Episode 29 reveals that Jesus actually taught two differing concepts of the kingdom. It discusses Biblical prophecy that focuses on and details a second major concept.

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Transcript
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The Future of the Teachings of Jesus
18. The Coming of the Outer Kingdom
The Two Concepts Taught by Jesus and Biblical Prophecy (Ep. 29)

Jesus taught the kingdom as an inner spiritual dominion. The purpose of Jesus’ earth mission was to “preach the good news of the kingdom of God.” (Lk 4:43) This is the good news that we are all sons and daughters of God, our loving heavenly Father. He taught that the kingdom of God is the will of God, dominant and transcendent in the heart of the individual believer. This he made clear in the prayer he taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come; your will be done.” (Mt 6:10) When we believe Jesus’ gospel that we are all children of God our natural reaction is to choose to do our Father’s will. When we make this choice in faith we gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Thus, it is clear that the primary concept of the kingdom taught by Jesus is that the kingdom is a spiritual dominion existing within the heart of the individual believer.

The outer kingdom. In addition to his primary focus on the inner spiritual kingdom, the initial phase of the kingdom, Jesus also recognized and taught the coming of an outer kingdom, the rule of God over the nations of the world. In this vein we remember that Jesus taught us to pray: “Your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We easily recognize that the kingdom of God in heaven consists of both an inner and an outer rule; the Father rules not only the hearts of the heavenly hosts, but He is also the ruling sovereign of the heavenly government. Thus, we see that the complete fulfillment of this prayer entails that God comes to rule not only in our hearts but also over the national governments of the earth. When this outer kingdom of God does come we will advance one major step closer to Jesus’ ideal of the kingdom of God in heaven.

The two concepts of the kingdom. It should be recognized that Jesus and his apostles held a dual concept of the kingdom: the kingdom as a present reality (the inner spiritual kingdom emphasized by Jesus) and the kingdom as a future hope (the outer kingdom of God’s political sovereignty over all the world). In other words, Jesus and the apostles held a double viewpoint of the kingdom, the kingdom as a personal experience then present in the hearts of true believers and the kingdom as a racial or world phenomena, the rule of God over the nations, the kingdom coming in the future, something to look forward to.

The outer kingdom in Biblical prophecy. We have discussed extensively the inner kingdom that Jesus taught as the necessary first phase of the kingdom of God. Now we will turn our attention to a second and later phase of that kingdom, the coming of God’s sovereign rule over the nations of the earth. We find this phase of the kingdom discussed extensively in Biblical prophecy. Following is an outline and summation of the teachings of Biblical prophecy regarding a future superhuman rule of God over the nations of the world. We may distinguish three stages of this coming of the kingdom of God to rule over the kingdoms of men.

The first stage. The first stage of the coming outer kingdom is the time in which we are now living, the time immediately preceding the great tribulation. In these troublous times evil and sin are rising and are relatively unchecked by genuine morality and true religion. Traditional religion and morality are in decline and secularism is growing, increasingly dominating the culture and the hearts of individuals. Godlessness rules in the public square and freedom denying governments are becoming more powerful as they seek to establish a totalitarian control over the thoughts and actions of their citizenry. These evil tendencies of our times which are coming to dominate many people are described in the New Testament book of Timothy as follows: “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,… swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it.” (Tim 3:1-5) We need to recognize this time of growing evil, painstakingly observe our moral compass, and seek genuine spiritual guidance and comfort to see us through. And we must remember that such times as these are ripe for revelation, the birth our new revelation of the actual teachings of Jesus.

The second stage. This preliminary stage of the growth of disintegration, oppression, totalitarianism, godlessness, evil, sin, and iniquity in our world will reach its climax with the coming to power of a very powerful ruler and conqueror, the one popularly known as the antichrist. This second stage, this tribulation period and its many devastations, are the subject matter of the New Testament book of Revelation.  This time of tribulation is also described in Matthew as follows: “For there will be great tribulation, such has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” (Mt 24:21-22)

The antichrist. When the world has filled its cup of evil a new secular ruler will arise in Europe. His coming to power is described in Dan. 7: 24, 25: ” out of this kingdom [that is out of the ancient Roman Empire] ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings. He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time” [that is three and one-half years]”. He is further described in Da. 8: 9-11 where he is represented as a little horn which grew great.  [It] “grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. It grew great, even to the host of heaven…. It magnified itself, even up to the Prince of the host; … and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. And the host was given over to it…; and truth was cast down to the ground, and the horn acted and prospered.”

Patient endurance. This is a time that calls for the patient endurance of the “saints,” those individuals who are devoted to doing the will of God. They must remain strong in their faith and trust that this time of the antichrist rule will be shortened and ultimately come to a very positive end. God will set things right. He will destroys the evil and Godless individuals who seek power and the unjust rule over others. However, we must also recognize that while he holds power the antichrist will not hesitate to persecute and kill those who remain true to God. The “saints,” the “elect,” those who choose God’s will, must exercise courage and wisdom, trust in God, and look to Him for guidance and protection to survive these dangerous times. And we should remember Jesus’ prayer, “not my will, but yours, be done.” (Lk. 22:42)

The third stage. The third stage is our great hope. This is the time when God’s Messiah will return to our world accompanied by the heavenly hosts, to battle the antichrist and his followers who have gathered at Armageddon to attack Jerusalem. He will completely defeat the evil forces and the nations of the world that are arrayed against Jerusalem. After this victory the Messiah will quickly and freely be acknowledged as the rightful ruler of the national governments of the world. He will organize his divine world government at Jerusalem and will rule the nations forever.

The coming of the outer kingdom will clear the way for the worldwide expansion of Jesus’ inner kingdom. When this supernatural kingdom of God does come to the earth and the remnants of the nations voluntarily submit to the Messiah’s divine world government, the way will finally be cleared for the worldwide return to the actual teachings of Jesus. This will be the time when the battle for man’s liberty is finally won, and the world is made safe for the freedom of the individual. Many barriers that presently slow the expansion of the inner kingdom, God’s rule in the hearts of men, will disappear and the way will be opened for the rapid expansion of the teachings of Jesus. The inner spiritual kingdom taught by Jesus will continue to grow and expand and become the dominant religion of our world.

 

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