![]() To them, the apocalyptic element in Jesus’s teaching was the “husk” that contained the “kernel” of his real message of love. Nineteenth century liberal theologians Albrecht Ritschl and Adolf von Harnack believed that the kingdom of God is not something to be established in the future, but is now present in the form of the “brotherhood of man,” the infinite value of the individual soul, and the ethic of love. I then turn to the three major views of Evangelicalism, the kingdom-future perspective of revised dispensationalism, the kingdom-now perspective of classical reformed or covenant theology, and the increasingly popular kingdom-already-but-not-yet perspective of historic premillennialism and progressive dispensationalism. In this brief survey of the various theological viewpoints on the Kingdom of God, I examine first the critical-historical debate. Chapter Two:Ī Survey of the Kingdom of God in Theology In Chapter Seven, I draw several modest conclusions from this study and suggest areas for additional study. Chapter Six reviews the consummation of the kingdom when Jesus ushers in the millennial reign, as described principally in chapters 24 and 25. ![]() Chapter Five looks at kingdom living, as Jesus explained it in chapters 5 through 7 (the Sermon on the Mount) and later in chapters 18 and 19. Chapter Four looks at the kingdom that “has come,” as espoused in Matthew chapters 12 and 13. Chapter Three looks at the coming kingdom as it was announced by Jesus, and John before him, primarily in chapters 3 and 4 of Matthew. 5Ĭhapter Two, lays a foundation for this study by providing a brief overview of various views of the kingdom from a systematic theology perspective. 4 Finally, although the advent of progressive dispensationalism has refocused attention on the kingdom of God, most of the detailed attention has been given to Luke. Third, the concept of the kingdom is prominently featured in Matthew in fact, it is the theme of the book. Second, Matthew is a hinge book, linking the Old and New Testaments, and so the presentation of the kingdom in the first gospel is extremely important. First, attempting an overall survey of the kingdom would be a massive undertaking beyond my present capabilities. I have chosen this topic for four basic reasons. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the kingdom of God as it is espoused in the gospel of Matthew. ![]() There is no agreement on such basic questions as: What is the very nature of the kingdom of God? Is the kingdom of God different from the kingdom of heaven? Has the kingdom arrived? If not, why not and when will it come? What did Christ teach about the kingdom? These questions and more like them have engendered much debate in the theological world. ![]() Yet despite its importance, perhaps no other theme of the gospels has invoked greater confusion and controversy. Herman Ridderbos thought it so important that he declared: “The whole of the preaching of Jesus Christ and his apostles is concerned with the kingdom of God.” 1 Robert Saucy echoes the point: “While mentioned far less often in the epistles, the ‘kingdom of God’ still qualifies as the summary of the apostolic teaching.” 2 John Bright has even stated that “the concept of the Kingdom of God involves, in a real sense, the total message of the Bible.” 3 The concept of the kingdom looms large on the pages of Scripture. ![]()
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