Table of Contents

- Introduction

- 1. The Nature of the Kingdom: First Implications

- 2. Entering the Kingdom

- 3. “Already … Not Yet” People

- 4. Healing and Suffering

- 5. World transformation

- The church and the kingdom

- The kingdom and the world

- 6. The Kingdom: The Big Picture

- The big picture in Luke-Acts

- Reductionism

- Communicating the big picture

- 7. Kingdom Apologetics

- Historical theology

- The kingdom paradigm

- Cessationism

- Dispensationalism

- Restorationism

- Points of contact

- The Messianic Banquet

The Implications of the Kingdom

Derek Morphew Publications

84 Starke Road, Bergvliet, 7945, South Africa

Email: derekmmin@gmail.com

Copyright © Derek J Morphew 2009

The scripture quotations in this publication are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

The author has granted permission for use of this text for educational purposes by Vineyard Bible Institute. Use of copies within the VBI system should conform to the stated conditions of use within the system.

ISBN: 978-0-9869723-8-6

Introduction

This is one of two booklets that abridge and summarize the contents of my major published work on the Kingdom of God, namely Breakthrough: Discovering the Kingdom.1 It assumes knowledge of Breakthrough: The Nature of the Kingdom,2 which is based on the first half of the primary work.

1. The Nature of the Kingdom: First Implications

To link up with the previous booklet, we will summarize the nature of the kingdom and the definition given, before discussing the implications of the kingdom.

The simplest way to summarize the nature/definition of the kingdom is through this diagram:

The world into which Jesus came preaching the kingdom had expectations that had grown through the centuries. These expectations were based on the coming of the kingdom in the Exodus event, the conquest of the Promised Land and the Davidic Monarchy. They were further shaped by the loss of the kingdom in the exile and the prophetic promises of Isaiah and Daniel in particular. A day would come when God would again intervene for Israel, in a final, overwhelming moment, which would terminate history as we know it and begin life at a totally new level in the Messianic age, or the age to come. The Day of Judgment would be the event that would terminate this age (the end) and usher in the coming age. From the prophetic language regarding this “end”, we derive the word “eschatology” (Greek eschatos means “end”). The prophets spoke of the Day of the Lord, the last days, or that day.

Jesus came announcing that such a day had dawned with his arrival. Yet the way he announced and taught about the kingdom had a sense of mystery. He spoke of it as being:

·      near,

·      present,

·      delayed, and

·      future.

The only way we can bring all of this together is to understand that something mysterious, unexpected (especially to the prophets of Israel) and miraculous occurred in Jesus and the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. The power of the future age broke through, from the future, into the present, setting up an altogether new dimension. Before this age has finally ended, the future age has already begun. The result is an “already” and “not yet” dimension, where the coming of the kingdom in Jesus and Pentecost is “already”, but in the final sense, the coming of the kingdom is “not yet”. The mysterious breakthrough of the kingdom was particularly manifest in the ministry of Jesus, as he announced it, taught about it and demonstrated it, in the cross, resurrection and ascension, and the outpouring of Pentecost. All these are demonstrations of the future breaking into the present.

Between the coming of the kingdom in Jesus (“already”) and the final coming of the kingdom in Jesus (“not yet” – at his Second Coming) is the time we now live in as Christians and the church in the world. Around us is a world that lives in one dimension, in this present age, while we experience Jesus and the life in the Spirit in a new dimension, the life of the coming age, or eternal life lived now.

From this definition of the nature of the kingdom, we have developed a set of initial implications:

1.   The end has come in Jesus, therefore Jesus is God.

2.   The last days begin with Jesus and Pentecost, and continue till the very end, so the whole period, from the first to the Second Coming, is the last days.

3.   Every revival is a fresh in-breaking of the kingdom.

4.   Every part or aspect of the kingdom is available every time it breaks through.

5.   The veil torn when Jesus died shows that the separation of the present age and age to come has been torn, or opened up.

6.   Therefore the powers and presence of the future age are continually available. We live in a dimension where it is always near, present, delayed and future.

7.   Church history bears witness to the increasing in-breaking of the kingdom as we approach the end of the end.

8.   This is the framework for understanding world missions.

9.   This is the framework for understanding the Christian life, in the “already” and “not yet”, making us “already … not yet” people.

10.  This is the framework for understanding healing, why it occurs, yet does not always occur.

11.  This is the framework for understanding the church in the world.

Our purpose now is to develop these implications more fully. We can think of the relationship between the breakthrough, nature and definition of the kingdom, and its implications, like the ripple effect caused by a stone falling into a pond. The stone falling is the event of Jesus coming. The ripple effect is the implications of the kingdom.

2. Entering the Kingdom

The kingdom enters into the world and history through the coming of Jesus and the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. The next thing we need to consider is: How does the kingdom enter into us? How do we enter the kingdom? Jesus spoke of those in the kingdom as the sons and daughters of the kingdom (Matthew 13:38). Jesus stated very clearly how we enter:

“The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the good news!” (Mark 1:15).

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17).

In both these statements we have:

An announcement of grace – the kingdom is here, and

A human response to grace – repent and believe.

The relationship is made quite clear: because the kingdom is here, with all the grace it brings (healing, liberation, forgiveness, new life), we can and should respond. The divine initiative comes first; the human response follows.

The kingdom turns everything upside-down. Those it reaches are not the religious or the respectable. True to the wonderful grace of the coming kingdom:

Tax collectors and harlots enter before the Pharisees.

The greatest is the one who humbles himself like a little child.

The first are last and the last are first.

The rich struggle to enter the kingdom, while it is “for” the poor.

Sinners go away justified, while the self-righteous religious Pharisee does not.

The kingdom is for the sick, not those who are well. It reaches the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son.

Yet because grace is so wonderful, the demands of repentance and faith are uncompromising:

Those who follow Jesus must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34).

They must leave home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children and lands, for the sake of the kingdom (Mark 10:29).

We should count the cost, which is profound, before we decide to follow Jesus (Luke 14:28). Once we decide to follow, there is no looking back.

Following him will demand total obedience, not just saying: “Lord, Lord.” (Matthew 7:21)

We respond like this because the kingdom has broken into our lives, not because we are able to do so. We partake of the powers of the coming age. We are born again into the life of the future kingdom, into eternal life. This produces a totally new kind of lifestyle, described in the beatitudes. These pithy sayings of Jesus are all set in the “now” and “then” of the kingdom mystery. They describe a total revolution of “this world” values. Just as the Thessalonians once said: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here” (Acts 17:6–7). The sons and daughters of the kingdom live by an upside-down value system where the poor are the blessed, the persecuted rejoice, the hungry are satisfied and those who mourn are comforted.

3. “Already … Not Yet” People

The kingdom enters our lives. God’s grace is poured out abundantly. We enter the kingdom and become its sons and daughters. God’s kingship enters deep within us. The new life of the kingdom is born within us, like a seed that begins to grow. Then, just as the kingdom overturns the value systems of this world, it starts to overturn everything within us. We find ourselves caught up in the very nature of the kingdom. It’s disturbing, transforming, upside-down power works within us, just as it does in the world.

Because the kingdom is an “already … not yet” mystery, a reality or dimension that is always near, here, yet delayed and future, and because two ages now coexist in tension, the sons and daughters of the kingdom are “already … not yet” people. The clash of two kingdoms – this age and the coming age – and the spiritual warfare that this clash brings, takes place in our lives.

The Christian life is therefore described as something of a contradiction. Some verses are “already” statements. They describe a total transformation of the individual, as we are taken out of this age and placed in the age to come:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone; the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

“Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14).

Other verses, in the same parts of Scripture, describe the groaning of the Christian life. They show that much in us is “not yet” transformed by the kingdom:

“We groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling … For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened” (2 Corinthians 5:2, 4).

“We … are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:11).

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:5–10).

The bittersweet victory and defeat of these statements show us that we are supposed to be aware that the Christian life is lived in tension. Just as the two ages coexist in history and collide with each other, so the two ages coexist within the Christian, creating inner conflict. Here are some passages that describe this.

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you” (2 Corinthians 4:8–12).

“Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonour, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything” (2 Corinthians 6:4–10).

The same kind of tension is found in the way the Christian relates to sin. John seems to say both: that we will never be without sin (1 John 1:8), and that if we still live in sin, we cannot truly be born of God (1 John 3:6). The only way to explain this is within the mystery of the kingdom.

In Galatians 3 Paul talks about the way the flesh and the spirit war with each other within us. He also speaks often of the “old man” and the “new man”. He tells us that we are totally new creatures (the new man), then tells us to “put off” the old nature (see Colossians 3:5–10 above). This is not some kind of pop psychology and has nothing to do with the body versus the spirit. These are kingdom or eschatological statements, showing that Christians have inner contradictions.

In church history various movements, teachers and traditions have gone into one or the other, denying the “already” and giving a picture of a Christian life that hardly ever experiences victory, or denying the “not yet” and giving a picture of a Christian life that lives in total victory all the time. Both show that they have not understood the kingdom.

Yet we should not despair. We know the age to come will triumph over this present age – in history, and in us. The final outcome is not in doubt. While we live, caught between the ages, we are glorious contradictions. We sometimes feel victorious, joyful and free, yet these moments can be quickly replaced by feelings of great weakness, fear and “groaning” from which we long to escape. Get used to this! This is living in the kingdom, in spiritual warfare.

4. Healing and Suffering

The diagram at the beginning shows how two ages now coexist. The kingdom is both here and not yet here. This is really the only way to explain the often frustrating way in which healing works.

There are a number of important factors in the healing ministry:

Jesus emphasizes the role of faith or its opposite, unbelief.

We know that healing occurs when the Holy Spirit moves, in revivals or particular moments.

We know that there are gifts of the Holy Spirit that release healing, and that some people are more frequently used in these gifts than others.

We know that prayer is an important factor.

Sometimes the repentance of the person receiving healing plays a role.

Yet if we try to explain why healing does, and does not occur, none of these factors can really explain it. This is where the nature of the kingdom, and its implications for healing, can explain it.

In Jesus, and in Pentecost, the powers of the future age broke into the present. That future age is described in Revelation as a time when:

God will rule supreme;

Satan and all God’s enemies will be finally defeated, and

God will wipe away every tear. There will be no more death or mourning, crying or pain (Revelation 21:3–4).

That future shows us the will of God. When he rules supreme, that is what life is like. That should settle the question: Does God want to heal?

In Jesus, the rule and will of God was manifest. Therefore Jesus wanted to heal people (Mark 1:41), and did heal people. Pentecost is similarly the breaking in of God’s rule. Therefore, whenever the Holy Spirit is present in power, and moves through gifts of the Spirit, people are healed.

If we ask: Why does healing occur? The answer is: Because the kingdom is here. But the kingdom is here in a provisional, anticipatory sense. We still await its final manifestation. So, if we ask: Why do people we pray for not get healed? The answer is: Because the kingdom is not yet fully here. Healing takes place in the mystery of the kingdom. We will probably never be able to work out why sometimes, when we seem to have little faith and do not pray well or expect much, God surprises us with healing, and why at other times, when it seems God must heal, nothing happens.

There are two fruitless kinds of examination:

1.   We should not doubt that God is love and that he wants to heal.

2.   We should not place the responsibility totally on human subjects: their repentance, expectation, faith, positive confession, prayer, obedience and giftedness. When we do this, we place false guilt on people and are in danger of manipulating them.

There is a false cop-out that we should avoid. Once we have understood healing in the context of the mystery of the kingdom, we can become too passive and say: “Well, it’s a mystery, so why get too involved?” The truth is that Jesus has commanded us to announce and demonstrate the kingdom with signs and wonders. He did not model a passive approach. Those whom God uses the most in healing agonize over this mystery when healing does not occur. Jesus’ teaching on faith and prayer calls us to be determined, like the woman with the unjust judge (Luke 18: 1-8). He teaches us that the kingdom is always near and available to us, hovering over us, ready to break through at any moment.

Suffering and hardship fit into the kingdom in a similar way to healing. There are many wonderful stories of how God intervened miraculously when Christians prayed for their friends or family in times of danger and adversary. There are many stories of God rescuing Christians from danger. When God intervenes in this way, we know that his kingdom has come.

Yet Christians are not immune from disaster and suffering. God does not intervene every time. Christians are not exempt from the need to have insurance policies on their homes, cars and lives, just because they are Christians. When Jesus returns, and the kingdom finally comes, we can throw away our keys, disable our alarm systems and not worry about insurance policies.

If we have a false view of the kingdom, we have no way of facing adversity or suffering. Theologians call this triumphalism – too much of the kingdom “already” and not enough of the kingdom “not yet”. We can be triumphalistic about healing, victory over sin or the avoidance of suffering. We can also be defeatist and passive about all these things, living too much in the “not yet”.

5. World transformation

The “already” and “not yet” of the kingdom is the best way to explain the history of the church in the world and the relative success or failure of the gospel to transform society. Here, too, there are triumphalists and defeatists, social activists and pietists.

There are two fundamental mistakes we can make about the church and its place in the world:

We can over-identify the church with the kingdom or, conversely, we can separate the church from the message of the kingdom.

We can believe the church can totally transform the world and make it into the kingdom of God, or we can believe that the church will have so little effect that all we must do is rescue people out of the world and wait for the Second Coming.

The church and the kingdom

A sound understanding of the relationship between the church and the kingdom can be stated as follows:

1.   The church is not the kingdom of God. The kingdom is the rule and reign of God. The church is made up of those who have come under the rule of God, but God rules over much more than the church. He rules over creation, the history of nations and over his church.

2.   The coming of the kingdom creates the church. As individuals and families come under the rule of God, they find common ground with each other, and form a community. This network of human relationships should witness to, reflect and spread the kingdom, but it is not an end in itself. It is a human vehicle of the kingdom that flourishes and wanes as the in-breaking of the kingdom is manifest more or less in the history of revivals and the dry times between them.

3.   The church has been entrusted with the proclamation of the kingdom and was established by Jesus with deliberate “national” symbolism. His commission to the Twelve, the 72 and the church was to announce and demonstrate the kingdom just as he did. Therefore any teaching that separates the gospel of the church from the gospel of the kingdom (as dispensationalism does)3 is a grave error. The symbolism of the 12 founding apostles of the church mirroring the 12 tribes of Israel and the 72, representing the nations of the world, shows that Jesus intended the church to be a new nation taking the kingdom to all nations. When we separate the church from the message of the kingdom, we make excuses for its lack of power.

4.   The church must demonstrate the presence now of the future kingdom. Because the kingdom has broken in, from the future into the present, the church is the community of the future. When the world looks at the church, it catches a glimpse of God’s future for humanity. When we break bread, they should celebrate the Messianic banquet. When Pentecost happens, there is the anticipation of that great company from every language, tongue and nation (Revelation 7:9). As the cross breaks down the divisions between God and man, Jew and Gentile, male and female, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, a unity is possible that witnesses of God’s kingdom to the divided world we live in (Ephesians 3:1–11). If we love one another, the world will know that the Father sent the Son.

Yet in all this, the church remains a frail, weak, human vessel, because it is full of people who are “not yet” fully transformed by the power of the kingdom.

The kingdom and the world

Since the church represents the kingdom in the world, we could also call it the church and the world. Because the kingdom is “already” and “not yet”, the world is changed, yet not totally transformed. If we do not see the mystery of the kingdom, we will not understand this relationship correctly.

We should begin by reminding ourselves of the set of expectations included in the prophetic promise of the kingdom. If we look at all that Isaiah and Daniel expected to accompany the kingdom, it is nothing less than the renewal of creation and the coming of a new humanity. Their expectations included:

The glory of God revealed.

The Davidic Messiah as the King of all nations.

The universal outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The peace (shalom) of the Messianic age.

Forgiveness of sins.

Liberation from all forms of bondage.

The healing of all sickness.

The resurrection of the dead.

The Messianic banquet.

The judgment of all evil.

A new, reconciled humanity.

A new heaven and a new earth.

That future, which God has destined for the world, broke into the present in Jesus and Pentecost, and continues to break into the world as we announce and demonstrate the kingdom and fulfil the mandate of the Great Commission to disciple and teach all nations. This is nothing less than God’s program to renew creation and humanity. The New Testament therefore contains many world-transforming texts.

World-transforming texts

We could call these “already” or “kingdom now” texts.

The Great Commission tells us to make kingdom disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:16–20).

Jesus expects this mission to reach all nations before the final end comes.

God controls the allotted times and boundaries of all nations (Acts 17:26).

As the gospel spreads, it turns the world upside down, bringing another king, Jesus (Acts 17:6–7).

Where the gospel spreads, a “new man” is born, a new humanity that overcomes all the previous divisions of mankind (Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:14–15).

This new humanity is like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:13–16). As it spreads, the kingdom is like leaven in the dough or a small seed that eventually becomes the biggest tree (Matthew 13:31-33).

As we study the history of revivals and the effect of the gospel on society, we follow a story of powerful world transformation. But the world is still full of evil. These “kingdom now” realities are counterbalanced by the “not yet”.

World-denying texts

Many New Testament texts describe this world as doomed to judgment. It can only be truly transformed when the kingdom finally comes.

The anti-Christ must finally be defeated by the conquering Christ (Revelation 19). Until then, his spirit is at work in the world.

The coming of the Son of Man will follow a period of great and prolonged tribulation (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21).

Until then, the church must anticipate much persecution, which will only end on the Day of the Lord’s return (2 Thessalonians 1–2).

Many will abandon the faith and follow demonic doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1).

Revelation seems to anticipate evil increasing right up to the end (Revelation 22:11–12).

More texts could be added. How do we reconcile these rather dark expectations about the world with the world-transformation agenda of the Great Commission? The answer is: through the creative tension of the “already” and “not yet” of the kingdom.

Just as teachings and traditions on sanctification have been either defeatist or triumphalistic, so also have various forms of Christianity been defeatist or trimphalistic about the effect of the gospel on the world.

Those who are defeatist are generally described as pietists.4 This is the Christian ghetto view. The church is a persecuted and misunderstood minority community that must save people out of the world, remain separate and wait for the rapture or Second Coming, when Jesus will come to take us home. We have no business in worldly society, the public domain, social justice, government or culture.

On the other hand, Christian leaders and movements have at times taken over cities and governments and believed the gospel can be so successful that the world will be conquered. And indeed, the influence of the gospel on all spheres of life through centuries is well documented.

Both these approaches, taken to an extreme, lose the tension of the “already” and “not yet” of the kingdom. The one approach ignores or evades the world-transformation texts, while the other ignores or evades the world-denying texts.

The millennium

These two tendencies, and the extremes they can sometimes go to, are reflected in four views of the millennium. This diagram helps to explain how the different views relate to each other.

We will briefly describe each view, in the order in which they appeared in history.

1.   The oldest view, held by the early church Fathers, and the one with closer links to Judaism, is Premillennialism. This is the view that Jesus will return before (pre-) the millennium. The millennium will be a thousand-year reign of Christ over the whole world following the Day of Judgment and the defeat of Satan. Until that time, evil is not yet defeated and, in fact, the church can expect suffering and persecution. This view is mostly negative about the present world. There is more “not yet” than “already”, but both are recognized.

2.   The next view, developed by Augustine, is Amillennialism. The whole period, between the first and Second Coming of Christ, is the millennium. The thousand years is a symbolic way of describing a long period of time. During this time, the tension between the two kingdoms continues. The two cities, Babylon (this world) and Jerusalem (the kingdom of God) compete for supremacy over humanity. When Jesus comes, all evil will finally be defeated. This view is the classic case of holding the “already” and “not yet” in tension. The gospel will have great success in world history, but evil will continue until Jesus returns.

3.   The next view is Postmillennialism. It arose in the 17th century and was influenced by the optimism of the Enlightenment. In this view, the thousand years represents a period at the end of world history, before the Second Coming, when the gospel will largely succeed in conquering the world. The whole of human society will be leavened and shaped by the influence of the kingdom. Jesus will return to a victorious church in a transformed world. The Puritans, some of the most zealous missionary thinkers, held this view.

4.   The final view is the Dispensational Pretribulation rapture theory. This view arose in Scotland during the 18th century. It is a form of Premillennialism, but it adds certain novel theories. Either seven years before the Second Coming, or three-and-a-half years before the Second Coming, Jesus will return secretly and “rapture” the church, taking it out of the world. Then, during the time of great tribulation, God’s people on earth will be Israel, not the church. This view is still popular in the American Bible Belt and is reflected in many popular Christian books about the anti-Christ and the rapture. It transgresses the fundamental rules of biblical interpretation at many points and makes some texts mean the opposite of what they plainly mean, in context. It tends to produce a very negative view of the world, with its focus on waiting to depart.

The first two views are both able to affirm the “already” and “not yet” of the kingdom, or can hold the world-transforming and world-denying texts in some sort of balance. The two extreme views have less support from Scripture and are unable to affirm the “already” and “not yet” of the kingdom. However, committed Christians with real faith believe in all four views. Where the theology of the kingdom spreads and is understood, it will tend to displace the two extreme views.

What relevance does this subject have? It is crucial to our whole understanding of mission and relationship to the world. How we view these things will determine whether we think Christians should involve themselves in issues of social justice, civil society, education, the environment or politics, and if so, how we should engage. It will influence the kind of vocation or career we value. It will influence the way we preach the gospel, whether we have a vertical only gospel (man reconciled to God) or a vertical and horizontal gospel (also man reconciled to man). It will influence whether we believe societies and nations can be significantly leavened by the gospel. It will determine whether we can be taken captive to worldly ideologies and what boundaries we can set on the influence of the world on the church.

A Christian who is trained in the kingdom will have an ambivalent relationship with the world, neither abandoning society and escaping from it, nor being naïve and idealistic about any society prior to the Second Coming.

6. The Kingdom: The Big Picture

We have been following the implications of the kingdom like the widening ripples of a stone dropped into a pond. The kingdom came into history in Jesus and Pentecost. That was the event of the stone falling. But the kingdom continues to come, through the Holy Spirit. The kingdom enters our lives and we become sons and daughters of the kingdom. It begins to change our lives towards an upside-down value system. We discover that we are caught in the battle between two ages, as “already … not yet” people. The kingdom exercises its widening ripple effect: in the ministry of healing (signs and wonders); the kingdom creating a future world community (the church), and the kingdom going into all nations. As we follow that level of implications, we have to think about the influence of the gospel on society through history (millennial views). Here we begin to think about the social and environmental implications of the kingdom.

By now we should be wondering: How big does this get?

The kingdom of God is actually the big picture. It expands our vision to see God’s total plan for the restoration of all creation and all humanity. The kingdom holds together the whole of the redemptive story, from creation, through the fall, the history of Israel, the coming of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, through world missions, to the Second Coming and into the future age that follows.

One major implication of understanding the kingdom is that the big picture must never be reduced to something less than that. The word we use for this is reductionism, the tendency to take the pie and select only one slice, instead of the whole pie. Or perhaps we should say the kingdom is like one huge chocolate cake. We must never settle for just one slice, or even a few slices.

The big picture in Luke-Acts

To make this point, we will borrow from the theology of Luke in Luke-Acts. Luke’s writings occupy one-quarter of the New Testament and take us from the birth of Jesus through his life and ministry, death and resurrection, Pentecost and the birth and mission of the church, to the gospel reaching Rome, the capital of the known world. More significantly, Luke follows the kingdom message of Jesus intentionally and shows its first historic outworking.

Here are some features of the big picture, as told in Luke-Acts.

Luke shows the link between the prophetic promise of Isaiah and Daniel and the announcement of Jesus. In Luke 4:16–21, Jesus gives his mission statement:

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to release the oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Matthew tells us that when John the Baptist’s disciples asked Jesus if he was “the one”, he similarly expressed his mission in terms of the expectations of Isaiah:

When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.5 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” (Matthew 11:2–6).

Here is a summary taken from The Mission of the Kingdom: The Theology of Luke-Acts.6

The new or messianic age has dawned, fulfilling Old Testament expectations and inaugurating the relentless and determined will of God. Its focus is the messianic King, Jesus who, by the power of the Spirit, brings healing and salvation to all nations. This salvation includes previously excluded groups: sinners, the sick, Gentiles, Samaritans, the poor, women and children. It spreads through the proclamation of the word, healing and phenomena of power and revelation. Those who receive this salvation experience forgiveness of sins and respond with song, praise, prayer and wonder. The message has financial and social implications.

This can be broken down into the following points:

1.   The new or messianic age has dawned, fulfilling Old Testament expectations and inaugurating the relentless, determined will of God.

2.   The focus is on the messianic King, Jesus.

3.   The kingdom comes through the power of the Holy Spirit.

4.   Jesus, the Messiah, brings healing and salvation.

5.   The kingdom spreads to all nations.

6.   This salvation includes previously excluded groups: sinners, the sick, Gentiles, Samaritans, the poor, women and children.

7.   The kingdom spreads through the proclamation of the word.

8.   The kingdom spreads through healing and phenomena of power and revelation.

9.   Those who receive this salvation experience forgiveness of sins and respond with song, praise, prayer and wonder.

10.  The message has financial and social implications.

Compare this with the list of expectations above.

Ultimately, when God’s rule has been restored over all things, all of creation is renewed, as described in the last few chapters of Revelation, in the new heaven and new earth.

We can use the following diagram to illustrate this:

Reductionism

Here are some ways in which we can select only one or two slices of the cake.

1.   The kingdom is about signs and wonders and the power of the Holy Spirit.

2.   The kingdom is about personal forgiveness and reconciliation with God through the cross.

3.   The kingdom is about social justice and ministry to the poor.

4.   The kingdom is reduced to select time periods in the past or future.

The kingdom is about personal forgiveness through the cross

If we look at the historic creeds of the church, and then at the message of the Reformation, we find a totally true and faithful witness to the way the kingdom came in Jesus. Yet it ignores his ministry of signs and wonders as the model for the mission of the church. There is a particular focus on the cross as the centre of the message. As a result, the reason Jesus came is stated like this: Jesus came to die on the cross, to forgive me my sins and reconcile me to God. As a result, I now have eternal life and can be assured of my eternal destiny.

Generally, more time is spent teaching from the letters of Paul than on the Gospels. Once saved, we are to grow in the process of sanctification. This is all true in what it affirms,7 but “reduced” in what it does not affirm. Up to the rediscovery of Jesus in recent times as bringing the message of the kingdom, this was the classic Protestant Evangelical slice.

The kingdom is about signs and wonders and the power of the Holy Spirit

One of the great contributions of John Wimber was to call the church back to Jesus as portrayed in the Gospels as the model of all church mission. We are to teach the words of Jesus and do the works of Jesus. In fellowship with the Pentecostals, we say that the ministry of signs and wonders and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today. The message of personal reconciliation with God and personal transformation must have this vital slice added to it in order to come anywhere near the full picture of the kingdom. If the Vineyard has a tendency to select only one slice, then it is this. In many Vineyard contexts, when you say “kingdom of God”, what comes into people’s minds is signs and wonders. This runs the danger of being equally reductionistic of the big picture.8

The kingdom is about social justice and ministry to the poor

There is a long tradition, running from the Old Testament prophets, into the ministry of Jesus and through church history, of those who see the kingdom in its social justice dimensions. We notice that when Jesus answered those who came from John the Baptist, the climax of the signs of the kingdom was that “the good news is preached to the poor”. It was evangelical Christians, influence by this view of the gospel, who worked for the abolition of slavery.9

This slice is generally affirmed by liberal Christians, but there is a rich tradition of evangelicals being effectively engaged in this area. Those who believe we should do advocacy for the environment will normally come from this slice. If we select only this slice, without the first two, we can easily slide into a purely humanistic endeavour, devoid of spiritual power.10

The kingdom is about a period of time in the past or future

One of the worst ways of reducing the kingdom is to say that none of this can be for today. It was for yesterday, and it will be for tomorrow, but we cannot expect the power of the kingdom to do these things today, or to have these implications today. There are three teachings that do this, each of them directly contradicting the message of the kingdom. In discussing these teachings, we move into kingdom apologetics, or the defence of the kingdom against competing theologies. Mostly, we should just want to teach the truth, but sometimes teaching the truth requires its defence against distortions of the truth. These three teachings are:

1.   cessationism,

2.   dispensationalism, and

3.   restorationism.

We will deal with these in the next chapter.

Communicating the big picture

If your message and ministry lacks some of these elements, it is not a witness to the big picture of the kingdom of God. How, then, would we communicate the big picture of the kingdom so that our total message approximates the total message of Scripture?

It would look something like this:

1.   The future age/world is being inaugurated through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.11

2.   The goal of the coming of the kingdom, or rule of God, is nothing less than the renewal of all of creation and the birth of a new humanity. This is why Christians can and should be “green” (committed to the environment). Because the future has broken into the present, we engage in environmental issues now. We do not simply wait till the Day of Judgment.

3.   In the ministry of Jesus, in the ministry of the early church as described in Acts, and through church history, there are signs of the kingdom becoming present through the power of the Holy Spirit. In this sense, to say “kingdom of God” is to say “signs and wonders”. The ministry of healing the sick is central to these signs.

4.   As the kingdom enters the lives of individuals, it begins a process of personal transformation. They enter the kingdom (the new birth), then the kingdom begins to work within them, transforming their values. They experience the collision of the two ages within them. Their transformation takes place in the context of the “already” and “not yet” of the kingdom, as they increasingly become what they are, the new humanity.

5.   As the kingdom breaks into this world, and into the lives of individuals, it sets up the community of the kingdom, the people of the future. This community, the church, lives the future life now. In its reconciliation through the cross it breaks down and heals all the divisions of humanity. This is also a sign of the kingdom. The church is therefore a foretaste of the new humanity, showing the world what the next world is like.

6.   As the kingdom breaks into this world, it confronts all that is broken and distorted in creation. It confronts the power of evil in individuals, setting them free, and it also confronts evil in society, in oppressive and unjust systems. It brings the future justice of God into the present. A key sign of the kingdom is compassion and love for the poor. Therefore Christians should engage in activities that confront structural evil and minister to the poor.

7.   All those who have entered the kingdom and have come under the rule of God are now its appointed agents. The church as the community of the future is mandated to partner with God in the announcement and demonstration of the kingdom. As we announce and demonstrate the kingdom, we become the point at which the kingdom breaks into this present world.

7. Kingdom Apologetics

It is not sufficient to affirm the positive message of the kingdom. We also have to defend its truth against distortions of the truth. There are three particular teachings we have to refute: cessationism, dispensationalism and restorationism.

It will be helpful to see where the message of the kingdom fits into the flow of history to understand where these teachings fit in. This study of the progression of teachings through history is called historical theology.

Historical theology

In the last hundred years or so, the original context in which Jesus announced, taught and demonstrated the kingdom has been rediscovered. Biblical scholars call this rediscovery of Jesus, Jesus research. It has been fuelled by the recent discovery and translation of many writings from around the time of Jesus. These revealed the context of Jesus in a new way. This in turn led to the rediscovery of Jesus’ message of the kingdom of God. In some ways, therefore, at this late stage in history, we are returning to the beginning of history.

From that starting point, layer upon layer has been added to the original message of Jesus, as it has required interpretation into new contexts and cultures. At first these stages of interpretation occurred through inspired or fairly inspired teachers, but as we have moved further away from the starting point, more reduction has taken place. Here are the stages:

1.   The kingdom of God message and ministry of Jesus.

2.   Paul, the message of grace and freedom from the law. Paul interpreted the Hebrew message of the kingdom (Jesus) into a Greco-Roman or Hellenistic (Greek-speaking) society.

3.   The church Fathers who wrote the creeds (the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Creed of Athanasius) further interpreted the message into a Greek and Latin environment, and worked out the great doctrine of the Trinity. They made use of the thought forms of Greek philosophers to do so. These creeds are now the criterion of orthodoxy versus heresy and are affirmed by all valid Christian communities. However, they take us quite a few steps away from the original Hebrew and prophetic worldview of Jesus. This set the tone for the long period of Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic Christianity.

4.   The Protestant Reformers deliberately returned to the authority of Scripture and the teachings of the Apostle Paul, in particular. They gave focus to Paul’s teachings on grace and justification by faith. However, in their dispute with Rome, they initiated the doctrine of cessationism, a major reductionist teaching. This legacy set the tone for the Protestant Evangelical expression of Christianity.

5.   The Pentecostals reacted to cessationist teaching by affirming the fact that signs and wonders and gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today. While they added some doctrines of their own (the two doctrines of subsequence and evidence),12 in general their teaching followed that of the Protestant Evangelical tradition. They did not teach the message of the kingdom of God. A movement that precedes the Pentecostals,13 but has certain common elements with them, is dispensationalism. Many Pentecostal denominations still defend dispensationalism.

During the last 100 years or so, as a result of the discovery of the literature of the times of Jesus, there is a return to the original kingdom of God message and ministry of Jesus. While this takes place among biblical scholars, i.e. in an academic environment,14 one of the primary contributions of John Wimber and the movements^15 that have emerged from his leadership is to apply the kingdom to how we preach the gospel and do church – a practical, lived environment. But because the rediscovery of Jesus and the message of the kingdom is ongoing, we cannot stagnate in the early period of the Vineyard. We must keep moving with the rediscovery of Jesus. The way we see Jesus affects everything: our view of God, ourselves, the gospel, the way we do church and the world.

While this rediscovery of the kingdom has been taking place, various movements have arisen in Pentecostal and charismatic Christian expressions that have developed restorationism. This teaching is a form of dispensationalism.

The kingdom paradigm

All of these erroneous teachings can be refuted by a simple examination of the diagram at the beginning, showing the kingdom paradigm. The Bible has a very clear, simple worldview. God deals with mankind in two ages: this age and the age to come (Matthew 12:32; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; Ephesians 1:21). Similar biblical language is used for the time of the Law and the Prophets being replace by the time of the kingdom (Matthew 11:11–12; Luke 16:16). Another expression is the time of the law being replaced by the time of grace (John 1:17; Romans 6:14).

The whole point of the diagram is to show the overlapping of the two ages. Prior to the termination of this age, the new age already begins in Jesus and Pentecost. The whole period, from the birth narratives in the Gospels, to the return of Christ, is described as the last days. We are in the last days, moving towards the last of the last days, until we arrive at the last day. There is no place, anywhere in Scripture, where this simple model is subdivided into smaller time periods. Therefore the message and ministry of the kingdom remains exactly the same, from the time of Jesus and the apostles, until the Second Coming. We should expect the same signs of the kingdom to occur: signs and wonders, personal transformation, the community of the future and social justice.

There is one qualification to this. The authority of the original 12 disciples and the criterion of their selection are linked to the period from the baptism of Jesus until his ascension. The authority and ministry of all subsequent missionary leaders is from the ascension of Christ (Pentecost) until the return of Christ. Jesus made it clear that the mandate to disciple all nations in the kingdom would only end when all nations had been reached and he would return.

These teachings create additional time periods in this diagram that are not supported from Scripture:

Cessationism

The diagram shows how cessationism introduces an additional time period.

Cessationists divide the period of the two overlapping ages into two time periods. The first covers the period before the 12 apostles died, or the period before the New Testament was finalized as canonical Scripture. During this period signs and wonders and miracles occurred. In the second period, from the death of the apostles and the New Testament canon till the end, no miracles occur. They have ceased, hence the term “cessationism”.

There are two primary sources for this teaching, and two primary instruments in its decline.

Primary sources

While some doubt this, it was John Calvin (1509–1564) who first suggested this idea. His motives were probably his desire to refute the Roman Catholic claim to be the one true church due to its claimed signs and wonders, many of which, by that time, had degenerated into superstitions about relics and saints. With one stroke of his theological pen, he thought he could disqualify this argument. Here are two of Calvin’s statements.

Assuredly the Holy Spirit is still present with the people of God; without his guidance and direction the Church of God cannot subsist. For we have a promise of perpetual duration, by which Christ invites the thirsty to come to him, that they may drink living water (John 7:37). But those miraculous powers and manifest operations, which were distributed by the laying on of hands, have ceased. They were only for a time. For it was right that the new preaching of the gospel, the new kingdom of Christ, should be signalised and magnified by unwonted and unheard-of miracles.16

The Lord, doubtless, is present with his people in all ages, and cures their sicknesses as often as there is need, not less than formerly; and yet he does not exert those manifest powers, nor dispense miracles by the hands of apostles, because that gift was temporary, and owing, in some measure, to the ingratitude of men, immediately ceased.17

If Calvin is the starting point, the high point of cessationism came in the writings of the Reformed theologian Benjamin Warfield (1851–1921), who wrote Counterfeit Miracles. He further developed the idea of time periods, dividing the Old Testament into periods where miracles did and did not occur.

Sources of its decline

While cessationism still exists in some conservative evangelical circles, its popularity is shrinking. There are two reasons for its decline:

1.   The witness of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements to the continued works of the Holy Spirit in miracles, signs and wonders.

2.   The rediscovery of the message of the kingdom and the language of Scripture, which has no place for these further time periods. Wherever kingdom theology spreads, cessationism must decline.

Dispensationalism

Dispensationalism is really a hybrid form of cessationism, or perhaps the first form of dispensationalism. A dispensation is a specific time period, demarcating things that occur in that time and not at other times. It is not a biblical term.18 Where cessationists insert a time period at the beginning, dispensationalists insert one or more at the end, but the method is essentially the same. This diagram shows what they do.

Based on fairly complicated interpretations of Daniel’s “7th Week” (Daniel 9: 25-27), they posit a period of seven years just before the Second Coming, which is also the period of the great tribulation described by Jesus in his Olivet discourse (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21). The period up to the last seven years is the age of the church, and the last seven years is the age of restored Israel as the people of God. The church is “raptured” or taken to heaven either at the beginning of the tribulation, or midway, after three-and-a-half years. Today some say the whole church will be raptured, while those who originated the teaching said only the Spirit-filled church would be raptured. Generally this is known as the pretribulation rapture theory.

A further time period distinction is made between the message of the kingdom taught by Jesus to the Twelve, and the message of the gospel preached by the church. The Twelve are said to be representatives of Israel, not of the church. Therefore the mandate Jesus gave them applies to Israel, not to the church.

Although there are many popular books that support dispensationalism, and it is still prevalent in Bible Belt Christianity, it has no support from Scripture and has to resort to some gross manipulations of biblical texts, even going so far as to make some texts, like 2 Thessalonians 1–2, say the reverse of what they are actually saying. Many Christian Zionists^19 are dispensationalists.

Historical origins

The idea was first suggested by Margaret McDonald during the Irvingite revival in Scotland during the 1830s. It was popularized by JD Darby. It was then adopted by most Pentecostal denominations and so spread to the modern era.

Its decline

While its popularity is more resilient than that of cessationism, dispensationalism tends to decline where kingdom theology spreads. As with cessationism, dispensationalism introduces time periods into the simple biblical worldview that are not found in Scripture.

Restorationism

Restorationism is a form of dispensationalism, and has its origins in the same Irvingite revival in Scotland. However, its focus is not on whether miracles do or do not occur (most strongly believe in miracles today), or when the church is raptured (some are pretribulational, while others are not), but on the leadership of the church and a time of special power, or “Elijah anointing” during the last period of church history. The basic idea is that a special time period will occur, just before the Second Coming, where all the powers of the apostolic church will be restored, hence the term “restorationism”.

This diagram shows what they do:

They have a particular reading of church history – a not-too-accurate one – that has amnesia about some of the greatest periods of revival in church history. In their reading, the first period of church history, the apostolic age, was one of great power, led by true New Testament apostles. Then the church went into decline. While there were a few positive spikes, like the Reformation or the Evangelical Awakenings, most of the middle period of church history is devalued. Some see stages or steps in church history, where after the initial dark ages various truths and powers have been restored gradually, step by step. The last period of church history will be qualitatively different from the whole middle period, because true New Testament apostles will be restored. They will enable the church to operate in true Holy Spirit power, and the combined effect will be a restored and victorious church ready to welcome Jesus’ return. Some call this final generation of Christians the “Elijah” generation. Some deduce that we really need to be under the “covering” or leadership of such a restoration apostle to be able to engage successfully in spiritual warfare and/or be successful in ministry.

Historical origins

The idea of restored apostles was first suggested by Edward Irving. That revival then evolved into denominations called New Apostolic and Old Apostolic. Many of these ideas became popular among some Pentecostal groups. They have emerged again in contemporary charismatic movements, one of which is described as the New Apostolic movement. In this group, previous restoration movements (Irvingite, Pentecostal) are regarded as mild precursors. What is happening in the 21st century is the real thing. Further, while some movements in other parts of the world have been precursors, the United States movement is the real thing.20

The same point has to be made. The simple biblical worldview of the two ages has no room for a special generation at the end that is qualitatively different from the middle period, or the first period, because it only has two ages which overlap. All those who know Jesus and live the life in the Spirit are in the last days, from the birth narratives to the Second Coming.

However, we can be true to the kingdom worldview and still see an escalation towards the end. If every revival is a fresh in-breaking of the kingdom of God, we can make a deduction not found in Scripture, but read from church history. It does seem that the gaps between revivals are becoming shorter. It would fit totally into the kingdom worldview to believe that, as we move in the last days, towards the last of the last days, more of the powers of the age to come “come” into this age. This could be represented in the following diagram.

Points of contact

There are certain aspects of these three teachings that resonate with other, more biblical ideas.

1.   The postmillennial idea that the gospel will triumph towards the end of history, or what is known as the Puritan Hope, says some similar things to restorationism. However, the whole basis is different, and no Puritan would ever have suggested a special apostolic status for some.

2.   The idea of a climax of the gospel towards the end of history can be supported by the kingdom worldview, as shown in the diagram above, but that does not have to be associated with or depend on a certain status given to apostolic ministries, which have, in fact, never ceased to be exercised throughout church history.

3.   The idea that Israel will come into focus towards the end is supported by Paul’s great analysis of God’s plan for the nations in Romans 9–11. Paul seems to suggest that once the mission of the gospel has gone to all the Gentile nations and God’s plan for them reaches its climax, the last nation to respond, as a whole, will be Israel. That event will, in turn, signify the trigger for the Second Coming. However, Paul’s exposition is not the same as Zionism, or the idea that God’s plan for Israel has to take place in the Promised Land (as opposed to the Diaspora), or in a restored Jerusalem.21

4.   The idea that the level of authority during the lifetime of the original Twelve was in some sense different from the level of authority from the ascension till the Second Coming is required for the belief that the New Testament writings are inspired in a unique and unrepeatable manner. The 12 apostles are viewed as the historic foundations of the heavenly city in Revelation. However, that is different from saying that the gospel the church preaches is somehow less than the gospel of the kingdom mandated by Jesus, or that miracles ceased once the Twelve had died.

In all these teachings, good, indifferent and bad, the simple worldview of the kingdom, as shown in the diagram above, will enable us to discern truth from error.

The Messianic Banquet

The rediscovery of Jesus and his message and ministry of the kingdom has had profound consequences. We have been following the ripple effect of the kingdom in ever widening circles. It changes or influences the way we see Jesus, our salvation, the Christian life, healing, the way we do church, God’s plan for the nations, the environment and Israel, to name a few.

One area of church life that remains seemingly resistant to the implications of the kingdom is the way we break bread, or celebrate the eucharist. Here it seems tradition is difficult to move. It is fitting that we end this booklet on a note of celebration. If we understand the kingdom, our church life should become more joyful, more celebrated, more like a family having fun.

In the previous chapter we delved into historical theology. We learn from historical theology that many of our contemporary ideas about the breaking of bread are derived from Thomas Aquinas, who was influenced rather too much by Greek philosophy (Aristotelian), and rather too little by the Old and New Testament on this subject.

Rediscovering Jesus, and his Hebrews worldview, should lead us to rediscover the context of his ordination of the breaking of bread. In kingdom context, the breaking of bread is a feast or banquet, something that a ritualistic “nip and sip” can never convey. This idea tracks the development of the kingdom through Scripture:

When the children of Israel were about to leave Egypt, as a result of the first kingdom intervention, they celebrated with the Passover meal.

When they entered into the covenant with Yahweh as King over Israel as the vassal state, the elders met with God on Sinai and “ate and drank” in his awesome presence (Exodus 24:9–11).

Life in the Promised Land was to be celebrated with thanksgiving through Israel’s festive calendar (Leviticus 23, 25).

The high point of kingdom life was during the Davidic monarchy. During this time, the shalom of the kingdom was epitomized in the abundance of Solomon’s table (1 Kings 10:4–5). Each family could sit under their own vine and fig tree and enjoy the fruit of the land.

From that time on, the idea of the Messianic age and the feast were forever connected. The prophets Isaiah and Zechariah spoke of the coming kingdom as a time of great festivity (Isaiah 25:6–9, in the context of 24:1–27:13, and Zechariah 9:1–10:1, in the context of the triumphal entry of the king). By the time of Jesus, to say “kingdom of God” was to say Messianic banquet.

John begins the ministry of Jesus with the miraculous abundance at the wedding in Cana (John 2). The other Gospels show us Jesus introducing his ministry in terms of the marriage feast of the Messiah (Mark 2:18–20). John’s writings show the climax of Jesus’ ministry in the marriage supper of the lamb (Revelation 19:6–9). Jesus’ whole ministry is therefore bracketed in festivity. Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus’ ministry is expressed through his attendance and teaching at various Jewish feasts.

Jesus’ ministry was characterised by feasts he held in homes, where his welcome to the poor and sinners was the vehicle of his invitation into the kingdom (Mark 2:15–17; Luke 5:29).

Jesus taught about the kingdom in terms of the Messianic banquet (Luke 14:13–24; 15:23–24). When the prodigal returned, the Father held a great feast to celebrate.

Jesus performed food multiplication miracles, which he explained as signs of the coming kingdom (Matthew 14: 18-21, 15; 35-38).

Jesus ordained the covenant meal to show that the same relationship of king and vassal was being instituted. He placed it in the context of the “already” and “not yet” of the kingdom. The meal they had now was awaiting the meal in the future kingdom, where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets would be present to share in the celebration (Mark 14:25; Luke 13:28–30; 22:16–18).

During the 40 days of his resurrection fellowship with his disciples, Jesus “ate and drank” with them (Acts 1:1–5; 10:41), as a sign that the kingdom had come.

The Passover meal in Judaism, and the early church breaking of bread meals (Acts 2:46; 1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:20–21) were certainly more than symbolic “nip-and-sip” affairs. That is the legacy of Greek philosophy, far removed from the rich, joyful world of Jesus and his Hebrew culture.

This should cause us to review the way we break bread and to innovate fresh and meaningful models. The boundary between the Lord’s Supper, as the covenant meal, and the koinonia of eating together in homes and small groups was far more fluid in the early church than it is today, as was the boundary between meals for the disciples and meals with and for the lost.

1 Derek Morphew, Breakthrough: Understanding the Kingdom, Vineyard International Publishing, Cape Town, 2006.

2 Derek Morphew, Breakthrough: The Nature of the Kingdom, Derek Morphew Publications, Cape Town, 2009.

3 To be discussed further below.

4 The popular use of the term should be distinguished from the history of the Pietist movement in Europe.

5 All language out of Isaiah.

6 Derek Morphew, The Mission of the Kingdom: The Theology of Luke-Acts, 2009. This publication provides far more details.

7 The following works by the author affirm this vital slice: Romans; Law and Grace; Hebrews; Christology.

8 The following publications by the author affirm this vital slice: Breakthrough: The Nature of the Kingdom; The Ministry of the Kingdom. Other important works that affirm this aspect are Alexander Venter, Authority to Heal and Doing Healing.

9 See the movie, Amazing Grace, about the life of Wilberforce.

10 The following publication by the author affirms this vital slice: The Kingdom, Human Dignity and the Poor. Other important works that do the same are Beth Woods, The Kingdom Among Us, and Alexander Venter, Doing Reconciliation.

11 Here we cover the content of Breakthrough: The Nature of the Kingdom, and the diagram on page 3.

12 The doctrine of subsequence teaches that the baptism in the Spirit is a subsequent experience to the new birth. The doctrine of evidence teaches that speaking in tongues is the necessary sign of the baptism in the Spirit.

13 It arose in Scotland during the 19th century.

14 Some of the well-known scholars are James Dunn, Graham Twelftree, NT Wright (associates with New-Wine) and Ben Witherington III.

15 The two main movements are the Vineyard and New-Wine in the UK.

16 Calvin’s Institutes, Christian Classics Ethereal Library, p. 1015.

17 Ibid., p. 1024.

18 The English word “dispensation” found in English Bibles translates Greek words that do not mean what dispensationalists refer to.

19 Support for the modern State of Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians.

20 Further details can be found in another publication by the author, The Church and Its Leaders, and in Hans Alblas, A Different Breed, VIP E-publications, www.vineyardbi.org/vip.

21 A helpful treatment of this subject is Martin Down, The New Jerusalem: Israel, the Church and the Nation, a VIP publication now distributed by Kingsway, 2008, ISBN-13: 9780620405058, ISBN: 0620405058.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. The Nature of the Kingdom: First Implications

2. Entering the Kingdom

3. “Already … Not Yet” People

4. Healing and Suffering

5. World transformation

The church and the kingdom

The kingdom and the world

6. The Kingdom: The Big Picture

The big picture in Luke-Acts

Reductionism

Communicating the big picture

7. Kingdom Apologetics

Historical theology

The kingdom paradigm

Cessationism

Dispensationalism

Restorationism

Points of contact

The Messianic Banquet