圣经研究1——旧约的国度、圣约和正典 KOT
——第二课：上帝的国度
目录
一、介绍
二、广义和狭义上
不变的
发展的
三、太古历史
地理位置
起初的预备
持续的发展
国中人民
祭司
神道代理
发展
宇宙性的背叛
败坏和审判
长期计划
四、以色列国
地理位置
原来的中心
延伸
国中人民
选民以色列人
祭司的国度
祭司和国王
发展
应许期
出埃及和征服期
王国期
五、新约
地理位置
中心
扩展
国中人民
基督
信徒
发展
国度的奠基
国度的延续
国度的成全
六、总结
一﹑介绍
英文中有一个习惯用语，描述那些太注意细节、而失掉大局的人，我们常常说这种人是「只见树木不见森林。」〔译者注：这与「不见庐山真面目，只因身在庐山中」的意思像似。〕 其实，很多文化都有这样的说法，所以不难理解其中所表达的含义。当我们流连于过多的琐碎细节时，很容易被旁枝末节所迷惑，从而就失去了对较大的，较重要部分的清楚认识。因此，每当此时，我们要经常彼此提醒，重新回头看看大的画面是什么。
对于大多数人来说，旧约使人很容易注意细节而忽略大的画面。旧约内容极其广泛，涵盖了众多的人物、地点、事件，神学教导，以及道德规范，为此缘故就很容易使我们忽略旧约《圣经》自身所具有的内在统一性。为了克服这种混乱，和随之而来的困惑经历，我们需要回过头来，重新了解旧约整个大的画面。
本课是我们题为「旧约的国度、圣约和正典」的旧约纵览的第二课。这个系列中，我们将了解到，旧约所论及的是有关神的国度，这个国度以神的圣约来执行，从而透过整本的旧约正典，在具体的环境中得到解释和应用。本课题为「神的国度」，从中我们将看到，对《圣经》中有关神国神学或神掌权的正确理解，会给掌握整本旧约提供其中一个最全面和最一致的立场。
本课，我们将探讨有关神国度的《圣经》教导的四个层面。首先，我们要从广义和狭义上看一看《圣经》中是如何论及神的国度；第二，我们要看看太古历史也就是人类最早历史阶段中神的国度；第三，我们要探讨在旧约以色列历史中神的国度；最后，我们要看一看新约中神的国度。透过这四个主题，我们将会对旧约有一个全面一致的认识。让我们首先来看看旧约在广义和狭义上怎样提到神的国度。
二﹑广义和狭义
课程的开始，我们有必要解释两种观点，这两种观点对于正确理解神的国度非常重要。第一，从广义的角度，我们发现旧约教导我们神的主权是完全的，是不变的；第二，从狭义的角度，我们发现神的国度是随着历史而发展变化的。首先，让我们对神的主权是完全不变有一个较为全面的看法。
不变的
《圣经》中有一个再清楚不过的教导，就是：神是创造者，神对所有的创造物进行护理；没有其他别的神为造物主。正是由于这个原因， 上帝对他的创造界拥有不可动摇的统治权，过去是如此，将来也是如此。诗篇93的第1节和第2节，我们看到对尊贵的造物主的赞美：
耶和华作王，他以威严为衣穿上……以能力为衣，以能力束腰，世界就坚定，不得动摇。你的宝座从太初立定，你从亘古就有。（诗篇93的第1-2节）
以此来看，旧约中以色列人的信仰和其他邻国的宗教大大不同。邻国的宗教教导他们，很多神争夺主权，这些神的能力随着历史环境的变化而消长。在一些情况下，这些神会随着每的季节的轮替而起起落落。而在另一些情况下，这些神会随着他们支持的国家经历战争胜利时而兴盛，经历战争失败时而没落。
但是《圣经》中的信仰概念不是这样，雅威，就是以色列的神，是所有万物，包括天上的被造物那些所谓的众神的独一的创造者，护理者，和统治者。从此种意义上讲，神做王的主权永不改变。所有的创造物过去、现在、将来都属他的国度。
一般来讲, 相信神一直统治万物非常重要，但同等重要的是，我们也必须从第二个方面，即狭义上，认识到《圣经》上教导我们神的国度是发展的。
发展的
从狭义的观念上讲，神的国度是发展的，起起落落的， 但是最终，它发展到一定程度，会扩展到整个世界。我们也将看到，当《圣经》上讲到神的王权和神的国度时，通常有它的历史性含义在里面。从这个观点思想神国的进程时，最简洁的方法之一, 就是从主祷文的开头几句话来看。马太福音6:9-10，耶稣把整个旧约中神的国，概括在他教门徒如何祷告的主祷文中，他这样教导说,
「我们在天上的父：愿人都尊你的名为圣。
愿你的国降临；
愿你的旨意行在地上，如同行在天上。」（马太福音第6章9-10节）
既然我们已经知道，从广义上讲， 上帝一直统管万有，包括地上所有的，耶稣的这些话可能让我们感到疑惑，耶稣教导我们祷告说，「愿你的国降临」是什么意思? 一个已经存在了的东西，怎么还会要求它降临?
其实，简单地说，耶稣指的是，旧约教导我们神的王权是一个发展性的、历史性的王权，耶稣说神的国要降临在地上，要改变全地，使地上的能反映天上的。此外，请注意，耶稣在马太福音第6章第9节-10的表达方法。他使用希伯来的旧体诗格式，耶稣所阐述的神的国包括了三个平行的层面。首先，他要求尊神的名为圣。更确切地说，他的另一层意思是当神的国降临时，神的名就会被一直地尊崇为圣。接着，他解释神的国降临是什么意思，耶稣说，神的国降临，就是神的旨意行在地上如同行在天上。
耶稣教导我们祷告，祈求神将他的国降临在地上，使他的国在地上就像在天上一样，使神的名能够在任何地方、任何时间都被尊崇为圣。耶稣知道神已经统管全地，他也知道旧约曾经应许，将来神要救赎、恢复全地、使全地完美无瑕，彰显天堂的奇妙。耶稣在那个时代祈求神的国降临在地上，就是从这个意义上说的。耶稣所关心的是，在地上发生的事、和将要发生的事。神要把他在天的统治扩张到地上，使他的旨意行在地上如同行在天上一样。
为了理解神怎样使他的旨意行在地上如同行在天上，我们要先看一看但以理书7章所描绘的，神在天上做王的情景，但以理书第7章第9节-10这样说，
「我观看，见有宝座设立，上头坐着亘古常在者。他的衣服洁白如雪，头发如纯净的羊毛。宝座乃火焰，其轮乃烈火。从他面前有火象河发出。事奉他的有千千，在他面前侍立的有万万。」（但以理书第7章9-10节）
这个描述没有什么与众不同，和《圣经》中其他地方每次提到神在天上的殿，场景的描述是一样。但是，从神在天上做王的这个画面里，我们应该指出至少两个层面。
一方面，神在天上做王的时候，神向所有的被造物显现他自己，这是一种特殊荣耀的同在。就象《圣经》教导的，神的无所不在，就是神可以同时出现在任何的地方；但是在地上神的无处不在却不能被看见。然而，在天上，神坐在他的宝座上，穿着洁白如雪、闪闪发光的衣服，头发如纯净的羊毛。他的宝座乃火焰，烈火从宝座中发出。神在宝座上的特殊显现，无与伦比，荣光显赫，光彩夺目，充满天上。
现在，让我们比较一下神在天上宝座的荣耀和地上的荣耀。在地上，我们所看到的，最多不过是神在天上无与伦比荣光的模糊反映。是的，我们从创造的奇妙看到神的荣耀，但是和神在天上的荣耀相比，这不算什么。因此，耶稣祷告说，求神的国降临在地上，如同在天上，耶稣心中的一个意思，就是神在天上光彩夺目、无比特殊的同在也应该充满全地，如同充满在天上一样。
这就是使徒约翰描写耶稣基督再来时，新耶路撒冷将从天上降临到地上，心里面所想的。在启示录第21章第23节，他写道，
那城内又不用日月光照，因有 神的荣耀光照，又有羔羊为城的灯。（启示录第21章第23节）
因此，耶稣教导我们祷告求神的国降临在地上，如同在天上，其中所隐含的部分意思就是，我们应该求神自己来到地上，彰显他自己的荣耀和尊贵。
另外一方面，我们也需要明白，神在天上宝座前的荣耀光彩显现，带来一定的果效。但以理书第7章第10节说，
「事奉他的有千千，在他面前侍立的有万万。」（但以理书第7章第10节）
无数的被造物在神的宝座前事奉他，敬拜他，谦卑地听命于他。
神天上的国降临在地上的第二个结果是神荣耀同在之后产生的影响。目前在地上，人类是很容易背叛神的。实际上，大部分被造的活物都是如此，神的仇敌，包括灵界和人类，都抵挡神做王。但是将来，当基督再来的时候，神特殊的荣耀将显现在全地，地上的万物一部分要灭亡，另一部分要按照神的旨意事奉神，象在天上的情形一样。这就是为什么使徒保罗在腓立比书第2章第10节能够这样说，
叫一切在天上的，地上的，和地底下的，因耶稣的名，无不屈膝。（腓立比书第2章第10节）
故此，我们知道，耶稣向我们所展现的神的国是发展的、历史性的、是在全地上要实现的。耶稣渴望神的荣耀因着神在地上特殊的同在而彰显在全地，从而神的旨意能够行在地上，如同行在天上一样。耶稣要我们和他一起分享这个将来的异象。
我们已经从广义和狭义的角度区别了神的统治，现在我们看一看旧约怎样和谐一致地记述神的国在地上的发展，在此，我们看一看创世记第1章第1节-第11章第9节中神的国，这一段时期通常被称为太古历史。
三﹑太古历史
探讨这段太古历史，我们从三个问题着手：第一，《圣经》的这一部分如何详细说明神的国在地上的地理位置；第二，怎样确认此时神国度中的国民；第三，怎样描述神的国在地上的初期发展。让我们首先看看太古历史时期如何确立神的国在地上的地理位置。
地理位置
创世记的前几章解释了神起初如何将他的国度建立地上，我们从两个步骤来看看神荣耀的统治是怎样从地域的角度表现出来的，第一，我们要查考，起初神为他在地上将要做王所作的准备；第二，我们要看看，神怎样计划，在地上从一个中心的位置来开始他的统治，然后把他统治的区域扩展到整个世界。让我们先来探讨神起初为了在世界上建立他的国度所作的预备。
起初的预备
创世记第1章，集中在神首先预备这个世界成为他的国度，创世记第1章第1节是本章的标题经节:
起初，神创造天地。（创世记第1章第1节）
标题经节之后，接下来，创世记第1章第2节-第2章第3节，记述神随即开始创造世界，神从三个结构使这个世界成为荣耀统治的地方。
第一部分，创造的故事从创世记第1章第2节开始，当时的世界杂乱混沌，神要除去这种杂乱混沌。这节经文是这样描述大地的：
地是空虚混沌，渊面黑暗； 神的灵运行在水面上。（创世记第1章２节）
这节经文包含了两个重要的东西。一方面，大地是「空虚混沌，」被黑暗所笼罩，杂乱无章。从这一点上来讲，此时的大地无法令人赏心悦目，极不完美。「空虚混沌」在旧约其他的地方用来指旷野荒漠，无人居住之地。除此之外，「黑暗」和「渊」在《圣经》中具有消极意义，地球的起初时刻，是环境恶劣、生息皆无。
但是，另一方面，第二节也同时告诉我们一个重要的事实：在混沌初始之时，「神的灵运行在水面上。」代表光和生命的神不愿让大地处于杂乱无章的状况。他要驱逐黑暗、无生命气息的东西。
创造的第二部分，记载在创世记第1章第3节-31，就是六天有次序的创造。这些经文解释了神怎样创造这个世界，成为他的国度，很多解经家指出，这六天展现了一个清晰的模式，显示了神在创造世界中的智慧和目的。
前三天，神解决的是世界的混沌杂乱，后三天，神解决的是世界的空虚无物，而且，神在这两个三天里的作为，以奇妙的方式，彼此呼应，相得益彰。第一天，神创造了白昼，把黑暗限制在夜里，相应地，第四天，神在空中设置太阳、月亮、和众星，按次序管理白天和黑夜；第二天，神造出空气，把空气以上的水和空气以下的水分开，接着，在第五天，神创造飞鸟在地面以上，天空之中，神又创造水里的生物，充满在水中；第三天，神使天下的水聚在一起，形成郁郁葱葱肥沃的旱地，相应，在第六天，神创造牲畜野兽和人类，充满地面。神用他的话创造世界，把空虚混沌的大地变得井然有序，显示了神卓越的智慧和能力。
这里，我们应该特别注意一下3-31节不断重复的主题，创世记第一章特别告诉我们，神看他所创造的一切都是好的。31节，我们注意到，第六天，神看他的创造之工甚好。
当《圣经》说神的创造很好，部分的意思是指，神对他的创造之工感到满意，有道德上的意义，因为神有效地抑制了混沌、黑暗、和深渊，因为神使世界变得井然有序，这里「好」（希伯来文טוֹב / tov /）字的翻译不仅仅是指好，这里的用法，还有旧约其他地方的用法，也表示「喜悦」、「高兴」、甚至「美丽」的意思。在第六天， 上帝按照他的心意和愿望改变了世界，使世界变成一个美丽的地方、讨神喜悦的地方。
这就是为什么第2章第1节-3有关创造叙述的第三部分提到安息日，创世记第一章的开始，神对创造并不满意，但是在创世记第2章第1节-3，神却喜悦他所作的。实际上，神是如此喜悦他对大地的初步安排，就歇了他的工，把第七天定为圣日，又称安息日。总之，神很满意他对大地所做的初步准备，为要把全地变成他所希望之地。
我们已经看到，神开始预备大地成为讨他喜悦的地方，但是我们也需要注意到，神在地上的重要目的需要进一步展开。
持续的发展
尽管神在第一周的创造中所作的一切，但是还没有把整个世界变成奇妙的乐园，创世记第二章让我们注意到一个事实，就是当整个世界在一定程度上变得井然有序时，实际上只有一个地方能够称为乐园。看看创世记第2章第8节-9对这个地方的描述：
耶和华 神在东方的伊甸立了一个园子……耶和华 神使各样的树从地里长出来，可以悦人的眼目，其上的果子好作食物。园子当中又有生命树和分别善恶的树。（创世记第2章8-9节）
我们可以这样来想，神处理全地的方式，就像艺术家绘画之前在他们画布上所画的素描，神没有在大地这块画布上立刻涂满颜色，神只是为他在全地的目标建立了一个基本的次序和定位，但他的绘画还没有完成。
虽然如此，神还是用绚丽的色彩在地的一点划了一笔，使之成为神创造的中心，这个地方成为伊甸，希伯来文的意思是「令人愉快的」，「使人高兴的」，这个地方是神特别喜悦的地方。伊甸的中心是个园子，一个极其美丽的地方，一个引人入胜的绿洲，一个富丽堂皇的王宫乐园。虽然神在创造中无所不在，可以随处无影无踪地同在，但是神还是选择伊甸这个地方，尤其是其中的伊甸园，成为他特殊同在的地方，在这个地方，神在地上能够荣耀地显现他自己。但是这个园子和这块地，只是地球的一点而已，世界其余的地方虽然已经有一定程度的秩序，但是仍有很多的需要。
我们已经看到神为他在地上的统治，所作的最初的准备，伊甸和其中乐园成为美妙绚丽、欢乐喜悦的中心，现在让我们转到人类初始阶段的的第二个主题：神国度中的子民。至此，神已经设立人类成为神国的仆人，神的器皿，透过他们，使全地成为神的国度。
国中人民
神把人安置在伊甸园，透过神对人的评价，人类特殊的角色就明朗了。虽然起初创造的次序是好的 甚至是甚好 ，但是，创世记第2章第18节却说，
耶和华 神说：「那人独居不好，我要为他造一个配偶帮助他。」（创世记第2章第18节）
神看他所造的是「好」的，但是发现在特殊神圣的乐园里面还有「不好」：亚当没有妻子。但是，为何说「不好」？也就是说，这个工作是如此的巨大，神所创造的第一个人没有办法独自完成。
为什么这个任务对一个人来说太大了呢？我们可以透过人类的角色来看，《圣经》用两种方式描述人类的角色。神使亚当和夏娃以祭司、神的代理作为副的摄政王、或皇家的代表来服事他。
祭司
第一点，神给亚当和夏娃祭司的身份，神要他们来管理大地，敬拜尊崇神，我们已经看到在天上神的宝座前，所有的创造物就是这样，亚当和夏娃在地上也该如此行。创世记第2章第15节这样说，
耶和华 神将那人安置在伊甸园，使他修理看守。（创世记第2章第15节）
乍看之下，我们可能认为，神仅仅是让亚当和夏娃成为看园子的，但实际上，远远超越看园子，起初，当摩西和以色列人读到「修理看守」这个词时，其重要意义非同寻常。
例如，民数记第3章第8节，有类似的措辞，用来表示祭司或者利未人在神的会幕里的工作，经文是这样说的：
「又要看守会幕的器具，并守所吩咐以色列人的，办理帐幕的事。」（民数记第3章第8节）
《圣经》描述亚当和夏娃在伊甸园的任务的方式，呼应了利未人作为神祭司职份的专门描述。
亚当和夏娃被安置在神的园子里，这个地方是神在地上特殊同在的地方，很像摩西时代的帐幕。他们透过美化、管理园子，在敬拜万王之王中，行使祭司的职责，亚当和夏娃在他们神圣的住处，以祭司的职位来服事 上帝。
神的代理
第二点，亚当和夏娃同时也被按立为皇族，神的代理，实际上，他们是君尊的皇家祭司。我们在创世记第1章第26节可以看到对亚当和夏娃这样的描述：
神说：「我们要照着我们的形象，按着我们的样式造人，使他们管理海里的鱼、空中的鸟、地上的牲畜和全地，并地上所爬的一切昆虫。」（创世记第1章第26节）
我们都知道，这节经文，以及其他经文称人有「神的形象和样式。」过去，神学家通常认为，这句话表明了人类是有理性、有道德的创造物，但这并不是创世记第1章的焦点。
为了理解拥有神的形象的重要性，我们需要了解古代旧约的世界，以色列以和邻国的情形。那时国王或皇帝普遍地被尊称为「形象」、「样式」、甚至「天子」。国王或者皇帝拥有这些称呼是因为在旧约时代，人们相信皇家贵族和一般百姓不一样，在世界上具有特殊的角色。国王处在天地之间，人们相信国王和皇帝有特权了解上天神明的旨意和智慧，然后用他们的王权在地上执行天上的旨意。借用耶稣主祷文的语言，就是国王们要了解学习神的旨意，并以他们皇家的特权将神的旨意执行在地上。
我们可以看出来，摩西对他的时代而言是多么的彻底，因为他宣称所有的人 不仅仅是国王或皇帝都是神的形象。根据旧约《圣经》，所有的人类都被造成为神的代理，代替神和为了神来管理全地，并确保神的旨意在这里被完成，就像古代的国王被认为是诸神的代表来统治世界一样。
这种王的形象解释了为什么 上帝在创世记第1章第27节-28描述人类的角色。摩西在这些经文里这样写：
神就照着自己的形象造人，乃是照着他的形象造男造女。神就赐福给他们，又对他们说：「要生养众多，遍满地面，治理这地；也要管理海里的鱼、空中的鸟，和地上各样行动的活物。」（创世记第1章27-28节）
我们按照如下方式概括一下作为神形象的尊贵角色：我们已经知道，神在创造中建立一个秩序和美丽的标准，他把人类安置在奇妙、圣洁的园子里面，以祭司的身份服事神。但是神也要他尊贵的形象者生养众多，充满地面；而不仅仅是充满伊甸园，神也命令他们不仅仅只是管理伊甸园，而是管理整个地面。
天上的大君王任命人类作为其国度扩展疆界的器皿。人类要生养众多，遍满地面，使全地成为神的乐园，使神的旨意能够行在地上，在全地以神的祭司来服事神。在全球范围里扩展神的国度，是神把人类放在地球上的根本目的。
我们已经了解神开始为他的王国确立了国土和国民，接下来，我们概括一下，太古时期，神的国度在地上的发展。
发展
我们把摩西在这个阶段的记载归纳为三点。第一，我们会提到对大君王宇宙性的背叛；第二，我们要看人类的堕落怎样达到一个不可思议的地步，以致得到严厉的惩罚；第三点，我们将发现尽管人类的堕落，神依然显明了在地上实现其国度的长期计划。让我们先看看发生在地上的背叛。
宇宙性的背叛
亚当和夏娃没有把神的旨意实行在全地，相反，却顺从了蛇的诱惑，违背他们的 上帝，吃了禁果，其结果是，他们没能把伊甸园的美好扩展到地极，相反，他们却被逐出伊甸园，活在神的咒诅之下。
即便如此，人类作为神国度建造者的使命没有完全消失，亚当和夏娃仍然应该要敬拜 上帝，他们仍然应该要生养众多，他们仍然应该支配大地。然而，因为他们的悖逆，他们和全地一起被咒诅，所以，生养众多和管理全地变得困难重重，挫折失败，痛苦不堪。关于生养众多，神在创世记第3章第16节对夏娃说，
「我必多多加增你怀胎的苦楚，你生产儿女必多受苦楚。」（创世记第3章第16节）
关于支配大地，在创世记第3章第17节，神这样指示亚当，
「地必为你的缘故受咒诅：你必终身劳苦，才能从地里得吃的。」（创世记第3章第17节）
人没有在相对轻松和无尽的荣耀中完成他们作为神形象的使命，却被迫以神的形象住在充满恶意的世界，经历着痛苦和虚浮。
败坏和审判
第二点，太古时期，人类继续追求着一个堕落的道路，最终导致神严厉的审判。在人类犯罪之前，生孩子会产生更多神的形象，即忠实的代理和祭司。但是，亚当和夏娃犯罪了，不能再说他所有的后裔都是对神忠心的，实际上，按照他们的罪性，他们的后裔没有一个能够是信实的，除非神把他们从罪权势中救赎出来。
令人伤心的是，人类的绝大多数继续悖逆 上帝，亚当和夏娃的第一个儿子，该隐，杀了他兄弟亚伯。创世记第4章该隐的家谱告诉我们，随着该隐家族的发展，统治地面的时候，他们的悖逆更甚。作为神的高贵祭司，该隐的后裔没有建立人类的文明，敬拜 上帝，扩展神的旨意在地上，而是抬高他们自己，建立拒绝 上帝统治的文化。实际上，随着时间的变迁，人类的罪恶变得极大，以致神决定要灭绝人类。创世记第6章第5节-7说，
耶和华见人在地上罪恶很大，终日所思想的尽都是恶；耶和华就后悔造人在地上，心中忧伤。耶和华说：「我要将所造的人和走兽，并昆虫，以及空中的飞鸟，都从地上除灭，因为我造他们后悔了。」（创世记第6章5-7节）
长期计划
然而，第三点，太古历史也告诉我们，神设计了一个长期的策略，要在世界上扩展他的国度。实际上，随着人类的堕落，神决定要拣选一部分人，救他们脱离罪的权势，透过他们来建立神的国度，神对这些神形象的拥有者显示他救赎的怜悯，使他们能够完成神的目的。
第一次提到这个长期的策略是在创世记第3章第15节，亚当和夏娃犯罪之后，立即被暗示出来。当时， 上帝咒诅鼓动亚当和夏娃犯罪的蛇，神说，
「我又要叫你和女人彼此为仇；你的后裔和女人的后裔也彼此为仇。女人的后裔要伤你的头；你要伤他的脚跟。」（创世记第3章第15节）
实际上，神在这里应许，即使撒但和随从撒但的人们会继续迫害夏娃的后裔，但是夏娃真正的后裔，即被救赎的人，能够打碎蛇的头，战胜曾经引诱他们进行宇宙性背叛的那一位恶者。这就是为什么保罗在罗马书第16章第20节让罗马的基督徒确信的：
赐平安的 神快要将撒但践踏在你们脚下。（罗马书第16章第20节）
被赎的盼望从亚当和夏娃的时代，一直延续到我们今天的时代。
该隐的这一支血统越来越堕落，与其相对照，第三个儿子塞特的出生，延续了忠心的亚伯。像创世记5章的家谱告诉我们的，塞特和他的后裔用他们的人生敬重神，在地上寻求神的旨意行。甚至当地上的罪恶变得非常严重，神用洪水毁灭世界时还是如此。塞特的一个后裔，就是挪亚，非常忠心，在神眼前蒙恩。当洪水毁灭全地的时候，神将挪亚和他的全家拯救出来。
太古历史时期在创世记第8章第21节-22结束，此时，神为他长久、复杂的救赎计划铺路，借助这个计划，神被赎的子民将要实现他们作为神形象的目的，创世记第8章第21节-22这样说，
「 我不再因人的缘故咒诅地（人从小时心里怀着恶念），也不再按着我才行的，灭各种的活物了。地还存留的时候，稼穑、寒暑、冬夏、昼夜，就永不停息了。」（创世记第8章21-22节）
请注意神的动机，他知道即使被救赎的人们仍然是软弱的、有罪的，他也知道罪会继续对堕落的形象带来灾难。因此，天上的君王统筹他所造的万物，使他们能够为人类提供长期稳定的环境。之所以需要稳定性的原因，创世记第9章第1节讲得清清楚楚，
神赐福给挪亚和他的儿子，对他们说：「你们要生养众多，遍满了地。」（创世记第9章第1节）
总之，神在自然界中保持稳定性，除去洪水的威胁，是被救赎的神形象们，能够完成人类起初的使命。
神知道《圣经》其他的部分会讲得清楚，神国度延伸的路途不是连续平坦的，也不是一帆风顺的。神知道他自己的子民也会跌倒，神知道那些抵挡他国度仆人的人会兴起来，然后失败。因此，他在自然界中建立一个长期稳定的新秩序，为了能够在遥远的将来有一天，他被救赎的、忠心的形象拥有者们能够在堕落的世界中，完成扩展神国度的使命。
所以，从历史的演进来看，神的国度从伊甸园开始，要透过神的祭司，就是神形象的拥有者人类来扩展到全地。尽管由于罪的介入而使之变得复杂，但是神制定了一个长久的历史性计划，救赎一部分他形象的拥有者，使他们能够把神的国度带到地上，就像在天上一样，太古时代所描绘的这些基本轮廓，为《圣经》的其余历史进程奠定了基础。
我们既然已经知道神的国怎样在人类历史的最初已经开始，我们就已准备好进入下一个重要的历史阶段，这个阶段覆盖旧约的绝大部分：这个时期是神特别对待他的选民以色列。
四、以色列国
从旧约的观点来看，古代以色列国的历史表明了神的国在地如同在天的降临，已经前进了很大的一步。
为了明白神的国在以色列的发展，我们也将要看三个主题。第一，我们将探讨这个历史时期神国度的地理位置。第二，我们将要看国度中的国民。第三，我们将要查考这个阶段国度的进展。那么，让我们首先看看神的国在以色列国中的地理位置。
地理位置
我们讨论这个阶段神国的位置，其中一个最好的方法，就是从以色列的祖先，亚伯拉罕开始，因为亚伯拉罕是以色列之父，神对亚伯拉罕的呼召，为神要透过以色列所作的一切奠定了基础。创世记第12章第1节-3记载神第一次呼召亚伯拉罕成为神的仆人，神这样说，
「你要离开本地、本族、父家，往我所要指示你的地去。我必叫你成为大国，我必赐福给你，叫你的名为大，你也要叫别人得福。为你祝福的，我必赐福与他；那咒诅你的，我必咒诅他，地上的万族都要因你得福。」（创世记第12章1-3节）
注意神在第一节所说的话，他呼召亚伯拉罕离开他在米索布达米的本土，迁移到亚伯拉罕不知道的地方。
接着12章往下读，我们发现神带领亚伯拉罕从处在米索布达米平原南部的吾珥到米索布达米平原北部的哈兰，后来从哈兰到迦南地，就是我们现在所说的圣地，当亚伯拉罕到达迦南的时候，神应许亚伯拉罕的后裔将得这块特定的地域为业，旧约其余的部分讲得很清楚，从那时开始，亚伯拉罕的应许之地成为神在世界上施展作为的地理中心。
亚伯拉罕被呼召到应许之地，至少可以从两个方面帮助我们理解神国的地理位置，首先，我们将看到，神呼召亚伯拉罕和以色列在他国度原来的中心服事他，第二，我们将看到神要以色列把神的国扩展到原来中心之外。让我们先来看看神呼召亚伯拉罕和他的后裔在神国度的原来的中心地带服事他。
原来的中心
正如我们已经知道的，伊甸是起初神的国度在地上的中心。不幸的是，很多解经家错误地认为，伊甸在米索布达米。因此，他们也错误地认为亚伯拉罕实际上从伊甸园附近离开，迁移到迦南。但是，《圣经》描绘出亚伯拉罕的应许之和伊甸园之间有着紧密的连结。
事实上，神呼召亚伯拉罕回到伊甸园附近，而不是远离伊甸园。看看 上帝在创世记第2章第10节-14对伊甸园边界的描述，
「有河从伊甸流出来滋润那园子，从那里分为四道：第一道名叫比逊，就是环绕哈腓拉全地的。 第二道河名叫基训，就是环绕古实全地的。第三道河名叫希底结， 第四道河就是伯拉河。」（创世记第2章10-14节）
四条河构成了伊甸园的边界：比逊河和基训河，大约位于埃及地的东北部和迦南地的西南部之间，而希底结河和伯拉河，则与迦南的东北部相关。
参考这些地理位置对我们很重要，因为应许之地有类似的边界。在创世记第15章第18节我们读到这些话，
「 我已赐给你的后裔，从埃及河直到伯拉大河之地；」（创世记第15章第18节）
目前，大多数的解经家都同意「埃及河」不是指尼罗河，而是埃及东北部众多小河中的一条。但是无论怎样，我们能明白神应许给亚伯拉罕的土地，东北以伯拉河为边界，西南以埃及河为边界，正如我们已经知道的，应许之地的地理边界反映伊甸园的边界。我们是在把伊甸园和迦南地连在一起，虽然这种联系到底紧密到何种程度还有待商榷，但是至少有一点是很清楚的，神呼召亚伯拉罕进迦南地，就是呼召他回到亚当和夏娃起初服事神的地方。因此，就像伊甸园在起初被设立成为神在地上同在的中心，人在太古历史时期失败后，神呼召他特殊的仆人亚伯拉罕重新回到这个地理的中心，开始重新建立神的国。
应许之地和伊甸园之间联系的第二个含意是，神把这片土地赐给以色列，本身不是终点，而是神要扩张他统治到地极的一个集结地。
延伸
应许之地不是亚伯拉罕和以色列人地域上的终极目标它远远小于神在地上的整个国度。再看看创世记第12章第3节，
「为你祝福的，我必赐福与他；那咒诅你的，我必咒诅他，地上的万族都要因你得福。」（创世记第12章第3节）
透过对亚伯拉罕和他的后裔的反应态度而受到祝福和咒诅的过程，地上的万族最终都会得到祝福，这个应许不仅仅指亚伯拉罕的信仰怎样即现在基督徒的信仰怎样传到不同的国家，不同的言语，当然这也是一个方面。这节经文也是指地域上来说的，亚伯拉罕的祝福传到整个地球上的千家万户。
这就是为什么使徒保罗在罗马书第4章第13节这样概括神对亚伯拉罕的应许，
因为神应许亚伯拉罕和他后裔，必得承受世界（地球）。（罗马书第4章第13节）
神没有应许让亚伯拉罕继承一小片土地，他得到的应许是整个世界。迦南地只是整个继承物即全世界的预付定金而已。
神国度的扩张，超越起初应许之地的范围，以不大的规模在旧约各个不同时期不断发展。在摩西及其以后的时间，两个半支派占领约旦河以东的土地；在列王统治时期，以色列的疆界向北、向东、向南扩展。在旧约以色列时间，神国度的中心在迦南地，但是就在那时，神的国度已经开始向全地扩张。
在我们留意旧约以色列时期神国的地理位置的同时，现在把注意力转到神国度的子民上。
国中人民
这个时期，神子民的历史非常复杂，因此，我们需要限定在几个显著突出的部分。不过，我们仍然能够看到以色列在神国度中使命的大图画，以及如何与神在起初为人类设定的目的上相吻合。我们查考三件事：第一，以色列作为神国度中特殊的选民；第二，这些选民组成祭司的国度；第三，选派专职祭司和国王，领导国度中的子民。首先，我们看一看以色列被拣选为神特殊的子民。
选民以色列人
我们应该记得，在太古历史时期，随着罪进入世界，神在整个人类中拣选一个家庭，作为神在世界的特殊形象侍奉神。
最早在创世记5章，我们看到一个单独特殊家庭的模式，亚当的儿子，塞特，成为人类一支正直公义的祖先。后来，神藉着他的后裔挪亚保存塞特的家族。你会记得，挪亚有三个儿子：闪、含和雅弗，但是，只有闪是神特别拣选的形象或后裔。从闪而出的后裔，又有一个人被拣选出来继续这个特殊使命，就是亚伯拉罕。接下来，亚伯拉罕生以撒是个神迹，以撒继续这个被选的血统。再接下来，以撒生雅各，就是以色列，成为神特殊的尊贵形象的拥有者。最后，雅各生12个儿子，约瑟和他的弟兄们，这12个儿子成为以色列国12个支派的祖先。神深爱这12个支派，赐给他们特别的资格，称为神的百姓，神爱他们如同长子一样。在人类万族中，以色列各支派是神国度中特殊的百姓。
祭司的国度
第二点，当神拣选以色列众支派时，为了实现起初赋予亚当和夏娃祭司和王室的角色，神使他们组成一个祭司的国度。在出埃及记第19章第4节-6，神的话毫不含糊，他宣称，以色列在建立神的国度中要扮演这个特殊的角色。这些话是以色列在西奈山下安营的时候讲的，
「我向埃及人所行的事，你们都看见了；且看见我如鹰将你们背在翅膀上，带来归我。如今你们若实在听从我的话，遵守我的约，就要在万民中作属我的子民，因为全地都是我的。你们要归我作祭司的国度，为圣洁的国民。」（出埃及记第19章4-6节）
注意神提到以色列12个支派时所说的，以色列是「祭司的国度」「圣洁的国民。」就如我们看到的，他们应该「圣洁」，意思是，特殊，分别出来，和其他民区别开来。更精确的说，他们要成为「祭司的国度」或者说祭司式的国度。
以色列被选派为祭司的国度，表明以色列要继续完成起初亚当和夏娃所拥有的双重角色，我们还记得亚当和夏娃被召做神尊贵的祭司，这里我们看见以色列的各支派也被召做神国度的祭司。
祭司和国王
第三点，虽然以色列作为整体拥有成为神尊贵祭司的特权，但是，我们也应该注意，随着他们成为一个强国，一些以色列人要特别成为祭司和君王的职位。一般来讲，整个以色列国被神分别为圣，成为神特殊祭司的国度，但是神最终会在以色列内，拣选一些人和一些家族，成为神特别的形象，以祭司和君王的职分来服侍他，带领整个民族，以圣洁事奉神。
正如出埃及记告诉我们的，亚伦和他的后裔要作为神的祭司来服事神，他们主要在帐幕和圣殿中带领以色列进入神的同在，献上敬拜、祭物和赞美。后来，大卫和他的后裔被任命为神百姓的君王。他们是神特殊的仆人，主要从国家政治的角度来服侍神。
我们已经讨论了旧约以色列时代，神国度中的地理位置和国民，现在，我们花一点时间来看看这个时期国度的发展。
发展
令人伤心的是，以色列的历史和太古历史有许多相像之处，既有完全积极的成就，也夹杂着极度的失败。神的国度有所进展，但是由于人类的犯罪，这些进步远没有达到最终的目的；他们没有把神的国度扩展到地极。
这一段的《圣经》历史冗长繁杂，因此，我们只能涉及一些显著突出的部分。这一时期神国度的发展，我们从三个阶段来讲：第一，应许阶段；第二，出埃及以及征服阶段；第三，以色列王国时期。
应许期
首先，我们来查看应许阶段的情况。在此，请记着在以色列的族长时期，即亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各和以色列12个支派的首领时期，神为以色列的将来赐下许多应许，这些应许主要分成两大类，第一，后裔繁多的应许，第二，治理全地的应许。就像神让亚当和夏娃生养众多神的形象，神也应许亚伯拉罕的后裔数不胜数。创世记第15章第5节记载了神对亚伯拉罕极大的应许，
「你向天观看，数算众星，能数得过来吗？」又对他说：「你的后裔将要如此。」（创世记第15章第5节）
我们已经知道，亚伯拉罕以及他的后裔被拣选，要带领人类完成神形象的拥有者的使命，这个使命，其中一部分要透过生养圣洁的后代来完成，以便使被救赎的人类能够像天上的星星一样不可胜数。这就是为什么以撒的出生有那么大的压力，以撒的出生是发生在撒拉和亚伯拉罕身上的神迹。这也是为什么《圣经》故事大量集中在以撒的儿子雅各和雅各的12个儿子的原因。神的子民在旧约已经生养众多，即使在应许的初期阶段。这就是为什么在以色列国中，生养众多神形象的拥有者是贯穿旧约《圣经》的重要主题。
不但如此，《圣经》有关族长时期的故事也集中在土地的应许上，神不但应许亚伯拉罕众多的后裔，而且也应许他的后裔要得迦南圣地为业。创世记第15章第7节这样说，
耶和华又对他说：「我是耶和华，曾领你出了迦勒底的吾珥，为要将这地赐你为业。」（创世记第15章第7节）
正如神指示亚当和夏娃要支配管理大地，他也应许他特殊的选民以色列要支配和享受应许之地的繁荣。
这就是为什么亚伯拉罕在迦南买了一小块象征性的土地，作为他们家族的墓地。此外，这也是为什么雅各暂时离开应许之地，即使面对更多的危险，也要回来。同时，也解释了为什么约瑟在临死的时候嘱咐以色列人一定要离开埃及，回到应许之地。在族长时期，作为进一步扩张神国度的子民，神应许以色列生养众多，治理应许地。
出埃及和征服期
在旧约以色列历史中，神的国度降临在地上的第二个主要阶段是出埃及和征服时期。有一段经文特别清楚地说明，在这一阶段，神和以色列同工，要在地上建立他的王国。特别是，摩西和以色列人过红海后，出埃及记第15章第1节-18记载了他们很有名的诗歌，这段经文是《圣经》上第一次很清楚地讲到神做王的主题。在这段诗歌里，有许多奇妙关于神国的主题，但是我们只提及一处。从出埃及记15:13，我们可以看出摩西对将来的信心
「你凭慈爱，领了你所赎的百姓；你凭能力，引他们到了你的圣所。」（出埃及记第15章第13节）
请注意，以色列人赞美神，是因为神带领他们来到他的圣所。我们已经明白，和伊甸园一样，应许之地要成为神在地上神圣同在的中心，不但如此，我们也应注意到，经文中的「领」（希伯来文נָהַל / náhal /字，直接字面的翻译应为「牧羊人」，古代近东地区和《圣经》上，都普遍使用「牧养」来描述国王的作为。神象牧羊人一样带领他的百姓来到他的圣所。
神的王权和王国这个主题也出现在出埃及记第15章第17节-18，红海诗歌的结尾处，
「你要将他们领进去，栽于你产业的山上。耶和华啊！就是你为自己所造的住处；主啊！就是你手所建立的圣所。耶和华必作王，直到永永远远。」（出埃及记第15章17-18节）
根据这段经文，神带领以色列来到圣山，圣所，也就是《圣经》后面告诉我们的耶路撒冷。那么这个圣山圣所的性质是什么呢？首先，摩西说，是神的「住处」（希伯来语יָשַׁב / jaˈʃav /），同样，翻译成「住处」（希伯来语יָשַׁב）这个词经常是指「国王登基」。根据这段经文王权的主题，对圣山最好的理解应是神登基做王的地方。
这就是为什么，紧接着，18节就清楚直接用的君王的言语赞美神，
「耶和华必作王，直到永永远远。」（出埃及记第15章第18节）
神作为以色列的王，带领这个民族进入应许之地，神的意图是要塑造他们，使他们成为环绕在神宝座周围的子民。换句话说，出埃及和征服的目的是要在地上建立神的统治，确立神的王权，建造神的国度，直到永永远远。
王国期
在神国的第三个阶段，是旧约以色列重要的时期，可以认为是帝国阶段，这个时间的以色列已经成为拥有国王和圣殿的国家。很遗憾，人类君王在神对以色列的计划中的地位，存在一些争议。后面的课程，我们会仔细地查考一个事实，就是神一直希望以色列有一个人来做君王，以及这个王权在以色列的发展。但是现在，我们只是简单地看一看，神一旦立了大卫和大卫的后裔为神子民的君王之后，神的国度怎样往前发展。
大卫和他的儿子所罗门把王的居所和圣殿建在耶路撒冷，以此使神在地上的国度向前进。一方面，大卫在耶路撒冷王位的建立，就是代表神在地上统治的王室的建立。历代志上第29章第23节这样描述大卫家的王位：
于是所罗门坐在耶和华所赐的位上，接续他父亲大卫作王。（历代志上第29章第23节）
大卫的王位就是耶和华的王位，大卫的王室带领以色列民，代表神的王权。大卫和他的子孙被提升为官吏的角色，以升高的神的形象带领其他神的形象。
另一方面，大卫为神建造殿宇做准备，最终是由所罗门来完成。《圣经》一般指这殿宇是神的「家」或者「神的殿」。在殿宇中，一些人被设立为祭司，来带领以色列国，就是敬拜服事神的祭司之国。同时，所罗门把大卫带到耶路撒冷的约柜安放在圣殿的中心，约柜所代表的意义重大，按照大卫的话，约柜是神的脚凳。历代志上第28章第2节这样说，
「我心里本想建造殿宇，安放耶和华的约柜，作为我 神的脚凳，我已经预备建造的材料。」（历代志上第28章第2节）
神的宝座在天上，但是他宝座的脚凳就是安放在耶路撒冷圣殿中的约柜，事实是，所罗门把耶路撒冷变成了大卫家的都城，同时，也是神自己尊贵的圣所。
因此，我们看到，大卫和所罗门时代，以色列已经从亚伯拉罕时期的游牧部落，经过出埃及、征服而到建国，最终变成了有自己的国王，在耶路撒冷圣城建殿的大帝国。神的国度在以色列国中建立起来。
那么，把以色列建成一个帝国的盼望和目的是什么？一句话，神带领他的百姓经过这些阶段，透过以色列的王，也就是神特殊的奴仆君王，神的统治能够扩展到地极。在诗篇72第1节到17节，看看诗人是如何表达这个终极目的的，
神啊！求你将判断的权柄赐给王，将公义赐给王的儿子。他要执掌权柄，从这海直到那海，从大河直到地极。 诸王都要叩拜他，万国都要事奉他。 他的名要存到永远，要留传如日之久；人要因他蒙福，万国要称他有福。（诗篇72第1，8，11，17节）
这里，我们可以看到几个重要的主题。第一，诗人为大卫的家祷告，祝福大卫的朝代能够正直、公义。诗人知道这样的话，大卫的统治将会极大地扩展，大卫的家将要统治整个地面，他的王权将从这海到那海，诸王和万国都要事奉坐在大卫宝座上、有神的公义和正直的王。神特殊的仆人，以色列的王，要扩展神的统治到世界万国。
但是为什么神国度的扩展会发生？目的是什么？其实，诗篇72篇，以其妙的方式宣称，以色列历史的帝国阶段的目的，就是要实现神拣选以色列起初的目的。
你可能记得在创世记第12章第3节，当神呼召亚伯拉罕的时候，神心中有一个目标，就是：
地上的万族都要因你（亚伯拉罕）得福。（创世记第12章第3节）
但是，这个对亚伯拉罕的应许怎样实现呢？
那么，让我们再看看诗篇第72章第17节，这节经文说，透过大卫家的正直和公义的统治，
人要因他蒙福，万国要称他有福。（诗篇第72篇17节）
创世记第12章第3节的暗示十分明显，神拣选亚伯拉罕最初的目标，最终在大卫家实现，把神的祝福扩展到万族。
最后，我们要问，以色列最初的目的在大卫王朝实现的结果是什么？为什么是由大卫的家把亚伯拉罕的祝福扩展出去？简单地来讲，这结果就是要把神荣耀的统治从迦南地一直扩展到全地的每一个角落。这就是为什么诗篇72篇19节以对神极大的赞美来结尾，
他荣耀的名，也当称颂，直到永远。愿他的荣耀，充满全地。阿们！阿们！（诗篇72篇19节）
诗篇72篇末节，表明以色列发展变化，包括从族长时期的应许，经过出埃及，征服迦南，直到成为帝国， 都揭示出其最终的目标。国度的这些阶段都是为了有意把神的荣耀充满全地。当神的国度从以色列的边界，透过大卫家的统治，扩展到地极的时候，神荣耀的同在将充满全世界，就像在天上一样。
我们已经了解了神的国度在初期历史阶段和旧约以色列历史阶段的发展背景，现在，我们就转到最后一个主题：新约中神的国度。作为基督的跟随者，如果我们要把旧约恰当地应用到我们今天的生活，就必需明白神的国度在新约的观点。
五﹑新约
每个基督徒都同意，整个耶稣信息的中心，整个新约的中心，就是福音。但是，我们常常认识不到新约的福音，或者说是有关基督的好消息是旧约神的国度主题的外延。马太在马太福音第4章第23节这样概括耶稣的教导：
耶稣走遍加利利，在各会堂里教训人，传天国的福音。（马太福音第4章第23节）
耶稣传讲福音，或称为好消息，但是，这个好消息是什么好消息？就是关于神国度的信息。正是这个原因，我们对整个新约的中心、对我们所信、对别人所传的福音的理解，将直接依赖于我们对神国度的正确理解和掌握。
我们探讨新约中神国度的主题，依然按照我们探讨《圣经》历史中其他阶段的三个问题来进行。首先，我们看看新约怎样提及国度的地理位置；第二，我们要讲到国度中的人民；第三，我们要探讨新约时期神国的发展。让我们先来看看神的国度在新约中的地理位置。
地理位置
在许多方面，新约中神国度的位置，和旧约有相同的定位。首先，新约表明神国度位置的中心是在以色列地带；第二，新约教导我们神的国度向全地扩展。让我们先看看新约时代在以色列中，神国度的地理位置。
中心
知道新约中神国度的中心在以色列，我们一点也不奇怪。我们已经知道这个模式在旧约中重复了好几次，最初，神在地上国度的中心是在伊甸园，接着，以色列国在摩西的带领下，为了建立神的国度，回到伊甸园附近区域。因此，新约阶段，神的国度，再一次从以色列地开始。
实在不难发现，以色列地是新约时期神国度的地域中心。我们都知道，以色列是耶稣出生的地方，长大的地方，呼召他门徒的地方，开展他事工的地方，他在这里为我们而死，他在这里复活、在这里升天。除了孩童时期有一小段时间在埃及，耶稣在应许之地度过了他整个的一生。
理解为什么神的国即使在新约时代也以应许之地为中心，可以帮助我们记得神的子民在这个时期的情况。旧约时候，神已经祝福以色列国。神带领他们，从族长时期的半游牧民族，到摩西和约书亚时期成为一个国家；最后到大卫和所罗门的领导下，变成荣耀的帝国，拥有自己的都城、皇宫和圣殿。这些都是神在地上统治的巨大进步。但是，正如旧约告诉我们的，以色列人在神大大祝福他们的时候，却大大地悖逆神，神就使他的百姓离开圣地，被掳到外邦。到耶稣那个时代，以色列人被掳、分散到世界各地，被五个外邦帝国强暴统治数百年，这五个帝国分别是：亚述、巴比伦、玛代和波斯、希腊、罗马。
虽然很多当代基督徒不知道，但是耶稣来到世界就是要结束被掳的时代。他来就是要呼召神公义的剩余的子民，重新建立神的国度。路加福音第4章第17节-19记载了耶稣最早的讲道，路加是这样写的，
有人把先知以赛亚的书交给他，他就打开，找到一处写着说：「主的灵在我身上，因为他用膏膏我，叫我传福音给贫穷的人；差遣我报告：被掳的得释放，瞎眼的得看见，叫那受压制的得自由，报告 神悦纳人的禧年。」（路加福音第4章17-19节）
在拿撒勒的会堂，耶稣读的是以赛亚书61章上的一段预言，应许被掳的人有一天要重新回到应许之地。以赛亚的预言提到了「贫穷的」、「被掳的」、「瞎眼的」、「受压制的」 这些词在以赛亚61章用来描述被掳的以色列人。但是请注意预言所说的：有人要传讲「好消息」就是福音、「得自由」、「得看见」以及「得释放」。好消息要被传讲给那些曾经被外邦人强横压制的人们。谁来传讲这个好消息？耶稣！正如路加在路加福音第4章第20节-21所记载的：
于是把书卷起来，交还执事，就坐下。会堂里的人都定睛看他。耶稣对他们说：「今天这经应验在你们耳中了。」（路加福音第4章20-21节）
耶稣是神所膏抹的，要向以色列人宣讲好消息，他们被掳的日子结束了。
扩展
新约中神的国度以应许之地为中心，明白这一点很重要，但，同等重要的是，要明白，新约中神的国要扩展到整个世界。实际上，新约教导我们，将来扩展到世界范围的盼望会在基督里真正实现，和前面的每一个历史阶段相同，新约中，神依然计划要把他的国度从应许之地扩展到整个世界。
我们已经了解到，在主祷文中，耶稣教导他的门徒为这个世界范围的国度祷告。马太福音第6章第10节，耶稣教导我们这样祷告，
「愿你的国降临，愿你的旨意行在地上如同行在天上。」（马太福音第6章第10节）
这个主题贯穿耶稣在地上的整个事工。实际上，耶稣时常提醒他的门徒要专注在传遍天下这个目标。马太福音第24章第14节，耶稣这样告诉他的门徒：
「这天国的福音要传遍天下，对万民作见证，然后末期才来到。」（马太福音第24章第14节）
神的国来临，这个福音的信息要传遍天下，耶稣才会再来。
把新约中神国的地理位置记在心里，现在，我们把我们的注意力转到新约时期神国中的国民。
国中人民
我们已经看到，起初，神要神在全地的国度能反映天上的国度。这需要透过的他的形象，即人类，来完成。但是，由于罪的介入，人类不再能担任这个任务。因此，神拣选特殊的人民，把他们从罪中救赎出来，使他们能够继续这个工作。这群特殊的人最终成为以色列民族。随着旧约历史的发展，神在以色列民内又提升一些特殊的人，即君王和祭司，在国度的使命中，带领神被救赎的百姓。
这些相同的问题也同样出现在新约，为了领会新约提到这些事情的方式，我们将要涉及到两个主题：第一，基督代表神完美杰出的形象；第二，基督徒是神被救赎的形象。让我们首先思想耶稣作为神的形象无与伦比的地位。
基督
很悲哀，但却是事实，现今的福音派基督徒常常对三位一体中的第二位，即永恒的道变成肉身，不太了解。我们可以准确无误地承认耶稣是神，我们也大讲特讲他在十字架上替我们而死，而且从死里复活，但是，现代基督徒很少明白为了成就这些事情，为什么耶稣一定要成为人的样式。其实，理解为什么神成为我们中的一个，最好的方法之一就是，看看人类在神的国度中的使命，以及耶稣完成这个使命的方式。这个使命有两个特别的事实值得我们注意：第一，耶稣是末后的亚当这个事实；第二，耶稣是我们的祭司和君王这个事实。
我们都很熟悉，使徒保罗在亚当和基督之间看到一种对应关系，在他的书信里面好几次提到这种联系。简单来讲，耶稣逆转了亚当带来的咒诅，因为亚当犯的罪，使全人类都被定罪，而因耶稣的顺服，成就了人类作为神形象的使命。哥林多前书第15章第21节-22或许是保罗的观点最简洁的表达，这段经文这样说：
死既是因一人而来，死人复活也是因一人而来。在亚当里众人都死了；照样，在基督里众人也都要复活。（哥林多前书第15章21-22节）
注意，这段话和我们应该所期待比较一下，我们可能期望保罗能这样说，「死既是因一人而来，死人复活是因着神的大能。」当然，就意思来说，这也没有错，但是这不是保罗在这里要说的重点。
相反，保罗说因为人类的死，因着一人而来，就是因着亚当而来。人类从死里复活到永生，也要因着一个人而来，就是因着基督而来。亚当是神不忠实的形象，因此，他给我们带来死亡；但是，基督是神忠实完美的形象。因此，他带给我们复活的生命。
基督死在亚当犯罪的咒诅之下，成为所有信他之人的挽回祭。所以，因着他的义，耶稣得到神的赏赐，这个赏赐既包括他胜过死亡，也包括他统治一切的被造界。这就是新约如此注重耶稣人性的一个原因。他是末后的亚当，耶稣做为人完成了人类从起初就应该要做的一切。透过基督的努力，神国度的目的必将实现。
除了拥有神完美的形象，基督也同时履行国度的祭司和君王的职责。你可能还记得亚当和夏娃作为王的祭司来事奉神，而且，神召以色列成为祭司的国度，以色列民族也由神为他们设立的领袖们来带领：包括君王和以大祭司为首的祭司们。因此，新约说基督是我们的大祭司和君王，我们一点也不会感到奇怪。例如，希伯来书的作者重复强调基督的大祭司身份，正像他在希伯来书第4章第14节节写的：
我们既然有一位已经升入高天尊荣的大祭司，就是 神的儿子耶稣。（希伯来书第4章第14节）
除此之外，整本新约把耶稣称为大卫的子孙，来完成大卫君王的职责。事实上，当马利亚被告知耶稣的降生时，天使在路加福音第1章第32节-33这样说，
「他要为大，称为至高者的儿子；主 神要把他祖大卫的位给他。他要作雅各家的王，直到永远；他的国也没有穷尽。」（路加福音第1章32-33节）
因为基督完美地履行了君王的职责，在他的带领下，神的国度永远没有穷尽。有耶稣作为君王和祭司，神的国真正的会来到地上，就象在天上一样。
毫无疑问，基督是新约时代神国度中最重要的人，但是，如果我们把他的跟随者排除在国度外面的话，我们就错了。
信徒
新约刚开始，亚伯拉罕的后裔，犹太人在国度中负有特殊的责任，不但包括耶稣和他的犹太使徒，而且也包括在五旬节聚集的整个早期教会。五旬节那一天，神召聚一群从世界各地而来的，忠实的以色列剩余者，来听信福音。
之后，神的国迅速扩展到以色列之外，到罗马帝国的遥远地区。甚至有很多其他国家的外邦人悔改得救，新约教导我们任何跟随耶稣的人，不管是犹太人或是外邦人，都是神的子民，都负有建立神国度的责任。这就是为什么新约提到基督徒是神重建的形象，正如保罗在以弗所书第4章第24节所说的，
并且穿上新人；这新人是照着 神的形象造的，有真理的仁义和圣洁。（以弗所书第4章第24节）
这也是为什么彼得说，根据旧约以色列的职责，新约的教会，既包括犹太人，也包括外邦人。在彼得前书第2章第9节，他这样说，
惟有你们是被拣选的族类，是有君尊的祭司，是圣洁的国度，是属 神的子民，要叫你们宣扬那召你们出黑暗入奇妙光明者的美德。（彼得前书第2章第9节）
在此，彼得回应出埃及记第19章第6节的经文，那里称以色列为祭司的国度。通过这个引用，彼得很清楚地表示，世界各族的基督徒被召，共同分享旧约以色列的目标：在地上建立并扩展神的国度。当我们跟随基督，活在圣灵的能力中，我们都是神国度中特殊的，被拣选的器皿。
我们既然已经明白了新约时代国度的地理位置和国民，现在我们转到最后的主题：新约时代神国度的发展。
发展
在许多方面，新约中神国度的发展，是整本《圣经》中我们发现最根本的概念之一。正如后面的课程我们将要讲到的，当我们读旧约先知书的时候，很容易有这样的印象，一旦基督降临到地上，神的国度会迅速而至，邪恶势力马上就会从地上根除，神荣耀的同在会充满全地，地上也全是神数不清的子民，永永远远地事奉、敬拜神。实际上，这是耶稣那个时代大多数人期待发生的事情，但是耶稣很强烈地对这种期待提出了挑战，以致以色列大多数的人都拒绝跟从他，不承认他就是他们的弥赛亚。
概括新约中神国发展的最好方法之一，就是透过耶稣芥菜种的比喻。听听耶稣在马太福音第13章第31节-32谈到神国的时候所说的话，
「天国好象一粒芥菜种，有人拿去种在田里。这原是百种里最小的，等到长起来，却比各样的菜都大，且成了树。」（马太福音第13章31-32节）
在这个简短的比喻里面，耶稣解释了神的国不是突然急风暴雨式地而来，而是从小开始，象芥菜种一样，但是，国度会随这时间长大，象一颗成熟、高大的芥菜树一样，成为世界上史无前例的最大的王国。
新约的其他部分告诉我们，新约阶段的国度，从耶稣在地上的事工开始，以相对较小的、安静的方式发展。但是最后，当基督再来时，他的国度要扩展到全地。透过这一系列的课程，我们会反复地提到新约中神国发展的三个主要阶段。
国度的奠基
第一，我们会提到国度在耶稣和使徒的事工中开始或奠基。二千多年前，耶稣和他的门徒把神荣耀的国度在地上开始。这就是为什么使徒保罗在以弗所书第2章第20节提到教会：
被建造在使徒和先知的根基上，有基督耶稣自己为房角石；（以弗所书第2章第20节）
国度的延续
第二，我们要讲到国度的延续，横跨整个教会历史，从第一和第二世纪到耶稣基督的再来，就是我们生活的时期。在这段时期，我们遵行神的旨意，把发展神的国度放在最优先的地位。就像耶稣在马太福音第6章第33节宣称的，
「你们要先求他的国和他的义。」（马太福音第6章第33节）
我们生命的每一天，就是要为神国度的原因，在全世界传扬福音，建立教会，改变文化。
国度的成全
第三，我们会提到国度的成全，就是耶稣基督再来的时候，完成神的计划，把整个世界变成神的国度。听听约翰在启示录第11章第15节-16，描述基督再来时，神国度的方式：
第七位天使吹号，天上就有大声音说：「世上的国成了我主和主基督的国。他要作王，直到永永远远。」（启示录第11章15-16节）
当基督第二次降临时，整个世上的国就成了神和基督的国，直到永永远。
作为生活在今天的基督徒，我们回顾我们的主在2000年前，为国度的奠基所做的工作。今天，在国度的延续期，我们努力扩展神的国度；并且，我们要为基督将来要把神的国度带到地上就象在天上一样 来祷告、作工、和盼望。这就是我们基督教信仰的中心，也就是旧约信仰的中心。旧约中对神国所有的盼望，在基督里，透过这三个阶段而实现，即神国度的奠基、神国的延续以及神国的成全。
六﹑总结
这一课我们已经介绍了神的国度这一《圣经》重要主题，是领会旧约宏大画面的最好的方法之一。我们已经明白，神从起初就计划要使他在天的统治降临到地上。我们也已经看到神怎样在太古的阶段、以色列国的历史阶段、以及新约世代，向着这个目标迈进。当我们继续我们的旧约纵览时，我们会反复地回到国度这个主题，因为这是整个旧约中最全面、最统一的主题。这样一来，我们这些新约时期的基督徒就有机会，把旧约《圣经》作为我们今天人生的引导，为天上的王和他的国度而活。
Kingdom, Covenants, and Canon of the Old Testament: The Kingdom of God
INTRODUCTION
We have an expression in English to describe someone who gets lost in details. We often say that such a person "can't see the forest for the trees." Now lots of cultures have similar expressions; so it isn't hard to understand what we mean when we say this. When we are surrounded by lots of details, it's easy to become lost in minutia to the point that we become confused about larger, more important issues. So, in confusing situations, we often remind each other to step back and look at the big picture.
For most people, one place where details tend to obscure the big picture is the Old Testament. The Old Testament is a very large book, containing so many names, places, events, theological teachings and moral instructions that we easily lose sight of the underlying perspectives that unify the Old Testament. Now, to overcome this confusing and sometimes bewildering experience, we need to step back and grasp the big picture of the entire Old Testament.
This is the second lesson in our Old Testament survey entitled, Kingdom, Covenants and Canon of the Old Testament. As we will see in this series, the Old Testament is a book about the kingdom of God, which is administered by divine covenants, which in turn are explained and applied to specific situations through the books of the Old Testament canon. This lesson is entitled, "The Kingdom of God," and in this lesson we will see that a proper understanding of the Bible's theology of the kingdom or reign of God provides one of the most comprehensive and unifying outlooks we can have on the Old Testament.
In this lesson, we will explore four dimensions of the biblical teaching on the kingdom of God. First, we will see how the Scriptures speak of the kingdom of God in both broad and narrow senses. Second, we will look at the kingdom of God during the primeval period, the earliest stages of earth's history. Third, we will explore God's kingdom in the national history of Old Testament Israel. And fourth, we will see how the kingdom of God appears in the New Testament. By looking at these four topics, we will gain a broad and coherent perspective on the entire Old Testament. Let's look first at the way the Old Testament speaks of God's reign in both broad and narrow senses.
BROAD AND NARROW
As we begin our lesson it will help to explain two outlooks that are absolutely essential to a proper understanding of God's kingdom. First, we will see that, in a broad sense, the Old Testament teaches that God's sovereignty is complete and unchanging. And second, we will see that, in a narrow sense, God's kingdom is developing and growing throughout history. Let's consider first the more general outlook on the unchanging absolute sovereignty of God.
Unchanging
If ever there were a clear teaching of the Bible it's this: God is the Creator and sustainer of all of his creation; there is no other creator God. And for this reason, God has always had and always will have unwavering kingship over his creation. Listen to Psalm 93:1-2, where we find this praise of the royal Creator:
The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty… and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity (Psalm 93:1-2).
In this respect, the faith of Old Testament Israel differed greatly from the religions of its neighbors. Neighboring religions commonly taught that many gods competed for sovereignty, and that the power of these gods ebbed and flowed according to historical circumstances. In some cases, gods rose and fell according to the cycles of the seasons of the year. In other cases, gods rose and fell as their favored nations experienced victories and defeats in war.
But such concepts were not part of biblical faith. Yahweh, the God of Israel, was the sole Creator, Sustainer and Ruler of the entire creation, even of heavenly creatures or so-called gods. In this sense, the sovereign kingship of God is unchanging. All of creation has always been and always will be his kingdom.
Now, as important as it is to believe that, in a general sense, God has always ruled over all creation, we must also recognize a second, narrower sense in which the Bible speaks of God's kingdom as developing.
Developing
In this narrow sense, the kingdom of God develops, ebbs and flows, and eventually grows to the point that it extends over the entire world. And as we will see, when the Bible speaks of the kingship and kingdom of God, it usually has this historical sense in mind. One of the most convenient ways to see this perspective on the kingdom of God is by looking at the opening words of the Lord's Prayer. In Matthew 6:9-10 Jesus summarized the teaching of the entire Old Testament on the kingdom of God when he taught his disciples to pray this way:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-10).
Now since we know that in a more general sense God has always ruled over all creation, including all of the earth, these words should give us pause. What did Jesus mean when he taught us to pray, "your kingdom come"? How can something that is already here "come"?
Well, in a word, Jesus referred to the Old Testament teaching that God has a developing historical kingship. He taught that the kingdom of God comes to earth and transforms it, so that the earth mirrors heaven. Notice again how Jesus put it in Matthew 6:9-10. Using the custom of ancient Hebrew poetry, Jesus' words about the kingdom consist of three parallel lines. In the first place, he asked for God's name to be kept holy. In an elaboration on this, he explained that God's name would be kept holy when the kingdom came. And then to explain what he meant by the coming of the kingdom, Jesus added that the coming of the kingdom would be God's will being done on earth as it is done in heaven.
Jesus taught us to pray that God would bring his kingdom to earth to such an extent that the earth would become like heaven, so that God's name would always be kept holy everywhere. Now Jesus knew that God already controlled the entire earth, but he also knew that the Old Testament promised that God would one day redeem, renew and perfect the earth so that it reflected the wonder of heaven. And it was in this sense that Jesus asked for the kingdom of God to come to earth in his day. As far as Jesus was concerned, something was supposed to happen on and to the earth. God was supposed to extend his heavenly reign so that his will would be done here as there.
In order to understand how God's will could be done on earth as it is in heaven, we will look at the portrait of God's heavenly reign found in Daniel 7. In Daniel 7:9-10 we read these words:
As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him (Daniel 7:9-10).
This portrait of heaven is not unusual. It is the kind of scene that we find every time the Scriptures speak of God's heavenly throne room. But there are at least two dimensions of this picture of God's celestial reign that we should point out.
On the one hand, as God reigns in heaven he reveals himself to his creatures in his special glorious presence. As the Scriptures teach, God is omnipresent; he is everywhere — but in his omnipresence he is invisible. In the throne room of heaven, however, God sits on his throne, wearing radiant white garments, with hair white as wool. His throne is ablaze with fire and consuming fire flows from his throne. God's special presence in his throne room is overwhelming; he appears as all-glorious; his blinding splendor fills heaven.
Now compare the glory of God in the heavenly throne room with the glory of God on earth. At best, what we see on earth is a faint reflection of his overwhelming celestial splendor. Yes, we see God's glory reflected in the wonders of creation, but this is nothing compared to the glory of God in heaven. So, when Jesus prayed for God's reign to come to earth as it is in heaven, one aspect of what he had in mind was that the overwhelming brilliance of God's special presence would fill the earth as it fills heaven.
This is what the apostle John had in mind when he described the New Jerusalem that would come to earth from heaven when Christ returns. In Revelation 21:23 we read these words:
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp (Revelation 21:23).
So, when Jesus taught us to pray for the kingdom of God to be manifested on earth as it is in heaven, part of what he meant was that we should ask God to come to the earth in his glorious, royal splendor.
On the other hand, we also need to see that God's brilliant, glorious presence causes certain effects in the heavenly throne room. As we read in Daniel 7:10:
Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him (Daniel 7:10).
Countless creatures before the throne of God attend him, worship him, and humbly do his bidding.
The effect of God's glorious presence is a second result of God's heavenly kingdom coming to earth. On the earth, it is easy to rebel against God at this time. In fact, most creatures here do just that. God's enemies, both spiritual and human, oppose his reign. But one day, when Christ returns and the special glorious presence of God comes to the new earth, all creatures on the earth will either be destroyed or they will do his will here as his will is now done in heaven. This is why the apostle Paul could say as he did in Philippians 2:10 that:
At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (Philippians 2:10).
So we see that Jesus presented the kingdom of God as a developing, historical, earthly reality. He longed for the day when God's glory would be so evident in his special presence on earth that God's will would be done as extensively on earth as it is in heaven. And he taught us to share that vision of the future with him.
Now that we have distinguished the reign of God in a broad sense and in a narrow sense, we are in a position to see how the Old Testament finds its unity in tracing the development of the kingdom of God on earth. At this point, we will look at the kingdom of God in Genesis 1:1–11:9 which is often referred to as the primeval history.
PRIMEVAL HISTORY
As we investigate the primeval history, we will look at three issues: first, how this part of the Bible defines the place of God's kingdom on earth; second, how it identifies the people of God's kingdom; and third, how it describes the early progress of God's earthly kingdom. Let's look first at how the primeval history establishes the place of God's kingdom.
Place
The opening chapters of Genesis explain how God first began to establish the earth as the location of his kingdom. We will look at how this geographical dimension of God's glorious reign is revealed in two steps. First, we will see that from the beginning God prepared the earth for his coming reign. And second, we will see how God planned to begin his reign in a central location, and then to expand its geographical boundaries to include the entire world. Let's begin by looking at the ways God initially prepared the world for the building of his kingdom.
Initial Preparations
Genesis 1 focuses on the way God first prepared the world to become his kingdom. The title of this chapter is found in Genesis 1:1:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
After this title, Genesis 1:2–2:3 shows that God immediately began forming the earth into a place for his glorious reign in a threefold structure.
First, the story of creation begins in Genesis 1:2 with the world in chaos and God preparing to move against that chaos. Listen to the way the earth is described in this verse:
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:2).
Two important things are said in this verse. On the one side, the earth was "formless and empty," covered with darkness and a chaotic deep. At this point, the earth was not a pleasant place to be; it was not ideal. The terms "formless and empty" are used elsewhere in the Old Testament to refer to wild and desert places on the earth, places that are uninhabitable by human beings. And in addition to this, "darkness" and "the deep," have very negative connotations throughout the Scriptures. At the very beginning, the earth was hostile and devoid of life.
But on the other hand, verse 2 also tells us another essential fact about the opening of earth's history: "the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." The God of light and life was not satisfied to leave the earth in its initial chaotic condition. He was ready to move against the dark, lifeless creation.
The second part of the creation account, is the six days of ordering in Genesis 1:3-31. These verses explain how God made the world fit to become his kingdom. Many interpreters have pointed out that these six days exhibit a discernable pattern that displays God's wisdom and purposes in the way he formed his creation.
In the first three days God dealt with the fact that the world was formless. In the second three days, he dealt with the fact that the world was empty. Moreover, God's actions in these two sets of three days parallel each other in some remarkable ways. In day one God formed the day and restricted the darkness to the night. And correspondingly, in day four he placed the sun, moon and stars in the sky to maintain this order. In day two God formed the atmosphere; separating the waters below from the waters above. Then in day five, God formed the birds to fill the space between the waters, and he formed the sea creatures to fill the waters below. On the third day God restrained the deep waters below by forming lush, fertile land. And on the sixth day, God created land animals and humanity to fill the land. God displayed unsurpassed wisdom and power as he spoke and transformed the world from chaos into a marvelously ordered place.
Now, we should draw special attention to a repeated theme in verses 3-31. Specifically, Genesis 1 tells us that when God looked at his creation, he saw that it was good. And in verse 31, we see that on the sixth day he looked at his work and saw that it was very good.
Now, when the Bible says that creation was good, it means, in part, that God approved of his work in a moral sense because he had significantly restrained the chaos, the darkness and the deep, and because he had brought order to the world. But the word translated "good," tov. in Hebrew, also means more than that. Here and in other places in the Old Testament, it also denotes "pleasant," "pleasing," and even "beautiful." In six days, God changed the world so that it reflected his own will and desires, making it a beautiful place that delighted him.
This is why the third part of the creation account in 2:1-3 speaks of the Sabbath day as it does. In the beginning of Genesis 1 God had been dissatisfied with creation. But in Genesis 2:1-3 God took pleasure in what he had done. In fact, God was so pleased with the initial arrangement of the earth that he rested from this work and sanctified the seventh, or Sabbath day. In a word, God was satisfied that his initial preparations set the earth on a path to becoming the kind of place he wanted it to be.
As we have seen, God initially prepared the earth as a place that pleased him, but we also need to notice that God's grand purposes for the earth required further development.
Ongoing Expansion
Despite all the work God had done in the first week of creation, he had not turned the entire world into a wondrous paradise. Genesis 2 draws attention to the fact that while the entire world had been ordered to some extent, there was actually only one place on earth that could be called a paradise. Listen to the way Genesis 2:8-9 describe this place:
Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden… And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:8-9).
Think about it this way. God handled the entire earth in the way artists often make pencil sketches on their canvases prior to painting. He did not immediately paint the entire canvas of the earth; he simply established a basic order and orientation for the way he wanted the world to be. But the painting was not complete.
Even so, God did paint one portion of the earth with magnificent colors and adorned it as the center of his creation. The region of the earth was called Eden, which means in Hebrew "pleasant" or "pleasing," and that region was God's special delight. The centerpiece of Eden, in turn, was a garden, a wondrously beautiful place, a spectacular oasis, a magnificent paradise garden fit for a king. And so it was that although God was omnipresent in his creation, invisibly present everywhere, he chose the land of Eden, and especially the Garden of Eden within it, as the place of his special, visible presence. This was where God displayed himself gloriously on the earth. But this garden and this land were only a small portion of the earth. The rest of the world had been ordered to some degree, but it was still in need of much more.
Now that we have seen how God first prepared the earth as the place for his rule, with Eden and his holy garden as its beautiful and delightful centerpiece, we should turn to our second topic in the primeval period: the people of God's kingdom. At this time, God ordained the human race as his kingdom servants, the instruments by which He would complete his preparations for the earth to become his kingdom.
People
The special role of humanity becomes clear through God's comments on the man he placed in the Garden of Eden. Although everything in his initial order for creation had been good — even very good — in Genesis 2:18 we read these words:
The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him" (Genesis 2:18).
God, who had judged that the creation was "good," had found something in his special, holy Garden that was "not good" — Adam had no wife. But why was this not good? In a word, God had created the human race for a job that was too great for one creature to accomplish on his own.
We can see why this task was too great for one man by noticing that humanity's role is described in two ways. God made Adam and Eve to serve him as priests and as his vice-regents or royal representatives.
Priests
In the first place, Adam and Eve were given the job of priesthood. They were called to minister to and honor God with acts of worship. We have already seen that this is what creatures do in the heavenly throne room; and it was also what Adam and Eve were to do on earth. In Genesis 2:15 we read these words:
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it (Genesis 2:15).
At first glance, we might think that God simply ordained Adam and Eve to be gardeners, but they were much more than this. In fact, the expression "to work it and to take care of it" is unusual and had special significance for Moses and the Israelites who first read this story.
For example, in Numbers 3:8 similar expressions are used to describe the work of priests or Levites in the tabernacle of God. There we read:
They are to take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle (Numbers 3:8).
Adam and Eve's role in the garden is described in ways that reflect this technical description of the Levites' role in their priestly service to God.
Adam and Eve were placed in God's holy garden, the place of the divine king's special presence on earth, much like the tabernacle was in Moses' day. And they performed priestly work in the worshipful service of the great king by beautifying and maintaining his holy garden. Adam and Eve served God as priests as they worked in his holy dwelling.
Vice-Regents
In the second place, Adam and Eve were also ordained as royalty, as God's vice-regents. In effect, they were royal priests. We find this description of Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:26 where we read these words:
[God] said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground" (Genesis 1:26).
Now we all know that this and other passages call human beings "the image or likeness of God." In the past, theologians commonly thought this meant that human beings are rational, moral creatures. But this is not the focus of Genesis 1.
To understand the significance of being an image of God, it helps to know that in the ancient world of the Old Testament, it was common for kings and emperors within and around Israel to be called "images," "likenesses" and even "sons of the gods." Kings and emperors received these titles because in Old Testament times, people believed that royal figures had a very special role in the world that distinguished them from ordinary human beings. Kings were thought to stand between heaven and earth, and it was believed that kings and emperors had the special task of learning the will or wisdom of the gods in heaven, and then using their royal power to enforce that heavenly will on the earth. To use Jesus' language from the Lord's Prayer, kings were to learn the will of God in heaven and to bring that will to the earth.
Now, we can see that Moses was radical in his day because he declared that all human beings — not just kings and emperors — were images of God. According to the Old Testament, all human beings were created to be God's vice-regents, to rule over the earth on God's behalf and to make sure his will is done here, much like ancient emperors were thought to rule on the behalf of their gods.
This royal imagery explains why God described humanity's role as he did in Genesis 1:27-28. Listen to what Moses wrote in these verses:
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground" (Genesis 1:27-28).
We can summarize this royal role for the image of God in this way. As we have seen, God established a measure of order and beauty in creation, and he put humanity in his wondrous, holy garden to serve him as priests. But God also called his royal image to multiply numerically and to fill not just the Garden of Eden but the entire earth. And he ordained them to have dominion not just over the Garden of Eden, but over the entire earth as well.
The great king of heaven ordained humanity as the instrument for kingdom expansion. Human beings were to multiply, to spread out, and to turn the entire earth into God's garden in order that they might bring the will of God to the earth and serve him as priests throughout the world. Extending God's kingdom throughout the world was the very purpose for which God put human beings on the earth.
Now that we have seen how God established a place and a people for his kingdom at the very beginning, we are in a position to sketch the progress of God's earthly kingdom during the primeval period.
Progress
We will summarize Moses' record of this time in three ways. In the first place, we will speak of the cosmic treason that took place against the great king. Second, we will look at how the corruption of humanity increased to unimaginable levels, and led to severe judgment. But third, we will find that God revealed a long-term strategy for fulfilling his kingdom purposes on the earth despite humanity's failings. Let's look first at the treason that occurred on the earth.
Cosmic Treason
Instead of bringing God's will to the entire earth, Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of Satan and rebelled against their divine king by eating the forbidden fruit. As a result, instead of spreading the beauty of Eden to the ends of the earth, they were cast out of Eden and were doomed to live under a curse.
Even so, humanity's role as kingdom builders did not vanish completely. Adam and Eve were still supposed to worship God; they were still supposed to multiply and have dominion. Yet, because of their rebellion, they and the earth were cursed so that multiplication and dominion became difficult, frustrating and painful. Regarding multiplying, God said these words to Eve in Genesis 3:16:
I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children (Genesis 3:16).
And he instructed Adam regarding dominion in this way in Genesis 3:17:
Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life (Genesis 3:17).
Instead of fulfilling their task as the image of God with relative ease and unending honor, humanity was forced to dwell in a hostile world, and to experience pain and futility in living as God's image.
Corruption and Judgment
In the second place, during the primeval period humanity continued to pursue a path of corruption that eventually led to severe judgment from God. Before the human race fell into sin, bearing children would have produced more images who were faithful vice-regents and priests. But when Adam and Eve sinned, it was no longer true that all of their physical descendants would be faithful to God. In fact, by their fallen nature, none of them even could be faithful without God redeeming them from the power of sin.
Sadly, the vast majority of the human race continued to rebel against God. Adam and Eve's first son, Cain, murdered his brother Abel. And as Cain's genealogy in Genesis 4 tells us, as Cain's family grew and took dominion over the earth, their rebellion worsened. Instead of building human culture as God's royal priests, worshipping God, and extending his will over the earth, Cain's descendants exalted themselves and built cultures that resisted God's reign. In fact, as time went on, human beings became so vile that God decided to destroy humanity. As we read in Genesis 6:5-7:
The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth — men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air — for I am grieved that I have made them" (Genesis 6:5-7).
Long-Term Strategy
In the third place, however, the primeval history tells us that God designed a long-term strategy for extending his kingdom throughout the world. In effect, with the corruption of the human race, God determined to redeem a select group of human beings from the dominion of sin, and to build his kingdom through them. God showed saving mercy to these images so that they would serve his purposes.
The first hint of this long-term strategy was introduced immediately after Adam and Eve sinned in Genesis 3:15. There God cursed the serpent, who had instigated Adam and Eve's sin, saying these words:
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel (Genesis 3:15).
In essence, God promised that even though Satan and those human beings who followed him would continue to trouble Eve's seed, eventually her true descendants, redeemed humanity, would crush the head of the serpent, conquering the one who had led them into cosmic treason. This is why Paul assured the Roman Christians in Romans 16:20:
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet (Romans 16:20).
This hope of redemption continued from Adam and Eve's time all the way to our own day.
In contrast with the line of Cain that became more and more corrupt, a third son, Seth was born to replace faithful Abel. As the genealogy of Genesis 5 tells us, Seth and his descendants honored God with their lives as they sought to bring his will to the earth. And even when things became so bad on earth that God destroyed humanity by a worldwide flood, there was one descendant of Seth who was faithful and found favor in God's eyes, Noah, and God rescued Noah and his family even as the flood exterminated the rest of humanity.
Now, near the end of the primeval history in Genesis 8:21-22 God prepared the way for a long-term, complex strategy by which his redeemed images would fulfill their purposes as the image of God. There we read:
Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease (Genesis 8:21-22).
Notice God's motivation. He recognized that even redeemed human beings are sinful and weak. He realized that sin would continue to wreak havoc on his fallen image. So, the king of heaven arranged his creation so that it would provide long-term stability for the human race. The reason for this stability becomes clear in Genesis 9:1:
Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth" (Genesis 9:1).
In a word, God established stability in nature and removed the threat of a worldwide flood so that his redeemed images could fulfill humanity's original task.
God knew what the rest of Scripture makes clear. The road to extending his kingdom would not be straight and uninterrupted. He knew his own people would stumble and fall, and he knew that the opposition to his kingdom servants would rise and fall. So he established a new order of long-term stability in nature, in order that one day in the distant future, his redeemed, faithful images could fulfill the job of spreading his kingdom throughout this fallen world.
So it is that the historical kingdom of God began in Eden and was to be extended throughout the entire earth by God's priestly and royal images, the human race. Despite the complexities introduced by sin, God devised a long-term historical strategy to redeem some of his images so that they would be able to bring his kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. These basic contours of the primeval history set the course for the rest of biblical history.
Now that we have seen how the kingdom of God began during the earliest years of earth's history, we are ready to move to the next major historical stage that covers the vast majority of the Old Testament, the time when God dealt especially with Israel as his chosen people.
NATION OF ISRAEL
From the perspective of the Old Testament, the history of the ancient nation of Israel represented a major stride for the kingdom of God coming to earth as it is in heaven.
To see how the kingdom of God developed in ancient Israel, we will look again at three topics: first, we will explore the place of the kingdom during this stage of history; second, we will look at the people of the kingdom; and third, we will examine the progress of the kingdom during this period. Let's look first, then, at the location of God's kingdom in the nation of Israel.
Place
One of the best ways to begin our discussion of the location of the kingdom in this period is with Israel's great patriarch, Abraham. Because Abraham was the father of Israel, God's dealings with Abraham set the course for everything God would do through Israel. In Genesis 12:1-3 we read how God first called Abraham to be his special servant with these words:
Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you (Genesis 12:1-3).
Notice what God said in verse 1 — he called Abraham to leave his homeland in Mesopotamia and to migrate to a land Abraham had not yet seen.
Now, as Genesis 12 progresses, we discover that God led Abraham from Ur in southern Mesopotamia to Haran in northern Mesopotamia, and later from Haran to the land of Canaan, which we now call the Holy Land. And when Abraham arrived in Canaan, God confirmed that Abraham's descendants would receive this particular geography as their homeland, and as the rest of the Old Testament makes clear, Abraham's promised land became the geographical center for God's activities in the world from this time forward.
Abraham's call to the Promised Land helps us understand the place of God's kingdom in at least two ways: first, we will see that God called Abraham and Israel to serve him at the original center of his kingdom; second, we will see that God called Israel to extend his kingdom beyond that original center. Let's look first at the idea that God called Abraham and his descendants to serve him at the original centerpiece of his kingdom.
Original Center
As we have seen, the original center of God's earthly kingdom was Eden. Unfortunately, many interpreters have wrongly believed that Eden was in Mesopotamia. So, they also mistakenly believe that Abraham actually left the vicinity of the Garden of Eden in order to move to Canaan. But Scripture draws a very close connection between Abraham's Promised Land and the land of Eden.
In reality, God called Abraham back to the vicinity of the Garden of Eden, rather than away from it. Listen to the way God described the boundaries of Eden in Genesis 2:10-14:
A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah… The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris… and the fourth river is the Euphrates (Genesis 2:10-14).
Four rivers formed the boundaries of Eden: the Pishon and Gihon, which are associated with the lands to the southwest in the area of Northeastern Egypt, and the Tigris and Euphrates to the northeast of Canaan.
These geographical references are important to us because the Promised Land had similar boundaries. In Genesis 15:18 we read these words:
To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates (Genesis 15:18).
Now, most interpreters agree that the "river of Egypt" is not the Nile, but one of the smaller rivers in Northeastern Egypt. But whatever the case, we can see that God promised Abraham land that was bordered by the Euphrates in the northeast and Egypt in the southwest, and as we have seen, the Promised Land's geographical boundaries reflect the boundaries of Eden. Although some questions remain about how closely we should associate Canaan with Eden, it is at least clear that when God called Abraham to Canaan, he called him back to the area where Adam and Eve first served God. So, just as Eden had been established in the very beginning as the centerpiece of God's presence on earth, after the failures of the primeval history, God called his special servant Abraham back to the geographical center to begin rebuilding the kingdom.
A second implication of the connection between the Promised Land and Eden is that God gave this land to Old Testament Israel not as an end in itself, but as a staging ground for extending his reign to the ends of the earth.
Extension
The Promised Land was not the ultimate geographical goal for Abraham and Israel — it was far too small for the kingdom of God on earth. Listen again to Genesis 12:3:
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you (Genesis 12:3).
Through a process of blessing and cursing nations in response to their reaction to Abraham and his descendants, all peoples on the earth would eventually be blessed. This promise does not simply refer to how Abraham's faith — and now the Christian faith — would spread to different tribes and language groups, although this is one aspect of the promise. This verse also refers to geography. Abraham's blessing would reach all families throughout the earth.
This is why the apostle Paul summarized God's promise to Abraham in this way in Romans 4:13:
Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world (Romans 4:13).
Abraham was not just promised a small piece of land as his inheritance; he was promised the world. Canaan was merely a down payment on this full inheritance — the entire world.
The expansion of the kingdom of God beyond the original borders of the Promised Land took place in small scale at different times in the Old Testament. In the days of Moses and following, two and a half tribes occupied lands east of the Jordan. And during the reigns of various kings, Israel's borders expanded northward, eastward and southward. So it is that during the time of Old Testament Israel, the center of the kingdom of God was the land of Canaan, but even then the kingdom of God was beginning to spread to all the earth.
With the location of the kingdom in the days of Old Testament Israel in mind, we should turn our attention to the people of the kingdom.
People
The history of God's people during this time is very complex, so we will have to limit ourselves to a few highlights. Nevertheless, we will still be able to see the big picture of Israel's role in the kingdom of God, and how it aligns with God's original purposes for humanity. We will look at three matters: first, the selection of Israel as a special people for the kingdom; second, the formation of those people into a kingdom of priests; and third, the designation of official priests and kings to lead the people of the kingdom. In the first place, let's consider the selection of Israel as the special people of God.
Selection of Israel
We should remember that during the primeval history, with the introduction of sin into the world, God chose one family out of the entire human race that was to serve as his special images in the world.
We see the pattern of a single special family first in Genesis 5, where Adam's son Seth became the father of a righteous line of humanity. Later, God maintained Seth's family through his descendant Noah. You will also recall that Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth, but only Shem was God's specially chosen image or son. Out of Shem's descendants, one man was chosen to carry on this special role, Abraham. Then Abraham's miracle son Isaac continued this chosen line. And then Isaac's son Jacob, also known as Israel, became God's specially honored image. And finally, Jacob had twelve sons, Joseph and his brothers, and these twelve sons became the fathers of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel. These twelve tribes were dearly loved by God and given the special title of being the people of God, the ones whom God loved as his firstborn. Out of all the nations of humanity, the tribes of Israel were the special people of God's kingdom.
Kingdom of Priests
In the second place, when God chose the tribes of Israel, he formed them into a kingdom of priests in order to fulfill the original priestly and royal roles given to Adam and Eve. God declared in no uncertain terms that Israel was to fill this very special role in building his kingdom in Exodus 19:4-6. There the Lord declared these words as Israel was encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai:
You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:4-6).
Notice what God said about the twelve tribes of Israel. Israel was to be "a kingdom of priests… a holy nation." As we have seen, they were to be "holy," that is, special, separated, distinguished from all other peoples. But more precisely, they were to be a "kingdom of priests," or a priestly kingdom.
This designation of Israel as a kingdom of priests shows that Israel continued to fulfill the twofold role that Adam and Eve had in the very beginning. You will recall that Adam and Eve were called to serve as God's royal priests. Here we see that the tribes of Israel were also called to be God's imperial priests.
Priests and Kings
In the third place, although Israel as a whole had the privilege of being a royal priesthood for God's kingdom, we should also note that as they grew into a strong nation, some Israelites were given the specialized office of priest and king. In a general sense the entire nation of Israel was made holy as God's special kingdom of priests. But God eventually selected certain people and families within Israel to be his very special images by serving in the offices of priest and king, which led the nation in their holy service to God.
As the book of Exodus tells us, Aaron and his descendants were to serve God as his priests. They primarily led the nation into the special presence of God in the Tabernacle and Temple, offering worship, sacrifice, and praise, and later, David and his descendants were ordained to serve as kings of God's people. They served as God's special servants in the more political dimensions of the nation.
Now that we have seen the place and people of the kingdom in Old Testament Israel, we should take a few moments to sketch out the progress of the kingdom during this time.
Progress
Sadly, the history of Israel is much like the primeval period. It is a mixture of very positive accomplishments and abysmal failures. The kingdom of God made advances, but because of human sinfulness, these advances fell short of the ultimate goal; they did not spread God's kingdom to the ends of the earth.
This period of biblical history is lengthy and complex, so we can only touch on some highlights. We will speak of three stages in the progress of the kingdom during this period: first, the stage of promise; second, the exodus and conquest; and third, the period of Israel as an empire.
Promise
In the first place, we can speak of a period of promise. We have in mind here the period of the patriarchs of Israel. During the days of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the twelve heads of Israel's tribes, God made many promises about the future of Israel. Primarily, these promises break down into two categories: first, promises of multiplication; and second, promises of dominion. Just as God called Adam and Eve to multiply images of God, God promised Abraham that his descendants would multiply beyond number. Listen to God's great promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:5:
"Look up at the heavens and count the stars, if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be" (Genesis 15:5).
As we have seen, Abraham and his descendants were chosen to lead humanity in carrying out its role as the images of God. This was to happen, in part, through the multiplication of a holy seed, so that redeemed human beings would be as innumerable as the stars. This is why so much stress is put on the birth of Isaac, Abraham's miracle child through Sarah. It is also why the biblical story focuses so much on Isaac's son Jacob and on Jacob's twelve sons. The people of God were multiplying already in the Old Testament, even in this early period of promise. And this is why the multiplication of redeemed images of God in the nation of Israel is a central theme throughout the Old Testament.
Beyond this, the biblical stories about the patriarchs also focus on the promise of dominion. Not only did God promise Abraham many descendants, but also that his descendants would possess the holy land of Canaan. As we read in Genesis 15:7:
And [God] said to him, "I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it" (Genesis 15:7).
Just as God instructed Adam and Eve to dominate the earth, he promised that his special people Israel would have dominion and enjoy prosperity in the land of promise.
This is why Abraham purchased a small symbolic piece of land in Canaan as a burial site for his family. Further, it explains why Jacob left the land of promise for a while, but returned even in the face of much danger. And it also explains why, in his dying words, Joseph assured the Israelites that they would leave Egypt and return to the Promised Land. The patriarchal period was a time when God promised that he would multiply and give dominion to Old Testament Israel as the people who would further his kingdom.
Exodus and Conquest
The second major stage of the kingdom of God coming to earth in the history of Old Testament Israel is the period of Exodus and Conquest. One passage in particular makes it very clear that God's work with Israel during this time was intended to establish his kingdom on the earth. Specifically, when Moses and the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, they sang a well-known song that appears in Exodus 15:1-18. This is the first passage in Scripture in which the theme of God's reign is explicitly stated. There are many wonderful kingdom themes in this song but we will mention only one. In Exodus 15:13 we read these words about Moses' confidence in the future:
In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling (Exodus 15:13).
Notice that the Israelites praised God because he was guiding them toward his holy dwelling. As we have seen, just like Eden, the promised land was to be the center of God's special holy presence on the earth. But more than this, we should note that the term translated "lead," nahal in Hebrew, is associated with leading sheep. This type of shepherding imagery commonly described the activities of kings both in the Ancient Near East in general, and in the Bible. God was leading his people toward his holy dwelling as their Shepherding King.
The theme of God's kingship and kingdom also appears at the end of the song at the Red Sea in Exodus 15:17-18:
You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance — the place, O Lord, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, your hands established. The Lord will reign for ever and ever (Exodus 15:17-18).
According to these verses, God was taking Israel toward a holy mountain, a sanctuary which the Bible later reveals to be Jerusalem. And what was to be the nature of that mountain sanctuary? First, Moses said it would be God's "dwelling." Once again, the term translated "dwelling," in Hebrew yashav, often connotes "a king's enthronement." In light of the royal motifs in this passage, it is best to understand that the sanctuary mountain will be the place of God's enthronement.
This is why verse 18 immediately praises God with explicit royal terminology, saying these words,
The Lord will reign for ever and ever (Exodus 15:18).
When God acted as Israel's king by shepherding the nation to the Promised Land, he intended to establish them as the people who would surround his royal throne. In other words, the purpose of the exodus and conquest was to establish God's reign, his kingship, his kingdom on earth, forever and ever.
Empire
The third stage of the kingdom of God during the period of Old Testament Israel's importance may be designated as the stage of the empire, the time when Israel became an established nation with a king and temple. Unfortunately, the place of human kings in God's plan for Israel is a matter of some controversy. In a later lesson we will look carefully at the fact that God had always wanted Israel to have a human king, and at how kingship developed in Israel. But for now we will simply see how the kingdom of God moved forward once God had determined to establish David and his sons as kings over his people.
David and his son Solomon moved God's kingdom on earth forward by establishing Jerusalem as the location of the king and the temple. On the one hand, the establishment of David's throne in Jerusalem was the establishment of the royal family who would represent God's rule on earth. Listen to the way the throne of David's house was described in 1 Chronicles 29:23:
Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of his father David (1 Chronicles 29:23).
The throne of David was the throne of the Lord. The royal house of David led the people of Israel by representing the royal authority of God; David and his sons had a heightened official role as the exalted images of God leading other images of God.
On the other hand, David prepared for and Solomon built a temple for God, which the Bible commonly refers to as God's "house" or "God's palace." In this temple the priests were established as those who would lead the nation of Israel, a nation of priests in the worshipful service of God. Now, at the center of the temple Solomon placed the Ark of the Covenant, which David had brought to Jerusalem. The symbolism of the Ark of the Covenant is extremely important. According to David, the Ark of the Covenant was God's footstool. Listen to what he said in 1 Chronicles 28:2:
I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it (1 Chronicles 28:2).
God's throne was in heaven, but the footstool of his throne was the Ark of the Covenant in the temple in Jerusalem. In effect, Solomon turned Jerusalem into a capital city for the family of David, and a royal sanctuary for God himself.
So we see that by the time of David and Solomon, Israel had gone from being a migrating tribe in the days of Abraham to being a nation established through exodus and conquest, and finally to becoming an empire with a king and a temple in the imperial city of Jerusalem. God's kingdom was being established in the nation of Israel.
Now what was the hope, the purpose of building Israel into an empire? In a word, God led his people through these stages so that through Israel's human king, who was God's special servant-king, God's reign would spread to the ends of the earth. Listen to the way the Psalmist expressed this destiny in Psalm 72:1 through 17:
Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness… He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth… All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him… May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed (Psalm 72:1, 8, 11, 17).
We can see several important themes here. First, the Psalmist prayed for a blessing on David's house, that David's dynasty would be characterized by justice and righteousness. But he knew that this would result in a great expansion of David's reign. The house of David would reign over the whole earth. He would reign from sea to sea, and all kings and all nations would serve the one on David's throne who represented God's righteousness and justice. The reign of God's special servant, the king of Israel, would extend the reign of God to all the nations of the earth.
But why would this extension of the kingdom of God occur? What was the goal? Well, in a wonderful way, Psalm 72 declares that the purpose of the imperial stage of Israel's history was to fulfill the original purpose for which God had chosen Israel. You will recall that in Genesis 12:3 God had a goal in mind when he called Abraham to himself. It was that:
All peoples on earth … be blessed through [Abraham] (Genesis 12:3).
But how was this promise to Abraham to be fulfilled?
Well, look again at Psalm 72:17. There we read that through the just and righteous reign of David's house:
All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed (Psalm 72:17).
The allusion to Genesis 12:3 is obvious. God's original goal in choosing Abraham would finally be fulfilled when the house of David spread God's blessing to all nations.
And finally, we must ask, what was the result of the fulfillment of Israel's original purpose in David's dynasty? Why was the house of David to spread the blessings of Abraham to the world? In a word, the result would be the spread of the glorious reign of God to the ends of the world. This is why Psalm 72 ends with resounding praise to God in verse 19:
Praise be to [God's] glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen (Psalm 72:19).
This closing verse of Psalm 72 reveals the ultimate goal for all of the developments that took place in Israel from the patriarchs' promises, through the exodus and conquest, and to the empire. These stages of the kingdom were all intended to fill the entire earth with the glory of God. As God's kingdom spread from the borders of Israel to the ends of the earth through the reign of David's house, God's glorious presence would fill the whole world, just as it fills heaven.
Now that we have seen the background of the kingdom of God during the primeval history and the history of Old Testament Israel, we should turn to our last topic: the kingdom of God in the New Testament. As followers of Christ we must understand the New Testament perspectives on the kingdom of God if we are to apply the Old Testament rightly in our day.
NEW TESTAMENT
If there is one thing that Christians agree on, it is that the heart of Jesus' message, the heart of the entire New Testament, is the gospel. But often we don't realize that the New Testament gospel, or the good news of Christ, is an outworking of the Old Testament theme of the kingdom of God. Listen to the way Matthew summarized Jesus' preaching in Matthew 4:23:
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news (or gospel) of the kingdom (Matthew 4:23).
Jesus preached gospel, or good news. But what was this good news? It was a message about the kingdom of God. And for this reason, our understanding of the gospel that we believe and share with others, the very heart of the New Testament, is directly dependent upon our understanding of the kingdom of God.
We will explore the theme of God's kingdom in the New Testament in terms of the three issues we have explored in other stages of biblical history. We will look first at what the New Testament says about the place of the kingdom; second, we will speak about the people of the kingdom; and third, we will look into the progress of the kingdom during the New Testament period. Let's look first at the place of the kingdom in the New Testament.
Place
In many respects the New Testament has the same orientation toward the location of the kingdom of God as we find in the Old Testament. First, it indicates that the center of God's kingdom was the land of Israel, and second it teaches that the kingdom of God was to expand throughout the earth. Let's look first at the kingdom's location in Israel during the days of the New Testament.
Center
Now it should not surprise us to find that the kingdom of God in the New Testament is centered in Israel. This is the pattern that we have seen repeated several times in the Old Testament. In the beginning God's kingdom on the earth was centered in Eden. Then, the nation of Israel returned to Eden's vicinity under Moses' leadership in order to build the kingdom of God. So, when the New Testament stage of God's kingdom began, the kingdom started once again in the land of Israel.
It really isn't difficult to see that the land of Israel is the geographical center of the kingdom of God in the New Testament. As we all know, Israel was where Jesus was born, where he grew up, gathered his apostles, ministered, died, was resurrected, and ascended into heaven. Apart from a brief time in Egypt during his childhood, Jesus spent his entire life in the Promised Land.
Now to understand why God's kingdom was centered in the Promised Land even in the New Testament, it helps to remember the situation of the people of God at this time. God had blessed the nation of Israel in the Old Testament. He had brought them through a semi-nomadic existence during the days of the patriarchs, to nationhood under Moses and Joshua, and then to imperial glory with a capital city, a palace and a temple under the leadership of David and Solomon. These were great advances for the reign of God on earth. But as the Old Testament tells us, the Israelites rebelled so severely against God during these times of blessing that God exiled his people from the holy land. By the time of Jesus, the people of Israel had been exiled, scattered, and tyrannized by five pagan empires for hundreds of years: the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Medes and Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans.
Although many modern Christians do not realize it, Jesus came to the earth to end this exile. He came to call out a righteous remnant of God's people and to rebuild the kingdom of God. Listen to what Luke wrote about one of Jesus' earliest sermons in Luke 4:17-19:
The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:17-19).
While in the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus read a prophecy from Isaiah 61 that promised that the exiles would one day return to the land of promise. Now Isaiah's prophecy mentioned "the poor," "prisoners," "the blind," "the oppressed" — terms that in Isaiah 61 described the exiled Israelites. But notice what this prophecy said — someone would preach "good news" or gospel, "freedom," "recovery of sight" and "release." Good news was to be preached to those who had been tyrannized by pagan nations. And who fulfilled this good news? Jesus. As Luke recorded in Luke 4:20-21:
Then [Jesus] rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:20-21).
Jesus was the one whom God anointed to declare to the Israelites the good news that their exile was coming to an end.
Expansion
Now as important as it is to see that the kingdom of God in the New Testament is centered around the Promised Land, it is just as important to see that the New Testament stresses the expansion of the kingdom of God to the entire world. In fact, the New Testament teaches that one day the hope of worldwide expansion will actually be fulfilled in Christ. Just as in every prior stage of history, in the New Testament God still planned to expand his kingdom from the Promised Land to the entire earth.
We have already seen that Jesus taught his disciples to pray for this worldwide kingdom in the Lord's Prayer. In Matthew 6:10 Jesus taught us to pray:
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
Jesus continued this theme throughout his ministry. In fact, he kept the eyes of his disciples focused on this worldwide goal. As we read in Matthew 24:14 Jesus told his disciples:
This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14).
The message of the good news of the arrival of God's kingdom was to be spread throughout the world and then Jesus would return.
With the place of the kingdom in the New Testament in mind, we should turn our attention to the people of the kingdom in the New Testament.
People
As we have seen, in the beginning God ordained that his worldwide kingdom would mirror his kingdom in heaven. This was to take place through the work of his image, the human race. But with the advent of sin, humanity could no longer fulfill its role. Therefore, God chose a special people and redeemed them from sin so they would be able to continue his work. These special people eventually became the nation of Israel. And as Old Testament history moved forward, God exalted special people within Israel, the priests and kings, to lead his redeemed nation in their kingdom tasks.
These same issues also appear in the New Testament. To grasp the way in which the New Testament speaks of these things, we will touch on two subjects: first, Christ as the premiere image of God; and second, believers in Christ as redeemed images of God. Let's consider first the prominent place given to Jesus as the image of God.
Christ
It is sad, but it's true, that evangelical Christians today often have little idea why the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Logos, became flesh. We rightly affirm that Jesus is God, and we talk a lot about his substitutionary death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. But modern Christians seldom understand why Jesus had to become a man in order to do these things. Well, one of the best ways to understand why God became one of us is to look at the role of humanity in the kingdom of God, and the way Jesus fulfilled that role. Two aspects of this role in particular deserve our attention: first, the fact that Jesus is the last Adam; and second, the fact that Jesus is our priest and king.
We are all familiar with the fact that the apostle Paul saw a parallel, a symmetry, between Adam and Christ. He mentioned this connection several times in his epistles. In a word, Christ reversed the curse that Adam had brought. Whereas Adam's sin had condemned humanity, Jesus' obedience fulfilled humanity's role as God's image. Perhaps the most succinct expression of Paul's outlook is found in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22. There he wrote these words:
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).
Notice how these words contrast with what we might expect. We might have expected Paul to say something like this, "Death came through a man, but the resurrection of the dead comes through the power of God." Now, this would be true as far as it goes, but it is not what Paul stressed here.
Instead, he said that because humanity's death came through a man, namely Adam, humanity's resurrection from the dead to eternal life also had to come through a man, namely Christ. Adam was an unfaithful image of God, and therefore he brought us death; but Christ was the perfectly faithful image of God, and therefore he brought us resurrection life.
Christ died under the curse of Adam's sin as a substitute for all who would believe in him, and therefore he received God's reward for his righteousness — and this reward included both victory over death, and dominion over the whole creation. This is one reason the New Testament focuses so much on the humanity of Christ. He is the last Adam, the man who did everything the human race was supposed to do from the beginning. Through his efforts God's kingdom purposes will be fulfilled.
Now in addition to being the perfect image of God, Christ also fulfills the kingdom offices of priest and king. You will recall that Adam and Eve served God as royal priests, and that God called Israel to be a kingdom of priests, and also that the kingdom of Israel was led by officers: a king, and an official priesthood led by a high priest. So, it should not surprise us at all to find that the New Testament portrays Christ as our high priest and king. For example, the writer of Hebrews repeatedly stressed Christ's priestly role. As he wrote in Hebrews 4:14:
We have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God (Hebrews 4:14).
In addition to this, throughout the New Testament Christ is referred to as the son of David who fulfilled David's royal office. In fact, when Christ's birth was announced to Mary, the angel said these words about him in Luke 1:32-33:
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end (Luke 1:32-33).
Because Christ perfectly fulfills the office of king, under his leadership the kingdom of God will never end. Through Christ's leadership as priest and king, God's kingdom will indeed come to earth as it is in heaven.
Although Christ is without question the most important person in the kingdom of God during the New Testament age, we would be mistaken if we did not add that his followers are also part of the kingdom.
Believers
Now, at the very beginning of the New Testament, the Jewish people, Abraham's physical descendants, had a special role in the kingdom. Not only were Jesus and his apostles Jews, but so was the entire early church that gathered on the day of Pentecost. On that day, God collected a faithful remnant of Israelites from all over the world to hear and believe in the gospel.
After this, the kingdom of God quickly expanded beyond the borders of Israel to the far reaches of the Roman Empire. Even though many of the converts from other nations were Gentiles, the New Testament teaches that everyone who follows Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, is counted among the people of God and given the role of building the kingdom of God. This is why the New Testament speaks of followers of Christ as renewed images of God. As Paul explained in Ephesians 4:24:
[We are] to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24).
And this is also why Peter described the New Testament church, which consists both of Jews and Gentiles, in terms of the role of Old Testament Israel. In 1 Peter 2:9 he wrote these words:
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9).
Here Peter alluded to Exodus 19:6 where Israel was called a kingdom of priests. By this allusion, he makes it clear that Christians from every race on earth are called to share the goal of Old Testament Israel — the establishment and the extension of God's kingdom on earth. As we follow Christ and live in the power of his Spirit, we are all the special, chosen instruments of the kingdom of God.
Now that we have seen both the place and the people of the kingdom in the New Testament age, we should turn to our last topic: the progress of the kingdom in the New Testament.
Progress
In many ways, the progress of the kingdom of God in the New Testament is one of the most radical concepts that we find in the Scriptures. As we will see in later lessons, when we read the prophets of the Old Testament, it is easy to get the impression that once the Christ came to earth, the kingdom of God would come swiftly. Evil would be eradicated suddenly from the earth, the earth would be filled with the glorious presence of God, and God's countless people would fill the earth, serving and worshiping him forever. In fact, this is what most people in Jesus' day expected to happen. But Jesus challenged this expectation so strongly that most people in Israel rejected him rather than followed him as their Messiah.
One of the best ways to summarize the progress of the kingdom in the New Testament is through Jesus' parable of the mustard seed. Listen to what Jesus said about the kingdom of God in Matthew 13:31-32:
The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree (Matthew 13:31-32).
In this short parable, Jesus explained that instead of coming suddenly and catastrophically, the kingdom of God would begin small, like a mustard seed; but in time the kingdom would grow to be like a mature mustard tree, the largest kingdom the world has ever known.
As the rest of the New Testament tells us, the New Testament phase of the kingdom began with Jesus' earthly ministry in a relatively small and quiet way. But in the end, when Christ returns, his kingdom will extend over the entire earth. Throughout this series of lessons, we will speak time and again of the progress of God's kingdom in the New Testament age in three main stages.
Inauguration
First, we will speak of the beginning or inauguration of the kingdom in the ministry of Christ and his apostles. Over two thousand years ago, Jesus and his apostles inaugurated the glorious kingdom of God on earth. This is why in Ephesians 2:20 the apostle Paul spoke of the church as being:
… built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).
Continuation
Second, we will speak of the continuation of the kingdom, which spans all of church history between the first and second comings of Christ — this is the time in which you and I live. It is during this time that we are to place high priority on bringing in the kingdom of God by doing God's will, just as Jesus declared in Matthew 6:33:
Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
Every day of our lives we are to spread the gospel, build the church, and transform cultures throughout the world for the sake of Christ's kingdom.
Consummation
In the third place, we will speak of the consummation of the kingdom, the time when Christ returns and fulfills God's plan to turn the whole world into his kingdom.
Listen to the way John described the kingdom of God at the return of Christ in Revelation 11:15:
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15).
When Christ returns to the earth, the entire kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of God and of Christ forever and ever.
As followers of Christ living today, we look back to our Lord's inaugural work 2000 years ago. We extend his kingdom today during the continuation of the kingdom, and we pray, work, and hope for the day when Christ will bring the kingdom of God to earth as it is in heaven. This is the heart of our Christian faith even as it was the heart of Old Testament faith. All the hopes of the kingdom of God in the Old Testament find their fulfillment in Christ during these three phases of the inauguration, continuation and consummation of the kingdom of God.
CONCLUSION
In this lesson we have introduced the important biblical theme of the kingdom of God as one of the best ways to grasp the big picture of the Old Testament. We have seen that God planned from the very beginning for his heavenly reign to come to the earth. We have seen how God moved toward this goal in the primeval history, in Israel's history, and in the New Testament age. As we continue our survey of the Old Testament, we will return to this kingdom theme time and again because it is the most comprehensive and unifying theme in the whole Old Testament. And as we do, it will give us as New Testament believers the opportunity to approach the Old Testament as our guide for living for the king and his kingdom even today.