Are the Kingdom and the Church the Same? Part Two

The Lord Spoke of the Time, Circumstances, and Place

It is true that the Lord spoke much about the kingdom as he ministered. “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There are some here of them that stand by, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God come with power” (Mark 9:1) . It would come with power and during the lifetime of some who were standing nearby. That means we have several alternatives: 1. The Lord was wrong and by being wrong He is not the Messiah. 2. Some of those speaking are still living. 3.The kingdom was established as the Lord said. 

The Lord instructed concerning when this power would come and what His disciples must do in anticipation of this kingdom. They were told to wait in Jerusalem until they would be clothed with power from on high. 

and he said unto them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Ye are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send forth the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city, until ye be clothed with power from on high.

(Luke 24:46-49)

This is also affirmed in Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” So, thus we conclude Jesus prophesied that the kingdom would come in power, for His disciples to wait for that power, and that power was when the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit would fall on them. This is followed by that exact thing happening. 

And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

(Acts 2:1-4). 

The kingdom is spoken of as being in existence after the events of Acts 2 because it was then that the power described in Daniel 2, Joel 2, Mark 9, et. al. was given. Even afterward, the New Testament Christians knew they were in the kingdom. For example,  John said he was in the kingdom: I John, your brother and partaker with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patience which are in Jesus, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 1:9). Was John a partaker in real tribulation? Yes. Was he a partaker in a still future kingdom that did not exist at the time of his writing on Patmos? No, the kingdom was established on the first day of Pentecost after the Lord’s ascension. 

Further evidence shows that Paul and the Hebrews had received the kingdom. “Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29). Paul and the Colossians were in the kingdom “who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love;” (Colossians 1:13). 

What If The Kingdom is Still Yet to Come?

If there is no kingdom, then we have no authority to partake in the Lord’s Supper. Consider how Jesus explained it, 

And as they were eating, he took bread, and when he had blessed, he brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take ye: this is my body. And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Verily I say unto you, I shall no more drink of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

(Mark 14:22-25)

We can rightly conclude that if there is no kingdom then there is no Lord’s Supper. Yet it is commanded for the church. 

For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me. In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death till he come.

(1 Cor 11:23-26)

When is this done? When the church is assembled (cf. 1 Cor 11:18) How often do you come together in the church? We are commanded to come together as it was God who initially did the gathering of the church on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7) and now we recognize it as the approved example. 

One additional reason we know that the kingdom will not come when the Lord returns, is that the Bible teaches Christ is currently reigning. He reigns over His Kingdom–the church. 

But each in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; then they that are Christ’s, at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be abolished is death.

(1 Cor 15:23-26)

If this then is the case that Jesus is reigning presently, then He must have a kingdom. There is no king without a kingdom, and if the kingdom is yet future, then Jesus is not king presently. The kingdom was never intended to be material, but spiritual. The New Testament Scriptures affirm the kingdom is a spiritual entity that has come, therefore, it is a serious error to deny that fact and look for the future establishment of a material kingdom on earth.