Preview of Christ's Coming Kingdom -- Part 1

There is an outline of Matthew 16:13-17:13 that is absolutely breathtaking. Anyone studying this passage of Scripture goes from the dust at the feet of Jesus Christ to a foretaste of the coming kingdom and glory of the eternal Son of God. That experience had to be Peter’s greatest during his life on earth. He appealed to what he saw on the Mount of Transfiguration in his second general Epistle: “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this made known to Him by the Majestic Glory, This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased—and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation [epilusis, explanation or interpretation], for [an explanation for verse 20] no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved [present passive participle of phero, which means to be guided or carried along] by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (II Pet. 1:16-21 NASB).

Peter was so moved by what he saw on the Mount of Transfiguration that he referred to it several times in his two general Epistles. The apostle did not spiritualize away the final culmination of prophetic history into nothing but human subjectivity. Therefore, he called the transfiguration scene the power and coming of Christ. It has been said that prophecy is a headlight, not a taillight. When Christ comes in His kingdom, Christians will have infinite light (Rev. 21:23; 22:16). They presently have a lamp (II Pet. 1:19).

It has been said that Christians must live as though heaven were next door. Peter stated, “The end [telos, which means an end attained, termination, consummation, ultimate destiny, or final stage] of all things is at hand [perfect active indicative of eggidzo, which means to approach or draw near]…” (I Pet. 4:7 NASB). Satan knows he cannot destroy the soul of a Christian, but he seeks by every means to quench the Christian’s testimony. When he detects that one tactic fails, he resorts to another. He has found what really works. He offers “churches” the very things that Christ refused—the world, its pleasure, and its glory. Religious institutions are accepting and following Satan’s offer.

Dispensational pre-millennialists and amillennialists make two serious errors concerning Christ’s second advent and His kingdom. Dispensational pre-millennialists represent Christ as wanting to reign by offering the kingdom to the Jews before He suffered for the sins of the elect. On the other hand, amillennialists represent Christ as reigning now before the time of His manifested glory.

Many arguments can be given to show the difference between the assembly and the kingdom, but the foundation of them is the diversity of the mediating work of the Holy Spirit in the assembly and the unmediating reign of Christ in the kingdom. The assembly and the kingdom can be equated no more than imperfection and perfection or the Christian’s perishing body and his glorified body.

The idea that saints already possess the kingdom with its authority leads to all kinds of heresies and extravagant claims of authority and fanaticism among Catholics and non-Catholics. “Thy kingdom come” (Matt. 6:10) is a prayer that one distinctive kingdom shall come—not two or more, that one may be in another, nor that one may come in different stages. The prayer “Thy kingdom come” cannot be prayed by one who is already in the kingdom because the language points to the future. Apart from the prophecies of the Old Testament, there would have been no basis for this petition (Is. 6; Ps. 74; 89; Dan. 2). Requesting the kingdom proves it did not exist. The kingdom is the Father’s to give, not for Christians to help bring into existence. Requesting the kingdom expresses faith and hope. The petition is by those who are heirs of the kingdom (Matt. 25:34).

A miniature preview of the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ is expected in the light of the immediate context of Matthew 16:13-17:13—

1. God the Father revealed God the Son (Matt. 16:13-17).

2. God the Son revealed the assembly (Matt. 16:18, 19).

3. The disciples were charged to tell no one that Jesus was the Christ (Matt. 16:20).

4. The spokesman for the disciples had to learn what precedes the kingdom (Matt. 16:21-23).

5. The pathway of self-denial is the assembly’s way of life (Matt. 16:24-26).

6. The disciples were foretold of Christ’s second coming (Matt. 16:27, 28).

7. Peter, James, and John experienced the foretaste of Christ’s coming and kingdom (Matt. 17:1-13).

Almost no one understood the Lord Jesus when He came into the district of Caesarea Philippi. Therefore, His first question to His disciples prepared for the more important question of Matthew 16:15. He proceeded from a general question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matt. 16:13 NASB), to a specific one, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15 NASB). Christ had already encountered the hostility of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. He now wanted Peter’s testimony of a heavenly revelation from God to reverberate beyond the disciples. In verses 13 and 16, the Lord Jesus was referred to in this order: “Son of Man,” “Christ,” and “Son of the living God.”

Jesus Christ gave Himself the title “Son of Man.” People who look for something to discredit the Lord Jesus claim He meant that He was a mere man. However, the Christian knows that a mere man cannot be the Mediator between God and men (I Tim. 2:5). He searches the Scriptures and finds that the term “Son of Man” always refers to one unique Person, Jesus Christ the Lord. He is always the one and only Son of God in the Divine Trinity.

The title “the Christ [ha christos]” (Matt. 16:16 NASB) is added to the proper name “Jesus.” The Lord spoke of Himself as “Christ” in John 17:3—“And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent” (NASB). The name “Christ” is added to “Jesus” as a descriptive title—Jesus the Christ (anointed) of God. The title with the article specifies the Lord Jesus as “the Christ.” Without the article, the title stresses Christ’s relationship with Christians.

Peter’s confession also included the title “Son of the living God.” Jesus Christ asked Peter, “…But who do you say that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 16:15-17 NASB). How did Peter know that Jesus Christ was the Son of the one and only living God? He knew something about the Old Testament Scriptures. One great example is Isaiah 40. As a Jew, Peter was convinced that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was the only true God.

The apostle Peter knew he had been taught of God. The words of Christ to the Jews included such statements as “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD. Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to me” (John 6:44, 45 NASB). Furthermore, Christ said to the Jews, “But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish…” (John 10:26-28 NASB).

The word of God cannot be made relevant to the natural mind. However, a human gospel of free will can. Peter, like the elect in all ages, had to be drawn by the Father and made willing by grace in order to say, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Arminians are as confused about death as people who look at a corpse and say, “He is not dead. Tickle him with the gospel and he will awaken.” Most religionists do not understand that a living sinner is spiritually dead. As a passive sinner, he can neither repent nor believe until the Spirit of grace has made him alive. Since there is no life except through union with Christ, one must be grafted into the bleeding Vine before he can do anything of a spiritual nature. (See John 15:1-11.)

The source of Peter’s blessing was God, not a mere man. The term “flesh and blood” speaks of a mere man. It is used only five times in the New Testament—once by Jesus Christ, “…flesh and blood did not reveal this to you…” (Matt. 16:17 NASB), and four times by Paul: (1) “…Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God…” (I Cor. 15:50 NASB). (2) When Paul was commissioned to go to the Gentiles, the apostle said, “…I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood [mere men]” (Gal. 1:16 NASB). The reason was “…the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:11, 12 NASB). (3) The apostle showed Christians that their struggle is not only against flesh and blood (mere men), but also “…against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12 NASB). (4) In Hebrews 2:14, Paul showed the uniqueness of Christ’s humanity: “Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (NASB). Christ’s humanity was not contaminated with original sin. Jesus Christ’s human nature cannot be compared with a mere man, and that is the reason He is the Christian’s God-Man Savior. By Christ’s uniqueness, the elect are blessed. This means they have a high and rare privilege. Peter’s confession of Christ was not his blessing, but the Person of Christ he confessed resulted in his blessing.