The Theocratic Kingdom of Our Lord Jesus, the Christ

By George N. H. Peters

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Prop. 1.—The Kingdom of God is a subject of vital importance
Prop. 2.—The establishment of this Kingdom was determined before, and designed or prepared from, the foundation of the world
Prop. 3.—The meanings usually given to this Kingdom indicate that the most vague, indefinite notions concerning it exist in the minds of many
Prop. 4.—The literal, grammatical interpretation of the Scriptures must (connected with the
figurative, tropical, or rhetorical) be observed in order to obtain a correct understanding of the
Kingdom
Prop. 5.—The doctrine of the Kingdom is based on the inspiration of the Word of God
Prop. 6.—The Kingdom of God is intimately connected with the Supernatural
Prop. 7.—The Kingdom being a manifestation of the Supernatural, miracles are connected
with it
Prop. 8.—The doctrine of the Kingdom presupposes that of sin, the apostasy of man
Prop. 9.—The nature of, and the things pertaining to, the Kingdom can only be ascertained
within the limits of Scripture
Prop. 10.—This Kingdom should be studied in the light of the Holy Scriptures, and not merely
in that of Creeds, Confessions, Formulas of Doctrine, etc.
Prop. 11.—The mysteries of the Kingdom were given to the apostles
Prop. 12.—There is some mystery yet connected with the things of the Kingdom
Prop. 13.—Some things pertaining to the Kingdom intentionally revealed somewhat obscurely
Prop. 14.—Some things pertaining to the Kingdom not so easily comprehended as many
suppose
Prop. 15.—The doctrine of the Kingdom can become better understood and appreciated
Prop. 16.—This Kingdom cannot be properly comprehended without acknowledging an
intimate and internal connection existing between the Old and New Testaments
Prop. 17.—Without study of the prophecies no adequate idea can be obtained of the Kingdom
Prop. 18.—The prophecies relating to the establishment of the Kingdom of God are both
conditioned and unconditioned
Prop. 19.—The New Testament begins the announcement of the Kingdom in terms expressive
of its being previously well known
Prop. 20.—To comprehend the subject of the Kingdom it is necessary to notice the belief and
expectations of the more pious portion of the Jews
Prop. 21.—The prophecies of the Kingdom interpreted literally sustain the expectations and
hopes of the pious Jews
Prop. 22.—John the Baptist, Jesus, and the disciples employed the phrases “Kingdom of
Heaven,” “Kingdom of God,” etc., in accordance with the usage of the Jews
Prop. 23.—There must be some substantial reason why the phrases “Kingdom of God,” etc.,
were thus adopted
Prop. 24.—The Kingdom is offered to an elect nation, viz., the Jewish nation
Prop. 25.—The Theocracy was an earnest, introductory, or initiatory form of this Kingdom
Prop. 26.—The Theocracy thus instituted would have been permanently established if the
people, in their national capacity, had been faithful in obedience
Prop. 27.—The demand of the nation for an earthly king was a virtual abandonment of the
Theocratic Kingdom by the nation
Prop. 28.—God makes the Jewish king subordinate to His own Theocracy
Prop. 29.—This Theocracy, or Kingdom, is exclusively given to the natural descendants of
Abraham, in their corporate capacity
Prop. 30.—The prophets, however, without specifying the manner of introduction, predict
that the Gentiles shall participate in the blessings of the Theocracy or Kingdom
Prop. 31.—This Theocracy was identified with the Davidic Kingdom
Prop. 32.—This Theocratic Kingdom, thus incorporated with the Davidic, is removed when the
Davidic is overthrown
Prop. 33.—The prophets, some even before the captivity, foreseeing the overthrow of the
Kingdom, both foretell its downfall and its final restoration
Prop. 34.—The prophets describe this restored Kingdom, its extension, glory, etc., without
distinguishing between the First and Second Advents
Prop. 35.—The prophets describe but one Kingdom
Prop. 36.—The prophets, with one voice, describe this one Kingdom, thus restored, in terms
expressive of the most glorious additions
Prop. 37.—The Kingdom thus predicted and promised was not in existence when the
forerunner of Jesus appeared
Prop. 38.—John the Baptist preached that this Kingdom, predicted by the prophets, was “nigh
at hand”
Prop. 39.—John the Baptist was not ignorant of the Kingdom that he preached
Prop. 40.—The hearers of John believed that he preached to them the Kingdom predicted by
the prophets, and in the sense held by themselves
Prop. 41.—The Kingdom was not established under John’s ministry
Prop. 42.—Jesus Christ in His early ministry preached that the Kingdom was “nigh at hand”
Prop. 43.—The disciples sent forth by Jesus to preach this Kingdom were not ignorant of the
meaning to be attached to the Kingdom
Prop. 44.—The preaching of the Kingdom, being in accordance with that of the predicted
Kingdom, raised no controversy between the Jews and Jesus, or between the Jews and His
disciples and apostles
Prop. 45.—The phrases “Kingdom of Heaven,” “Kingdom of God,” “Kingdom of Christ,” etc.,
denote the same Kingdom
Prop. 46.—The Kingdom anticipated by the Jews at the First Advent is based on the Abrahamic
and Davidic covenants
Prop. 47.—The Jews had the strongest possible assurances given to them that the Kingdom
based on these covenants would be realized
Prop. 48.—The Kingdom being based on the covenants, the covenants must be carefully
examined, and (Prop. 4) the literal language of the same must be maintained
Prop. 49.—The covenants being, in Revelation, the foundation of the Kingdom, must first be
received and appreciated
Prop. 50.—This Kingdom will be the outgrowth of the renewed Abrahamic covenant, under
which renewal we live
Prop. 51.—The relation that the Kingdom sustains to “the covenants of promise” enables us to
appreciate the prophecies pertaining to the Kingdom
Prop. 52.—The promises pertaining to the Kingdom, as given in the covenants, will be strictly
fulfilled
Prop. 53.—The genealogies of our Lord form an important link in the comprehension of the
Kingdom
Prop. 54.—The preaching of the Kingdom by John, Jesus, and the disciples, was confined to the
Jewish nation
Prop. 55.—It was necessary that Jesus and His disciples should, at first, preach the Kingdom as
nigh to the Jewish nation
Prop. 56.—The Kingdom was not established during the ministry of “the Christ”
Prop. 57.—This Kingdom was offered to the Jewish nation, but the nation rejected it
Prop. 58.—Jesus, toward the close of His ministry, preached that the Kingdom was not nigh
Prop. 59.—This Kingdom of God offered to the Jewish elect nation, lest the purpose of God
fail, is to be given to others who are adopted
Prop. 60.—This Kingdom of God is given, not to nations, but to one nation
Prop. 61.—The Kingdom which by promise exclusively belonged to the Jewish nation, the
rightful seed of Abraham, was now to be given to an engrafted people
Prop. 62.—This people, to whom the Kingdom is to be given, gathered out of the nations,
becomes the elect nation
Prop. 63.—The present elect, to whom the Kingdom will be given, is the continuation of the
previous election chiefly in another engrafted people
Prop. 64.—The Kingdom being given to the elect only, any adoption into that elect portion
must be revealed by express Divine Revelation
Prop. 65.—Before this Kingdom can be given to this elect people, they must first be gathered
out
Prop. 66.—The Kingdom that was nigh at one time (viz., at the First Advent) to the Jewish
nation is now removed to the close of its tribulation, and of the times of the Gentiles
Prop. 67 .—The Kingdom could not, therefore, have been set up at that time, viz., at the First
Advent
Prop. 68.—This Kingdom is then essentially a Jewish Kingdom
Prop. 69.—The death of Jesus did not remove the notion entertained by the disciples and
apostles concerning the Kingdom
Prop. 70.—The apostles, after Christ’s ascension, did not preach, either to Jews or Gentiles,
that the Kingdom was established
Prop. 71.—The language of the apostles confirmed the Jews in their Messianic hopes of the
Kingdom
Prop. 72.—The doctrine of the Kingdom, as preached by the apostles, was received by the
early Church
Prop. 73.—The doctrine of the Kingdom preached by the apostles and elders raised up no
controversy with the Jews
Prop. 74.—The belief in the speedy Advent of Christ, entertained both by the apostles and the
churches under them, indicates what Kingdom was believed in and taught by the first Christians
Prop. 75.—The doctrine of the Kingdom, as held by the churches established by the apostles,
was perpetuated
Prop. 76.—The doctrine of the Kingdom was changed under the Gnostic and Alexandrian
influence
Prop. 77.—The doctrine of the Kingdom, as held by the early Church, was finally almost
exterminated under the teaching and power of the Papacy
Prop. 78.—The early Church doctrine was revived after the Reformation
Prop. 79.—The Kingdom of God, promised by covenant and prophets, is to be distinguished
from the general and universal sovereignty of God
Prop. 80.—This Kingdom of covenant, promise, and prediction is to be distinguished from the
sovereignty which Jesus exercises in virtue of His Divine nature
Prop. 81.—This Kingdom, as covenanted, belongs to Jesus, as “the Son of Man”
Prop. 82.—This Kingdom is a complete restoration, in the person of the Second Adam or Man,
of the dominion lost by the First Adam or Man
Prop. 83.—This Kingdom is given to “the Son of Man” by God, the Father
Prop. 84.—As this Kingdom is specially given to “the Son of Man” as the result of His
obedience, sufferings, and death, it must be something different from His Divine nature, or from
“piety,” “religion,” “God’s reign in the heart,” etc.
Prop. 85.—Neither Abraham nor his engrafted seed have as yet inherited the Kingdom; hence
the Kingdom must be something different from “piety,” “religion,” “God’s reign in the heart,”
etc.
Prop. 86.—The object or design of this dispensation is to gather out these elect to whom, as
heirs with Abraham and his seed Christ, this Kingdom is to be given
Prop. 87.—The postponement of the Kingdom is the key to the understanding of the meaning
of this dispensation
Prop. 88.—The Church is then a preparatory stage for this Kingdom
Prop. 89.—Christ, in view of this future Kingdom, sustains a peculiar relationship to the Church
Prop. 90.—Members of the Church who are faithful are promised this Kingdom
Prop. 91.—The Kingdom of God is not the Jewish Church
Prop. 92.—This Kingdom is not what some call, “the Gospel Kingdom”
Prop. 93.—The covenanted Kingdom is not the Christian Church
Prop. 94.—The overlooking of the postponement of this Kingdom is a fundamental mistake
and fruitful source of error in many systems of Theology
Prop. 95.—If the Church is the Kingdom, then the terms “Church” and “Kingdom” should be
synonymous
Prop. 96.—The differences visible in the Church are evidences that it is not the predicted
Kingdom of the Messiah
Prop. 97.—The various forms of Church government indicate that the Church is not the
promised Kingdom
Prop. 98.—That the Church was not the Kingdom promised to David’s Son was the belief of
the early Church
Prop. 99.—The opinion that the Church is the predicted Kingdom of the Christ was of later
origin than the first or second century
Prop. 100.—The visible Church is not the predicted Kingdom of Jesus Christ
Prop. 101.—The invisible Church is not the covenanted Kingdom of Christ
Prop. 102.—Neither the visible nor invisible Church is the covenanted Kingdom
Prop. 103.—This Kingdom is not a Kingdom in “the third heaven”
Prop. 104.—The Christian Church is not denoted by the predicted Kingdom of the
prophets
Prop. 105.—The Lord’s Prayer, as given to the disciples, and understood by them,
amply sustains our position
Prop. 106.—Our doctrine of the Kingdom sustained by the temptation of Christ

Volume 1, Propositions 1-106

Prop. 1. The kingdom of God is a subject of vital importance

The Scriptures cannot be rightly comprehended without a due knowledge of this kingdom. It is a fact, attested by a multitude of works, and constantly presented in all phases of Biblical literature, that the doctrine respecting the kingdom has materially affected the judgments of men concerning the canonical authority, the credibility, inspiration, and the meaning of the writings contained in the Bible. If in error here, it will inevitably manifest itself, e.g., in exegesis and criticism. This feature has been noticed by various writers, and, however explained, the views entertained on this subject are admitted to greatly modify the reception, the interpretation, and the doctrinal teaching of the Word. To illustrate: Olshausen, Pref. to Com., attributes Luther’s remarks and hesitancy concerning the Apocalypse to a preconceived opinion of the kingdom, and to his not “thoroughly apprehending the doctrine of God’s kingdom upon earth.” Numerous examples will be given as we proceed. It is gratifying that recent writers begin to appreciate the leading doctrine of the kingdom. While some are wrong in not more accurately distinguishing between the Divine Sovereignty (Props. 80 and 81) and the covenanted kingdom (Prop. 49, etc.), yet, as the Bible, they correctly make the kingdom of God the central topic around which all other doctrines logically arrange themselves. Correctly apprehending the kingdom of God as the guiding idea, Oosterzee (Ch. Dog., vol. i. p. 65) justly observes: “The dogmatic theology which understands its vocation will be neither more nor less than a theology of the kingdom in all the force of the word.” He aptly remarks (p. 168): “The idea of the kingdom of God is the golden thread which runs through all; and of this kingdom the Bible is the document;” and quotes Nitzsch: “The Word of God is the testimony of His kingdom, in the form of a history and doctrine explained and continued by personal organs.” Many others, however they may treat it, designate it as Augustine (The City of God), a fundamental thought or idea.

Obs. 1. Its importance may be estimated by considering the following particulars: object designed by the oath-bound covenant (Prop. 49). 2. It is the great theme, the burden of prophecy (Props. 33–35, etc). 3. It is a subject which embraces a larger proportion of Revelation than all other subjects combined; thus indicating the estimation in which it is held by God. Dr. Pye Smith, Bickersteth, and others have well observed and commented on this peculiarity—viz., that inspired writers say more respecting the kingdom of Christ than they do concerning all other things treated or discussed in the Word. 4. It was the leading subject of the preaching of John the Baptist, Christ, the disciples and apostles (Props. 38–74). 5. It was a cherished subject of preaching in the primitive Church (Props. 75–77). 6. It is the foundation of a correct scriptural preaching, for the Gospel itself is “the gospel of the kingdom.” 7. To promote its establishment Jesus appears, suffers, and dies (Props. 50, 181), and to manifest it He will come again (Props. 66, 68, 130, etc.). 8. Jesus Christ Himself, must be deeply interested in it, since it is a distinguishing blessing and honor given to Him by the Father (Prop. 84), and belongs to Him as His inheritance (Props. 82, 116, etc.). 9. We are invited, as the most precious of privileges, to inherit this kingdom (Prop. 96). 10. It is the constantly presented object of faith and hope, which should influence us to prayer, duty, and watchfulness. 11. It is the result of the preparatory dispensations, enabling us to appreciate the means employed to attain this end. 12. It embraces within itself perfect completed redemption; for in it all the promises of God will be verified and realized. 13. It exhibits in an outward form the pleasure of the Divine will in the salvation of the race and the deliverance of creation (Props. 149, 145, etc.). 14. It brings the Divine utterances into unity of design (Props. 174, 175), exhibits manifested unity (Prop. 173), and vindicates the inspiration of Holy Writ (Prop. 182), including the Apocalypse (Prop. 176). 15. It enforces not only the humanity (Props. 82, 89) of Christ, but also His Divinity (Props. 85 and 183), with the strongest reasoning. 16. It exhibits to us the majesty and glory of Jesus, “The Christ,” as Theocratic King (Props. 88, 89, 132, 184, etc.), and the preeminent position of “the first-born” who are co-heirs with Him (Props. 118, 119, 127, etc.). All these, as well as other related points, will be fully discussed in the following pages. A sufficiency is briefly stated, that the reader may not fail to see how significant must be a proper comprehension of this subject. We are prepared, from such considerations, to appreciate the remark attributed by Lange (Com., vol. 1, p. 254) to Starke: “The kingdom of heaven must form the central point of all theological learning.” Van Oosterzee (Theol. of the N.T., p. 69) calls it the foundation thought, and, after giving the doctrine of the kingdom its proper position in the teaching of Jesus (saying, “that the idea of the kingdom of God is fundamental in the theology of Christ,”) remarks: “Already Hess has furnished a treatise on the doctrine of the kingdom of God, in which he shows how prominent a place this idea occupies in Holy Scripture, especially in the teaching of the Lord. It is surprising therefore that Schmid, in the work cited, assigns to it the third place in his treatment of the doctrine of Jesus. Much better Neander, who, in his life of Jesus, derives a ‘whole system of truths’ from the parables of the kingdom of God.” Let us add, however, that even Schmid does ample justice in acknowledging its importance, when (e.g., Bib. Theol. N.T., p. 243) he calls it, the groundwork of His (Christ’s) teaching.

Such testimony could be multiplied. It is gratifying to find numerous recent writers of eminence (as e.g. Delitzsch, Auberlen, Kurtz, Bonar, etc.) who emphatically declare that the most important subject for careful consideration, and the one, too, that will most serve to explain the plan of salvation, is that contained so prominently in the preaching of Christ, viz., that of the kingdom. We conclude in the words of one of the most recent, Thompson (Theol. of Christ, p. 19): “The whole circle of doctrines taught by Christ revolves about this central point, that he represented to men the kingdom of God;” or to recall Oosterzee (Ch. Dog., vol. 1, p. 169): “The central thought is contained in the idea of the kingdom of God.” Dr. Kling (Herzog’s Ency., Art. “Kingdom of God”) pertinently says: “The idea of the kingdom of God is the central idea of the entire economy of revelation; the kingdom of God is the purpose of all heavenly revelation and preparations, and therefore the moving principle of Divine works, guidance, and institutions of the Old and New Testament, the law and the gospel, and even of creation and promise from the beginning on.”

Obs. 2. It is significant to the thoughtful student—a fulfillment of prophecy—that the idea of a distinctive Divine kingdom related to Christ and this earth, a kingdom which decidedly holds the foremost place in the teaching of Jesus, should be made, both (with few exceptions) in theology and the confessions of the Church, to come down from its first position in the Bible and occupy, when alluded to, a very subordinate one. In hundreds of books, where it reasonably ought to be conspicuous, a few references of a somewhat mystical and unsatisfactory nature, or a brief endorsement of the old monkish view that it applies to the Church, dismisses the entire subject; while inferior subjects have long chapters and even volumes in their interest. There is, to the reflecting mind, something radically wrong in such a change of position, and the wider the departure from the scriptural basis the more defective does it become. Any effort, as here made, to restore the doctrine of the kingdom to its true and paramount Biblical station should at least solicit attention.

Obs. 3. The kingdom deserves the first place in Biblical and the first rank in Systematic theology. reasons for this, as already intimated, are abundant. This has been too much overlooked, and the kingdom has been placed in a subordinate position, until for some years past a reaction—induced by unbelieving attacks—has taken place, and the kingdom (however explained) is brought out again most prominently, especially by Lange (see Pref. to Com.), Van Oosterzee (Ch. Dogmatics), Thompson (Theol. of Christ), Auberlen (Div. Rev.), and others. while thus advocating its claims to doctrinal position, we do not, as sometimes unjustly charged, depreciate the importance, the value, and the exceeding precious- ness of the person and death of Jesus. The latter is doctrinally the outgrowth from the former, and as provisionary (for without the latter the kingdom, as covenanted and promised, could not possibly be obtained), for the kingdom, is of incalculable consequence.

If it be said that “the Christ” is of greater importance than the kingdom, this is fully admitted, inasmuch as the theocratic king who establishes the kingdom is greater than the kingdom itself. Indeed, as the student will observe, our line of reasoning proceeds to exalt the kingdom because of the vital union existing between the king and kingdom—the latter being the inheritance of the former. On the other hand, we glorify “the Christ’ by showing the result and grandeur of His work as exhibited in this theocratic ordering. In the kingdom, Jesus Himself is evermore the central figure, and He can never be regarded in a higher, holier, clearer light than that reflected upon Him by His theocratic relationship. This will hereafter be brought forth in detail.

Obs. 4. In proportion as investigation advances in this direction may we expect valuable acquisitions. Reuss (Hist. of Ch. Theol. of Ap. Age, p. 137), although mistaken in his interpretation of the kingdom, truthfully says: “There can be no doubt, then, that this full and suggestive idea of the kingdom of God must be in some way the mine to be explored by us, in order to bring to light the treasures which Christian science have to mould and fashion, to meet the necessities of every successive sphere, and the measure and capacities of every mind.”

Obs. 5. That the subject of the kingdom is one widely acknowledged as leading can even be seen in the most extreme views, as e.g. Swedenborgianism, Mormonism, Shakerism, etc. We need only refer to the simple fact that writers of pantheistic and mystical tendencies have taken the phrase “kingdom of heaven” to be the real starting-point of Christianity, which they designate “The New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven;” and from which they argue that all men should morally labor for the infinite, making every effort, whether in religion, science, poetry, art, etc., to be hailed as a subjective submission to, or acknowledgment of, this kingdom. Taking the spiritualized notion entertained by many in the Church, they enlarge it by giving to it a pantheistical dress or mystical adornment, to suit their ideas of evolution, law, unity, philosophy, human nature, spiritualism, etc. Attention now is only called to the circumstance, that in systems and theories of religion the most unscriptural, still a great degree of prominency is given to the idea of the kingdom.

Even Bauer says: “The essence of Christianity is the doctrine of the kingdom of God, and the conditions requisite for a participation in this, so as to place man in a genuine moral relation to God.” Christlieb (Modern Doubt, p. 38) approvingly quotes Bauer, but is inclined to make the essence to be Christ, bringing men back in and through Christ. Both are correct: viewing Christ as the means of salvation, etc., He is the foundation of the Christian system; but regarding the Bible in its doctrinal aspect or even the end designed by Christianity and its relationship to the past and the future, then the kingdom of God forms the fundamental idea, and “the Christ” is the chosen instrumentality by which it is to be realized. As our work is devoted to the doctrinal aspect, we would say that the essence of Christianity, linked with the past dispensations and the future one, is the kingdom of God, more specifically shown to be obtained through Jesus Christ—now the heirship by repentance and faith in Him, then by actual inheriting at His coming.

Obs. 6. This subject is attractive to the reverent believer not merely because of its being the absorbing theme of Old Testament prophecy and New Testament prediction, but owing to the personal relationship that he sustains, as an heir, to it. It is fitting to recognize, comprehend, and appreciate our inheritance. But even the literary aspect, the intellectual excellence of it, invites earnest investigation. Aside from its being a predominating idea of a book, which has had such a molding influence in all the departments of life, it is the topic which, above all others, calls forth the most eloquent and sublime of all the descriptions and promises of the Bible, culminating in the last heart-stirring words of Jesus entrusted to John.

This excellence is illustrated, e.g., by the last chapter of Habakkuk, which Dr. Franklin admired as exceeding all human descriptions, and which, it is said, he caused a number of infidels at Paris, reading it to them without informing them that it was in the Bible, to eulogize as something descriptively grand. The reader, too, may recall the poet Burns, so sensitive to beauty, that it is said of him that he could not read Isaiah 25:8, Revelation 21:4, and kindred passages without being affected to tears. Who can estimate the emotions, the delight excited by this subject, as presented by inspired men, in the hearts of believers in the past and present.

Obs. 7. When surveying the vast array of facts and events, some the greatest that the world has ever witnessed, all pointing to this kingdom as a contemplated end; when looking at the same as they occur and exist today, preparatory to the kingdom; and when contemplating the host of remarkable, astounding events predicted to come to pass in connection with the kingdom still future, surely this forms a subject worthy, beyond all others, of the earnest, devout and patient study of every student of the world’s eventful and, without this key, perplexing history. The kingdom embraces so much, both in preparation and in actual realization, that, in view of its extent, the doctrine exceeds all others in magnitude, enfolding in itself nearly all doctrine. To this we may add the pregnant idea (Lange’s Com. Luke, p. 326, Doc. 1): “It lies in the nature of the case that Christian eschatology, the more the course of time advances, must become less and less an unimportant appendix, and more and more a locus primarius of Christian doctrine.”

Obs. 8. A deeper investigation of this doctrine and a correspondent return to the old faith, held by men who, by position and association (as e.g. Apostolical Church), were pre-eminently qualified to comprehend it, will remove those painful concessions now made to unbelief, which stigmatizes the apostles and early Church as still under the influence of “erroneous Jewish forms.” Such a study and return, will relieve theologians from being driven to the humiliating expedient of virtually acknowledging that the apostles were mistaken in their notions respecting the kingdom; that they embraced “the Jewish husk,” which, however, contained the germ of truth (which they, situated as they were, could not properly appreciate) that “the consciousness of the Church” in its development (so Neander, etc.) was to strip of its surroundings and fructify into full grown truth. It is alone in the direction indicated by us, that we can hope—defending as it does every utterance and doctrinal position of the first preachers of the kingdom—for a consistent pleading, justification, and protection against the Strauss and Bauer school (and others), which has driven noted theologians—led by a preconceived doctrine of the kingdom—to place “the consciousness of the Church” (that finally obtained the truth which had escaped the grasp of the apostles), as exhibited in Church authority or theology, or the productions of fallible men, above that of the Scriptures containing “the Jewish husk.” The importance of our doctrine is evinced, in that it reverses all this, exalting and vindicating both the Scriptures and the correct knowledge of its inspired writers.

This doctrine, rightly apprehended, is not only important to elevate apologetics, to meet the objections of unbelief, to honor the authoritative doctrinal utterances of the Scriptures, but is admirably adapted to refute numerous errors, out of which religious systems are originated, and through which they are maintained. The following propositions will introduce many of these, and practically show how they are met and defeated by this doctrine alone.

Prop. 2. The establishment of this Kingdom was determined before, and designed or prepared from, the foundation of the world

These two phrases are given in Matthew 25:34, John 17:24, Ephesians 1:4, Hebrews 4:3, I Peter 1:20, Revelation 13:8, in comparison with other passages. The one may indicate that the Divine purpose relating to the kingdom existed in the mind of the Eternal before the creation of the world; and the other, that the creation itself both evinced His intention to carry out His design (i.e., was preparatory), and that it was in fact, as it existed before the fall and ensuing curse, the prepared sphere of its manifestation.

Comp. Matthew 13:35, Luke 11:50, Revelation 17:8. Whatever application these passages may have to the future kingdom, we cannot rid ourselves of the plainly implied meaning that, in the mind of the Divine Architect and Purposer, the contemplated final use of this world was allied with its origin. Shallow, unbelieving criticism makes itself merry at the idea of “the foundations of the earth,” and present it as a proof that the Bible teaches an untrue form, and hence exhibits ignorance. The forcible figure of speech and the intent are entirely overlooked, for the sake of making an uncritical attack. As to the form, the Bible gave it (Job 26:7) long before science taught it; as to “the foundations,” the general analogy of the Scriptures teach that these are in the creative power, wisdom, love—the attributes—of the Creator “in whom we live, move, and have our being.”

Obs. 1. Hence, we properly infer the dignity of this subject, comprehended in the eternal counsels and evolved from the ever-existing “purpose of Him, which worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.” King Edward VI.’s Catechism (Bickersteth’s Promised Glory, p. 2), however it may explain it, correctly affirms: “Before the Lord God made heaven and earth. He determined to have for Himself a most beautiful kingdom and holy commonwealth.” Moll (Lange’s Com. Heb., Doc. p. 211) says: “At the very creation of the world God looked forward to and made arrangements for the eternally abiding and unchangeable kingdom of glory; and to the introduction of that kingdom tend all the revelations, arrangements, and providences of God in the history of the world.”

Obs. 2. We also justly infer, that God’s will thus expressed respecting the kingdom indicates a Divine plan, which, in view of His attributes, necessarily embraces unity of design. Therefore, when the kingdom is once defined by the Spirit, no change or modification can possibly be allowed without the most express declarations from God announcing it.

Obs. 3. The idea of the kingdom being thus identified in its connection with eternal purpose and with creation, God will undoubtedly accomplish His revealed will concerning it, confirmed as it is even by oath. God Himself stands pledged to the ultimate realization of this idea.

Obs. 4. The exercise of creative power, and its continued exhibition in behalf of man and the world, clearly shows the Divine determination to establish this kingdom, notwithstanding the antagonistic elements introduced by the fall. All things exist, because God has a determined end in view, which end is embraced in this kingdom.

Obs. 5. This kingdom is one pertaining to the earth. Before the creation of the world, it only existed in the determination or purpose of God, but at creation the very foundation of the world was laid in preparation for it. We know that the expression “inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,” is interpreted by many simply to mean, prepared for you from the beginning or from eternity, and refers only to purpose. But taking into consideration the paradisiacal condition of the earth at creation and the fact (Props. 140–148) of its future restoration to the same when the kingdom is to be established, we believe that the phrase embraces a far deeper significance, viz., its relationship to the earth. “From the foundation of the world” is indicative that God purposed this very earth, when founded, for this kingdom.

Fairbairn (Typology, vol. 1, p. 312) says: “Because destined for Christ and his elect people in the mind of God,” to which we add, destined to become the theatre of a theocratic kingdom. It may be suggested: As will be shown hereafter, this kingdom embraces completed redemption, and this alone indicates the truthfulness of our proposition, because redemption (which the kingdom perfects) was in purpose co- existent with that of creation (Ephesians 1:4, I Peter 1:20). This enables us to consider the unbelieving objection that God made creation so imperfect that it required constant interference or “tinkering,” seeing that all things have been previously foreseen and provided for in order—against all adverse influences arising from free will, passion, prejudice, etc. to carry out a predetermined result to its intelligently expressed consummation. On the other hand, it answers the extravagant eulogies heaped by unbelief (in opposition to revelation) upon nature, its perfection, sublimity, etc., in showing that the Creator Himself, far from deeming nature able to save man, to render him happy, to deliver him from evil, declares it placed, with all its faded nobility, with all its tarnished greatness and riches, under a curse, and proposes in the doctrine of the kingdom a renewal, a deliverance, a restitution, which shall free nature, exalt man, and glorify the Maker.

Obs. 6. Such phraseology involves, of necessity, owing to the fall and entailed curse, a glorious restitution for which provision is to be made. We are pointed to that original perfection of creation which the Almighty pronounced good, but this being marred (as the Bible teaches) by sin and resultant evil, it is requisite, before God’s purpose is fully carried out, to restore that forfeited perfection. How this is done will be explained at length hereafter.

Obs. 7. This phraseology respecting the kingdom includes, in view of expressed predetermination, the appointment or preordination of the king (I Peter 1:20). It also comprehends the number of the rulers, elect, heirs or inheritors of the kingdom (Ephesians 1:4, etc.), as well as every particular, provisionary and realized, pertaining to it. God does not undertake the accomplishment of a set purpose without His perfect knowledge embracing all things relating to it. For “known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18, Isaiah 46:9–10, etc.)

Obs. 8. The idea of the kingdom being the beginning (i.e., leading to creation, etc.) and the ending (i.e., embracing the final result) of the dispensations or ages, we may well believe what the Scriptures state concerning it, viz., that this idea is carried on to a practical accomplishment in order that the supremacy and authority of God may be universally acknowledged, and that the manifold wisdom and love of the Lord may be displayed and experienced in the eternal ages. It also reaffirms that for this object and end all things are sustained and allowed, to work out, under Divine Providence, their destiny in respect to this kingdom.

Obs. 9. This language, so expressive of the comprehensiveness and fundamental nature of the kingdom idea, suggests to us that the dispensations or ages themselves (the Adamic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Christian) are ordered in their succession as part of the Divine purpose in relation to this kingdom. If we are to take the rendering given by Locke, Chandler, Clarke, Whitby, etc., to Ephesians 3:11, such a special ordering is announced. Instead of our version, “according to the eternal purpose,” etc., they read: “according to the disposition or arrangement of the ages which He made for (or, in or through) Christ Jesus our Lord.” Whatever translation we may prefer, one thing is certainly taught in the passage, viz., that in the “eternal purpose,” or “the purpose of the ages,” etc., is included the notion that time itself is embraced in God’s plan with special reference to Jesus Christ as the King of the kingdom, for whom the plan is carried into execution and by whom it will be perfected.

Favoring the rendering “the arrangement of the ages” as most in accord with analogy (teaching that times themselves are controlled, etc., by God), yet we object not to receive Bloomfield’s “disposition of the ages” or Barnes’ “purpose of the ages,” etc., because under all of them is still included the provisionary measures instituted in time, following each other in succession, for and by Christ. The idea of a Divine plan, ever-abiding and sure, is necessarily connected with the passage, which, as Holy Writ teaches, includes the doctrine that all things are ordered for and have their foundation in Christ, because He is the Christ, the theocratic king. The plan of salvation contemplates a restoration effected through Christ and witnessed in this kingdom, and, therefore, it embraces all arrangements, even those of time. This is corroborated by other passages. Thus e.g., I Corinthians 2:7 reads: “the mystery which He ordained before the worlds” (πρό τον αιο͂νο͂ν, before the ages), i.e., the ages relating to the world (Comp. Prof. Lewis’s ch. on Time-worlds in Six Days of Creation).

Obs. 10. The kingdom being comprehended in the eternal counsels of God and in the design of creation, and being allied with various orderings extending over the past history of the world and with others still future, we ought reasonably to anticipate it to be a deeply involved, widely comprising subject, having a variety of aspects (as e.g., in relation to the Father, Son, elect, etc.), and an encircling of other subjects (as e.g., election, resurrection, judgment, etc.), as well as a profundity of scope (as e.g., in relation to time, the person of the king, glorification, etc.), which demand most careful study, reflection, and comparison to understand.

Obs. 11. The proposition indicates a fundamental position that the student of the kingdom must occupy. It implies that as the kingdom is God’s purpose, all knowledge of the kingdom must be derived from Him. It is God’s idea, contemplated and realized, that we are endeavoring to apprehend, and all reliable information must come from Him. Hence, compare Prop. 9.

Obs. 12. In Proverbs 8:31, wisdom is represented as “rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth,” and as delighting in or presenting “my delights” to “the sons of men.” When the Divine purpose, as embraced in this kingdom, in reference to the earth and man, is completely manifested, then the reason of this will also fully appear. Wisdom will be justified both in preparing this earth for its display and in exhibiting itself in the riches bestowed upon her adherents in the theocratic relationship. If it is wisdom to receive any truth of God, much more is it wise to lay hold of the great leading truths, that we may finally obtain the blessings that true wisdom imparts.

Obs. 13. The proposition, from a purely Biblical standpoint, shows that we cannot entertain the view that unbelief urges against the Bible, viz., that Oriental religions antedate the Bible by many centuries. The respective proofs of priority are found in the respective religious works in the shape of assertion, and the truthfulness of one or the other must be determined by its contact with the facts of history. Now history, as far as known outside of the religions books, does not countenance Oriental exaggerations of age; on the other hand, history corroborates the Bible statement, which, owing to a plan systematically developed and with which is connected a vast array of facts, is fully sustained both as to alleged age and contents. (Compare Props. 179 and 182.) The proof of a continuous plan, evidenced in the history of the past and present, and in the immense superiority of subject matter, adaptation to man, etc., will follow in various propositions.

Obs. 14. Lastly, this proposition is based on the scripturally derived statement, that a Divine Creating Mind and a Ruling Will orders and rules over all, so that notwithstanding apparent difficulties and unexplained problems, that Mind and Will shall be ultimately triumphantly vindicated in an open, revealed manner, indicating, what piety already realizes as an earnest in preparatory work, their close and intimate relationship with man and earth. This absolute Mind and Will, affirming that it consciously and personally works to introduce a predetermined kingdom, is, of course, the original fountain-head from whence all proceeds. To the believer in the Word, it is unnecessary, because our views are based on Scripture, to add anything; but to the unbeliever we may remark: that in defense of such a position it is not required to represent the absurdities, the contradictions of reason, etc., into which those fall who deny this existing Mind and Will (other writers have ably done this), but rather to follow out in all its connections the leading doctrine of the kingdom, and from the evidences of marked design and unity manifested in its history, bring forth a proof in behalf of a personal existing God, ordering and overruling all things, that will commend itself to the intelligent reader more than any other that we could possibly propose. The greater the work contemplated—and there is none greater than this kingdom—the more clearly ought we to see the intelligence of the Mind that originates it, and the power of the Will that performs it. If that Mind and Will has proposed, in Revelation to man, a certain, determinate plan of operation by which the kingdom shall, after a while, be openly revealed; if the design and mode of procedure and result commends itself to faith and reason as adapted and desirable; if history and experience plainly sustains the developments of such a plan through the ages, then we may rest assured that in harmony with such a purposed plan, with its corroborating history and adjustment to the necessities of man and creation, there must be, as the Bible wisely and scientifically affirms, a guiding mind and controlling will. It would be premature to press this argument; let us then first present an array of incontrovertible facts, and from these facts, as a conclusion (e.g., Prop. 182, etc.), deduce the statement made, that the kingdom itself is dependent upon the pleasure and work of the Father both in its inception and provision, in its prediction and realization. (Comp. e.g. Prop. 84.)

This proposition logically follows from the idea of intelligent design. The Bible appeals to the evident manifestation of design in the mind of the Creator as exhibited in the ordering of the universe. Natural theology lays special stress on the evidences of a previous forethought and knowledge of adaptedness. The Scriptures likewise refer us to the abundant testimony of design in the mind of the Almighty Ruler as declared in the ordering and provisionary ruling of the world. The moral, religious, and civil training of mankind, the fundamental laws of society, etc., are appealed to in proof. Numerous passages like Psalm 94:9–10, Isaiah 40:14, Acts 15:18, Isaiah 46:9–10, Romans 11:33, Ephesians 1:8–9, etc., indicate not merely God’s knowledge and wisdom, but the manifestation of such in a predetermined purpose. Systematic theology directs particular attention to the evidences of a previously settled purpose. Our subject largely develops this fact, and insists upon the truth and force of Ephesians 3:10–11 and kindred passages.

Prop. 3. The meanings usually given to this kingdom indicate that the most vague, indefinite notions exist concerning it.

Theologians, eminent for their piety and position in the Church, are now entertaining crude ideas and contradictory conceptions of the kingdom. For many centuries, under the interpretation given by men who have, probably unconsciously, largely imbibed the spirit of the Alexandrian school, the kingdom has been made to mean a variety of things at the option of the writer. Modern authors, with but few exceptions, instead of discarding this looseness, seem to revel in it, making the kingdom to denote almost everything that fancy connects with religion, or the Church, or even with humanity. We select, out of numerous examples, several to illustrate the prevalent mode of expounding it, and the latitude of opinion expressed concerning it.

Obs. 1. Albert Barnes, who, possessing many admirable traits, is regarded as a popular commentator, gives the following definitions of the kingdom in his Commentary. The kingdom is, Matthew 3:2, “His (Messiah’s) spiritual reign begun in the Church on earth and completed in heaven;” Matthew 6:10, the “reign,” God’s reign, or the Gospel of Christ advanced; Matthew 13:24, “the gospel,” or “the effect of the gospel;” Matthew 13:31, “piety in a renewed heart, or the Church;” Matthew 13:44, “the gospel, the new dispensation, the offer of eternal life;” Matthew 13:45, “religion,” or “the gospel;” Matthew 13:52, “the gospel,” or “the truth;” Matthew 25:34. “salvation,” “eternal life,” or “heaven;” Matthew 26:29, “heaven;” Matthew 19:24, “way of salvation;” Matthew 21:31, to “become Christians,” or to “follow the Saviour;” Matthew 5:19, “the Church;” Matthew 5:20, “the Church,” or “the world to come;” Matthew 11:11, “preaching the kingdom of God, or the gospel;” Matthew 16:19, “the Church on earth;” etc. With minor changes (as e.g. John 3:5, “the true Church,” I Corinthians 15:24, “dominion in general”), and a hesitancy in precisely determining what it means (as e.g. Mark 10:15, “the gospel, the new dispensation by the Messiah, or the reign of God through a mediator,” etc.), we find these often repeated.

Surely the kingdom cannot possibly mean all these things, seeing that such explanations are both arbitrary and contradictory. The gospel of, or concerning, the kingdom is one fact, the kingdom itself is quite another; the dispensation in which the kingdom is to be manifested is certainly different from the kingdom which it embraces; the heirs of the kingdom are certainly not the inheritance. These and other plain scriptural statements are entirely overlooked in such definitions. The evident antagonism of such popular explanations are amply sufficient to their refutation. The reply to all such definitions will follow, as e.g. Props. 90–115.

Dr. Lawrence in the Independent, October 23d, 1870, makes “the kingdom of heaven” to mean: 1. “The universe of matter and mind;” 2. “That part of the revolted human race which has been brought into subjection to Christ;” 3. “A kingdom of grace, because it is by God’s love in Christ that they—believers—are brought into it;” 4. “A kingdom of glory in heaven;” and 5. “It is His reign over His loyal subjects.” Our Church literature is permeated with similar definitions. M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclop., Art. “Kingdom of Heaven,” defines it, first, “the Divine spiritual kingdom, the glorious reign of the Messiah;” then afterward it is “the Christian dispensation or the community of those who receive Jesus as the Messiah;” this again is divided into “an internal and external form”—internal “in the hearts of all Christians,” and externally it is “embodied in the visible Church;” and then finally in its future relation, “it denotes the bliss of heaven, eternal life.” Compare Dr. Craven’s remarks, in an excursus, Lange’s Com. Rev., p. 94, on Robinson’s definition (Greek Dic.) of the kingdom, who makes it a dispensation, also a principle, and likewise a people actuated by that principle. Dr. Craven justly objects to such “a looseness in the use of language.”

Obs. 2. Dr. Barrow, On the Creed, explains “the kingdom of heaven” as “capable especially of two acceptations.” Without discarding other views, he lays down this proposition: “It first commonly signifies the state or constitution of religion under the gospel, in opposition to, or contradistinction to, the state of things under the ancient law.” To prove this, he shows that “in the time of the law, God’s kingdom was in a manner earthly,” and proceeds to point out its earthly characteristics; but that now under the gospel “God’s kingdom is more capacious, unlimited,” and, in brief, more spiritual. From this he deduces that it may denote: 1. The state of relation; 2. The society of men put into such a state; and then also adds: 3. It is “taken for the perfection or utmost improvement of this state.”

Aside from the indefiniteness of such a definition, indicating the difficulty of forming a consistent whole (for the relation in which men are placed is superseded by the men themselves, and then again by the perfection of the state realized), we only now notice some self-contradictions which it contains:

If the phrase “kingdom of heaven” is used “in opposition or contradistinction to “former dispensations (the ancient Theocracy), then it follows, which he himself will not allow, that no true kingdom of God existed previously to the Christian Church.
If the kingdom only denotes the state or constitution of religion, does it embrace or reject that which preceded the Christian era? If it embraces it, then, after all the kingdom is a continuation of the former; if it rejects, then it does not allow that religion existed previously in “a state or constitution.”
If the mere “capaciousness,” etc. causes such a change in phraseology, that the expression “kingdom of heaven” is applicable to the Church now and not to the Church previously existing, how comes it, notwithstanding its supposed earthly nature (as opposed to the present state), that the ancient saints are accounted equally worthy with Christian believers to enter in and inherit the kingdom? The whole theory, in its invidious comparisons, is derogatory of God’s previous appointments, and degrades the position occupied by the ancient believers. Other objections, still more serious, will be brought forth under appropriate heads: these however, briefly suggested, are sufficient for the student to note the defectiveness of interpretation.

Obs. 3. Neander’s elaborated theory of the kingdom is pervaded by the same indistinctness and contradiction. Thus e.g., in one place (Life of Christ, sec. 213) the kingdom is something not visible, not outward; in other places (Hist. Ch. Church, vol. 2, p. 176) “the Church comprised the whole visible form of the kingdom of God,” and (p. 177) “hitherto, therefore, there could be no visible appearance of the kingdom of God beyond the pale of the Church.” His view only makes these “apparent” contradictions; for he has a number of kingdoms to suit the varied demands of his development speculations. He gives us:

An invisible kingdom connected with the Church;
An invisible kingdom established in the heart;
A visible kingdom in the Church;
A future consummation or completion by the direct intervention of Jesus Christ;
The present as one with the future, i.e. viewed connectedly;
A kingdom in the person of Christ;
The higher spiritual world or heavenly community co-existing with the invisible Church.

In defining, a singular variety is introduced, and as we shall have occasion to quote largely from him under the propositions relating to the Church, one illustration (Hist. Ch. Church, vol. 1, p. 499) will suffice: “The idea of the Church is subordinate to that of the kingdom of God, because by the latter is denoted either the whole of a series of historical developments or a great assemblage of co-existent spiritual creations.” Here is certainly a latitude opened great enough to introduce the various changes that strict adherence to the development theory required. Following propositions will show how unscriptural such interpretations are, when compared with the simplicity and unity of the Word. They engraft upon Holy Writ the deductions of Hegelian philosophy, and thus, through the great ability and learning cojoined, mislead the unwary reader.

Obs. 4. Dr. Lange (Bremen Lectures, 1871, Lec. 8) says: “The kingdom of God itself, the older theologians divided, not without grounds, into the kingdom of power, the kingdom of grace, the kingdom of glory. Still it must be remarked that each of these kingdoms properly separates into two kingdoms; the kingdom of power into God’s rule over entire nature, and His rule over the whole rebellion of such intelligences as, in the misuse of freedom, have gone astray; the kingdom of grace, into the typical prefiguration of the real kingdom of heaven, or the Old Testament theocracy, and into the real, i.e. spiritually potent, New Testament kingdom itself; the kingdom of glory, into the realm of the triumphant Church in the other world, and the union of that world and this in the final consummation.” Lange thus forms six kingdoms or divisions of the kingdom, which was rendered necessary by the partial rejection of the early Church doctrine. These are purely theological deductions, having no foundation whatever in Scripture, as will appear when “we come to the preaching of the apostles, the doctrine of the Church, etc. As we are only now concerned in giving a few specimens of entertained opinions, it is premature to present our reply. Like preceding definitions, it lowers the theocracy by denying to it the reality of being in all respects the kingdom of God. This alone should cause us to receive it with grave doubts.

It is difficult at times to understand those complex and contradictory meanings. Thus e.g., Lange in his Commentary gives a variety, some of which are not in accord with those just mentioned. In the general introduction he says: “As mankind was originally destined to form the kingdom of God, and for that purpose was arranged into one family, the kingdom of God may also be viewed as the restoration of mankind to one body under the One and Eternal Head (Acts 3:21, Ephesians 1:22) in whom it was elected from all eternity, and called, for the harmonious manifestation of the glory of God, Ephesians 1:4–5.” (This we can cordially adopt with the provision that this is done in the covenanted way proposed). But then he adds: “The kingdom of God is that new creation in which God reveals Himself in His character as Redeemer.” “It consists in the restoration of the dominion of the Spirit of God over the hearts of men,” etc. Hence it existed from the beginning of time, for he says, p. 3, “the real kingdom of God was founded when redemption was introduced,” etc. On p. 24 he has it founded in the Apostolic Church and manifested in “ecclesiastical and Christian life.” On p. 25 he has “the kingdom of heaven in the person of Christ,” and afterward “the person of Christ in the kingdom of heaven.” On p. 25 he has “His kingdom founded upon earth by the planting of His Church through the power of the Holy Ghost,” etc. Thus there is a shifting from one position to another, a substitution of the means by which to obtain the kingdom for the kingdom itself, etc., that evidences a weakness incompatible with a leading doctrine of the Bible. For indefiniteness, see Com. on Matthew 16:13, 20, p. 298, where it is, and then it is not, the kingdom of heaven. Comp. p. 299, s. 5 and 6, etc.

Obs. 5. Olshausen (Com. on Matthew 3:1) defines the kingdom of heaven to be both “external and internal;” externally in the Church, and ultimately in its consummation; internally in believers, and in the ideal future world. Hence a believer is already in the kingdom, or carries it with him, and “yet even for him it is still to come,” i.e., a higher manifestation or realization of it. This is also “applied to different relations” both of time, place, etc. How unsatisfactory this is in the light of covenant and promise, will be shown under the Church (Props. 94–115), where the incongruity of persons being in the kingdom while still heirs, the lack of resemblance between the covenanted kingdom and the Church (visible and invisible) are fully noticed. Much that Olshausen has written is valuable and suggestive (take e.g. the caution, ch. 10, p. 116, Introduction), but his exegesis of Matthew 3:2 is most certainly defective. For any theory which can make “is at hand” to be actually present, thus arbitrarily changing the tenses used; which virtually makes the kingdom of God “always existing,” thus not discriminating between things that materially differ; which makes the theocracy under Moses and David a mere type, thus overlooking its reality as a kingdom; which applies Luke 17:21 to a kingdom in the heart, divides and subdivides the kingdom after the fashion of those already referred to, and tells us, without proof annexed, that “the Saviour put forward its ideal character,” must be received with great caution.

The reader will notice that we also introduce those who are Millenarian, or have a strong bias for our doctrine (as Olshausen, Lange, etc.), and yet largely adopt the mystical notion of the kingdom. While such have the kingdom pre-eminently, and in its fulness, in the millennium, they also (not accurately distinguishing the kingdom, as covenanted, from the Church, not observing the postponement of the kingdom, not discerning the difference between the Divine Sovereignty and the Theocracy, etc.) have a kingdom now existing in the Church and individual believer, preparatory to and merging into the other or proper one. A large number of eminent men take this position, as e.g. Oosterzee, Delitzsch, Auberlen, Bonar, etc. A careful consideration of Scripture compels us to differ from brethren highly esteemed; the reasons will follow in their order.

Obs. 6. In Dr. Hodge’s recent work on Systematic Divinity, we find (p. 596, vol. 2) a section entitled, “the Church, God’s kingdom.” To prove this caption, he informs us that God determined to deliver man from his apostasy, and hence inaugurated a kingdom antagonistic to that of darkness. This kingdom thus introduced had no “visible organization apart from the families, the people of God.” It was afterward through the descendants of the patriarchs formed into a “visible kingdom,” which has existed down to the present day. But when we ask, if it has always thus existed, why e.g. do the prophets speak of it as non-existing, as still future, as something to be anticipated, as set up by the Messiah at His coming, such questions, and similar ones, that readily suggest themselves to the scholar, remain unanswered. Indeed, as he goes on defining, he forgets his previous declaration; for when speaking of the nature of Christ’s kingdom he tells us, that “as the Messiah was to come to make all things new” (which he thus strangely locates with the first Advent instead of the second, as the Scriptures do), we have also “the establishment of a new kingdom.” How can it be new, if it has always existed? Then he has Christ’s dominion over the universe, calling it “the kingdom of power;” Christ’s “spiritual kingdom,” which is twofold, viz., an invisible kingdom consisting only of the regenerated, and a visible kingdom manifested in the organized, external society of believers.

Finally, he gives us “the kingdom of glory” to be revealed when Christ comes again. Thus he presents us,

An invisible kingdom down to the patriarchs;
A visible kingdom down to Christ;
An invisible one down to the first Advent;
Christ’s kingdom of power;
Christ’s invisible kingdom since his Advent;
Christ’s visible kingdom extending from the same period;
And the kingdom of glory.

Surely the very enumeration of such a list, when compared with the simplicity and uniform phraseology of the Bible, forces upon our minds the suspicion that there must be a serious defect in a system which requires such an array of kingdoms; which ignores the distinctive marks of the covenanted kingdom; which does not distinguish between the universal Divine sovereignty and the kingdom as predicted; and which presents us a series of definitions utterly unknown to those who were specially set apart to preach the gospel of the kingdom.

Such interpretations, with slight changes, could be multiplied. The New Testament, with notes published by the American Tract Society on Matthew 3:2, makes the kingdom “the sway of Christ’s Gospel and dispensation over the hearts, lives, and destinies of men, both in this world and the next,” and this (mistaking the means for the end) is equivalent to “the Messiah’s reign as predicted by the prophets.” But to make this out, recourse is had to various “stages” in the “heart of the individual believer, in the churches, in influencing society, in the millennium, in the judgment-day, and in the heavenly world.” Storr, in Diss. on the Kingdom of Heaven, compresses the matter so that it shall “embrace the whole time of the Messiah.” He forgets that this is not the time of the Messiah (e.g. Luke 17:22), but the times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24), and that the predicted time of the Messiah is still future, (Comp. e.g. Props. 136 and 137).

Schmid (Bib. Theol. N.T., p. 244) tells us that “the kingdom of God is understood to be both present and future; the dominion of the exalted Christ, which consists partly in the influence over the minds of men exercised by the Word, partly in the guidance of the external destinies of the Church, partly in the rewards and punishments at the last judgment. In it, too, is perhaps recognized the kingdom of grace, the temporal institutions of religion, the kingdom of glory, and the future acts of judgment; adding, too, the idea that Jesus was only in error in fixing too close a proximity for this judgment.” Schmid afterward defines the kingdom to be “in its nature, on the one hand, something simply existing and eternal, and, on the other, something temporal, developing itself through various conditions;” being also “a Divine order of things,” “a communion of spirits founded by Christ,” “a fellowship of men,” etc.

Obs. 7. The definitions given to the kingdom by Infidels, Rationalists, Free Religionists, etc., are varied. While some reject the idea entirely as a mere phantom or “Jewish conception,” others incorporate it and make it mean, “God manifested in and through nature,” or “God in humanity,” or “God in progressive development,” or “the truth,” or “the supremacy of reason,” or “the supremacy of the natural dignity and nature of man,” etc. Renan (Life of Jesus, p. 240) makes it, “the reign of the poor and disinherited,” “the literal accomplishment of the Apocalyptic visions of Daniel and Enoch,” “the kingdom of souls” (p. 249), “the good,” “the reign of justice,” “the liberty of the soul,” etc. In this direction there is no end to the notions respecting it, generally drifting, however, toward the idea of a humanity redeemed by an enthroned reason (of which Jesus is an example of high genius), or of a God permeating nature and man.

Indeed, no doctrine of the Bible has fared so badly through mere fancy, imagination, enthusiasm, and fanaticism as that of the kingdom. In behalf of a theory or system it has been perverted, distorted, and abused until many persons, looking only at the abuses and antagonism (forgetting that all truth is subject to the same), discard the whole matter. When the Papacy, Shakers, Mormons, etc. define it in a way to embrace their particular organizations; when Anabaptists, Fifth Monarchy men, etc. interpret it so as to include their ambitious projects; when almost every denomination, sect, etc. explain it so as to make themselves the recipients of the kingdom; when it has been prostituted to the basest of purposes, and it is presented in a hundred different aspects and claims—all this only shows how important these parties consider the incorporation and possession in some form, of the doctrine.

It is amazing to a person who steadily for years notices the definitions of others, how latitudinarian they have become in these modern days. Recently a tract written and published by Speer informs us that the Church was “taken into the Roman kingdom of God”—i.e., into the Roman Empire, thus designating that “the kingdom of God” which the Scriptures (Daniel 2 and 7) call a “Beast.” We are told by Rev. Fowle (Contemp. Review, May, 1872, art. “Christ, and Immortality”), that “by the kingdom of heaven Christ meant almost, if not quite exclusively, the establishment of God’s rule and order upon earth;” and to make this denote the Church is, in his opinion, “a substituting a secondary and comparatively unimportant interpretation for the primary and true one.” This, then, opens the way for mystical incorporations, for it supplies “the missing link needed to bind together the morality of Paganism and Christianity,” and brings us to this result: “the kingdom of heaven is civilization viewed religiously, owning God as its Creator and Judge, and looking for still nobler developments in other spheres.”

Obs. 8. Those who give us such definitions, antagonistic to the primitive Church view, exhibit also the greatest diversity among themselves respecting the commencement of this kingdom in its supposed present form. They are as little agreed concerning its beginning as in its meaning. Some commence it in paradise; others, after the fall when redemption was proposed; some with the patriarchs or with the theocratic ordering at Sinai; others, at the preaching of John the Baptist; some, with the birth of Christ; others, at Christ’s baptism; some, at the preaching of Jesus and disciples; others, at the confession of Peter; some, at the death of Christ, or at his resurrection and ascension; others, on the day of Pentecost; and others, at the destruction of Jerusalem.

Some again have several commencements or different stages; others have only one, regarding all previous as merely typical and unreal. Quotations illustrative of this antagonism will be given in following propositions. Let us only now suggest to the reader: is it not remarkable that a kingdom of God, so distinctively covenanted and predicted, should be so indefinite in its commencement that eminent and pious men are unable to point out its beginning with any degree of absolute certainty? That we even find many who, in their perplexity, have several beginnings, such as “typical,” “initial,” etc.? That they are undecided from what period in Christ’s life to date it? Surely, is it not wise to consider that such a diversity, unknown to Scripture, and based solely on assertion, may arise from some mistake, a fatal flaw in its meaning? Having a kingdom to find and at present existing (over against the plainest statements of Scripture to the contrary), it is easy to see how such a confusion and variety arises.

Obs. 9. Attention is called to the fact, that the most serious contradictions greatly weaken the force of these definitions. Thus e.g. eminent men inform us that there has been a continuous kingdom, without intermission, from the earliest period down to the present. Now others, as e.g. Van Oosterzee (Theol. of N. Test.) positively makes the kingdom of heaven or of Christ something “new;” not a mere continuation, for “since it had first come nigh in the fulness of time, it did not before exist on earth;” and then asserts that it is a mistake to make the Church the kingdom. He reduces the force of the latter by admitting that, although it is spiritual, yet the Church is also the external form in which it appears.

With some truth, we have here an admixture of error and weakness, that neutralizes the whole. In the following pages, it will be shown, step by step, that the kingdom of God did previously exist on earth, that it does not apply to the existing Church, and that the kingdom of Jesus Christ, when established, is not new but a renewal with precious, astounding additions. Meyer (Com. on Matthew 3:2), seeing how fanciful, arbitrary, and contradictory are the interpretations usually given, cautiously remarks: “These expressions ‘kingdom of heaven,’ etc., never signify else than the Messianic kingdom, even in those passages which seem to denote the Church, the Christian religion, etc.”

Obs. 10. Able authors admit that Christianity has met with, and undergone, changes since its introduction. Buckle (Hist. Civ.) informs us that this has been affected by foreign events contrary to the original scheme. This has been pressed by Bauer, Renan, etc. All confess to some variations from the original; one class contending that they are for the better—another, for the worse. However this may be, it must be acknowledged, that when comparing the early Church doctrine of the kingdom with the meanings now so extensively given and adopted, a wide departure from the original and primitive meaning is fully evidenced. It is a substitution, too, so opposite and diverse, that it assumes the attitude of hostility to the first one adopted by the Church, casting, at the same time, as many shadows as Simon Magus is reported to have done when walking the streets. The design of this work is to restore and defend the original meaning, by showing its scriptural basis and historical connection.

It has been truthfully said by Jer. Taylor (Works, vol. 5, p. 348) that “men will call all opinions by the name of religion; and superstructures by the name of fundamental articles; and fancies by the glorious appellation of faith.” This, alas, is constantly repeated, so that the student needs constant watchfulness. Nothing is exempt from diversity, so that, as illustrative, Vares long ago assured us that he reckoned the old philosophers had about eight hundred opinions concerning the “summum bonum.”

Obs. 11. Considering the various conflicting interpretations entertained by learned men respecting the kingdom, we realize what Glanvil (The Vanity of Dogmatizing) developed from hints given by Bacon, viz., the fallibility of the most powerful mind even under the most favorable circumstances, and in its moments of highest confidence. After making due allowance for the leadings of education, the tenacity of prejudice, the proneness to error, the inherent weakness of intellect, we have still a sufficiency to guide us. God foresaw this diversity, and hence accommodated Himself to our weakness in the plain, grammatical language and sense in which He expresses Himself. But unfortunately we are prone, in our superior wisdom, to overlook this fact, and arrogate to ourselves the higher power of adding to the grammatical meaning our own constructions of what the sense ought to be, and thus plunge ourselves into hopeless embarrassments.

Obs. 12. The only way to rid ourselves of these ill-defined and antagonistic explanations, is to adopt legitimate principles of interpretation, and then carefully, in detail, examine the original covenants and promises upon which the kingdom is based; and if we have obtained a definition strictly in accordance with these, never to depart from the same, without the most express—not inferential—proof in hand that a change is denoted.

Obs. 13. It is a lamentable fact, that few theologians are to be found who are willing to give a rigid scriptural examination to this subject. Preachers, who profess themselves called to proclaim “the gospel of the kingdom,” totally waive such a study. A few isolated passages, either torn from their connection, or misapprehended in their relationship to other Scripture, form the basis of a vast inferential structure. Instead of making Holy Writ the standard of interpretation, multitudes, while in theory recognizing the Bible as the sole measure of faith, yet in practice will take the explanations and Scriptural references given by favorite authors as their reliable guides, without the least attempt to verify, by a personal application to Scripture, their correctness. Undoubtedly we are greatly indebted to writers for definitions, interpretations, suggestions, etc., yet, after all, those who are called on to instruct others should satisfy themselves by a personal study of Revelation that their belief and opinions are scripturally founded. Error, too, is often plausible and friendly; truth sometimes comes in the garb of an adversary.

Obs. 14. Many shrink from investigation when they find that things which they fondly believed, incorporated in their prayers and hopes, and portrayed with eloquence, are subject to the suspicion of being built upon a sandy foundation. It is a trite saying that “truth never dies,” however great the opposition; and we may rest assured that any opinion that we may individually entertain, can never alter or seriously affect the truth of God. It is folly to shelter ourselves behind the fear that, peradventure, inquiry and scrutiny may lead to a revolution of our views. This may indeed be an amiable weakness, but it is one as fatal to the student as Delilah’s hands were to Samson. If in earnest search after the truth, such a result, should it occur under clear apprehension and decided conviction of Scriptural authority, must be accepted as alone honorable. It is to the credit of some of the greatest writers (especially the German who so frankly express it), that opinions once strongly advocated were subsequently discarded under the persuasion that truth, honesty, and integrity required the change.