixed? And yet to what seeming avail are those pleadings
to law-ridden, Judaized Protestantism to-day?
The second
revelation came, in the main, from Paul's two years of imprisonment.
This body of truth embraces the plan of the ages, the whole doctrine
of the Church and the present out-calling of a heavenly body and bride
as recorded in the Ephesian and Colossian letters. It is this advance
body of truth which is never comprehended apart from the exact lines
of distinctions laid down in kingdom revelations.
Theology,
as usually presented, is disproportionately concerned with the Arabian
revelation and a grave harm is done when such theology, creeds or catechisms,
built largely on one aspect of New Testament teaching, are supposed
to be adequate interpretations of the whole divine revelation. The theological
student who enters his ministry with such presuppositions and limitations,
inaccurate in many of his conceptions and prejudiced toward whole bodies
of truth about which he knows little, will be incompetent to minister
the whole Word.
An illustration
of this may be drawn from 1 Tim. iv. 1-6. It is set forth here that
the young Timothy may win the high title of "a good minister of Jesus
Christ," if he is faithful in putting the
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brethren in remembrance of the awful apostasy with which the present
age must end (see also 2 Thess. ii. 1-10). How shall any minister discern
an age-closing apostasy with its divinely ordered relations to the final
triumph of God in the earth if he does not know these exact revelations
which form the whole program of the kingdom according to Scripture?
No minister,
therefore, can "preach the Word" in its right proportions, or be a "good
minister of Jesus Christ" who habitually ignores the great prophetic
themes. Nor is he excused in his neglect, or prejudice, by virtue of
the fact that he represents a majority, or that other ideals have been
set before him by his teachers. What is the particular knowledge that
gives proficiency to the minister of Christ if it is not a thorough
understanding of the Scriptures? Successful men of other professions
apply themselves continually to the acquirement of accurate knowledge
covering every phase of their chosen calling. Are these the accepted
standards of the ministerial profession? Would we choose to be operated
on by a physician who knows no more of surgery than the average theological
student knows about prophecy? Yet the knowledge of prophecy in its main
features, is distinctly a part, and a very large and qualifying part,
of the material committed to those who are called to "preach the Word."
2. Knowledge of prophetic
truth qualifies all intelligent Christian life and service.
The careful
student who distinguishes the various
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purposes of God in the ages, has discovered that there is a distinct
rule of life and program for service in the present age which can never,
reasonably, be confused with that which has gone before, or that which
is to follow. It is a serious mistake to press law-observance in the
face of repeated revelations that the believer of this age is not under
law as his rule of life (Rom. vi. 14; x. 4, 5; Gal. v. 18; 2 Cor. iii.
11, 17). So also it will be found that, at present, service is the accomplishment
of divine undertakings never before revealed and its motives are alone
the mighty governing principles of grace. A real zeal in service will
result and a beginning of interest in Bible study will develop when
these plain distinctions are carefully taught and observed.
3. Kingdom and prophetic
truths are being falsely represented.
The country
is being swept by "Russellism" (so-called "Millennial Dawn," "International
Bible Students' League," etc.), and the appalling progress of this system
which so misrepresents the whole revelation of God can only be accounted
for in the unsatisfied hunger of the people for the prophetic portions
of Scripture. Such a false system, mixing truth with untruth, and designed
to interpret all of the divine revelation, is evidently more engaging
to the popular mind than only the Scriptural presentation of the fundamental
doctrines concerning God, Man and Redemption. Satan's lies are
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always garnished with truth and how much more attractive they seem to
be when that garnishing is a neglected truth! And insurance against
the encroachment of such false teaching lies only in correctly presenting
the whole body of truth rather than in treating any portion of it as
impractical or dangerous. No minister need greatly fear any false system
when he is intelligently and constantly feeding the people on the Word
in all its symmetry and due proportions. This is not only true concerning
the teachings of "Millennial Dawn," but is equally true of the teachings
of "Christian Science," "New Thought," "Spirit-ism," "Seventh Day Adventism"
and all unscriptural doctrines of Sanctification.
4. Unfulfilled prophecy
is as credible as history.
No one will
question that faith is taxed in the study of prophecy more than in the
study of history. It is not difficult to believe what has assuredly
taken place: it is quite another thing to believe confidently that unprecedented
events will occur when based only on the bare predictions of Scripture.
This failure in faith doubtless underlies much neglect of the prophetic
Scriptures and accounts for a prevalent habit of allegorizing and qualifying
prophecy until it is reduced to the limitation of a human opinion. Under
this pressure men otherwise clear on the interpretation of the Bible
have gone so far as to assert that what Paul wrote in his early ministry
was abandoned or
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qualified in his later ministry. Revelation requires no such surgery.
Such efforts reveal a state of mind which finds it easier to diminish
Biblical authority than to increase personal confidence in the accuracy
of Scripture. The mighty revelations of the purpose of God cannot be
apprehended until the issue of believing his Word has been faithfully
met.
5. Prophetic language
is equally as accurate as other Scriptures.
While some
prophecy is couched in symbolic language, those portions which trace
the forward movements of the kingdom in the earth are largely free from
problems presented by such symbolism, and that body of truth appears
in language and terms the meaning of which cannot reasonably be questioned.
The pity is that Origen ever conceived the allegorizing method of interpretation,
and that his misleading and violent liberty with the text has since
found such fertile soil in which to propagate.
A mixture
of the teachings concerning Israel, as a nation, with the revelations
concerning the Church, the body of Christ, is groundless in Scripture.
It is hopelessly confusing and grotesque, for under this plan only Israel's
blessings are borrowed; her curses and penalties are, naturally, not
wanted. No progress can be made in the kingdom studies unless plain
words are taken in their obviously plain meaning. In the Bible "Israel"
is not the "Church;" "Zion" is not the body of saints of
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this dispensation; the "throne of David" is not heaven, nor will it
ever be; the "land of your fathers" is not "Paradise" and the "house
of Jacob" is not a host of Gentiles ignorantly attempting to force an
entrance into Judaism. All such borrowed habits of interpretation must
be faithful]y judged and abandoned if ever the kingdom portions of God's
Word are to assume any order or meaning.
6. Scripture must be
rightly divided and applied.
It has been
said "All Scripture is for us, but all Scripture is not about us." It
all bears a message to us, but is not all our rule of life. It will
not do for Gentile believers to read themselves into the great portion
of the Bible which treats distinctly of a chosen nation, still a separate
people in the earth, under the special unbroken purpose of God and exactly
where God intended them to be at this very hour.
So with
Christ: He was "a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God
to confirm the promises made unto the fathers" (Rom. xv. 8). This describes
a strictly Jewish mission and purpose. He was also the grounds of personal
justification to the Gentile believers (1 Cor. i. 3-8; 2 Cor. v. 21);
but the two are separate. Because He was great enough to fulfill the
predicted requirements for both Jew and Gentile is no warrant for Gentiles
to attempt to intrude into those divine
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ministrations which were evidently only for the Jews. A right division
and application of Scripture demands that a portion of the earthly life
and ministry of Jesus be recognized as belonging to the divine covenants
with one nation in which Gentiles have no part (Eph. ii. 11, 12). During
these ministrations Gentiles were not in view (Matt. x. 5) nor can they
be made to so appear by any fair method of interpretation.
7. There can be but
one true system of interpretation.
It is for
the faithful student to discover this for himself. Accepted inferences
of so-called Postmillennialism and Premillennialism as possible co-existing
systems of interpretation constitute a serious challenge against the
dignity and purpose of the Bible itself. Either the divine revelation
follows a definite order in the development of the kingdom in the earth,
or it does not. If it does, there could hardly be two distinct programs
coexisting in the mind and purpose of God. If there is but one order,
an individual who confessedly knows nothing of the kingdom body of truth
falls far short of being an approved workman, rightly dividing the Word
of Truth, when he, through prejudice or preconceived conclusions, is
not willing to be moved and molded by the exact and accurate words of
revelation. And how much greater is his failure when guilty of withholding
these mighty transforming themes from others!
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The Kingdom in History and Prophecy was originally published
by the
Sunday School Times Company, 1021 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA.
Copyright 1915, 4th Edition, 1919. Public domain.
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