The Presentation And Rejection Of The Theocratic Kingdom – Part 1

I. The Presentation And Rejection Of The Theocratic Kingdom. Part 1.

II. Introduction.

A. The purpose of the writing of the Gospel of Matthew was to record the presentation of Jesus Christ as Messiah, to trace the opposition to Him and His offered kingdom by the nation, and to record the official and final rejection of that King and kingdom by Israel. An analysis of the theme of Matthew will be undertaken to trace this argument because of its crucial relationship to the whole kingdom concept and program. There are three major movements in the Gospel of Matthew: (1) the presentation and authentication of the king (1:1-11:1); (2) the opposition to the King (11:2-16:12); and (3) the final rejection of the King (16:13-28:20).   

B. It is important to understand that the offer of the kingdom (Davidic Kingdom, 2 Samuel 7:8-16), was made to Jews, and only Jews, due to its being a part of the Abrahamic Covenant that was made by God with  Israel through Abraham. The Abrahamic Covenant is an “unconditional covenant,” which means that nothing, and no one (including Israel) can undo God’s promise to Israel. God used the words, “I will,” to tell Abrahamic and his descendants, that the Covenant is a promise that God will not take away. 

C. Consider the wording and context of the Abrahamic covenant:

1. Genesis 12:1-3 

a. Verses: 1 Now the Lord said[ to Abram, “Go from your country[ and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”b. Comments. Notice that in all three verses God says to Abraham, “I will,” in relation to God’s unconditional blessing to Israel of land, seed and blessing, which is the scope of the covenant between God and Abraham.2. Genesis 12:4-7. 

a. Verses. 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

b. Comments. Abraham went to the land of Promise, and there was told by God that the land would be given to Abraham’s descendants (Israel). Notice the words of God to Abraham, “I will give.” 

3. Genesis 15:18-21.

a. Verses. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

b. Comments. The boundaries of the Promised Land are now given for the first time.  This promise has not yet been fulfilled, but will be when Christ returns, when the boundaries will be from the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates River in Iraq.

4. Genesis 17:6-8. 

a. Verses.  8 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8  And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

b. Comments. The possession is the only focus of this passage of the covenant. God said that this was fulfilled under Joshua (Josh 21:43). The fulfillment of the total territory promised in Gen 15:8 awaits the establishment of the millennial kingdom. The area, in which Israel resides today, is part of the Promised Land, and includes Gaza. 

5. Joshua 21:43-45. 

a. Verses. 43 Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. 44 And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

b. Comments. God had kept His promise to give Israel the land of Canaan as recorded in Gen 17:8. It is true that the Israelites had not yet fully conquered it, but God told them they would do so gradually. The promise of Gen 15:18-20 involving a larger territory will be fulfilled in the Millennium. 

6. Deuteronomy 7:22.a. Verse. 22 

a. Verse. The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you, little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you.

b. Comments. The conquest of Canaan would be progressive so that there would not be an excessive accumulation of corpses and desolate land to attract dangerous animals.

7. 2 Samuel 7:8-16.

a. Link to verses. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+sam+7%3A8-16&version=ESV

b. Comment on 8-11. This great covenant that God graciously made with David included the following provisions:

c. Comments on 12-16, 

(1) David was denied his request to build a house for the Lord, but God promised instead that he would build a house for David (i.e., a royal dynasty). 

(2) David would have a son who would succeed him and establish his kingdom (12);

(3) that son, (Solomon), rather than David, would build the Temple (13a);

(4) the throne of Solomon’s kingdom would be established forever (13b);

(5) through David’s sins justified chastening, God’s loving kindness would be forever (14-15);

(6) David’s house, kingdom, and throne would be established forever (16).

d. Comments. The covenant did not guarantee uninterrupted rule by David’s family (and, in fact, the Babylonian Exile interrupted it), but it did promise that the right to rule would always remain with David’s dynasty. Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of these promises (Luke 1:31-33) and, although, at this present time, He is not ruling from the throne of David (Heb 12:2), at His second coming, he will assume this throne (Matt 19:28; Acts 15:15-17).

III. Review of the promised Kingdom. The kingdom that God unconditionally promised to Abraham’s descendants is a literal and earthly kingdom, that has not yet come, and is not the personal indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit.

IV. Those who told first century Jews of the Kingdom.

1. John the Baptist. Matthew 3:1-2. 1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

2. Yeshua. Matthew 4:17. 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

3. The twelve disciples. Matthew 10:5-7. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 4. 70 Disciples. Luke 10:1,  After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. Luke 10: 9  Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 

V. Review of the offer of the Kingdom to Israel. 

1. John. Repent.” Repentance is a change of mind that bears fruit in a changed life (see v 8). “Kingdom of heaven.” This is the rule of heaven over the earth. The Jewish people of Yeshua’s day were looking for this messianic, or Davidic, kingdom to be established on this earth, and this is what John proclaimed as being “at hand.” The requirement that the people must repent in order for the kingdom to be established was new, and became a stumbling block to them. The rejection of Yeshua by the people delayed its establishment until the second coming of Christ (Matt 25 :31). The parables of Matthew 13 describe the condition of earth during the inter-advent age, which is the time between the first and second comings of Christ, and in which we are present now.

b. Yeshua. Like John the Baptist, Yeshua also preached the necessity of repentance before the messianic kingdom could be established.

c. The twelve disciples. This “Great Commission” was limited to going to Jewish people only. Not even Samaritans (mixed race of Jews and Gentiles who intermarried  after the Assyrian conquest of Israel in 722 B.C.) were included , because the Jews had to prepare spiritually for the coming messianic, earthly kingdom first. After their rejection of the King, the commission given to the same group was to go to the Gentiles (28:18-19). 

d. The seventy. The fact that seventy people could be sent out shows that Yeshua must have had a large following. Some manuscripts have 72. Only Luke records this mission. 

VI. Jews waiting for the Kingdom to come. 

1. Yeshua encouraged the Jews to pray for the “kingdom to come.” Matthew 6:9-10. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” 

2. Disciples at the ascension of Yeshua to heaven. Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel. 

3. Yeshua told the Jews were to pray for the Kingdom to come, where earth will have the Holiness of heaven present throughout it. 

4. At the time that Yeshua ascended to heaven, the Disciples asked if the Kingdom would come. Their answer was that its coming is unrevealed (Matt 24:36,42), but will eventually come (Romans 11:26). In the meantime, the gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ must be preached throughout the whole world. (1 Cor 15:1-8).