rjb@akgua.UUCP (R.J. Brown [Bob]) (05/17/84)
This article expands the topic that Lew Mammel
stimulated recently in response to Biblical Inerrancy.
Is the Kingdom of God - Kingdom of Heaven associated in
space and time ONLY with the Second Coming of Jesus ?
I think the Biblical evidence points to:
It is NOW and will be more fully
revealed THEN.
I contend that when Jesus went to Nazareth after His temptation
(Luke 4: 1,13) and preached the Good News message to his homefolks
from Isaiah 61 (Luke 4: 16-30), He in effect hung out the OPEN
sign for the way into the Kingdom. He was the embodiment of the
Jubilee...He was blowing the horn. Notice all the wonderful
things contained in the Isaiah passage:
a) Good News to the poor
b) sight to the blind
c) liberty to the captives
d) Salvation for His people
Unfortunately, Jesus' audience in Nazareth did not accept His
message or His attendant claim "This passage of scripture has
come true today, as you heard it being read."
Jesus' teaching contained many parables about the Kingdom of God,
for example:
Matthew 13
Parable of the Sower Parable of the Weeds
Parable of the Hidden Treasure Parable of the Mustard Seed
Parable of the Pearl
In each of these parables and others there is an understanding
that believers are already members of the kingdom and there is
a call to present and continuing action on the part of the
listeners.
These parables obviously relate to the Second Coming but not in
a passive way. The thread of participation on the part of the
believing listener is evident in several of them:
Parable of the Sower - (Jesus' Explanation) Matt 13:23
"And the seeds sown in good soil stand for those who hear the
message and understand it: they bear fruit, some as much as one
hundred, others sixty, and others thirty."
Parable of the Weeds - Again the kingdom is represented in the
now as good seed growing in the field. Present and continuing
action, growth etc.
Parable of the Mustard Seed - The kingdom is represented as a
very tiny seed (almost invisible :-) ) and as it grows it becomes
a massive useful organism that provides for others ( the birds ).
Parable of the Treasure, Parable of the Pearl
Both of these definitely show that the Kingdom is something
in the NOW that a person can definitely take some action on.
Does any of this hang together in making my point that the
Kingdom of God is not some Cosmic Pecan Pie that we believers
are all gonna get a slice of by and by ?
The Kingdom is Now and it is also Then.
Live it day by day.
Bob Brown {...clyde!akgua!rjb}
AT&T Technologies, Inc.............. Norcross, Ga
(404) 447-3784 ... Cornet 583-3784