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By Steven J. Hogan
~ A Saturday Morning Post #186 ~
There’s a great deal of information in the Old Testament about God’s plans for the Jewish people. Yet, many believe these plans are null and void, and have been invalidated because of the Jews’ rejection of Christ in the 1st century. But when you examine the New Testament, you discover all these verses that do not deny but rather confirm God’s plans for the Jews. You can’t miss them, you can’t skip over them, you can’t redefine them, and you sure can’t say they have already been fulfilled. And as a Christian, you need to know them, for they relate to the great and glorious future God has for you and the church. In today’s post we will look at many verses that speak about the coming kingdom age, when Jesus Christ is ruling the world.
1) Acts 1:6-7 – “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed…” The disciples want to know from Jesus if He was going to start the kingdom at that time. By what Jesus says, He assures them that there would be a future kingdom on earth, one in which He would be King of the Jewish people, and King over the entire world. But first, they had a job to do, for they, which means the church, were to be Jesus’ witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (vs. 8). As Jesus ascends into heaven, two angels tell the disciples that He would be coming back, and it would be then that He would bring into being His earthly kingdom.
2) Acts 3:20-21 – “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away… and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things…” People repenting and returning, and being forgiven of their sins, is referring to the church age, after which time God would send Jesus from heaven to restore, to renovate all things on earth. The Jews had learned from the Old Testament prophets about this kingdom age, and that the Messiah, the Christ, would be King, but now they knew when this would take place, that it would be at the end of this church age.
3) Acts 15:16 – “After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild it’s ruins, and I will restore it.” James was talking to Jewish leaders about Gentiles being saved, and how it would be after “these things,” after this church age, that Christ would return to rebuild and restore the tabernacle and other ruins, referring to the temple and Israel. This message about the future kingdom age is being repeated in the book of Acts, and why? To convince you that Christ will return to set up His kingdom on earth after this church age is over.
4) Acts 28:23 – “He was solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus…” Eight times in the book of Acts, there’s the word “kingdom.” (Acts 1:3, 1:6, 8:12, 14:22, 9:18, 20:25, 28:23, 28:31). The apostles weren’t just preaching the gospel, they were also testifying about the kingdom of God, the entirety of God’s plan for His people, which would include the coming millennial kingdom. As Paul said in Acts 20:27, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.” The book of Acts is the history of the early church, and here in the beginning days of the church age, God wanted both believing Jews and Gentiles to know with certainty that Christ’s kingdom would be established on earth.
5) Luke 19:11-27 – “They supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately… Do business with this until I come back.” During Jesus’ ministry, some believed that the kingdom of God would soon be set up on earth. To help people understand what would be happening, Jesus shared a parable. This is the meaning: Jesus, the king, was going away (to heaven), and from there He would be given a kingdom (on earth). His slaves on earth were to be working, doing business with the money He had given them during the time He was gone (the church age). Then He would come back and reward them for their work, and start up His kingdom on earth. We now live in the end-times of this church age, and it won’t be long before Christ returns to rapture the church and reign as King of this world.
6) Luke 20:34-36. “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God.” The “resurrection” is referring to believers being glorified, receiving bodies like the angels, which occurs at Christ’s coming. The “age” is speaking of the next age, the millennial kingdom age, when Christ is ruling the world and believers are reigning with Him.
7) Luke 21:31 – “So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.” This chapter lists a number of events taking place in the end-times before Christ’s return. Those who actually see these events things taking place will know that the redemption (rapture) is drawing near (vs. 28), and that the kingdom is drawing near (vs. 31). This kingdom can only be referring to Christ’s 1000-year kingdom on earth.
8) Luke 22:18 – “I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” The night before His death, Jesus was with His disciples and instituting the ordinance of communion. Jesus made this statement to reassure His disciples that He would rise from the dead, and also return to establish His earthly kingdom, at which time He would once again celebrate the Passover with them. Ezekiel 45:21, 1 Cor. 11:26
9) Matthew 19:28 – “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit on upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Jesus’ disciples knew He would be the King of this world, but they wanted to know how they would be rewarded for their work on earth. Jesus refers to the regeneration which is the “restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21), and this occurs when He returns, sits on His throne, and sets up His kingdom. That’s when these disciples would be given their own throne and be reigning with Him.
10) Revelation 11:15 – “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever. And the twenty four elders… fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, ‘We give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who are, and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.’” It’s at the end of Daniel’s 70th week that Christ will become King on this earth. We should extremely excited and looking forward to this time when there will be righteousness, peace, and love on this earth like never before!
11) Revelation 20:6 – “They will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years” (Rev. 20:6). “… Satan, and bound him for a thousand years” (vs. 2). “… he (Satan) would not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were completed” (vs. 3). “They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (vs. 4). “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed” (vs. 5). “When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released…” (vs 7). We learn some important information about this coming kingdom age – and one thing we know for sure is that it will last exactly one thousand years.
12) 1 Corinthians 15:24 – “Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.”1 Cor. 15:20-28 covers a time period that, I believe, will be close to 3000 years. Let me summarize what has happened and will be happening. 1) Jesus was raised from the dead. 2) At Christ’s coming, at the end of this age, believers will be made alive, will be glorified. 3) Christ will set up His kingdom on earth, one that will last for 1000 years. 4) During this millennial kingdom age, Christ will be the supreme King, abolishing all rule and authority. 5) At the end of this age, Christ will finally and forever defeat death (“Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire” – Rev. 20:14). 6) “Then comes the end (of the millennial kingdom age) when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father.” 7) “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.” Revelation 22:1
God has given us clear and compelling evidence that this coming kingdom age is not fantasy or fiction, but a future reality. In a very little while, everything will change, and Christ will begin His 1000-year reign over this earth. Then we will be wholeheartedly worshiping and serving Jesus, our King, and O, how wonderful and glorious this will be! Let’s keep praying: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10
P.S. I am very thankful that God has told us all about this coming kingdom age. Yes, we should focus on our work for God at this time, but we also need to see ahead to what He has in store for us. Here are two other posts that give us more valuable information about the kingdom of God. “Kingdom Instructions for the Church” and “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.”