Getting Job-ed
In this article we will conclude our look into what Biblical Theology is. We’ve seen the progression of the Biblical narrative of the major themes of covenant, temple, and Kingdom of God. Let’s keep going and wrap this up:
Once the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they suffered poor leadership over a period of time and eventually demanded a king for themselves (1 Samuel 8:1-9). Saul was appointed king and was eventually superseded by David (1 Samuel 31, 2 Samuel 5), who was unconditionally chosen by God (1 Samuel 16-17). God makes a covenant with David and his lineage in that God “will establish his kingdom… I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:12-13 CSB).” This was partially fulfilled in David’s son, Solomon, by the building of God’s temple (2 Kings 6) but was not fully consummated in him. In fact, the conditional element was that God’s people still needed to keep God’s covenant laws and by breaking them there would be consequences that were still in effect (Psalm 89:30-33). (1) The covenant made with David in 2 Samuel 7 was pointing forward to another King, One that would establish His throne (God’s rule and blessing), calling His people to Himself and rescue them (God’s people), that will reside in God’s land that He promised (God’s place), and ultimately, crush the head of the serpent in a lethal blow (also God’s rule and blessing). (2)
Under the Davidic Covenant time (after David’s death, but before the new covenant), Israel fell into great sin (Ezekiel 16 describes how their sin appeared to God). Israel then is conquered by the Assyrians and then Babylonians, in which many of the Israelites were sent into exile. This gives rise to the prophets that are, in most senses, prophesying to their current situation but also pointing forward to the New Covenant promise: the King that will restore mankind’s fallen state and conquer the serpent from Genesis 3. We see the prophets discuss the promised King that is coming, but we will focus on Jeremiah and Ezekiel’s prophecy. In Jeremiah 31:33 CSB, God states, “…I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Ezekiel 36: 26 CSB, God also states, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” God will unconditionally work as the initial acting agent in restoring a heart to love God within His people in the New Covenant.
The New Testament shows that Jesus comes, bringing God’s kingdom rule to His people in the Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus is from the lineage of David (Luke 3:24-38) and is the promised One that would come to establish His kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7). However, Jesus would be a victor in the most unlikely way: He would die and rise again (the lamb that was slain in Revelation 5). Interestingly, although God said by the prophets that He would be the unconditional agent removing our hardened hearts, He also calls His followers to be the ones to take His message of Good News (the King is here to rule, Mark 1:14-15) to the ends of the earth in Matthew 28:18-20. This is an echo of God’s commission to mankind in the garden of Eden to, “…be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it (Genesis 1:28 CSB).” In this, God’s temple is within His followers (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and the church as a temple is being built by His followers as “living stones (1 Peter 2:5 CSB).” (3)
God’s Kingdom, in regards to mankind in the Old Testament and that was revealed in the New Testament, is a progressive Kingdom that is growing. This is deemed as “inaugurated eschatology,” which refers to, “… the works of the Messiah (that) has already been manifested on earth, but the final victory is still to come.”(4) Jesus initiated His Kingdom rule on earth. That work continued to the apostles in the New Testament and continues with Christ’s followers today in order to take God’s Kingdom and the message of Good News to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:18-20). There will be a day that Christ will make the final lethal blow to the serpent from the garden of Eden (Revelation 20) and reconcile His followers to Himself in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21-22). This entails that God’s people (the ‘true Israel’ discussed in Romans 9-11), will be in God’s place (symbolic new Eden and New Jerusalem in Revelation 21-22), under God’s rule and blessing (God Himself will reside with His people without any curses from the fallen world in Revelation 22:1-5). (5)
The study of the themes of Covenants, Temple (dwelling place of God), and the Kingdom of God has been extremely impactful in view of my personal ministry and evangelism. The study of the history of God’s Kingdom and progression throughout Scripture shows patterns for where the movement has been and ultimately, how the movement will be fully consummated. Just as man was given a task in the garden of Eden in Genesis 1:28, so are we given the task to go into the world and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God in Matthew 28:18-20. These themes give promise to me and those I’m witnessing to, in that, God has always been faithful to His covenantal promises and will continue to do so until creation is finally reconciled to its Creator (Revelation 21-22).
In conclusion, throughout our course in Biblical Theology, we have studied this historical development and progression of Scripture in view of major themes that included the Kingdom of God, God’s covenants with His people, and the Temple of God (God’s dwelling place). The purpose of this paper was to review how these themes help us understand and interpret the Bible, how they are interconnected and woven together in Scripture, how they develop in Scripture, and finally, what the applications these themes can have in our lives. The study of these themes has been truly impactful for my life and the future of my ministry.
Footnotes
1. Third Millennium Ministries. “Kingdom, Covenants, & Canon of the Old Testament Lesson 3: Divine Covenants.”https://thirdmill.org/seminary/lesson.asp/vid/40
2. Vaughn Roberts, God’s Big Picture (Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 85.
3. Beale and Kim, God Dwells Among Us (Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2014), 106.
4. Third Millennium Ministries. “Kingdom and Covenant in the New Testament Lesson 6: The Kingdom of God.”https://thirdmill.org/seminary/lesson.asp/vid/179
5. Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 158.
The information was sourced from: Final Paper: The Kingdom of God, God’s Covenants, and Temple by Austin Rankin for Biblical Theology: BIB-600-2AO71 (Belhaven University)
