p. 314 | The Disciples of Christ Expected a Literal Kingdom

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jul 20, 1882

The Disciples of Christ Expected a Literal Kingdom.

By John Norton Loughborough

BY ELD. J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.

AT the time our Saviour commenced his teaching, the Jews were in expectation of the Messiah, not, however in the form in which he came; but as a king, to take to himself the scepter of the kingdom, reign over Israel, and destroy his enemies. We see from the movements of the disciples of our Lord, that their minds were strongly impressed with the same idea; namely, that Christ was then to take possession of his kingdom. With this view of the subject, we can understand the meaning of their words, when they said, "If thou art the king of the Jews, tell the people plainly." And at another time, when Jesus had performed a notable miracle, he "perceived that they would come and take him by force to make him a king, and he departed into the mountains." Again, when he rode up to Jerusalem, seated upon a colt, what a shout of "hosanna to the son of David" was raised by the people. What caused them thus to shout? Did they understand that in a few hours he was to hang upon the rugged cross, and expire, while all nature should be convulsed? No; they supposed he was riding to Jerusalem to take possession of the kingdom and throne of his father David. But Jesus died. Sadness filled the hearts of his disciples, and when, on the morning of his resurrection, he appeared to the women of their company, it was "as they mourned and wept."

Why this mourning, if they had a clear understanding of the plan of God for the salvation of lost man? Why such sadness if they really had faith in Christ's resurrection? Why were they not looking forward with joyous hope to the third day, when they should again see him whom their souls loved? Instead of their manifesting such feelings as we should expect, had they understood clearly what was to be accomplished by the death of Christ, we behold them going that very morning to embalm his body, and two of them, in the close of the day, conversing of their disappointment respecting him, as they walk in the way to Emmaus. We read that Jesus drew near, and walked with them, "and said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another as ye walk, and are sad?" They answered, "Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and knowest not the things that are come to pass?" He said, "What things?" They said, concerning Jesus of Nazareth: "The chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel; and besides all this, to-day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulcher; and when they found not his body, they came, saying that they had seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive." "Astonished" to hear of the resurrection of Christ! Who would claim, with such testimony before them, that those disciples understood clearly the plan of redemption that was to be accomplished through his death and resurrection? If they understood it, what necessity for Jesus to begin "at Moses and all the prophets," and expound "unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself?" Their testimony then in this conversation, that they trusted Christ would redeem Israel, must, and does, to our mind, embody the idea that they supposed Christ would redeem them from under the hand of the Romans, by whose tetrarchs their civil affairs were then ruled. If Christ redeemed them from this, they supposed it would be by establishing his own kingdom.

This company returned to Jerusalem, however, believers in Christ's resurrection, and with their minds enlightened on the subject of Christ's death. But did they banish from their minds the idea that Christ was then to commence his reign? We will see. St. Luke, in the Acts of the Apostles, says of them, "When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" They were now more than ever satisfied that Christ was the one whose right the kingdom was. He had been raised from the dead, and himself had shown them that it was necessary that this should take place, that the Psalms, etc., might be fulfilled. And now, seeing nothing in the way of its establishment, they asked this question respecting the kingdom: "Wilt thou at this time restore" it? Israel once had it, but lost it in the days of Zedekiah. The question is, Will Christ now restore it? They had not yet seemed to grasp the meaning of the parable which Jesus spoke when he was nigh to Jerusalem, for the benefit of those who thought the kingdom of God was to immediately appear, in which he showed that the Son of man (like the nobleman) must "go into a far country, and return," before the kingdom could be established. The light also seemed to be obscured from their minds, which Christ gave them when their hearts were saddened on account of his telling them, "I go to him that sent me." "Whither I go, ye cannot come." Said he, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself." But what was his reply to their question concerning the restoration of the kingdom? He does not tell them that he shall never restore it, but, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power." This is virtually admitting that the kingdom was to be restored to Israel; not after the flesh, but as Paul says, "The children of the promise are counted for the seed." Our Saviour continues, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth." This language indicates that they would understand this matter, after they should receive the Holy Ghost, and be endowed with power from on high. Christ had said, "When he, the spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come." Peter was among those who received this power, and has borne testimony concerning the matter. His testimony we will notice when we come to look at the time for the establishment of the kingdom.

It is claimed that the expression used by Christ, "The kingdom of God is within you," is sufficient to prove that the disciples were not taught to look for a literal inheritance. We will quote his words, "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation; neither shall they say, Lo here! or, Lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."

It was the Pharisees, whom our Saviour had previously called hypocrites, to whom he said, "The kingdom of God is within you." Now while we freely admit that in many New Testament scriptures the gospel is called the kingdom of God, it was not a fact that this kingdom of grace was established in the hearts of hypocrites. We should needs say so if our Saviour meant by this testimony that the kingdom of God was in the hearts of wicked Pharisees. The demand in this text is, When shall the kingdom of God—the saint's inheritance—come? He does not reply, as some would claim, that it had already come; but his very answer shows that the coming of the kingdom here intended, was a future event. He says, "Neither shall they say [when it comes], Lo here! etc."

If the Saviour designed to teach them in this text that his kingdom had already come, what shall we do with that prayer he taught his people to pray, "Thy kingdom come." Every saint to the end of this age, may pray, "Thy kingdom come," because that kingdom will not come until the "nobleman" returns, "having received the kingdom." The idea we gain then from the testimony in Luke 17:20, 21, is this: When the kingdom of glory does come, it will not be in a secret manner, but all will know it. There will be no opportunity nor necessity for any to say, "Lo here! or, Lo there!" for the kingdom of God will be within you, or, as the margin reads, "among you." That this is the idea Christ meant to teach, is plain from what he immediately told his disciples. Verses 22-24. "And he said unto his disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, See here! or, See there! go not after them, nor follow them; for as the lightning that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven, so shall also the Son of man be in his day." This language agrees with that used by our Saviour concerning his second coming. Matt. 24:26, 27; Mark 13:21-23. And instead of the language of Luke in chapter 17 forming an objection to the position we have taken, it shows that the kingdom is yet future.

If we claim that the kingdom of Christ is only a spiritual one—that it is only the preaching of the gospel—and that it was established in the days of Christ's first advent, we shall find ourselves involved in difficulty with such texts as are found in Daniel 2, which shows that the kingdom of the God of Heaven is not set up till the Roman Empire is divided into ten parts; whereas in the days of Christ, and for three hundred years after, no such ten parts existed. The Roman Empire was divided into ten parts between the years 356 A. D. and 483 A. D. Then the image could not be smitten on the feet prior to 483 A. D., and therefore the kingdom of the God of Heaven, brought to view in Daniel, was not established in the days of Christ's first advent.

Were we to claim that the image was smitten in the days of Christ, and that since that time the kingdom has been gradually set up, we should find facts against us; for if you call the gospel the kingdom, where has it power to break one toe of the image in pieces? Facts show that instead of the stone's smiting the image, the image has, all the way through this dispensation, been smiting the stone. For proof of this, we refer the reader to the persecutions that have befallen the gospel church by the hands of the pagan and papal powers of Rome. Of this, abundant proof may be found in Fox's Book of Martyrs or Buck's Theological Dictionary.