In Mark 1:15, as Jesus begins His ministry, He says, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” What is the Kingdom of God? (What is the Gospel?) It is another one of those Christianese words that is easy to talk about but more difficult to define. Yet, it is important we understand it because it is a central theme in the Bible.

A kingdom denotes rule and reign. When God created the world He ruled it and humans recognized/submitted to His reign. His general will was done on earth as in heaven. We see a glimpse of this in the opening chapters of Genesis. Adam participated in God’s reign. He had dominion and was to be His imager bearer/representative. However, while God’s absolute reign was total, His kingdom was localized to the Garden. After the Fall, while his absolute reign remained total (Ps 93:2, “Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.”) His saving reign was restricted to the increasing minority of faithful humans scattered on the earth.

This is a simple way to define God’s Kingdom, His saving reign over His people in His place. These recognized Him as King and through faith were part of His Kingdom, representing Him in Eden, the Promised Land or on Earth; albeit incompletely before Christ.

There is Kingdom language used throughout the OT but since Jesus said, ‘is at hand’ infers the Kingdom was partial, wanting or incomplete. God’s ‘Kingdom’ came in fits and starts through Israel in the Promised Land. However, even here, more than a geographical limitation, Israel revealed their need of the Holy Spirit to reign in their hearts. His Kingdom was thus incomplete and local vs. global.

The whole OT story pointed forward to the Messiah King, the chosen One who would bring salvation by ushering in God’s Kingdom and salvation. Jesus is the Christ/King/Lord, though not as people envisioned. This is what we should think of when we say, ‘Jesus is Lord.’ (1 Cor 12:3). He is Lord of all and Lord of His Church (Kingdom and Church are largely synonymous). When He said the Kingdom was near Jesus meant that the King had come. He was the King exercising authority and power. Through His life, death and resurrection He would demonstrate He was the King, receive the Father’s crown of glory. Like kings, Jesus defeated sin and death and hell and Satan through His Easter victory. There is irony in the sign above the cross, ‘King of the Jews,’ for He really was, though in a spiritual sense.

After His resurrection, Jesus ascended to Heaven where ‘He is seated at the right hand of the Father.’ (Apostles Creed). Jesus reigns over all, including His Kingdom/Church. Before ascending He commissioned His princes (the 12 Disciples, of a new people of God) to found and expand His Kingdom on earth. ‘Thy Kingdom come’ is a prayer not only for a future realization but a present expansion. It should be our desire that His ‘will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ (Lord’s Prayer). Jesus now reigns over His Kingdom by the power of His Spirit sent at Pentecost and through the authority of His Word, the Bible. As the Gospel (Good News) about this victorious King was proclaimed rebel sinners outside of God’s Kingdom were invited to be transferred from the Kingdom of Darkness/this World and into the Kingdom of His glorious light (Col 1:13). If they would repent and believe the Good News, i.e. turn from rebellion and sin and toward King Jesus, and ask for admittance according to the victory and benefits Jesus won through His death and resurrection, they would find entry. This is what is meant by Ro 10:9, to confess (agree) that “Jesus Christ is Lord.” Jesus is building a Kingdom from amongst the kingdoms of this earth.

The believer is visibly admitted to the Kingdom through the rite of Baptism. This is how they display loyalty to the King. They then become a citizen, with rich meaning for our identity along with both initial blessings but also responsibility. They gather to worship the King and hear His Word. They live in accordance with the Royal Law (Ja 2:8), to live out Kingdom values (Sermon on the Mount; Parables), are equipped by the Holy Spirit to fight a spiritual war (Eph 6), be an ambassador for Christ (2 Cor 5:20) and herald the King’s Gospel. Like a mustard seed (Lk 13:18, or Dan 2) the Kingdom expands geographically and numerically (even sanctification); a reality that history attests to. The rebellion is shrinking and the opposition growing, despite how it may appear.

However, the paradox of the Kingdom is that it is ‘already but not yet.’ Christ inaugurated (began) the Kingdom at His first coming and will bring it to completion (consummation) at His Second Coming. Rev 11:15b says, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.” After the Resurrection, Last Battle and Judgement, Christ will reign over His people forever in the New Heavens and New Earth. The rebellion will be over. The Kingdom will be fully and eternally here, a Kingdom of life free from the curse of rebellion and death.
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All this may be visualized as follows:

The news of the recent Israel-Hamas war has put the region, and its complex civil and religious questions, back into the international spotlight again. What should a Christian response be? While this three part blog will give a basic overview it’s interest is primarily theological and not social or political. It must be stated, this is a complex issue and many have devoted their entire lives to its study. However, we can ascertain some basics.

The Canaanites are the earliest known residents of the Levant; the region at the crossroads of two continents. They were descended from Ham who was the father of the ancient Egyptians, Canaanites and Arabs (Gen 10:6, 19).  Because of Ham’s sin (and perhaps foreseeing Canaan’s evil), Noah cursed Canaan.

c. 2166 BC. God promised Abraham the land of Canaan (“the Promised Land”) as part of his wider promise (Gen 12, 15, 17). Abraham, however, died only owning a grave in Canaan.

C. 1446/or 1260. Moses and then Joshua led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. The nations there were so godless and so evil God used Israel to bring judgement on them.

C. 1051 BC. Saul/David formed the Israelite monarchy. It later split between the northern Kingdom (Israel) and the southern Kingdom (Judah). In 725 BC Israel was taken into exile by the Assyrians, their land resettled with other peoples who mixed with the Israelite lower classes (the Samaritans). In 586 BC Judah was taken into exile by the Babylonians. Likewise, many others came to dwell in the land with the lower class Jews.

Under the Persians they were permitted to return to Judea and be semi-autonomous.

Though many Jews returned to Judea many remained abroad to build their lives across the Ancient Near East. This is called the Diaspora or dispersion.

The Persians were conquered by the Greeks. The Jews rebelled against the Greeks and formed the Maccabean Kingdom (167–63 BC).

In 63 BC the Romans intervened in the Maccabean civil war and came to incorporate Judea as a province within the Empire.

4 BC–30/33 AD. The time of Jesus.

 During this time a tense relationship existed between the Romans and the Jews until the Temple was destroyed in AD 70 and the Jews were finally expelled from the land in AD 139; leaving only a small number. The Romans re-named Judea Palestinia, after the Jews old Phoenician enemies the Philistines, as a slight against them. This resulted in a second Jewish dispersion.

As Christianity grew Palestine had a minority of Jews and a majority of, primarily, Roman/Greek Christians.

*Islam is founded by Mohammed. Jerusalem is claimed as a holy site.

In 636 the new Muslim Arabs conquered Palestine. It became part of a Calaphate that existed until the Crusades (1100–1291) when it was controlled by European Christians. Christians saw it as the “holy land” because of holy events, saints, etc. After its fall to the Arabs there always remained a minority of Jews and Christians.

A group of Muslims called the Mamluks then occupied Palestine until conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1516. Palestine would be part of the Ottoman Empire for the next 400 years.

To be continued...

Recently in our Why We Believe What We Believe evening service series we've been working through our statement of faith. It is based off of the Fellowship's and includes all of the fundamentals that all Christians have always believed about the Future. 

In our series we learned of the 4 main views Christians have held on the specifics of the End. Below is a brief summary of these. Given the complex nature and variety of passages related to this subject and that good and godly Christians have disagreed a great measure of humility is produced in approaching this subject.

On September 4th I shared my End-times Timeline as an Optimistic Post-Tribulational A-millennialist. You can listen to that here.

Some were desirous to obtain a copy of the outline I presented. Below is a rough timeline as I see the end unfolding

To read more from this perspective check out the short book below; originally published in 1945.

With the Covid-19 vaccinations ramping up around the world there has been some apprehension that these could be “the mark of the beast,” some sort of globalist agenda to make the planet march to their orders.

Besides the fact that Christians in past ages have fretted over this mark in one form or another and it never came to pass (e.g. everything from slave brands to computer chips have been suggested; besides different names [see below]), there are a few reason why the Covid vaccine is probably not this mark:

• There are numerous vaccines being trialled all around the world. Such independence makes a concerted effort that stands behind them unlikely.
• Other vaccines have been developed for a universal cause (e.g. Polio) and few have thought that to be such a mark.
• The actual context and meaning of the passage in Scripture (as we shall see).

In fact, if a Christian wants to be concerned about something related to the vaccine, it should be in taking a vaccine that was not developed using cells of aborted babies (like Oxford/Astra).

What is this mark?

*It must be noted that apocalyptic litterature is picture language, and besides other complex matters in understanding Revelation, must be kept in view.

Not delving into the broader context, Rev 13:17–18 says:

“16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave,[a] to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.”

What are some basic facts? The mark relates to the beast. Everyone will need its name or number to conduct business. Christians are to be discerning to watch out for the man and his number, which is 666.

The mark in all certainty refers to the notion of slave branding. Like cattle branding it lets people know to whom you belong. However, in Ezekiel 9:4–6 this same notion is more veiled, only God can see the sign visibly, to others it must be invisibly or spiritually discerned. Brands also speak heavily to the subject of loyalty, to whom do I belong.

It evidently meant something to John’s readers (“let the one who has understanding…”) so we shouldn’t give up inquiring.

Some in church history used gematria, using the numeric symbols to calculate the letters they represent. Some, using Greek, thought it spelled Tatian, an early Emperor. Others, using Hebrew, Nero Caesar (the Emperor who killed Peter and Paul). Some have thought it to refer to Popes, Martin Luther and even Ronald Reagan (and a host of characters in between!).

In the 3rd century many Emperors demanded certificates of sacrifice to pagan gods. Some Christians compromised and some refused and were burned or cast into the colosseums. This practice of enforcement has been employed since (the Test Acts in 17th C England, Trudeau’s attempt with the Summer Jobs program). Something to do with this mark means persecution for the faithful that diminishes their economic standing.

Let me suggest another numeric way of coming at 666 that builds on some of what we’ve worked through. (On this verse I follow the interpretation of Steve Wilmshurst, Revelation: The Final Word).

In the Bible the number “7” is the perfect number (e.g. the Creation week). Therefore as God is triune and if He could be assigned a number it would be 777; this is the number of Divine perfection.

666 then is a number of someone who seeks to imitate God but ultimately falls short, even as it demands loyalty to it. It is the number of the “unholy trinity” (Satan, the Beast and the whore of Babylon). Remembering that marks are like brands, they are a symbol of loyalty. The person who has the mark of the beast shows they are of the beast. The devil’s agents give false signs (13:13) whereas Christ’s agents have true signs (11:5–6). Remembering too the more invisible nature of marks from Ezekiel, these signs are the fruit of such a person’s moral character (you shall know them [professors] by their fruit, Mt 7:16a), either Christlike or wicked. Often throughout history, and still today, Christians have been persecuted (with economic effect) because of who they are, what they stand for and where their ultimate allegiance lies.

I would contend then that the mark is not merely some future thing but a present reality of someone who bears the characteristics of their father, the devil (Jn 8:44).
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The wisdom of Revelation, written to persecuted Christians, is less eschatological and more imminently practical. It is to teach the wisdom of trench warfare that says: be on the lookout for the fruits, for these will help us discern friend from foe; and don’t conform, not even for economic benefit, and betray your loyalty to 777 for the fleeting pleasures afforded by 666.