You Can Know You Have Eternal Life
#55 – God’s Standard for Mankind (39)
The Bible has Two Testaments! Why? (4 of 6)
The King of the New Covenant
by Jim Mettenbrink

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     One of the stipulations of God’s Old Covenant with Israel was that God would be their king – a true theocracy (Exodus 19:3-6).  When Jesus fulfilled the law and died on the cross, He set aside the Old Covenant, thus it is no longer in effect (Colossians 2:13-14; Hebrews 8:7-13).  At the same time, Jesus initiated the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:16-17), thus establishing His kingdom, also a theocracy like under the Old Covenant.  So, is Jesus the King and if so, where is He?  Where is His kingdom?  How does He rule?  Who and where are his subjects – citizens?  These are reasonable and necessary inquiries.
     Interestingly, Jesus did not refer to Himself as the King and only the apostle Paul called Jesus the king (1 Timothy 1:17; 6:14-15).  Before Jesus ascended into heaven 40 days after He rose from the dead, He said all authority on heaven and earth had been given to Him (Matthew 28:18).  Just 10 days later, on the Jewish holiday Pentecost AD 33, Peter preaching in the temple, proclaimed that Jesus was in heaven and on His throne at the right hand of God (Acts 2:30-36).  Thus, Jesus is king of His kingdom and has been for almost 2000 years.
     Regarding Jesus’ birth, Matthew (2:6) cited the Micah’s prophecy (Micah 5:2), that the Ruler of Israel would be born in Bethlehem.  Was ancient Israel Jesus’ kingdom?  During His three years ministry on earth, Jesus announced that the Kingdom of God was coming (e.g., Matthew 4:17).  Since His listeners were Israelites, God’s chosen descendants of Abraham, how would they understand the “coming kingdom?”  Were they not citizens of God’s kingdom at that moment, and living in the promised land for 1400 years?  Further, Israel was ruled by the Roman empire, thus no longer an autonomous kingdom.  Surely His audience would want an explanation.
     Moments before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit to His disciples soon.  His closest disciples asked “
Will you at that time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6), revealing that they too, after being with Jesus for three years, did not understand the nature of the kingdom of heaven.  Likely they thought Jesus would drive the Romans out of Palestine and establish the earthly kingdom again.  However six weeks earlier, during His trial before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, Jesus declared, “My kingdom is not of this world...” (Matthew 18:36).  Clearly His kingdom would not be earthbound.  So, if Jesus’ kingdom is not on earth, what and where is the kingdom’s territory?

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      © Jim Mettenbrink; used by permission; courtesy of the Brookings church of Christ. rev.exx
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