Was the Kingdom of God postponed?

I'll bite.

I pretty much buy all that. What's the problem?

 

So I guess Jews are saved by works or keeping the law, right?

 

God made a genuine offer to Israel both before the Cross of Christ and afterwards. Paul even started out preaching the kingdom message. When it was officially taken away from the Israelites then God turned his focus to the Gentiles.

The Kingdom that Israel rejected is being offered to born again believers, so it really was never "put on hold." It was taken from Israel and is now being extended to Christians. But in order to be in a position to understand and receive/reject the Kingdom one must have to be made alive spiritually (saved) by grace through faith.

 

Uh, no. That isn't how it went down.

God also calls for all to repent. Not all will repent, and He knows that full well. Does that mean He failed?

Is God dependant upon the selfish whim of man for His plan of salvation to take place? Is not the call for repentance genuine?

Christ made a bonified offer of the Kingdom, knowing however that it would be rejected. That doesn't mean God's plan failed... Not to mention the fact that as you already said, God will set up His kingdom at a later time.

 

I can't find any Baptist prophetic teaching in the Baptist Distinctives. There's no such thing as a Baptist prophetic teaching. Sure, there are some Baptists who take their view of biblial prophecy and shove it down the throats of others as a matter of doctrine, but they are the exception, not the rule.

 

First: This doctrine is not historic Baptist doctrine but through the Scofield Bible has infilterated the Baptist, Presbyterian, and most Pentecoatal groups with its error.

This error, dispensationalism, is a system of Biblical interpretation formally promulgated about 1830 by John Nelson Darby, a member of the Plymouth [England] Brethren. Darby visited the United States six times between 1859 and 1874 [John Newport in The Lion and the Lamb, page 100]. His teaching apparently exerted considerable influence on his contemporaries, particularly E. I. Scofield. The publication of the Scofield Reference Bible, which made the system of dispensational interpretation an integral part of the Bible notes, had a significant impact on the spread of dispensational thought.

Charles C. Ryrie in Chapter 4 of Dispensationalism argues that the beginning of dispensational thought is much earlier. He asserts that Pierre Poiret, a French philosopher and mystic, published a rudimentary system of dispensations in 1687 and that Isaac Watts [1674-1748] developed an outline of dispensations that essentially paralleled that in the Scofield Bible, with the exception of the millennium. There is no indication, however, that either of these men believed that an intrinsic and enduring distinction exists between Israel and the Church which according to Ryrie [page 39] is the basic theological test of whether or not a person is a dispensationalist. The question is not whether there is a distinction between the nation Israel and the Church, there obviously is. The concern is the relationship between true or spiritual Israel, the believing remnant [Isaiah 10:20-23], and the Church.

The dispensational view of the return of Jesus Christ is currently one of the most popular views in the churches [and perhaps outside the churches]. This view has been popularized by the Scofield Reference Bible and such popular novels as Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth and, more recently, the ‘Left Behind Series’ by Tim Lehaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. As indicated above, however, dispensationalism is a system of Bible interpretation of which eschatology is but a part. There are at least three divergent forms of dispensationalism: classic or normative dispensationalism, hyper or ultra-dispensationalism, and progressive dispensationalism.

Hyper or ultra-dispensationalism, which originated with E. W. Bullinger in England, differs significantly from classic dispensationalism on a number issues as discussed by Ryrie in his book Dispensationalism, pages 197ff. Prominent among these is beginning of the “dispensation of the Church”.

Progressive dispensationalism, a recent move away from classic pre-trib dispensationalism [Ryrie, Dispensationalism, pages 161ff], can perhaps best be described as a movement in the direction of covenant or historic premillennialism.

There are a number of basic propositions that characterize the classic or normative dispensational system of interpretation of Scripture as described in the following paragraphs.

Dispensational theology divides God’s dealings with humanity into a number of distinct ‘dispensations’. The New Scofield Reference Bible defines a dispensation as “a period of time during which man is tested in respect to his obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God” and distinguishes seven dispensations: Innocence, Conscience, Human Government, Promise, Law, the Church, and the Kingdom. The word dispensation comes from the Greek word oikonomia which means the management of a household or of household affairs. The word does not occur in the Old Testament and occurs only seven times in the New Testament. On four occasions it is translated dispensation and on three occasions it is translated stewardship.

1. Dispensationalism teaches that an intrinsic and enduring distinction exists between Israel and the Church. “The dispensationalist believes that throughout the ages God is pursuing two distinct purposes: one related to the earth with earthly people and earthly objectives involved, which is Judaism; while the other is related to heaven with heavenly people and heavenly objectives involved, which is Christianity.” [Lewis Sperry Chafer, Dispensationalism ] Charles C. Ryrie in his book Dispensationalism writes about the above statement [page 39]: “This is probably the most basic theological test of whether or not a person is a dispensationalist, and it is undoubtedly the most practical and conclusive. The one who fails to distinguish Israel and the Church consistently will inevitably not hold to dispensational distinctives; and the one who does will.”

2. Dispensationalism denies that the church is included in prophecy. Rather, the claim is made that Jesus Christ came to establish the Messianic kingdom for the Jews, that they rejected Him, and that He established the Church instead [Herman Hoyt, a dispensationalist, in The Millennium, Four Viewpoints, by Clouse, pages 84-88]. The Church is often referred to as the ‘mystery parenthesis’ form of the Kingdom; mystery in that there is no prophecy in the Old Testament regarding the Church and parenthesis in that God found it necessary to interrupt His program for the Jews because their leaders rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah and He was unable to establish the Messianic kingdom.

3. “The dispensationalist interprets the New Testament in light of the Old Testament.” [Herman Hoyt in The Millennium, Four Viewpoints , by Clouse, page 43] Covenant theology interprets the Old Testament in light of the New Testament, which is consistent with the doctrine of progressive revelation, a doctrine that dispensationalists also profess to believe [Ryrie, Dispensationalism, page 31]. This emphasis of the Old Testament Scripture defines a very significant difference between the two theologies. There are numerous examples where New Testament writers give new meaning to Old Testament prophecy.

4. Dispensationalism insists that all Scripture is to be interpreted literally. Charles C. Ryrie in his book Dispensationalism writes [page 147], “Consistent literalism is at the heart of dispensationalism eschatology.” However, the understanding of just what the literal method of interpretation varies greatly among dispensationalists.

In discussing the dispensationalist insistence on the literal interpretation of Scripture, John P. Newport in The Lion and The Lamb, writes [page 96]: “This is particularly the case when interpreting biblical references to Israel. The term Israel must always refer to the actual nation Israel, ethnic Israel, the Israel that traces its physical descent back to Jacob. God called Jacob Israel. The term never refers to ‘spiritual Israel.’ All prophetic Scripture is to be treated in a similar manner. All prophecy must be fulfilled literally and in detail.”

 

I would highly recommend the book
"Kingdom of God vs. Kingdom of Heaven" by Peter Ruckman.

The opening post is sound doctrine. I would however specify that it was the kingdom of heaven that was postponed, not the kingdom of God. Studying the subject requires the understanding that the kingdom of God is not synonymous with kingdom of heaven in the Bible. Sometimes they are used interchangeably because the two kingdoms are met in Jesus Christ as Son of God and Son of Man.

God bless you

 

Let's see what the Bible has to say...novel thought that...

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become the children of God --
John 1:10-12

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate."
Matthew 23:37-38

Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew...did they stumble so as to fall beyong recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!
...For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
...Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft the in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
"The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins."

As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a recult of God's mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobeience so that he may have mercy on them all.
from Romans 11

 

The Deliverer came fron Zion some 2000 years ago. His name was Jesus Christ, or Jesus the Messiah!

 

But Israel was not turned from godlessness. If anything else it got worse. And their sins certainly were not taken away, so those two things must take place in the future.

 

Helen, I agree, let Scripture speak!

Ephesians 2:11-22
11. Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12. That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13. But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17. And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21. In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22. In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

1. In this passage we are told that Gentiles were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.
Who is included in the commonwealth of Israel? They are obviously the true believers in Israel.

2. Through Jesus Christ Gentiles are made nigh by the blood of Christ who has made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us and reconciled both unto God in one body by the cross.

Now did he make Gentile Believers one with the nation Israel. Obviously not, thus the above rationale for the commonwealth of Israel. He made Gentile believers one with the believing remnant in Israel that always existed under the old covenant.

3. Furthermore we are told that Gentiles are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.

Now who are the Saints in the above passage. Again they are the believing remnant of the Old Testament, Spiritual Israel.

4. We are now told that believing Gentiles and believing Israel are the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.

As shown in verses 21, 22 the household of God is the Church. That Church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. Who are the prophets? They are the prophets of the Old Testament who prophesied of the coming Messiah and His sacrificial death for His Bride, the Church, as clearly shown by the Apostle Paul in Acts 20:28

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

 

I suggest that you search the Bible for the two terms. I did and found that "The Kingdom of Heaven" can be found only in the book of Mathew (31 times). It's found nowhere else in the Bible nor is it inferred anywhere as best as I can see. Moreover, there's a parellism in Mathew's use of the "Kingdom of Heaven" and the use of the "Kingdom of God" in the other gospels. For example:

Mat 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

and

Mar 10:14 But when Jesus saw [it], he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

Mar 10:15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

That doesn't suggest a difference in meaning between the two terms but rather Mathew's preference for using for "Kingdom of Heaven" over "Kingdom of God."

 

Jesus Christ and the Gospel of the Kingdom

What is the Gospel of the Kingdom? Did Jesus Christ preach one Gospel or two Gospels or more? How many Kingdoms are there? What does Scripture say?

The Apostle Matthew writes in his account of the mission of the Christ, the Messiah as follows:

Matthew 3:1-3, KJV
1. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
2. And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
3. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

According to John the Baptist the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand as he announces the coming of the Lord. Matthew writes further:

Matthew 4:23, KJV
23. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Matthew 9:35, KJV
35. And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Matthew 24:14, KJV
14. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

According to Matthew’s account Jesus Christ is preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom. Perhaps Matthew is somewhat ambiguous, but Mark is not. John Mark opens his account of the ministry of Jesus Christ as follows:

Mark 1:1, KJV
1. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

Mark in writing a parallel account of the life of Jesus Christ declares he is writing about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mark further writes about the Gospel quoting Jesus Christ Himself:

Mark 1:14-15, KJV
14. Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15. And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

From these two passages in the Gospel according to Mark it is obvious that the gospel of Jesus Christ and gospel of the kingdom of God are the same.

Luke’s account of the life of Jesus Christ quotes Him as follows:

Luke 4:43, KJV
43. And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.

John the Baptist preached that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Jesus Christ taught that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Obviously the kingdoms are the same. The term Kingdom of Heaven appears only in the Gospel of Matthew; the term Kingdom of God is used on five occasions[Matthew 6:33; 12:28; 19:24, 21:31; 21:43]. Mark, Luke, and John use the term Kingdom of God only. Jesus Christ used both terms but generally referred to the Kingdom of God. Some have argued that there is a difference between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. Walvoord in Major Bible Prophecies, [page 213] states that when Matthew uses the term Kingdom of Heaven he is referring to the sphere of profession but that when he uses the term Kingdom of God he is referring to those who are truly saved. What Nonsense! A comparison of parallel passages in Matthew, Mark, and Luke shows that Matthew uses the Kingdom of Heaven in the same context that Mark and Luke use of the Kingdom of God. A comparison of the explanation of Jesus Christ as to why He spoke in parables [following the parable of the sower] demonstrates without doubt that there is no difference in Matthew’s use of the Kingdom of Heaven and Mark’s and Luke’s use of the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 13:10,11, KJV
10. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11. He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Mark 4:10,11, KJV
10. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all [these] things are done in parables:

Luke 8:9,10, KJV
9. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
10. And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

The Book of Acts closes the history of the early Church with the Apostle Paul in Rome awaiting trial before Nero with these words:

Acts 28:30-31, KJV
30. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
31. Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

Jesus Christ came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. The Gospel that He preached is the same Gospel that the Apostle Paul preached. There is only one Gospel, the Gospel of Redemption through Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul declares to the church at Galatia:

Galatians 1:6-9, KJV
6. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7. Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9. As we said before, so say I now again, If any [man] preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Jesus Christ came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, not an ‘earthly’ Messianic Kingdom. He came to establish and to die for His Church, not for an ‘earthly’ Messianic Kingdom.

Matthew 16:18, KJV
18. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Acts 20:28, KJV
28. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

If the Lord came to establish an ‘earthly’ Messianic Kingdom one must marvel at His response, following the feeding of the five thousand to the desire of the crowd to make Him king:

John 6:14,15, KJV
14. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
15. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

Jesus Christ rejected the overture of the crowd because His Kingdom is not of this world as He clearly teaches:

John 18:36, KJV
36. Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

Later in discussing the second-coming of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, writes to the church at Corinth as follows:

1 Corinthians 15:50, KJV
50. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, therefore, the so-called millennial kingdom cannot be the Kingdom of God as some dispensationalists claim [See Clouse, The Meaning of the Millennium, page 84ff].]

Consider the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Kingdom into which all believers are translated [Colossians 1:13]. Is this Kingdom the Kingdom of God? Most certainly unless the believer is in two kingdoms since Nicodemus is told in John 3:3-5 that those who are “born again” are born into the Kingdom of God. There is one God and one Kingdom, the Kingdom of God. There is one Gospel which is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.[Romans 1:16, KJV]

The truth is that there is not one verse of Scripture in the New Testament which teaches that Jesus Christ offered an ‘earthly’ Messianic Kingdom to the Jewish nation.

 

Anyone who thinks the kingdom of God is not here right now needs to spend time in the Bible concerning the matter...


Mat 12:28 But if I by the Spirit of God send out evil spirits, then is the kingdom of God come on you.



Mat 21:43 For this reason I say to you, The kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation producing the fruits of it.

The kingdom was taken away from the Jews, but not postponed. It was given to the gentiles.

Mar 9:1 And he said to them, Truly I say to you, There are some here who will have no taste of death till they see the kingdom of God come with power.

Pentecost.

MR