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Seeing the Whole Bible Through the Reign of the King | Thomas R. Schreiner · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking and welcome to the Deep dive.
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Today we are well, we're taking on a huge project.
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We're going to review the entire biblical narrative from Genesis
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all the way to Revelation, and we're going to look at it
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through a single unifying theme, God's kingship.
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We're using the framework from Thomas Shriner's work,
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specifically his Apalogue to the King and His Beauty.
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Our mission here is to trace this idea of sovereign rule and,
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you know, try to understand what it means for the past, the
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present, and for the future. So we have to begin where the
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story itself begins, with the Creator.
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Yeah, the Lord of all. He established the world and the
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universe, and it was, well, it was a perfect original order,
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and it was all made for his glory.
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This isn't just about cosmic creation though.
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It's about establishing a Kingdom from the very first
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moment. That's the essential framework.
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The entire universe is defined by Yahweh's absolute role, and
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within that perfect setting, he then created Adam and Eve.
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Their role was so critical, but I think it's often
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misunderstood. They weren't just glorified
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gardeners, they were placed in Eden as God's vice Regents.
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OK, that is a key piece of jargon we need to unpack
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immediately for anyone joining us.
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What does it actually mean for Adam and Eve to be vice Regents?
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Right. So if you break the word down,
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vice just means in place of they were commissioned to rule the
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world in God's place, you know, under his supreme Lordship,
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their whole job was to extend his perfect reign.
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The world was his palace. And you could say they were the
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local managers, the royal delegates who were mediating
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God's reign to the rest of creation.
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And the setting for this original rule was also really
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significant, the Garden of Eden. It wasn't just some fertile
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piece of land. It's explicitly described as the
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Garden Temple. They live in this intimate
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fellowship with God, and their mission was to expand this
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Garden Temple outward until God's rule cover the entire
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earth. And their success?
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It all hinged on their dependence on the King.
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Which brings us, of course, to the tragedy.
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The failure wasn't just a simple mistake.
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It was a constitutional crisis. Adam and Eve repudiated God as
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their king. They were tempted by this idea
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of autonomy, you know, choosing independence, defining good and
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evil for themselves rather than dependence on their creator.
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And that single act, it just shattered the relationship.
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It introduced death and disorder into the Kingdom.
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And the consequences of that, they just ripple throughout
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history. If that had been the end of the
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story, I mean, the serpent would have won and God's sovereign
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rule would have been mocked. But history pivots immediately.
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Genesis 3.15. It's also called the Proto
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Evangelium, the first Gospel promise.
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Right. The Lord's immediate response is
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an act of sovereign grace. He promises that the offspring
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of the woman will triumph over the serpent.
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This promise, it re establishes the certainty that God's reign
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will be restored. But it also, right then and
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there, sets up the central conflict for all of human
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history, this huge cosmic struggle between the woman's
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offspring and the serpent's offspring.
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And the outcome is guaranteed. From the very beginning, the
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offspring of the woman will crush the head of the serpent.
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The promise isn't just about a win.
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It's about a fatal, decisive blow.
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It frames the Serpent's whole subsequent history as just
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feudal hostility. Everything the devil does from
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that point on, every attempt to subvert the King's plan, every
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act of hatred against the Lord's people, it's just an insane
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attempt to topple a rule that is already destined for complete
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and glorious restoration. The end result is settled from
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the start. But the battle begins right
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away, and, well, initially it seems like the forces aligned
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with the Serpent are winning. We see Cain, Adam's son, align
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himself with the Serpent's lineage by killing his righteous
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brother, Abel. The moral breakdown starts in
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the very first family. The narrative right after the
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fall shows how quickly sin metastasizes when human beings
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reject the king. The struggle for righteousness
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is enormous because the moral contamination is just so
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comprehensive. By the time we get to Noah, the
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situation is catastrophic. The biblical narrator gives us
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that devastating summary in Genesis 6.5, saying that the
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evil invading the human heart society is pervasive and
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intractable. Noah's family is the only
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righteous remnant left, just a tiny spark of light in a world
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completely swallowed by darkness.
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And even when this widespread evil seems to have totally taken
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over, God's reign over all things remains absolute.
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The flood is the ultimate demonstration of divine
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judgment. The triumphs of evil are never
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permanent. They are ephemeral, they're
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temporary, and they're always followed by the certain judgment
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of the king. And after that judgment, we see
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another act of grace, another covenant.
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God covenants with Noah, promising to sustain the
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established order of the world, the seasons, day and night.
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He essentially grants history, the time, and the stability it
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needs for that final victory over the serpent to be realized
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through the promised offspring. What's really sobering, though,
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is that while God changed the external environment, the core
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problem of the human heart hadn't changed at all.
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Genesis 8.21 confirms this and we see the immediate result in
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the Tower of Babel incident. Babel is just a stunning
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rejection of God's sovereignty. Instead of scattering and
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filling the earth as they were commanded, they all congregated.
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They actively flouted God's kingship by prioritizing their
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own reputation. They wanted to make a name for
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themselves, as Genesis 11.4 puts it, over the honor and lordship
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of Yahweh. It was collective pride leading
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to collective rebellion. So when you finish Genesis One
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through 11, the key take away for the listener is, well, it's
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unavoidable. Human beings, left to their own
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devices, they lack the moral resources for righteousness or
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for true rule. They just replicate Adam's
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rebellion over and over again. This forces the conclusion that
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redemption must be entirely exogenous.
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It has to come from God alone, the true King.
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OK, let's unpack this transition, then the move to the
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covenant path to redemption. If humanity can't fix itself,
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God has to intervene with a specific targeted plan.
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And this plan begins with the call of Abraham.
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Abraham is chosen to be the hinge of history.
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He functions, in a sense, as a new Adam.
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He's the man through whom that Genesis 3.15 promise of crushing
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the serpent's head would finally be realized.
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God establishes a critical covenant with him, and it's
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built on three defining promises.
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Offspring, land, and worldwide blessing.
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These three themes are really the structural beams of the rest
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of the Bible. The entire sweep of the Old and
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New Testaments is simply the story of God fleshing out,
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fulfilling, and achieving these three promises.
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What's? Remarkable is just how slowly
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and laboriously this fulfillment begins.
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Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived as sojourners.
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They never actually possessed the land.
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They only owned a burial plot. As the writer of Hebrews notes,
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they lived in tents, waiting for the greater fulfillment.
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And the struggle for offspring was just as monumental.
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Sarah's Baroness. Rebecca's Baroness.
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Rachel's Baroness. The promise was constantly in
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peril. It advances with incredible
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difficulty. Genesis ends with Israel's
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entire population numbering only about 70 people.
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I mean hardly the stars in the sky that were promised and worse
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there in Egypt a foreign land which is completely the wrong
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location. The whole narrative just seems
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to stall out. The triumph over the serpent
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looks like it's going to be a grinding, drawn out, painful
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process. Then, when Exodus opens, we hit
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this moment of incredible acceleration.
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Right here is where it gets interesting, because that first
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promise suddenly just explodes into reality.
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Israel's population increases exponentially, fulfilling the
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promise of countless offspring. They're still in bondage, but
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the sheer numbers show that God's plan is moving forward.
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Which then necessitates the second great promise, liberation
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and the land. That liberation from Egyptian
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slavery is a massive divine act of redemption.
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It's a complete display of God's sovereignty over Pharaoh and his
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gods. Signs, wonders, plagues Yahweh,
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crushes the supposed kings of Egypt to redeem his people.
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And immediately after this liberation, Israel's purpose is
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laid out for them. They're not redeemed just to
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exist. They're redeemed to function as
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a Kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
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Just as Adam was a king and a priest in the Garden Temple,
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Israel was meant to be a priestly and kingly people
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mediating God's blessing to the rest of the world under Yahweh's
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exclusive Lordship. And this is where the Mosaic
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covenant comes in. It provides the blueprint for
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life under the King. Deuteronomy clearly spells out
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the stipulations. They must keep God's laws, love
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the Lord, fear Him, and cling to Him.
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Obedience brings covenant blessings, but turning away
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means inevitable covenant curses.
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They had to act as loyal subjects.
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This relationship is defined by intimacy, but also by terror.
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The Lord dwells especially among them in the Tabernacle.
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He's physically present with His people, but He is intensely
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holy. The access they're granted is
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anything but casual. The requirements are severe.
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Prescribed rituals and sacrifices are mandatory for the
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forgiveness of sins. We see the terrifying holiness
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of God early on when Nadab and Abihu offer unauthorized fire
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and are just consumed by judgment.
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Leviticus 10.1 to 2 shows us that God's presence among
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sinners requires a means of atonement and very strict
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boundaries. What's so shocking is how
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immediately and utterly they fail.
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Right after the covenant is ratified, while Moses is up on
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the mountain, they violate the central stipulation by
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worshipping the golden calf. It is the instantaneous
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repudiation of Yahweh's kingship.
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Moses intercedes and they are forgiven, but the crisis
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remains. How can a holy king dwell among
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such a recalcitrant, disobedient people?
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The physical deliverance from Egypt.
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It didn't fix the internal corruption.
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The atom problem is still there. We see this corruption manifest
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powerfully when they fail to trust God at the border of
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Canaan. They refuse to enter the land,
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doubting Yahweh's signs and wonders, convinced the nations
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of Canaan are too strong. They wanted a different king, a
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different life. Despite their infidelity,
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though, Yahweh remains true to his overarching plan.
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He maintains the covenant promise, and the next generation
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under Joshua finally enters the land.
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The conquest is presented in Scripture as a supernatural holy
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war. The victories, like marching
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around Jericho, are clearly orchestrated to show that the
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battle belongs entirely to the Lord.
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It's God establishing his rule through his human agents.
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So the second great promise, the land is fulfilled.
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They had multiplied and they possessed the territory.
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Now the stage should have been perfectly set for Israel to be
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that Kingdom of priests mediating worldwide blessing.
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But. Once again, they replicate Adam.
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The period of the judges is just this tragic loop.
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Instead of imposing Yahweh's righteous rule on the
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surrounding nations, they are molded by paganism worshipping
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the bowls. The cycle of sin, judgement,
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repentance and deliverance repeats itself over and over
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again. The author of Judges concludes
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this horrific period by repeatedly saying that Israel
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did what was right in their own eyes because there was no king
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in Israel. This waywardness shows the
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desperate need for a righteous sovereign.
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That need for a king seems like the right thing.
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Yet when the people petitioned Samuel for a king, their motive
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is completely secular. They reject Samuel as judge, and
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they asked for a monarch to be like the other nations.
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They want a human king who will fight their battles and look
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impressive rather than depending on the invisible king Yahweh.
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It's a repudiation and motive, even if it fits into God's grand
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design. The idea of a future king was
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never foreign to the plan. Way back in the Pentuck, Jacob
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predicts the scepter will come from Judah.
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Balaam also predicts a star that will rise out of Jacob, the head
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of Moab, which is a clear echo of the Genesis 3.15 serpent
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crushing promise. O the worldwide blessing was
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supposed to come through a king, but this king had to be
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different. Saul, the first chosen king,
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looked the part. He was tall, strong, but he
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failed immediately. He replicated Adam's sin.
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How did Saul fail as king? Well, he substituted his own
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judgment for God's clear commands.
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He decided to offer unauthorized sacrifices.
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He spared the Amalekites when God commanded complete judgment.
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He failed to submit to Yahweh's lordship, and consequently his
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dynasty was cut off right away. He was ruling for himself, not
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for God. Then comes David, a complete
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contrast. He's described as a man after
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God's own heart, not because he was sinless, but because his
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entire reign was characterized by this reliance on Yahweh.
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He trusted the Lord through suffering and battles.
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This faithfulness leads to the most important development in
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the Old Testament narrative. After the call of Abraham, the
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Davidic covenant in Second Samuel 7, God promises David an
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eternal dynasty, and this promise is irrevocable.
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Even if David's son sin, the covenant itself will not be
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revoked. The throne will stand forever.
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That is massive. It shifts the entire focus of
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the Kingdom. However, the narrative also
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clarifies that David himself was not the final king.
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His moral failures, the adultery with Bathsheba, the murderer
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Uriah, they confirmed that he too carried the fallen nature of
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Adam. He couldn't be the one to
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finally crush the serpent's head.
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The story continues with Solomon, David's son, and his
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reign. For a moment, it seemed like the
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promised paradise. He was a man of peace.
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He built the temple, and Israel's territory and numbers
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were vast. For a moment, those second and
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third Abrahamic promises, land and blessing, appeared
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completely fulfilled. It must have felt like the final
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triumph over evil was right there, right at hand.
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But Solomon, just like the first Adam in the garden, he veered
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toward evil primarily through idolatry and marrying foreign
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wise who led his heart astray. His failure to submit to
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Yahweh's kingship led to the devastating political
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consequence. The nation split into the
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northern and southern kingdoms, and the narrative throughout 1
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and 2 Kings consistently argues that the character and moral
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direction of Israel and Judah were shaped entirely by their
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respective kings. The lesson here for anyone
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looking at this story is stark. The people desperately needed a
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king who was truly righteous, one who would reign forever
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without fail. And since every human king
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failed, that king had to be more than human.
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This national failure leads us directly into the prophetic
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warnings. The exile was looming because
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both kingdoms regularly and willfully violated the Mosaic
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Covenant. They refused to submit to
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Yahweh's law. The prophets, They were like
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messengers from the king. They warned repeatedly about the
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coming day of the Lord. They performed what are called
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covenant lawsuits against Israel, accusing them,
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convicting them, and declaring their inevitable guilt before
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the king. This day of the Lord, instead of
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bringing salvation, was coming as a day of judgement.
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Despite the repeated warnings and flashes of repentance, both
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kingdoms just plunged deeper into evil and eventually the
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threatened judgement became reality.
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The Northern Kingdom was exiled by Assyria and 722 BC, and the
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southern Kingdom by the Babylonians 586 BC.
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This moment of exile looks like the complete undoing of the
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entire narrative. Israel is out of the land, the
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King's throne is vacant, and the worldwide blessing is nowhere
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insight. The promises to Abraham appear
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to have been reversed. Yet the promise had not been
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withdrawn. Here is where hope breaks
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through. The prophets immediately
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reaffirm that the Lord's faithfulness endures.
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They promised to return a new exodus that would eclipse the
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first one from Egypt, and this new.
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Liberation would usher in a new covenant.
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This is so vital. God would write His law directly
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on their hearts, removing the atom problem from within.
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He would grant them the gift of the Holy Spirit, enabling them
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to actually keep His requirements and live
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righteously and furthermore. There would be a new temple.
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The Lord would dwell with his people again, permanently.
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And the centerpiece of this entire future hope was the new
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David, a righteous leader who would arise not only blessing
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Israel, but bringing the nations of the world under his just and
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benevolent rule. So the new.
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Exodus, the New Covenant, and the new David are all tied
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together, and they're linked to the promise of new creation.
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The world would be completely renewed, freed from the
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corruption of sin. The final day of the Lord was
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coming to judge all enemies, raise the righteous dead, and
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usher in this glorious new world.
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The Story of. Kingship reaches its poetic and
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prophetic peak right here. It's the vision of Israel and
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the nations living safely and righteously under Yahweh's
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perfect, beautiful rule. We've tracked the.
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Historical failure and the prophetic hope.
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But we need to pause and ask how did the people feel during that
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long, difficult wait for the new David and the new creation?
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And that's where the Psalter comes in.
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The Psalms give us the emotional landscape of life under the
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King's lordship. That is a wonderful.
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Way to put it. The Psalms reflect so intensely
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on the Davidic promise, particularly the hope of that
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king exercising his rule completely, and the structure of
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the Psalter itself. It tells a story moving from
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lament to praise. Book 3 of the.
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Psalms often expresses this profound anxiety or doubt that
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the promise to David would ever be realized, which makes a lot
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of sense given the destruction of the temple and the experience
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of exile. But then in book four and Book
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5, the praise returns, powerfully reaffirming God's
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absolute certainty of fulfilling His promises to David and the
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world. The Psalms.
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Also give us a glimpse into the joy of living in the Lord's
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presence. They're filled with laments,
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cries to the king for justice that always transitioned to
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praise, reflecting the security found in his salvation.
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The relationship with the king is not austere or merely
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transactional. The.
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Psalmist constantly expresses this longing to be in Yahweh's
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temple, where He especially dwells with His people.
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Praising Him is described as thrilling and satisfying.
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The desire to worship the King for His beauty shows that
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submission to His rule is the highest form of human
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flourishing. And this focus.
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On the beauty of relationship is wonderfully complemented by the
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Song of Songs If we understand that book in part as
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anticipating christ's relationship with the church, it
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communicates the incredible intimacy, joy, and delight that
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define the relationship between the king and his devoted people.
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Kingship here is framed by love, not just by law.
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So if the. Psalms give us the emotional
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response to the king, then the wisdom literature, Proverbs,
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Ecclesiastes, and Job gives us the practical guide.
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Some people argue these books don't fit the historical
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narrative because they don't mention kings or covenants
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often, but I think that misses their central purpose.
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Right Wisdom. Literature unpacks what life is
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actually like living under God's rule, day by day, moment by
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moment. It provides the necessary detail
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for everyday obedience, which the broad historical sweep of
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the narrative often leaves out. We're talking.
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About concrete choices, how to interact with your neighbors,
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how to conduct business honestly, how to speak with
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integrity. Living under God's rule is not
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an abstraction that's relegated to the temple.
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It plays out in the marketplace, in the home, and in the field.
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And this theme. Connects strongly back to the
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monarchy. Ruling wisely is fundamental to
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being a king. This is why Solomon is the
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primary figure associated with proverbs.
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Isaiah prophesized that the future king from David's line
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will be filled with wisdom, and Jesus in the New Testament is
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presented as the very wisdom of God, greater than Solomon the
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unifying. Theme is the fear of the Lord
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this concept links everything together it connects wisdom back
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to the covenant traditions as deuteronomy teaches that
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covenant loyalty is expressed by fearing and obeying the king it
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also. Resonates with creation
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traditions. To fear the Lord is to
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acknowledge Yahweh's absolute sovereignty over creation.
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The wise person stands in awe, a holy terror before the King, and
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therefore lives wisely in submission to His created order,
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the Proverbs. Can sometimes sound a little too
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simple. You know a formula where if you
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do X, you get Y. That's where Ecclesiastes and
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Job provide the essential corrective.
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They address the hard truth that God's rule does not always mean
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life is predictable, or that moral outcomes always make
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immediate sense. They confront the.
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Reality that the world is twisted by sin.
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Life under the sun is fleeting and enigmatic.
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The righteous often suffer while the wicked prosper.
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The expected Deuteronomic roles are reversed in practice all the
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time. Ecclesiastes.
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And Job never deny God's absolute sovereignty over
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everything that occurs. Instead, they highlight human
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limitation. We are incapable of discerning a
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clear rational pattern in all events.
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Trying to figure out why things happen is often an exercise in
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vanity. The instruction.
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Therefore is not to puzzle endlessly over injustice, but to
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trust the King. As history unfolds, we are
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commanded to fear the Lord and do his commands, believing that
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a day of final judgement is coming when all wrongs will be
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made right. It's a call to faithful
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obedience in the present pension, trusting the sovereign
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hand even when the plan is hidden that.
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Sets the stage perfectly for the transition to the New Testament.
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The Old Testament story concludes after the return from
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exile. But critically, the expected
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blessings, the new David, the new creation, they had not
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arrived. The Old Testament ends on a note
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of acute expectation. A breath held.
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Exactly. When the New Testament opens,
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Israel is in the land, but they are not free.
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Rome is the occupying ruler. Their king is Herod, a political
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puppet, not a true Davidic heir. Pious Jews were actively waiting
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for the Davidic king who would finally rule the Gentiles and
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bless the righteous, as we see reflected in writings like the
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Psalms of Solomon, then John the.
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Baptist and Jesus arrive and they announce the central
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message. The Kingdom of God is near.
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This phrase is the key to understanding the synoptic
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Gospels and Acts, and it's interesting that it's never
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really defined. It doesn't need.
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Definition because the concept was already clear from the
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prophets, the Kingdom of God refers to the coming rain, the
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fulfillment of God's saving promises for Israel, and the
21:17
judgement for all who resist his rule.
21:20
So the arrival. Of the Kingdom is basically
21:21
shorthand for the fulfillment of all the prophetic hopes, the new
21:25
Exodus, the new Covenant, and the new creation.
21:28
Precisely. This fulfillment brings
21:30
Abraham's promise of universal blessing into reality.
21:33
It is the final crushing blow to the serpent's head that Genesis
21:36
3.15 foretold so long ago. And what we?
21:39
Learned from Jesus ministry is that the Kingdom wasn't just
21:42
near, it was present. It was evident in his signs, his
21:46
wonders and his miracles. Well, consider.
21:48
The nature miracles, calming storms, multiplying bread.
21:52
These weren't just displays of brute strength, they were
21:55
anticipations of the new creation, a foretaste of a world
21:58
where nature is in harmony, without thorns or thistles.
22:02
His healings were a foretaste of a world without disease or
22:05
death, and his exorcisms restored human beings to their
22:09
full intended function, conquering the distortion caused
22:13
by demonic evil, the miracles. Demonstrated the kingdom's
22:16
arrival. But here is where we encounter
22:18
the revolutionary distinctiveness of Jesus's
22:21
teaching the mystery of the Kingdom.
22:23
This is a crucial. Concept, and we need to clarify
22:25
what it means. The mystery is that the Kingdom
22:27
was inaugurated, it has started, but it was not consummated.
22:30
It is not yet finished. It is already present but not
22:33
yet complete. Why was this such?
22:35
A mystery. I mean, what do people expect?
22:37
Because the Jews. Expected the Kingdom to arrive
22:39
with instant apocalyptic force, sweeping away all foreign
22:43
enemies and setting up a visible immediate golden age.
22:47
They never envisioned an interval of phase where the
22:49
spiritual authority, the king, was at work.
22:51
Yet the physical consequences of sin and evil continue to hold
22:54
sway, Jesus explains. This interval using parables,
22:57
right? Exactly.
22:58
The Kingdom is like a small mustard seed or hidden leaven.
23:01
Starts small, it grows slowly, and it's often observable only
23:05
to those with spiritual eyes to perceive it.
23:08
It demands faith during a time of waiting.
23:10
So the inaugurated. Kingdom meant one absolute
23:12
certainty. The new David had arrived.
23:15
The Synoptics and Acts confirm that Jesus is the Messiah and
23:18
King of Israel, the central figure in whom all the covenant
23:22
promises of the Old Testament find their fulfillment.
23:24
He is the. Ultimate type fulfilled.
23:26
He is the true Adam, the true Israel, the Son of man, the Son
23:29
of God, and the obedient Son who never, unlike Adam or Saul or
23:32
Solomon, put his own will above the Fathers and the Gospels.
23:36
Make it clear that Jesus is more than just a man.
23:39
God himself had come to rescue his people in Jesus.
23:42
He is Emmanuel, the one who comes to his temple to cleanse
23:45
it of evil, fulfilling the prophecy of Malachi.
23:48
So if the King. Is here how do subjects enter
23:50
His Kingdom? The requirement is twofold,
23:53
obedience and forgiveness of sins.
23:56
Jesus came as the servant of the Lord specifically to save His
24:00
people from the sins that kept them outside the Kingdom.
24:03
He is the Son. Of man who gave his life as a
24:05
ransom for many. This is cemented at the Lord's
24:07
Supper, where he explains that His blood establishes the new
24:10
covenant for the forgiveness of sins.
24:12
Israel's sin, which was the barrier to the new creation, is
24:16
removed by his sacrifice. This means the coming.
24:18
Of the Kingdom is entirely intertwined with the cross and
24:21
resurrection. The Kingdom is secured only
24:23
through these events. The resurrection is integral.
24:27
It's God's vindication of Jesus and the decisive demonstration
24:30
that the age to come has arrived, defeating death and sin
24:33
and signaling the dawn of the new creation, Acts stresses.
24:36
This point, again and again, Jesus is vindicated.
24:40
He triumphed over death, and he's exalted to God's right
24:43
hand. He reigns now as the King,
24:45
ruling until all his enemies are subjected but entry.
24:48
Into this Kingdom requires a personal response, repentance
24:52
and faith. One must turn from sins and
24:55
trust in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Lord.
24:58
And since this. Is a Kingdom entry means a life
25:01
of submission. True repentance and faith can't
25:04
be separated from substantial observable obedience.
25:07
Disciples followed Jesus without counting the cost, submitting
25:10
their whole lives to His lordship and this Kingdom.
25:12
Is not reserved for Israel alone.
25:14
The promise of worldwide blessing necessitates the
25:16
inclusion of the Gentiles. The Great Commission is the
25:19
mandate to extend the King's rule globally, fulfilling
25:22
Abraham's covenant, Acts records.
25:24
This fulfillment Samaritans are welcomed, symbolizing the
25:27
reunification of Israel, and then Gentiles are saved through
25:30
faith, fulfilling the prophetic predictions that salvation would
25:33
extend far beyond Israel's borders.
25:35
Believers, both Jew and Gentile, constitute the true and new
25:39
Israel, the foundation. For this worldwide proclamation
25:42
is Jesus's victory, the crushing of the serpent's head.
25:46
And even though the final judgment hasn't occurred, the
25:48
Spirit, the promise of the age to come, has been poured out on
25:52
both Jews and Gentiles who repent and trust in Jesus that.
25:56
Outpouring of the Spirit, the eschatological gift promised by
26:00
the prophets, decisively signals that the Kingdom has come and
26:04
the last days have arrived. That's right.
26:06
The term eschatological just means pertaining to the end
26:09
times, and the Spirit is the gift of the end times given to
26:12
us now, guaranteeing our future inheritance.
26:16
We shift. Now from the narrative sweep of
26:18
the Gospels and Acts into the epistles.
26:20
And we can start with John, who approaches this fulfillment from
26:22
a slightly different angle. John uses the phrase eternal
26:25
life far more often than Kingdom of God.
26:28
John uses. Eternal life to describe the
26:30
life of the age to come, the new creation life that has already
26:33
arrived in Christ. He focuses on what theologians
26:36
call realized eschatology, meaning that the benefits of the
26:39
end times are available right now.
26:41
Believers have passed from death to life in this present age and
26:44
this life. Is permanent because Jesus is
26:47
the resurrection and the life. Those who possess this life will
26:50
never perish. It also has a qualitative
26:53
dimension. It's a life centered entirely on
26:55
Christ, right? The life.
26:56
Of the coming age is radically Christ centered.
26:59
Jesus is the eternal word of God revealing and explaining the
27:02
Father. He says if you have seen me, you
27:04
have seen the Father. Thomas confesses him rightly as
27:07
Lord and God after the resurrection.
27:09
John. Uses the I AM statements
27:12
referencing the divine name from Exodus and Isaiah to communicate
27:16
Jesus's majesty. He is the true vine, the bread
27:19
of life, the light of the world, the Good Shepherd.
27:21
He shares the identity of God and existed for all eternity.
27:25
Eternal life. Centers on knowing him, John
27:27
17.3. It is not merely a designation
27:29
of a future quantity of years. It's about a present intimate
27:33
relationship with the Father in Jesus Christ.
27:35
Jesus is. Presented as the fulfillment of
27:37
every Old Testament expectation, He's the true Israel, the true
27:41
vine, superior to the manna in the wilderness, the true bread,
27:44
the true Lamb of God, fulfilling Passover and the true Sabbath
27:47
rest. But this life.
27:48
Required a sacrifice. The cross is the basis for
27:51
forgiveness. Through his suffering, Jesus
27:54
achieved propitiation. He satisfied the Father's
27:57
righteous anger. The cross was the necessary
28:00
pathway to His exaltation and victory as King.
28:03
Life in. This inaugurated Kingdom is
28:06
centered on dynamic believing. Believing is active and
28:09
relational for John. Those who believe, they come to
28:12
Jesus, they love him, they follow him, they obey him, and
28:14
they keep his commands. It's a submission that permeates
28:17
a person's entire conduct. John wants his.
28:19
Readers, to be captivated by the King, the Messiah and Son of
28:22
God, and to relish Him in His beauty.
28:24
That is the experience of eternal life and kingship right
28:27
now, moving to Paul. We see the same principle of
28:30
inaugurated eschatology woven into his theology, even though
28:33
he often speaks of the Kingdom in more abstract terms.
28:35
What Paul focuses on is the deep, ongoing tension of the
28:39
already, but not yet this tension.
28:41
Defines the Christian life. The end time verdict has been
28:44
announced. So believers are declared
28:45
righteous now, justified, yet they await the final declaration
28:49
to the whole world. They are sanctified now, but
28:51
await final complete perfection. They are redeemed.
28:55
Now but await the final redemption of the body itself.
28:58
They are adopted now, yet the fullness of adoption comes on
29:01
the Day of Resurrection. They're saved through faith now,
29:04
but still await ultimate salvation from final wrath on
29:08
the last day. Paul firmly.
29:09
Anchors all these benefits in the death and resurrection of
29:12
Jesus Christ. Justification, reconciliation,
29:15
and the defeat of the spiritual powers are secured through these
29:18
events. Atonement had to be
29:20
accomplished. God's righteous anger had to be
29:22
satisfied through Jesus's death for forgiveness to be possible.
29:26
The Resurrection. Is paramount for him.
29:28
It's God's complete vindication of Jesus is the righteous 1
29:31
signaling the arrival of the new creation and the opening of all
29:35
its blessings to mankind, and because Christ.
29:37
Came The old Sinai covenant has passed away, the new covenant is
29:41
fully operative, the Abrahamic promises are being fulfilled,
29:44
and inclusion is open to both Jews and Gentiles who place
29:47
their faith in Christ, which means that.
29:49
Those who trust in Christ are the true children of Abraham.
29:52
They are members of the new creation, and they are the new
29:55
and true Israel of God. The worldwide promise given to
29:59
Abraham is becoming reality as these diverse groups become one
30:03
body in Christ, the arrival. Of this new age is attested by
30:07
the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the down payment
30:11
that guarantees the final inheritance, the ultimate
30:14
resurrection and redemption of the body.
30:17
He is the assurance of the King's complete future victory
30:20
and the Spirit. Empowers believers now to walk
30:23
in a way that pleases God, to live by the Spirit, and to look
30:26
forward to the complete new creation when the frustration
30:29
and futility of the old creation pass away entirely.
30:32
This helps us live faithfully in the already but not yet the
30:35
kingship. Theme is central to Paul's view
30:37
of Christ. Jesus is both Lord and Christ.
30:39
He's the exalted King, reigning at the right hand of God the
30:41
Father, and all creation, all angels and demons are subjected
30:45
to him. He is the.
30:46
Sovereign head of the church. Paul's entire structure is
30:49
Christ centered. Yet this magnifying of Christ
30:51
brings glory to God the Creator. God is honored when Jesus is
30:56
acknowledged as Lord. For Paul, to live is Christ and
31:00
to die is gain because it means being with the King.
31:03
Now if we move. To the general epistles, James,
31:05
Peter, Hebrews, Jude. The focus shifts primarily to
31:09
righteous conduct and living under God's lordship.
31:11
In the present age, particularly during persecution, this
31:15
emphasis. On Conduct is a direct response
31:17
to the reality of the inaugurating Kingdom.
31:20
James insists that faith without accompanying deeds is lifeless.
31:24
True wisdom, he says, is measured by one's godliness, not
31:27
by mere intellectual understanding.
31:29
Peter in his first. Letter speaks to those facing
31:31
suffering. He explains that righteous
31:33
conduct reveals the sincerity of 1's faith, and he tells them to
31:36
look forward to Christ's future return when his reign will be
31:40
completely finalized and all enemies will be destroyed this
31:43
stress. On obedience was essential, it
31:45
seems, because of emerging false teachers were trying to distort
31:48
the Gospel, right? These opponents in Jude and
31:50
Second Peter promoted a false understanding, a distorted,
31:53
overly realized eschatology. Claiming that grace allowed for
31:58
licentiousness instead of righteousness, the writers
32:01
strongly warned that those who live unrighteously will not
32:03
inherit the heavenly Kingdom. Love and obedience are presented
32:07
as confirming evidence of 1's calling and the call for.
32:10
Obedience is rooted firmly in Christology.
32:13
The general epistle stressed that Jesus Christ is the
32:16
glorious Lord. He reigns over demonic powers as
32:19
a direct result of his death and resurrection.
32:21
Hebrews. Particularly stresses Jesus as
32:23
the reigning Lord, seated at God's right hand.
32:26
He sat down because he offered the final and definitive
32:29
sacrifice for sins, cleansing the consciences of those who
32:32
trust in Him. He is the true Davidic King,
32:35
sharing God's identity as God's Son.
32:38
Hebrews makes the. Case that Jesus fulfills the
32:39
offices of prophet, priest and king.
32:42
He is God's final word, offering the sacrifice that perfects
32:44
worshippers forever, eliminating the need for any repeated
32:47
sacrifices, Peter traces. The historical line, the blood
32:51
of the covenant sacrifices pointed forward to the blood of
32:53
Jesus. He is the suffering servant of
32:56
Isaiah 53, taking the penalty that sinners deserved, and He.
33:00
Is the true temple, the living stone and cornerstone of God's
33:04
new temple, which is the Church, The Church made-up of Jew and
33:07
Gentile? Is the new and true Israel now
33:11
declaring God's praises to the world?
33:13
Jesus by his death defeated death and the devil, freeing
33:17
human beings who had been enslaved by the fear of death
33:20
since Adam's day. All who trust and obey Jesus are
33:23
now his brothers and sisters, the true offspring of Abraham,
33:27
recognizing him as their King and kinsmen, the old.
33:30
Age has effectively ended. Hebrews 1.2 states that the last
33:33
days have arrived. The new covenant is here written
33:36
on the heart. The new priesthood has displaced
33:38
the Levitical one. Jesus is superior to Moses,
33:40
superior to Joshua, giving a heavenly rest, not just an
33:42
earthly 1. Believers are.
33:44
Now promised membership in the heavenly city, the New
33:46
Jerusalem, they have a universal scope for their hope.
33:50
Because of Christ's one sacrifice, which accomplished
33:53
complete forgiveness, believers can enter boldly into God's
33:56
presence without fear of instant judgement.
33:59
And all these. Letters stressed that believers
34:01
must persevere in faith. To be saved.
34:04
Faith must be active and living, as James taught.
34:07
This isn't about earning salvation, but about
34:09
demonstrating the reality of the life you've already been given.
34:12
Hebrews. Strongly calls on his readers to
34:14
stay true to Jesus until the end.
34:16
If they abandon him, if they harden their hearts and unbelief
34:20
and disobedience, they face destruction.
34:22
The heavenly city is reserved for those who hold fast to the
34:25
end, tying belief and perseverance so closely
34:28
together. And that leads us.
34:29
To the final wrapping up of the entire story in the Book of
34:32
Revelation where we see the consummation of God's kingship
34:35
Revelation. Shows us that God is glorified
34:38
and praised in the final outcome of history, which encompasses
34:41
both salvation and judgement. He reigns in both His mercy and
34:44
His justice. Those who have.
34:46
Opposed him and the Gospel will face a final reckoning and be
34:50
cast into the lake of fire. Revelation is a necessary
34:54
reminder that the coming Kingdom has no room for the unclean, the
34:57
rebellious, or those who compromise their loyalty to the
35:00
king by aligning with the earthly, secular city of
35:03
humankind. History is not.
35:05
Complete until this final judgement and redemption occur.
35:08
Jesus is coming soon to finish all that was started, making all
35:12
of God's promises. Yes and Amen, the new.
35:15
Creation promised by the prophets will finally be a
35:17
realized reality. The heavenly city, the New
35:21
Jerusalem, will descend from heaven, and the current creation
35:24
will be transformed and purified, just as Peter also
35:26
described the city's beauty. Described using the splendor of
35:29
jewelry and pure gold gives us an intimation of the
35:32
magnificence of the new world. This is the Garden Temple, fully
35:36
expanded and perfected, and the basis of.
35:38
Salvation remains fixed. Those who enter the heavenly
35:41
city do so because of the cross. Their robes are made white by
35:44
the blood of the Lamb, the King's.
35:46
Death was the key to unlocking history itself.
35:49
The sealed Book of Destiny could be opened only because Jesus was
35:52
the slain Lamb. The ancient serpent was crushed
35:55
and thrown out of heaven solely because of Christ's victory on
35:59
the cross and his subsequent exaltation.
36:01
What's absolutely. Central to revelation is the
36:03
exalted Christology. The Lamb is repeatedly presented
36:07
as having the same stature as God himself.
36:09
God is worshipped as Creator in chapter 4, and Christ is
36:12
worshipped as Redeemer in chapter 5.
36:14
The two forms of worship are parallel and yet.
36:17
John affirms there is only one God whom one must worship alone.
36:21
Jesus clearly shares the identity of God.
36:24
This necessary complexity in God's identity, Father, Son, and
36:27
Spirit, is a central feature of the reign of the King.
36:31
Salvation. Comes through God's redemptive
36:32
work, the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
36:35
But John, in line with all the other writers, calls his readers
36:39
to active obedience and perseverance, especially through
36:42
suffering. Believers must.
36:43
Be willing to face death for the sake of the gospel.
36:46
They must never think the world is spinning out of control.
36:49
God the Creator rules over the entire world.
36:52
Even when evil seems to temporarily succeed, they are
36:55
told to trust. We're not given a simple
36:59
philosophical resolution to the problem of evil and suffering in
37:02
this life. Instead, we're instructed to
37:04
trust God and look to Jesus, who went before his people by facing
37:08
death first, yet is now the living 1 the reigning king, the
37:13
final. Reward is rest, security, and
37:15
eternal fellowship. The world will be a new temple
37:18
and a new garden where God dwells permanently.
37:21
All that Adam had at the beginning will be theirs and
37:23
more, because this time it's built on the unshakable
37:26
foundation of the New Covenant, Those who enter.
37:28
The new creation know exactly what it means to be separated
37:31
from fellowship with God because of their own rebellion, and what
37:34
it means to be rescued from the horrific evil of their own
37:36
hearts by the King's mercy. They will exalt forever, and the
37:40
love of God demonstrated on the cross they will be.
37:42
Absolutely secure in the heavenly city, the gates are
37:46
left open, signifying that there is no enemy either within or
37:49
without, who can conquer God's people anymore.
37:52
And the final ultimate reward is this.
37:55
They will see God's face in the person of Jesus Christ their
37:58
King, and that security. In relationship to find the
38:00
conclusion of the entire grand narrative, the arc of history
38:04
from eden's garden temple to the new jerusalem's final safe
38:07
harbor is defined by 1 central reality of God's rule they will
38:11
see the. King in his beauty.
38:12
And they will be glad forever. We leave you with this
38:14
provocative thought. What does it mean for your life
38:17
today, for your daily choices, your work, your conduct to live
38:21
faithfully in the time between the King's inauguration and his
38:24
final glorious return? How does knowing the end of the
38:27
story dictate how you live in the middle?