KINGDOM
OF
GOD
(OR
HEAVEN)
of
statement
from
the
various
Biblical
writers,
and
the
entire
presentation
constitutes
a
most
important
portion
of
the
revelation
of
God
and
of
Christ.
But
the
Biblical
doctrine
has
its
OT
and
NT
setting.
1.
In
the
Old
Testament.
—
Apart
from
that
general
concept
of
God
as
Maker
and
Governor
of
the
whole
world,
the
OT
writers
emphasize
the
Divine
care
for
individuals,
families,
tribes,
and
nations
of
men.
It
is
God's
rule
over
those
creatures
who
exist
in
His
own
image
and
likeness
that
calls
for
our
special
study,
and
this
great
truth
is
manifest
from
various
points
of
view.
(1)
From
Am
9'
we
learn
that
Jehovah
is
the
supreme
Ruler
of
all
the
peoples:
Syrians,
Philistines,
Ethi-opians,
as
well
as
the
tribes
of
Israel,
were
led
by
Him
and
settled
in
their
separate
lands.
So
He
gave
all
the
nations
their
inheritance
(Dt
32^).
But
one
most
conspicuous
feature
of
the
OT
revelation
is
God's
selection
of
Abraham
and
his
posterity
to
be
made
a
blessing
to
all
the
famiUes
of
the
earth.
When
this
pecuhar
family
had
become
a
numerous
people
in
the
land
of
Egypt,
God
led
them
marvellously
out
of
that
house
of
bondage
and
adopted
them
to
be
'a
people
for
his
own
possession
above
all
peoples
upon
the
face
of
the
earth'
(Dt
T),
and
'a
kingdom
of
priests
and
a
holy
nation'
(Ex
19").
The
subsequent
facts
of
the
history
of
this
chosen
people
reveal
a
noteworthy
aspect
of
the
Kingdom
of
God
among
men.
(2)
Along
with
this
idea
of
the
election
and
special
guidance
of
this
people
there
was
gradually
developed
a
lofty
doctrine
of
the
Person
and
power
of
the
God
of
Israel.
Out
of
the
unique
and
sublime
monolatry,
which
worshipped
Jehovah
as
greatest
of
all
the
gods
(Ex
15"
18"),
there
issued
the
still
higher
and
broader
monotheism
of
the
great
prophets,
who
denied
the
real
existence
of
any
other
God
or
Saviour
besides
the
Holy
One
of
Israel.
He
was
conceived
as
seated
on
a
lofty
throne,
surrounded
with
holy
seraphs
and
the
innumerable
hosts
of
heaven.
For
naturally
the
highest
embodiment
of
personal
power
and
glory
and
dominion
known
among
men,
namely,
that
of
a
splendid
royalty,
was
employed
as
the
best
figure
of
the
glory
of
the
heavenly
King;
and
so
we
have
the
impressive
apocalyptic
portraiture
of
Jehovah
sitting
upon
His
throne,
high
and
lifted
up
(Is
6'-',
Ezk
1»-M
1
K
2219).
The
mighty
Monarch
of
earth
and
heaven
was
enthroned
in
inexpressible
majesty
and
glory,
and
no
power
above
or
below
the
heavens
could
compare
with
Him.
(3)
This
concept
of
the
heavenly
King
became
also
enlarged
so
as
to
include
the
idea
of
a
righteous
Judge
of
all
the
earth.
This
idea
appears
conspicuously
in
the
vision
of
Dn
7'-'^
where
the
Eternal
is
seen
upon
His
throne
of
fiery
fiames,
with
ten
thousand
times
ten
thousand
ministering
before
Him.
His
execution
of
judgment
is
as
a
stream
of
Are
which
issues
from
His
presence
and
devours
His
adversaries.
Zeph
3*
also
represents
Him
as
'gathering
the
nations
and
assembMng
the
kingdoms,'
in
order
to
pour
out
upon
them
the
fire
of
His
fierce
anger.
And
so
in
prophecy,
in
psalm,
and
in
historical
narrative
we
find
numerous
declarations
of
Jehovah
about
His
entering
into
judgment
with
the
nations
and
also
with
His
own
people.
The
unmistakable
doctrine
of
all
these
Scriptures
is
that
God
is
the
supreme
Judge
and
Ruler
of
the
world.
His
overthrow
of
mighty
cities
and
kingdoms,
like
Nineveh
and
Babylon,
is
a
way
of
His
'executing
judgment
in
the
earth,'
and
the
prophets
call
such
a
national
catastrophe
a
'day
of
Jehovah.'
(4)
The
Messianic
prophecies
throw
further
hght
on
the
OT
doctrine
of
the
Kingdom
of
God.
From
the
times
of
David
and
Solomon
onwards
the
highest
ideal
of
'
the
Anointed
of
Jehovah
'
vias
that
of
a
power-ful
and
righteous
king
of
Israel.
The
name
of
David
became
a
synonym
of
the
ideal
king
and
shepherd
of
the
Chosen
People
(Hos
3>,
Jer
30',
Ezk
34"
37").
These
ideals
became
the
growing
Messianic
hope
of
Israel.
According
to
Is
9»-
',
the
child
of
wonderful
names
is
to
sit
'
upon
the
throne
of
David,
and
upon
his
KINGDOM
OF
GOD
(OR
HEAVEN)
kingdom,
to
order
it,
and
to
establish
it
in
judgment
and
in
righteousness
for
ever.'
In
Ps
2
we
have
a
dramatic
picture
of
Jehovah
estabUshing
His
Son
as
King
upon
Zion,
and
in
Ps
110
the
conquering
hero,
to
whom
Jehovah
says,
'
Sit
thou
at
my
right
hand
until
I
make
thy
enemies
thy
footstool'
unites
in
Himself
the
threefold
office
of
king,
priest,
and
judge.
(5)
In
all
these
and
in
other
Messianic
scriptures
we
shoud
notice
that
the
Anointed
of
Jehovah
Is
an
exalted
associate
of
the
Most
High.
He
executes
judgment
in
the
earth,
but
he
him-self
possesses
no
wisdom
or
power
to
act
apart
from
Jehovah.
We
also
note
the
fact
that
God's
dominion
over
the
earth
is
entirely
compatible
with
divers
forms
of
human
administration.
Ambitious
potentates
may
usurp
authority,
and
think
to
change
times
and
seasons,
but
sooner
or
later
they
come
to
nought.
Though
Nebuchadrezzar,
Cyrus,
or
Alexander
wield
for
a
time
the
sceptre
of
the
world,
it
is
still
true
'
that
the
Most
High
ruleth
In
the
kingdom
of
men,
and
giveth
it
to
whomsoever
he
will'
(Dn
4'^).
'He
removeth
kings
and
setteth
up
kings'
(Dn
2").
When
Israel
desired
a
king
Uke
other
nations,
Samuel
charged
them
with
rejecting
God
as
their
King
(1
S
8');
but
such
rejection
of
God
and
the
anointing
of
Saul
for
their
king
did
not
remove
Jehovah
from
actual
dominion
over
them;
and
the
prophet
himself
admonished
all
Israel
to
fear
and
obey
Jehovah
lest
He
should
consume
both
them
and
their
king
(1
S
12'»-25).
And
when,
according
to
the
apocalyptic
imagery
of
Dn
7"'
",
the
'one
like
unto
a
son
of
man'
receives
the
kingdom
from
'the
Ancient
of
days,'
it
is
not
to
be
supposed
that
the
Most
High
Himself
is
for
a
moment
to
abdicate
His
throne
in
the
heavens,
or
cease
to
rule
over
all
the
kingdoms
of
men.
(6)
It
is
not
given
us
to
determine
how
fully
or
how
clearly
any
OT
prophet
or
psalmist
conceived
the
real
nature
of
the
future
Messianic
Kingdom.
It
is
not
usually
given
to
the
prophets
of
great
oracles
to
know
the
time
and
manner
of
the
fulfilment,
and
such
ideals
as
those
of
Mic
4'-'
and
Is
ll'-'"
may
have
been
variously
understood.
The
advent
of
the
Messianic
Son
of
David,
expected
among
the
seed
of
Abraham,
would
naturally
be
conceived
as
introducing
a
new
era
in
the
history
of
the
people
of
God.
He
would
not
rule
apart
from
Jehovah,
or
exercise
a
different
authority;
for
the
Kingdom
of
Messiah
would
also
be
the
Kingdom
of
God.
But
it
would
naturally
be
expected
that
the
Messiah
would
introduce
new
powers,
new
agencies,
and
new
enlightenment
tor
a
blessing
to
all
the
famiUes
of
the
earth.
According
to
Is
65"
66^,
the
new
era
was
conceived
as
the
creation
of
a
new
heavens
and
a
new
earth,
but
the
prophetic
language
and
its
context
do
not
justify
the
opinion
that
the
dawn
of
the
new
era
must
needs
be
ushered
in
along
with
physical
changes
in
the
earth
and
the
heavens,
or
involve
any
physical
change
in
the
natural
constitution
of
man
on
the
earth.
2.
In
the
Hew
Testament.
—
In
presenting
the
NT
doctrine
of
the
Kingdom
of.
God
we
should
notice
(1)
the
prevalent
expectation
of
the
Messiah
at
the
time
Jesus
was
born.
There
was
no
exact
uniformity
of
beUef
or
of
expectation.
Some
enthusiasts
looked
for
a
war-hke
chieftain,
gifted
with
an
ability
of
leadership,
to
cast
off
the
Roman
yoke
and
restore
the
kingdom
of
Israel
to
some
such
splendour
as
it
had
in
the
days
of
Solomon.
Others
seem
to
have
entertained
a
more
spiritual
view,
as
Zacharias,
Simeon,
and
Anna
(Lk
107-79
2^-"),
and
to
have
united
the
general
hope
of
the
redemption
of
Jerusalem
with
the
blessed
thought
of
confirming
the
ancient
covenants
of
promise,
obtaining
remission
of
sins,
personal
consolation,
and
a
life
of
hoUness.
Between
these
two
extremes
there
were
probably
various
other
forms
of
expectation,
but
the
more
popular
one
was
that
of
a
temporal
prince.
John
the
Baptist
shared
somewhat
in
this
current
belief,
and
seems
to
have
been
disappointed
in
the
failure
of
Jesus
to
fulfil
his
concept
of
the
Messianic
hope
(Mt
1
1''-')
.
Nevertheless,
John's
ministry
and
preaching
evinced
