Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

When .john the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness, his message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 3:2). We can hardly imagine the excitement which such a message must have caused in Israel. For Yeats, the Israelites had been longing for the establishment of the Lord’s kingdom. Indeed, at that time, they were subjected to the Romans. In their concept of the establishment of the Lord’s kingdom, the Romans would be overthrown when the kingdom was established. Hence, the Israelites anxiously anticipated the coming of the kingdom of God.

The phrase “at hand” is translated from the verb eggizu which means “to approach, draw near.” John was announcing that the kingdom of God was just around the corner. We see the same phrase when we read Paul’s statement “the time of my departure is at hand” (2 Tim. 4:8). In that context, the meaning of the words “at hand” is obvious; Paul meant that his death was imminent. Similarly, when we read John’s announcement that the kingdom of heaven is “at hand,” we need to remember that nearly two thousand years ago a divine messenger announced that God was ready to establish His kingdom on earth.

Even today, men are still asking, “When will the Lord establish His kingdom upon this earth?” We need to let the Bible give us the divine answer to the question of when the Lord establishes His kingdom. Hence, let us go to the word of God for the answer to when the kingdom would be established.

Prophecies About The Establishment of the Kingdom

1. Dan. 2:44. Without going into a lot of detail, let me briefly relate that Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the coming of four kingdoms beginning with Babylon and including the Medo-Persian kingdom, the Grecian kingdom, and the Roman kingdom. During the fourth kingdom, God said, “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever” (Dan. 2:44). Hence, the kingdom of God was to come in the days of the Roman kings.

2. Dan. 7:13-14. Later, Daniel saw a vision of these kingdoms in their succession again. This time, he said, “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.” Notice that the kingdom was given to the Son of Man when He came with the clouds into the presence of God. (This passage does not say that the kingdom will be given when the Son of Man comes from the Ancient of Days to this earth.)

3. Isa. 2:2. Isaiah foretold that the kingdom of the Lord would come in the “last days.”

The Kingdom During The Lifetime of Jesus

The next step we need to notice in the examination of the scriptures regarding the establishment of the kingdom of God is to move to the lifetime of Jesus. Let us be reminded that Jesus was born during the days of the Roman kings in the reign of Caesar Augustus (Lk. 2:1). John’s ministry began during the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (Lk. 3:1). The fulness of time had come for God to send forth His Son; the fulness of time had come for the kingdom to be established (Mk. 1:15). Hence, let us consider the statements made concerning the establishment of the kingdom of heaven during the lifetime of Jesus.

1. Lk. 1:32-33. When Jesus was born, the angel foretold to Mary the reign of Jesus saying, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever;. and His kingdom will have no end.” Hence, from the very beginning of the life of Jesus, it was understood that He was the prophesied king of the kingdom of heaven.

2. John said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Obviously, the Lord’s kingdom had not been established at that point. Hence, we can eliminate any doctrine which teaches that the kingdom of God was established prior to the coming of John the Baptist. Furthermore, Jesus later said, `Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Mt. 11:1 l ). This passage furthermore shows that John the Baptist never enjoyed the blessed privilege of being a citizen of the kingdom. John came and died without ever seeing the kingdom of God established. The kingdom of God was not established during the lifetime of John.

3. Jesus said, “Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 4:17). At this point in Jesus’ life, the kingdom of heaven had not yet been established. This message is recorded as having been the first message delivered by Jesus following His baptism at the hands of John. Hence, the kingdom of God was not established this early in Jesus’ ministry.

4. Later, Jesus sent the twelve apostles on the limited commission to preach as follows: “And as you go, preach saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’ ” (Mt. 10:7). Obviously, fhe kingdom of heaven had not come at that time; rather, they announced that its coming was to be “at hand.”

5. Later, Jesus taught, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (Mt. 16:28). Hence, Jesus placed the establishment of His kingdom within the lifetime of those to whom He was preaching. Any understanding which we have of the establishment of the kingdom of God has to fit Mt. 16:28. The view which says that Christ’s kingdom has not yet been established must come to grips with the fact that Jesus said that it would be established during the lifetime of those to whom He preached. Did He lie? Was He honestly mistaken? Are there men still alive who heard Him preach? Is there another alternative which I have not considered? The only alternative with which I am familiar which fits this passage is the one which teaches that the kingdom of God was established within the lifetime of those to whom He preached. Mark’s account of this same occasion says, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste of death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power” (9:1). Notice that Mark taught that the kingdom was to come with power.

6. Later, on the night of His betrayal, Jesus instituted the Lord’s supper. During that, He stated, “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” (Mt. 26:29). We can know when the kingdom was established by knowing when the Lord’s Supper .was observed. When we determine that the Lord’s Supper was observed, we shall know that the kingdom has been established.

The Fulfillment: The Establishment of the Kingdom

The kingdom of heaven was establishment in exact keeping with what divine prophecy foretold. Let us notice the fulfillment of these prophecies. During the days of the Roman kings, one like unto the Son of Man ascended to the Ancient of Days. The record of the ascension of Christ states, “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). Prior to His ascension to the Ancient of Days, Jesus had instructed His disciples to tarry in Jerusalem “until you are clothed with power from on high” (Lk. 24:49). The power was to come when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8) and was to be a sign that the kingdom of God had come (Mk. 9:1). Everything was in readiness for the kingdom to come. The Son of Man had ascended to the Father; the apostles were awaiting the power which was to mark the coming of the kingdom of God.

Finally, the day arrived when the kingdom came. It was on the first Pentecost following the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance (Acts 2:1-4).

The Holy Spirit came to give the apostles the power which was to mark the coming of the kingdom of God. Peter stood up and announced that the “last days” had arrived.

This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: “And it shall be in the last days . . . .” (Acts 2:16-17).

Isaiah’s prophecy that the kingdom would come in the last days could now be fulfilled since the last days had arrived.

The time of the coming of the kingdom was closely enough . connected to the prophecy of John the Baptist that it would be proper for him to have said that the “kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The events recorded in Acts 2 came within the lifetime of those who heard Jesus speak in Mk. 9:1.

All will have been fulfilled if I can but demonstrate that the disciples were drinking the fruit of the vine in commemoration of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Significantly, it is recorded that those who were baptized “were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). The phrase “breaking of bread” is generally understood to be a technical phrase to refer to the observance of the Lord’s Supper. Hence, they were drinking the fruit of the vine in the kingdom of the Lord.

Post-Pentecost References to the Kingdom

To further demonstrate that the kingdom of God was established on the day of Pentecost, let us consider some of the references made after the day of Pentecost to show that the Lord’s kingdom was already in existence.

1. Acts 11:15. In this passage, Peter refers to the events of the day of Pentecost as “the beginning.” He said, “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He did upon us at the beginning” (Acts 11:15). The day of Pentecost marked the beginning of the kingdom of the Lord.

2. Acts 8:12. When Philip preached in Samaria, he preached the kingdom of God. “But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike.” Think about this for a minute. Philip preached the “good news” of the kingdom of God. If I promised you that I would give you $10,000 on August 15th and then came to tell you on August 14th that I had postponed giving you that $10,000 for two thousand years, would that be good news? Yet, my friends, this is exactly what premillennialism says happened with reference to the establishment of the kingdom of God. The kingdom was nigh unto .being established but the Jews rejected Jesus and crucified Him. Consequently, God postponed the establishment of the kingdom for over two thousand years. How could Philip preach that as “good news”? The good news was that the kingdom had been established!

3. The Christians in Colassae were members of the kingdom of God (Col. 1:13-14); the Ephesians were “fellow-citizens” (Eph. 2:19). The Thessalonians were to walk worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom (1 Thess. 2:12). The Christians in the seven churches of Asia were in the kingdom of God (Rev. 1:9).

Conclusion

The kingdom of God has been established. Contrary to both Jewish and modern dispensationalists’ expectations, the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom also known as the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. It has been in existence for nearly two thousand years. My friend, you too can be a part of this divinely established kingdom if you so desire. You need to be born of the water and the Spirit (Jn. 3:5) in order to enter that kingdom. If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. are willing to repent of your sins, confess faith in Christ, and be buried in the waters of baptism for the remission of your sins, you can become a citizen of the Lord’s kingdom.

Truth Magazine XXII: 28, pp. 451-454
July 20, 1978

By Lloyd H. Beard

Many have heard the story about the two elderly ladies listening to a sermon on worldliness. They were nodding in approval and saying “Amen,” until the preacher mentioned smoking, drinking and chewing tobacco. “Now you’ve stopped preaching and started meddling,” was their response. As various liquids have different temperatures at which they boil, many individuals and congregations have “Different Meddling Points.”

In certain congregations, some topics are taboo, the evangelist having been warned to steer clear of these. Some evangelists have “read the writing on the wall,” and avoided such areas in deference to their position and salary. We would like to think this does not occur, but in too many places it is the real situation. One Sunday, after a very needed sermon, I was called into a back room “elders’ meeting” and told that my sermon was “untimely.” Brethren, how many years have to pass before the truth becomes timely? What ever happened to the noble attitude of the Bereans (Acts 17:11) or the fine preaching of Paul that “did not shrink from declaring the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27)?

There is abundant evidence that some congregations are doing little if nothing about worldliness, immorality, and faithlessness among their members. The statement was once made, “We don’t believe in discipline.” This is a sad commentary on some elders. Other congregations have gone for years with no disciplinary action of any kind. Brethren, human nature will not allow such a perfect record. Some congregations are making, to their credit, the attempt to reach “the lost among their members.” Are we allowing a good portion of our congregations to be ill-informed, weak, and rendering haphazard service to God? If so, we may be setting the stage for a future apostasy.

One subject often termed as of “little importance,” is that of attendance. Surprisingly some have actually defended those who are not faithful in this. In 1 John 1:5-7, we are told that fellowship with God and with other Christians depends upon “walking in the light.” Is nonattendance “walking in the light”? Paul stated, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough” (1 Cor. 5:6). We might debate about how much is “little.” Any house-wife can tell you that any amount will start spreading.

Some may well worry about a reduced membership lessening the amount of work a congregation can take on. However, does it make sense to sacrifice the souls at home for those not yet converted? Smaller congregations have the same problem with a slightly different twist. Brethren we have directed the charge at institutional churches, and rightly so, that they are too concerned with numbers. Perhaps a bit of that has “leavened” into our thinking also, Many churches give the appearance that the only error they oppose is the institutional question. Perhaps we are all guilty, to some degree, of emphasizing one important matter to the exclusion of others equally as important in a different area. A very excellent point, that is well taken, concerns emphasizing one area as if to trade that for justification. Justification comes from obedience in every area of service to God. James 2:10 records, “For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” He sins against the Law-giver, whether in violation of one or of many.

Brethren, how long shall we continue sweeping dust under the rug before we begin to stumble over the resulting lump. Some of the strife in congregations is a direct result of not facing up to and solving our problems. Heb. 12:11-13 states, “All discipline seems for the moment to be sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint; but rather be healed.”

Truth Magazine XXII: 28, pp. 454-455
July 20, 1978

By Johnie Edwards

This article does not deal with romance! It does deal with a list of things which people are said to love. Some of the things listed are things which God would have us love and there are some listed which God does not approve of man loving.

Lovers of God

God expects a first place in the lives of His people. Jesus said, ‘Thou shaft love the Lord thy God with all thy, heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matt. 22:37). We cannot please God if we fail to love Him. Yet there are those who are “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God . . .” (2 Tim. 3:4). When men find no pleasure in loving God and do not want to retain God in their knowledge, God will give them over to a reprobate mind, to “do those things which are not convenient” (Rom. 1:28). We should be ready to confess as did Peter, “Yea Lord, thou knowest that I love thee . . ” (Jn. 21:15).

Lovers of Good

God expects us to be lovers of good men and good things. One of the qualifications for elders is that they be lovers of “good men” (Tit. 1:8). We need to think on “whatsoever things are of good report . . .” (Phil. 4:8). If we are to be lovers of good, we must by reason of use, have our senses exercised “to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5:14). Too many have pleasure in that which is bad and dislike that which is good.

Lovers of Hospitality And of Strangers

So many fail to practice hospitality as God expects of His people. An elder must be “a lover of hospitality . . .” (Titus 1:8). Peter said, “Use hospitality one to another without grudging” (1 Pet. 4:9). Paul said, “distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality” (Rom. 12:13). I am afraid that too many do not want to clean up, miss an afternoon nap and are just too lazy to practice hospitality! When we begin to put hospitality into practice we will be a willing host, ready to receive guests, even to lodge, without partiality, the rich as well as the poor.

Lovers of the Brethren

There is not enough love among the brethren. Paul said, “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another” (Rom. 12:10). We are told, “Let brotherly love continue” (Heb. 13:1). We must to be saved, Peter said, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (1 Pet. 1:22).

Lovers of the Truth

There is a great demand for more people to love the truth. The truth is the Word of God (Jno. 17:17). The Psalmist said, “Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea above fine gold” (Psa. 119:127). Loving the truth can be a matter of life and death. Paul told the Thessalonians, “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10). If I do not love the truth, I will be lost. One reason people do not obey the truth is that they do not love the truth.

Lovers of Worldly Wisdom

We must beware of the `god of education.’ Much emphasis is being put on getting more schooling, getting a better job and having more things. Education is fine, and I am not against education, but education must be one’s servant, not his master! Paul warned the Colossians, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Col. 2:8). Paul said, “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:5). Gospel preaching must not be with “enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Cor. 2:4). Man, by worldly wisdom cannot know God. nor His will. We need to remember that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Cor. 1:25).

Lovers of Pleasure

Paul told Timothy that people would be “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (2 Tim. 3:4). We seem to be living in a “pleasure crazy” world. Pleasure has brought death to many. Paul said, “But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth” (1 Tim. 5:6). Loving pleasure keeps many from obeying the Word of God. Jesus pointed out in the parable of the sower that the “cares and riches and pleasures of this life choke out the word” (Luke 8).

Truth Magazine XXII: 27, pp. 445-446
July 13, 1978

By Ron Halbrook

For The Truth’s Sake, we must “flee fornication” (1 Cor. 6:18). The sexual capacity is a power for good. Like. all such powers, it can be abused and misused. “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers (fornicators) and adulterers God will judge” (Heb. 13:4). Women must guard against wicked men, men must guard against wicked women, and all must guard against falling victim to temptation unintentionally. “Flee” suggests something dangerous and dreadful, just as the picture of a skull and crossbones on a bottle of poison.

We should flee fornication for many reasons:

(1) It violates the purpose for which God made the body. God made food for the body and the body to receive food. He supplied an answer to all our normal needs. “Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body . . . .he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:1320). 1 Cor. 7:2-6 shows that our sexual needs are to be fulfilled in marriage, with God’s blessing. Fornication is rebellion against the purpose for which God made us. This is doubly true for Christians, who have been purchased with the blood of Christ to serve God in all things (1 Cor. 6:20).

(2) It destroys homes. God does not allow divorce and remarriage, except for an innocent party whose mate commits fornication. Jesus said, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. . . Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery” (Matt. 19:1-9). Neither can remarry when one puts the other away for some cause other than fornication. In a practical way, fornication destroys homes because it destroys mutual confidence, trust, and love. In addition, within the bounds of God’s law, permission is given to break up the home where such infidelity occurs.

(3) It stirs the wrath of God. When many Israelites committed fornication “with the daughters of Moab,” God commanded that they be put to death. He said, “Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel” (Num. 25:15). If the punishment seems horrible, it gives us some idea of how horrible this sin is in God’s sight! Today, God is still angered by such sin-He recorded Israel’s history as a constant reminder (1 Cor. 10:8-11).

(4) It will cause us to lose our soul eternally. “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness . . . and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” ,(Gal. 5:1921). If we would be delivered “from the power of darkness” and translated “into the kingdom of his dear Son,” we must be “buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead” (Col. 1:13; 2:12). Christians who become guilty will be lost unless they repent and seek God’s forgiveness.

Truth Magazine XXII: 28, p. 450
July 20, 1978