ICS Daily Devotions
The Kingdom of Heaven
The New Testament Evangelist G.E. Ladd taught that the Kingdom of Heaven is “already but not yet”. God’s reign will be in the future but some vestiges of His divine power are working in the present time.
C.H. Dodd coined the term or expression “realized eschatology” and he believed that the work of Jesus is “unprecedented and unrepeatable” and therefore, Jesus’ ministry is only a foretaste of His future reign and could not be repeated.
These views are incorrect.
The Kingdom of Heaven as explained by Jesus is simple and straight forward. He defined His experience as His present work and expected the disciples to continue the work. This is in line with Matthew 11:12 where it is described that the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent are breaking forth. In the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven, however, Jesus described the reign of God as a force in the present world which progressively grows.
Matthew 13:31-33 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”33 Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”
These two parables illustrate to us that the Kingdom of Heaven is progressive and shows forth a miraculous growth. In the mind of Jesus, He never defines the Kingdom of God in the future but views the reign of God in the present. The Kingdom has precedent and the miracles reveal the sovereignty of God. Jesus believes the Kingdom of God and His work is repeatable through his disciples both past and present. His disciples are to do the work of mending the world. Therefore, it is very important that we submit to God’s plan. His power is revealed in the manifestation of His redemptive purpose and power in healing and salvation. When every believer begins to act on the Word, then there will be a tremendous force that moves across the world to restore and exhibit the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is here!
Sermon Series: Jesus the Jewish theologian
