The Kingdom in its Biblical Context
Remember our definition: The Kingdom of God is the Rule of the Love, Will, and Purpose of The Most High God in the hearts of His people by His gathering them together in One in Christ. It is the Reign of God’s Grace established in our hearts by the Blood and Righteousness of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:1-11; Isaiah 57:15)
The Biblical method of understanding scripture: I Corinthians I5:46 (vs 42-49) First the natural example or shadow, then the Spiritual Reality!
Old Testament Kingdom: It was a shadow/type of the Spiritual Reality to come. Hebrews 9:1-10 Notice especially verse 8, "The Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing." The implication is that the entire Old Testament worship system, its' tabernacle, its' priests, its' sacrifices was a Divine Object Lesson in the hand of the Holy Spirit to teach of the One to come and the incredible Eternal Blessings that He would bring.
New Testament Kingdom: The fulfillment, the Spiritual Reality is made plain in Jesus Christ. "And the Word was made flesh, and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." There is no shadow remaining with the revelation of The Glory!!! The Son is the Brightness of the Glory of God!!! Shadows are extinguished in the presence of such Glory!!! Hebrews 8:2, 9:11-15 speak further of the Glory putting away the shadows of the OT.
The classic example of this method: Melchizedek—the King/Priest. (Genesis 14:18-20; Psalm 110:4); Mysteriously, he pops up on the scene, never mentioned before. He has no linage mentioned, no father or mother on record. Hebrews 7:3 gives an interesting insight. (Melchizedek) "without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life. BUT MADE LIKE THE SON OF GOD, remains a priest continually. The thing is, Christ Jesus wasn't made like Melchizedek, rather Melchizedek was made like Christ Jesus. He was a shadow made after the Reality.
Hebrews 5-8:2 He becomes the “Order” from which our King/Priest Jesus has come, the Priest Who does not die. We have to have more than a King to abide in the Presence of the Most High God. We must have a Mediator, One Who is ever before the Father for us in all things that pertain to God.(Hebrews 7:20-8:2) If He were a King only, His scepter of Righteousness would spell our doom. But as our Eternal Priest who is the Satisfactory Righteous Blood Sacrifice, and has the appointed authority to present that Sacrifice to the Father, and therefore, we can now LIVE boldly in the Presence of the Most High God!!! (Hebrews 10:11-22)
Remember the Matthew Genealogy: Matthew 1:1 Jesus Christ is:
The Son of David: The “Davidic” Covenant made by God: II Samuel 7:8-17; II Chr.13:5 (It’s natural “environment”) Acts 2:14-39 (The Spiritual fulfillment—In some sense, Peter is implying that the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost and beyond is the fulfillment of the seed covenant made to David long ago. It is the ongoing “coronation” of his Seed!!! Mysteriously, Israel’s lusting after a king like the other nations (I Samuel 8) worked together for good in bringing about the “foreshadowing” (David) of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (the Lord Jesus Christ).
The Son of Abraham: The “Abrahamic” Covenant made by God: In Genesis 15:1-6, 17:1-8 we see
the natural statement and meaning of the Covenant. Romans 4, especially verses 13-16 & 22-25; and Galatians 3, especially vs 6-9, 14, 16-17, 22, 26-29, we see the Spiritual statement and meaning.
God’s Eternal Purpose is to manifest His Glory in and through The Son for all Eternity. (Ephesians 3:20-21; Romans 11:26; Hebrews 13:20-21, Hebrews 1:1-3) Until the Son was incarnated on the earth, being born of the Mary, by the Holy Ghost (Matthew 1:18-2:23), the Glory of the God of Heaven still shone upon the Son, casting a Shadow upon the history of man, specifically recorded in the Old Testament. That is the reason we say, “when you read the Old Testament, look for Jesus!!!” But when we come to the New Testament, we see the full blaze of Spiritual Reality in the Revealed Son, for He is the “Fullness of the Godhead bodily”, in human flesh. (Colossians 2:9) Notice Colossians 1:24-29—Christ Jesus is the “Hope of Glory” for His people, their perfection/maturity, their completion (2:10).
Hebrews 1:3 again: “Who being the brightness of His Glory, and the expressed Image of His Person, and upholding all things by the Word of His Power”. If things are murky and dark to us, it is because we are not beholding the Glory of the Son Who is the Light of the World. No wonder we walk in darkness. If God is a mysterious puzzle to us, it is because we are not looking at His Clear Self Revelation in His Son. “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” In the Revelation of the Son, the mysterious puzzle will become Awe Filled Worship. We just aren’t paying attention. If we feel powerless in the face of the evil of this world, it is because we aren’t in communion with the One Who upholds all things by the Word of His Power!!!
This is the Biblical Context of the King and His Kingdom that we will look at in the Sermon on the Mount, starting with His baptism to “fulfill all Righteousness”. Matthew 3:15
Remember our definition: The Kingdom of God is the Rule of the Love, Will, and Purpose of The Most High God in the hearts of His people by His gathering them together in One in Christ. It is the Reign of God’s Grace established in our hearts by the Blood and Righteousness of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:1-11; Isaiah 57:15)
The Biblical method of understanding scripture: I Corinthians I5:46 (vs 42-49) First the natural example or shadow, then the Spiritual Reality!
Old Testament Kingdom: It was a shadow/type of the Spiritual Reality to come. Hebrews 9:1-10 Notice especially verse 8, "The Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing." The implication is that the entire Old Testament worship system, its' tabernacle, its' priests, its' sacrifices was a Divine Object Lesson in the hand of the Holy Spirit to teach of the One to come and the incredible Eternal Blessings that He would bring.
New Testament Kingdom: The fulfillment, the Spiritual Reality is made plain in Jesus Christ. "And the Word was made flesh, and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." There is no shadow remaining with the revelation of The Glory!!! The Son is the Brightness of the Glory of God!!! Shadows are extinguished in the presence of such Glory!!! Hebrews 8:2, 9:11-15 speak further of the Glory putting away the shadows of the OT.
The classic example of this method: Melchizedek—the King/Priest. (Genesis 14:18-20; Psalm 110:4); Mysteriously, he pops up on the scene, never mentioned before. He has no linage mentioned, no father or mother on record. Hebrews 7:3 gives an interesting insight. (Melchizedek) "without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life. BUT MADE LIKE THE SON OF GOD, remains a priest continually. The thing is, Christ Jesus wasn't made like Melchizedek, rather Melchizedek was made like Christ Jesus. He was a shadow made after the Reality.
Hebrews 5-8:2 He becomes the “Order” from which our King/Priest Jesus has come, the Priest Who does not die. We have to have more than a King to abide in the Presence of the Most High God. We must have a Mediator, One Who is ever before the Father for us in all things that pertain to God.(Hebrews 7:20-8:2) If He were a King only, His scepter of Righteousness would spell our doom. But as our Eternal Priest who is the Satisfactory Righteous Blood Sacrifice, and has the appointed authority to present that Sacrifice to the Father, and therefore, we can now LIVE boldly in the Presence of the Most High God!!! (Hebrews 10:11-22)
Remember the Matthew Genealogy: Matthew 1:1 Jesus Christ is:
The Son of David: The “Davidic” Covenant made by God: II Samuel 7:8-17; II Chr.13:5 (It’s natural “environment”) Acts 2:14-39 (The Spiritual fulfillment—In some sense, Peter is implying that the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost and beyond is the fulfillment of the seed covenant made to David long ago. It is the ongoing “coronation” of his Seed!!! Mysteriously, Israel’s lusting after a king like the other nations (I Samuel 8) worked together for good in bringing about the “foreshadowing” (David) of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (the Lord Jesus Christ).
The Son of Abraham: The “Abrahamic” Covenant made by God: In Genesis 15:1-6, 17:1-8 we see
the natural statement and meaning of the Covenant. Romans 4, especially verses 13-16 & 22-25; and Galatians 3, especially vs 6-9, 14, 16-17, 22, 26-29, we see the Spiritual statement and meaning.
God’s Eternal Purpose is to manifest His Glory in and through The Son for all Eternity. (Ephesians 3:20-21; Romans 11:26; Hebrews 13:20-21, Hebrews 1:1-3) Until the Son was incarnated on the earth, being born of the Mary, by the Holy Ghost (Matthew 1:18-2:23), the Glory of the God of Heaven still shone upon the Son, casting a Shadow upon the history of man, specifically recorded in the Old Testament. That is the reason we say, “when you read the Old Testament, look for Jesus!!!” But when we come to the New Testament, we see the full blaze of Spiritual Reality in the Revealed Son, for He is the “Fullness of the Godhead bodily”, in human flesh. (Colossians 2:9) Notice Colossians 1:24-29—Christ Jesus is the “Hope of Glory” for His people, their perfection/maturity, their completion (2:10).
Hebrews 1:3 again: “Who being the brightness of His Glory, and the expressed Image of His Person, and upholding all things by the Word of His Power”. If things are murky and dark to us, it is because we are not beholding the Glory of the Son Who is the Light of the World. No wonder we walk in darkness. If God is a mysterious puzzle to us, it is because we are not looking at His Clear Self Revelation in His Son. “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” In the Revelation of the Son, the mysterious puzzle will become Awe Filled Worship. We just aren’t paying attention. If we feel powerless in the face of the evil of this world, it is because we aren’t in communion with the One Who upholds all things by the Word of His Power!!!
This is the Biblical Context of the King and His Kingdom that we will look at in the Sermon on the Mount, starting with His baptism to “fulfill all Righteousness”. Matthew 3:15