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:
This passage opens, in verse two, by telling us Jesus used these parables to teach them “in His doctrine.” The doctrine He taught concerned the kingdom of God. I’ve heard many ideas concerning this kingdom, and frankly, what one believes about this kingdom impacts every aspect of his understanding of the Bible.
Some believe the kingdom to be synonymous with the invisible, universal church
It’s, in their opinion, the kingdom that lives within you. It happened the moment you accepted Jesus as Lord.
Some believe it to be the kingdom of God at work in our world today
Catholics and some Protestants take this view and believe the kingdom of God is competing with the kingdoms of the world. The Vatican has a representative in the United Nations. The Catholic Church is viewed as one of the kingdoms in force in the world today.
Some believe the kingdom to be representative of the local church of Jesus Christ
AW Pink wrote a series of articles on the kingdom of heaven parables. He saw them as prophetic of the history of the church age. I once heard Gary Prisk preach a message to the same effect.
I believe the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of heaven, and the Millennial Kingdom of Christ to be synonymous
It is this kingdom that was promised to David. It was
to this kingdom the Jews looked forward. It is not the doctrine of the church, but it affects church doctrine as we are a part of God’s plan to bring that promise to fruition. The church does not replace Israel. Promises to New Testament Christians do not supplant God’s promises to David or the rest of Israel. New Testament Christians and New Testament church doctrine play a part in bringing His promise to Israel to pass.
God has never given up on Israel. When all is done, the new Jerusalem will sit on the new earth, and all believers of all ages will worship together at the throne of God.
To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.
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