The kingdom of Christ: present or future?
‘V erily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” (Matthew 16:28 KJV) Jesus promised that He would establish a kingdom.
The prophet Daniel spoke of a kingdom that would be established that would never be destroyed (Dan. 2:44).
Isaiah prophesied that the kingdom would be established in the “last days” and “all nations shall flow unto it” (Isa.
2:2). There have been many to teach a variety of ideas regarding the establishment of the kingdom of Christ.
Some contend that the kingdom has not been established yet, but there will be a period in the future when Christ will return to earth and establish His kingdom.
There are others that contend the kingdom of Christ has already been established and is here now. Is there any way to know which of these views are true and which is false? I would suggest that we allow the Scriptures to guide us in regard to these matters and search them to find the truth.
What is the kingdom of Christ? The kingdom of Christ is the body of people that are redeemed by obeying His commands. Colossians 1:12ff explains that we are able to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints because Jesus has delivered us from darkness and translated us into the “kingdom” and granting us redemption through His blood. The kingdom of Christ is the church of Christ. Jesus, speaking to His apostles, spoke of the church that He would build (Matt. 16:18) and referring to the church He tells His apostles that He would give them the “keys of the kingdom” (Matt. 16:19).
In this passage Jesus is not referring to two separate entities but rather is using two words to describe one.
Ephesians 1:20-23 speaks of the reign of Christ over His kingdom having all things put under His feet, being the head over all things to the “church” which is “His body.” Likewise, Colossians 1:18 refers to Jesus as being the head of the “body, the church” showing that the words “church,” “body,” and “kingdom” are all used to describe one establishment.
Is the kingdom of Christ present or is there some future event that will take place in order for the kingdom to be established?
First of all, we need to understand that the establishment of the kingdom/ church/body of Christ has always been God’s plan.
Some will suggest that Jesus will come and establish a kingdom in the future, which was His intention during His first coming, but the Jews prevented His plan. This teaching is not found in the Scriptures! When Jesus spoke of the things that He had to endure, He spoke of those things that we necessary (“behooved;” Luke 24:46). The plan of redemption was something that was put in place by God and Jesus dying on the cross had to take place because it was not possible for man to save Himself. Furthermore, the plan of redemption and the establishment of the kingdom was something that was not a “back-up plan” of God because man had outsmarted Him, rather it was the “eternal purpose” of God to send His Son to the earth and establish the kingdom (Eph. 3:10-11). It was through the process of the crucifixion that Jesus was able to purchase the kingdom with His blood (Acts 20:28) all according to the prophecies which were given about Him and the scheme of redemption which is possible through Him.
The Bible teaches that the kingdom of Christ is present, and we have the opportunity to be a part of it. After Jesus ascended into heaven the Holy Spirit ascended upon the apostles (as Jesus promised John 14-16) and they began to preach the message of Christ, pointing out the things that were said of Him in the prophets and in the Psalms and proclaimed to all that were hearing that Jesus is now Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36), and as some that heard these words asked “what shall we do,” Peter told them to “repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:37-38), at this point those that responded to the commands of the apostles were added to the kingdom/ church, and the Lord added to the church such as should be saved (Acts 2:41-47).
This event (the establishment of the kingdom) is the same event that Jesus was referring to when speaking to his disciples as He promised that “some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (Matt. 16:28).
If the establishment of the kingdom were a future event then those that heard the words of Jesus would still be alive today, but if the kingdom was established during the first century then some of those that were able to see Jesus would also be able to see His kingdom be established as He promised.
The kingdom of Christ is present. The King, Jesus, is sitting on His throne, at the right hand of God (Eph.
1:22) and is ruling over His kingdom. We are able to be a part of a kingdom that will never be destroyed (Matt.
16:18; Dan. 2:44). Someday the King will call His citizens to be with Him forever (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Those that obey the commands of Jesus now will be able to enjoy the inheritance of the King for eternity.
– Jeremy Thornton is minister of Highway 77 Church of Christ in Marion.
Jeremy Thornton
