Bible Studies
The Kingdom Of Yah
THE EVERLASTING KINGDOM!
IF ONE WERE TO SUMMARIZE THE MINISTRY OF OUR SAVIOR ON EARTH, it would
be difficult to dismiss the strong and repeated emphasis on the Kingdom
of Yah. In fact, it was in the early part of His ministry that we are
informed He began to proclaim but one central message: Matt.
4:17, "From that time Messiah began to preach, and to say, Repent:
for the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND."
How ironic and sad it is, that most Christians
seem neither to proclaim, nor understand what our Savior meant by the
synonymous terms, "Kingdom
of Yah" and "Kingdom of Heaven." Although seldom understood
by the layman, there are three major contrasting views on the Divine
Kingdom held within Christendom today:
Amillennialism: A Spiritualized Kingdom, which has already been realized
in the Church.
Postmillennialism: The Church will become the Kingdom as it witnesses
and converts the world.
Premillennialism: The Kingdom is delayed until a future age after the
conversion of the Jews.
CONTRADICTORY VIEWS
Amillennialism teaches that the Kingdom spoken of is only a Spiritual
reign of Messiah in the present Christian Church; thus, the Kingdom is
only in existence now in this age, not in any future age. Premillennialism,
in contrast, teaches nearly the exact opposite: Neither the present Christian
Church, nor the present age, constitutes the Kingdom of Yah; the Divine
Kingdom awaits a coming age, which will see Messiah's physical return
to rule on earth in person with His saints. It is obvious that both views
cannot be entirely true, because of their contradictions. The question
remains: Is the Kingdom of Yah a present reality, or a future hope?
Interestingly enough, one Bible professor, Stanley J. Grenz, in his book, "The
Millennial Maze," has insightfully commented, "It is
most probably not the case that one view is solely correct and biblical,
whereas the others are totally false." (pg. 24) He advises
that we see the strengths and weaknesses of each system, and "move
the entire question to a deeper level." Grenz has a good
point, for there are things we can agree with in each system.
A DEEPER LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING
With Amillennialism, we agree that the Kingdom of Yah is not entirely
absent from the earth during this present age of the church. The kingdom
exists where Divinity dwells:
Matt. 18:20, "For where two or three
are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
Other Scripture passages also assure us of the present reality of the
Divine Kingdom: Matthew 16:28; Luke 17:21; Col. 1:13; Revelation
1:6. In addition, the Christian Church is already enjoying some
of the Old Testament blessings predicted of the Kingdom of Yah: regeneration (Ezek.
36:24-38), forgiveness of sins (Isa. 55:4-7),
justification by faith alone (Jer. 23:6), and the Holy
Spirit coming upon men (Joel 2:27-28). In fact, some
of these "Kingdom blessings" have been available at least
since the time of Abel in the Garden of Eden (Heb. 11:4).
Not only our Savior before His Ascension, but Paul also was engaged
in "preaching
the Kingdom of Yah." (Acts 28:30-31) If the Kingdom
was postponed to a future age, neither Messiah nor Paul would have been
able to preach it as a present reality. Indeed, we must agree that the
Kingdom of Yah is not entirely absent and future!
With Postmillennialism, we agree that the Kingdom ofYah is growing in
size in the earth, over a period of time, and from an almost imperceptible
beginning.
Matt. 13:31-32, "The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain
of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which
indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest
among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come
and lodge in the branches thereof."
In the next verse we are told that the Kingdom is like leaven. This is
also particularly symbolic of growth, as leaven works particle by particle
until it pervades the whole. Other Scripture passages also describe the
sure and continuous growth of the Kingdom, until it fills the whole earth. (Matt.
25:6, 19; 28:19-20; Mark 4:31-32; Luke 13:29; 17:20; 21:24; Rom. 11:25-26)
With Premillennialism, we agree that the Kingdom has a future literal,
earthly phase, in which our Savior will be physically present:
Mat 26:29, "But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth
of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with
you in my Father's kingdom."
The obvious inference here is that this stage of the Kingdom was not
a present reality, but awaited a future day when Messiah would be physically
present with them again. The Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 15:50 places
this event after the resurrection of the dead at the end of the age: "Now
this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom
of Yah." When the disciples "supposed
that the Kingdom of Yah was immediately to appear" (Luke
19:11), Messiah presented the parable of a nobleman
who journeyed to "a far country" to
receive a Kingdom, a time-consuming event. Similarly, in the
parable of the ten virgins, the bridegroom came after a long
delay (Matt. 25:6), and
in the parable of the talents it was "after a long time" that
the Lord of these servants returned. Other passages also clearly indicate
that there is a literal, future aspect to our Savior's Kingdom: Matt.
13: 41-43, 49; Rom. 14:17; II Tim. 4:1; I Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:21;
Jas. 2:5
ETERNAL NATURE OF THE KINGDOM THE REVEALING OF THE KINGDOM
Therefore, all three of the competing interpretations
of the kingdom of Yah have significant truth to them, and significant
Scriptural support; yet all fall short of recognizing the truth in the
others' systems. Each of them limits the Kingdom of Yah to a short time-frame,
either to this present church age, or bound entirely to a 1,000
year age to come. Instead, the Bible speaks of the Kingdom of Yah as
eternal: unbound, unlimited, and everlasting!
Dan 4:3, 34-35,"How great are his signs! and
how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and his dominion is from generation to generation....and I blessed the
most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose
dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation
to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing:
and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the
inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him,
What doest thou?"
There is no hint here of Yah's Kingdom being limited to either a short
Church age now or to a thousand years later. When we limit Yah's Dominion
to only one age, we weaken His authority and deny His timeless sovereignty.
Notice above that the words "dominion" and "kingdom" are
used interchangeably. In the passage above, the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar,
recognized that Yah had the dominion even at that time in history. No
other ruler, no matter his apparent power, has any real "dominion," for
Yah has dominion at all times over all nations. Because our Yah is
sovereign, earthly kings rule at His Will. That may not always seem
apparent, but it is true. It is a mustard seed nation, which at first
is almost unnoticeable to humans, yet grows to become the greatest
of kingdoms, until it rules the whole earth.
Dan 2:44, "And in the days of these kings shall the Yah of heaven
set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not
be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."
Historians know that the fourth beast, Rome, continued on until the early
19th century in the Holy Roman Empire, and today is finally centered
in the Papacy itself. When this remnant of the Romish kingdom falls,
it will be succeeded by a different power, a Fifth Kingdom, the visible,
earthly phase of the Kingdom of Yah, which shall stand for ever. The
Kingdom of Yah remains a great secret to many; especially those who cannot
fathom the Sovereignty of Yah and His Eternal Dominion. But that Dominion,
on earth since Eden, will continue growing in visible might and power,
until it cannot be ignored. Then will begin the visible, physical phase
of Messiah's Kingdom.
The same four human kingdoms of Daniel chapter two, appear again in chapter
seven, this time symbolized as beasts. Here, we read:
Dan 7:27, "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of
the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints
of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions
shall serve and obey him."
The fact that all nations will serve and obey the Messiah indicates that
the Kingdom has not finished growing in visible power and might yet!
Therefore, the present Christian Church may be considered the Spiritual
phase of the Kingdom, but cannot by itself be all there is to that Kingdom.
There is more to come!
THE PHASES OF THE KINGDOM
Few stop to consider that the Kingdom of Yah is to be found throughout
the pages of Scripture. The Garden of Eden was God's perfect domain,
where he dwelled among our first ancestors. That Garden was not only
a foretaste of the Kingdom spoken of in the Book of Revelation, it was
actually an early phase of the Divine Kingdom itself, or Yah's reign
among mankind.
Later, Yah dwelled among men in the Tabernacle in the wilderness. We
are told that the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle was Yah's specific
dwelling place at that time. Following that period, Yah dwelled in the
Temple at Jerusalem. Exodus 19:6 tells us that Yah designated
Israel as the Kingdom People, "a Kingdom of priests and
a holy nation." It was a Theocracy, or rule by Yah. This
might be referred to as, THE PRIESTLY OR PASSOVER PHASE of the Kingdom
of Yah. After the fall of Jerusalem, the royal line of Judah probably
did not see its end, as the prophet Jeremiah took the daughters of the
last king of Judah, Zedekiah, along with the Ark of the Covenant, and
fled according to tradition to another part of the earth where their
descendants dwell and reign to this day.
In 2 B.C. came the birth of the promised Messiah. But being crowned King
of an earthly Kingdom was not yet His Purpose at that time in history.
As His Crucifixion drew near, He declared:
John 14:16-18, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give
you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit
of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither
knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."
The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, has a Spiritual reign in the lives of
Yah's people during this church age. Again, where Yah dwells is His Kingdom
and Dominion. Some may deny the work of the Holy Spirit among us, but
God did not leave us "comfortless," even for an instant. This
present reign of the Holy Spirit may be called the SPIRITUAL PHASE of
the Kingdom, and began with signs on the day of Pentecost.
The Amillennialist tells us that the Kingdom ends as this age comes to
a close and is succeeded by "the eternal state." Yet Scripture
indicates that there are actually not one, but two or more ages (plural)
yet to come before any "eternal state." (Ages 'to come' are
not yet here.)
Eph 2:7, "That in the AGES TO COME he might show the exceeding
riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
Mention of these ages appears in Revelation chapter 20 (the "thousand
years" or Millennium) and chapter 21 (the "New
Heavens And Earth.") But it is not correct (as the Amillennialists
teach) that the Book of Revelation contains the only Scriptural references
to future Kingdom ages. Luke also says,
Luke 1:31, "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and
bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Yahshuah."
Luke 1:32, "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
and the Lord Yah shall give unto him the throne of his father David:"
Luke 1:33, "And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and
of his kingdom there shall be no end."
Notice that it is a literal earthly throne from which Messiah will reign;
David was a literal person who reigned on literal earth, not in heaven.
This fact is often dismissed as "Premillennialism." That may
be so, but it is also Scripture! Second, Messiah's Kingdom is again said
to last "forever...of His Kingdom there shall be no end." Where
then do some get the idea that the Kingdom comes to an end with the Church
age? The symbolism in the Old Testament Feast of Tabernacles pointed
to this time period, so these future ages of the Kingdom may be termed
the Tabernacles phase.
Thus we see the truth that at every time in history, the Kingdom of Yah
was in existence in some form, at some place on the earth. Otherwise,
the Old and New Testament writers could not have called it an Everlasting
Kingdom!
ISRAEL: A SOURCE OF CONFUSION
What is the reason for the immense confusion over the nature and timing
of the Kingdom of Yah? The answer can be summed up in one word: ISRAEL.
Whoever you conceive Israel to represent (whether spiritual or literal),
will affect your view of the Kingdom, because the nucleus of the Kingdom
is Bible Israel. In other words, your concept of the identity of the
Kingdom People will reveal your view of the nature of the Kingdom itself.
For example, many say that the modern Jewish people constitute Yah's
Israel. But since they have rejected the Savior, Yahshuah, it would
be a logical conclusion that Yah must not be working with them until
some later time, evidently a later age, and therefore the Kingdom is
postponed until that time. This is the view of Premillennialism.
If instead you believe in a Spiritual-Israel found in the modern-day
Christian Church, then logically you would be likely to embrace Amillennialism
or Postmillennialism, which teach that the Kingdom is to be found in
the Church. These views state that Yah divorced racial Israel for their
unbelief, and has permanently replaced them with "Spiritual-Israel," the
Christian Church.
Finally, if you believe that Israel is both Spiritual and physical, then
you would logically accept an Eternal Kingdom not limited to one age.
For if some of Israel did accept their Savior, then Yah is
continuing to work through them, both now and in future ages, without
any interruption in the Divine Kingdom or Plan. We believe that this,
in fact, is the teaching of the Scriptures.
All other Millennial interpretations teach that the ancient Israel Kingdom
theocracy (rule by Yah) ended by the close of the Old Testament, either
temporarily (Premillennialism) or permanently (Amillennialism and Postmillennialism),
to be substituted by the Church. In contrast, the Bible identifies the
Church with Israel, for the Old Testament Kingdom is called, "the
church in the wilderness." (Acts 7:38) Dr.
Charles Hodge remarked, "There is no authorized definition
of the Church which does not include the people of God under the Mosaic
Law."National Israel is closely identified with the
Church; for Israelites, Yah's sheep, were the nucleus of the Church.
The late pastor, Claud Coffin, in his booklet entitled, "God's Emerging Kingdom" pointed out, "The Christian age began with the statement of John the Baptist, and that of our Lord Himself, that "the Kingdom of God is at hand"; that is, already present. (Mark 1:14-15). Our Lord's whole teaching ministry was concerned with varying phases, or stages, of its development." Yah's Kingdom is everlasting, but it is manifest in a series of stages throughout history. The Old Testament Passover Phase found Israel a Kingdom of Priests. With the advent of the Holy Spirit came the Spiritual Phase. This will be followed by the Tabernacles Phase, with Messiah tabernacling on earth with His Redeemed. These three phases of the Kingdom are also typified in the three ancient feasts of Israel: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. The question before us may therefore be reduced to its simplest form: Do we proclaim that the Kingdom of Yah is everlasting -yesterday, today, and tomorrow? Or do we deceive ourselves into limiting that everlasting Kingdom to a Church age now or a Jewish age later?