Over the years, discussion and debate has brought eschatology through many viewpoints, not the least of which is the nature of the Kingdom of God. Some have proposed many model, claiming “consistent eschatology”, “realized eschatology”, and “inaugurated eschatology”.
For varying reasons, these all seem to come short of what Jesus meant in the Gospels. On the one hand, we have statements that clearly indicate that the Kingdom is in some way both present in Jesus’ life and here now. On the other, some seen to indicate that the Kingdom is future, as well as pertaining to the end of the world.
This could be cleared up by a simple observation.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.
Psalm 145:13
The realization is this: The Kingdom always was, but the time had come for the saints to take it (Luke 16:16). The Kingdom already existed, but now was the time it had drawn close and was available (Mark 1:15).
The Kingdom was brought forth by Jesus, and salvation was its only door, through Christ.
Whenever you approach the subject of the Kingdom of God, there are various aspects. There are elements which must be interpreted that the Kingdom was in some way future for the disciples, and, perhaps us. This led to the development of what some have called “consistent eschatology”, or a future kingdom. On the other hand, there are elements that are clear that the Kingdom was in some way present at the time of Jesus, not just in His person, but the actual Kingdom itself. This present-ness some have developed into what has been called “realized eschatology”.
Usually, the positions are supported on the verses that support either side, and the verses that obviously oppose it are neglected or down-played. In that light, several others began what they called “inaugurated eschatology”, or the “now and not yet” approach. The Kingdom was in some real way present with Jesus when He was here, and the whole Kingdom was “inaugurated” then, and continues through today, and will reach it’s consummation at the end. This approach allowed scriptures on either side to be interpreted, and the presence of the Kingdom is understood as still being with us today. However, this, too, still falls short.
The problem is that the Kingdom is not new. The books of Chronicles say that the throne of David was “throne of the Lord” and the Kingdom was the “Kingdom of the Lord” (1 Chronicles 28:5, 1 Chronicles 29:23, 2 Chronicles 9:8, 2 Chronicles 13:8). The Kingdom was apparently taken away at the first captivity to Babylon, and it was prophesied it would not return until Messiah (Ezekiel 21:27). But, the Kingdom of God had already been there, even before that, as Exodus 24:9-11 clearly shows the same Sea of Glass, and, by inference, God on His throne.
When Jesus brought the Kingdom, Daniel 2:44 says it was to be “set up” (see here for a further explanation of this “set up”). Now, this same word was used in Daniel 7 several times in the first seven verses for the statue that Nebuchadnezzar “set up”. But, this is distinct from the word used in Daniel 7:1 where the king first “made” the image. First the image was “made”, and then it was “set up”. However, in Daniel 2:44, the Kingdom of God is merely “set up”, not made. The rock, in fact, was “not made with human hands”, it was eternal (Psalm 145:13, above).
The setting up of the Kingdom of God in Jesus’ first coming is not the “making of that Kingdom”. In one sense, you could say it was “inaugurated”, but not from God’s perspective. From God’s perspective, He merely showed and made available to man the door, Jesus Christ. And, as Luke 16:16 reads, since that time people have been forcing their way into it forcefully!
Likewise, in verses such as Acts 1:6, the disciples have been operating in and been instructed in the Kingdom for 3 1/2 years, plus the 40-days since the crucifixion. However, there they ask when the Kingdom will be restored to Israel. This is reference to it having been removed at the last king before the Babylonian captivity. Specifically, they are not asking when the Kingdom will be set up, because Mark 1:15 already established that. Nor are they asking when they themselves will receive the Kingdom, because in Luke 22:29 they were given one. They are asking when it will be restored on a national level to Israel as a whole.
When Jesus brought the Kingdom, He brought what had always been, and had made many appearances prior. When the Jews considered it to be an eschatalogical, supernatural end to their worries, they were right in that it would bring God’s rule again in their midst, and that God would reign, but they were wrong in the assumption that God was altogether like them. Jesus showed who the Father was, and the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount are the portrait of His heart. For those who wanted to be His disciple, He taught them how faith works, how the anointing operates, and the details of the church, His body. He instructed them in operating in the Kingdom.
In this way, it was that Eternal Kingdom and authority that was present in His deliverances (Matthew 12:28), and it’s all one and the same as the Delivering Kingdom of God in the Old Testament. It’s an eternal Kingdom and were invited in. But, what Jesus brought, and we have available now through the Holy Spirit, is that Kingdom. And, what is coming at the end of this age is that Kingdom. And, what we will live in for Eternity is that Kingdom. When Jesus comes in His Kingdom, it’s the same Kingdom we have now. It will be a consummation from the vantage point of Earth, but not from heaven. The focus is not the “Kingdom” in that verse, but rather it’s “coming”.
God is supreme in the heavens, and He reigns alone. He has always had a Kingdom, and it is always the same. The prayer “Your Kingdom Come” is so that what it is always is there will be here, where everything always follows the pattern, and nothing is ever bare.
And, this is the only Gospel, the Gospel of the Kingdom, of which the Son of Man rules now. There is no need for a physical one, nor indeed can there be (1 Corinthians 15:50). To have a physical throne would deny John 3:3-5, as well as subjugate the imperishable to the perishable, and go backwards. Indeed, to require a physical Kingdom from the Old Testament prophecies is the same spirit of unbelief that caused many to miss His first coming.
But, it is with the eyes of faith, and faith alone, that the Kingdom is perceived (John 3:3-5), and those who have eyes, let them see. Even John the Baptist didn’t understand, though he was the greatest born of woman. He could not, in his own life, see the Kingdom around Jesus. But, the Roman centurion could. This foreigner may not have seen the Kingdom, but He saw the man Christ Jesus, and He recognized His authority, and submitted. This is the Kingdom Christ walked in, and the man perceived it with faith, and has received his reward.