The Doctrine of the Kingdom

The word millennium is derived from Revelation 20:4 (“…and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years”). The term is based upon the Latin Vulgate, which has the words mille (“thousand”) and annum (“year”) appearing six times (once each in vv. 2-7). The early church referred to the millennium by the Greek term chiliasm.

In evangelical theology, there are three major views concerning the nature of the thousand years of Revelation 20. How one understands the millennium will also influence views concerning the details of eschatology.

Currently, amillennialism and premillennialism are the dominant views of the millennium (postmillennialism was dominant among early liberalism; however, today it is dominant only among Reconstructionists, leaders within the Word of Faith movement, and the cults). There are interpretative (hermeneutical) reasons for the differences, such as whether to understand “thousand” in Revelation 20 as literal or symbolic. Since the text mentions the term “thousand” six times, an obvious reading would deduce that the duration is one thousand years. The purpose of this article is not to examine differences in Christian understandings of the kingdom, but to explain the doctrine and its relationship to the church. When appropriate, premillennial doctrine will be regarded as the biblical teaching.

The millennium is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, and includes not only spiritual blessings but also glorious expectation. Specifically, the term premillennialism refers to the future literal reign of Jesus Christ on David’s throne in Jerusalem. Premillennialism is in contrast to amillennialism and postmillennialism. Amillennialism does not deny the literal return of Jesus Christ (which is taught to occur at the consummation of the church age), but it does communicate falsely that the church age is presently the kingdom of God; hence (according to the amillennial view), there will not be a future literal reign of Jesus Christ on the earth. Postmillennialism also does not deny the literal return of Jesus Christ (which is taught to occur subsequent to the millennium), but it does communicate that the church will inaugurate the kingdom of God (which is not a literal thousand years but rather consisting of a long, indefinite duration) through the moral and spiritual influence of gospel proclamation.

THE DOCTRINE OF THE KINGDOM

Premillennialism is the biblical teaching that when Jesus Christ returns to earth, He will inaugurate His kingdom for a literal thousand years. Christ will reign personally and visibly during the millennium. The distinction herein is important, because many evangelicals believe there is only one general, inclusive rule of God in the hearts of His people. According to such an understanding, the kingdom of God is essentially soteriological (i.e. in view of salvation). However, the concept of the kingdom cannot be reduced to soteriology alone. There are other aspects of the kingdom in Scripture. The concept of the kingdom of God is the major theme or purpose of divine election. The entirety of world history—from Genesis to Revelation—concerns the progression of the kingdom of God.

The concept of the kingdom includes more than one aspect. The definition of a kingdom would include the following: (1) the ruler, (2) the ruled, and (3) the realm. Scripture itself reveals detailed descriptions concerning various aspects of God’s kingdom working. Therefore, to ignore the biblical distinctions will result in misguided conclusions and error in understanding God’s promises. The various dynamics of the kingdom include: (1) the universal kingdom, (2) the millennial (Davidic/messianic) kingdom, (3) the mystery form of the kingdom, (4) the spiritual kingdom, and (5) the kingdom of humanity.

The universal kingdom is God’s sovereign rule of history from creation throughout eternity (1 Chron 29:11; Ps 96:13; 103:19; 145:9-13; Dan 2:37). The ruler of the universal kingdom is the triune God. The ruled is all creation (including heaven and earth). The realm is all time and eternity. The universal kingdom is God’s inclusive, sovereign rule of history from creation throughout eternity.

The millennial (Davidic/messianic) kingdom is according to God’s promise to Israel (2 Sam 7:5-16; 1 Chron 17:3-15; Rev 20:1-10). The ruler of the millennial kingdom will be the King, Jesus Christ. He will have an earthly dominion, as King David did historically. The ruled is the earth and its inhabitants. The realm is during the thousand years following the Lord’s second coming. The messianic kingdom could also be called the single, unified, mediatorial kingdom that existed historically under the Mosaic Covenant, and was prophesied by the Old Testament prophets to be restored in its former glory at the second coming. The Davidic kingdom is the same as what John the Baptist preached and Jesus offered to Israel at His first coming. It is, therefore, the same kingdom that Israel rejected in the first century. The kingdom is historic, prophetic, offered, and rejected.

The mystery form of the kingdom is the church age, which encompasses the period between the comings of Christ (Matt 13). The ruler of the mystery form of the kingdom is Jesus Christ. The ruled is Christendom. The realm is the period between the comings of Christ.

The spiritual kingdom is God’s rule over His people at all times in history (John 3:3; Col 1:13; Heb 1:4-14; 2 Pet 1:11). The Ruler is the triune God. The ruled includes the elect of humanity and the angels. The realm is from eternity past to eternity future.

The kingdom of humanity includes human beings as rulers (Gen 10–11; 11:31–12:9; Rev 17–18). The ruled, of course, is humanity. The realm began at the Tower of Babel, and will culminate at the beginning of the millennial kingdom. God’s blessed provision to end the kingdom of humanity, began in history with the calling of Abram, for the purpose of establishing the divine kingdom though the nation of Israel.

THE CHURCH AND THE KINGDOM

One should note that the Greek terms ekklesia (“church”) and basileia (“kingdom”) are distinguished and never used synonymously in Scripture. The word church is never equated with the kingdom. The use of the terms in the New Testament indicates distinctions. The church and the kingdom are distinct entities according to God’s purposes. Consequently, the millennial (Davidic/messianic) kingdom will be different from the church age.

The church age can be understood as a component of the universal kingdom. Since God created and designed the church, in addition to being Ruler over it (as He does with all aspects of His universe), it exists in the world as a component of the universal kingdom. The church age, however, is not a component of the millennial (Davidic/messianic) kingdom. The kingdom was rejected by Israel at the first coming, and will not be fulfilled until the Lord’s return. The millennial kingdom is a political kingdom, whose ruler is the Lord Jesus Christ. It will begin subsequent to the second coming, and bring conclusion to Gentile world domination over the nation of Israel. The millennial kingdom will remove all previous earthly kingdoms. The fulfillment of all God’s promises in the biblical covenants will be realized in the millennial kingdom. Church saints will have been resurrected when the millennium begins, and will reign with Christ during that timeframe.

The church is now a component of the mystery form of the kingdom. The “mystery” aspect is concerning the unrevealed nature of this kingdom in the Old Testament. The mystery aspect of the kingdom is distinct from other kingdoms revealed in Scripture. The mystery form of the kingdom includes the fact that there is a true sowing of the gospel seed, in addition to a false counter-sowing. One of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven is that for the present time, Christendom (sc. people identified as a group) will contain those whose confession is true and those whose profession of faith is false. Jesus gave the parable of this kingdom so His people would understand why they must tolerate evil for a time, yet also to provide hope for ultimate justice and reward.

CONCLUSION

To define the doctrine of the kingdom necessitates that one observe all the various aspects that are revealed in Scripture. Various aspects of the kingdom include the universal kingdom, the millennial (Davidic/messianic) kingdom, the mystery form of the kingdom, the spiritual kingdom, and the kingdom of humanity. Each of these aspects of the kingdom is described distinctly in Scripture. Understanding the relationship of the church to the kingdom necessitates discernment regarding what aspect of the kingdom is being referenced in Scripture. The millennial kingdom is clearly distinct from the present church age; that is, the mystery form of the kingdom. However, the church will have been resurrected prior to the inauguration of the millennial kingdom, and will reign with Christ in that aspect of the kingdom, as it is God’s intent to rule personally and visibly upon the earth. Presently, the church is a component of the kingdom of God in mystery form (inter-Advent period).

The kingdom of God is an important emphasis of Scripture. The doctrine of the kingdom is that God is not only King over the present world, but also is sovereign over a coming kingdom of peace and righteousness. One must be “born again” (John 3:3, 5) to enter the kingdom of God, and those who are “fellow heirs with Christ” will prove their citizenship as they “walk by the Spirit” (Rom 8:12-17; Gal 5:16-26). The coming of the messianic kingdom does involve regeneration (Matt 19:28), yet each person must be regenerated to enter that dominion. In the meantime, Scripture exhorts believers to build upon the foundation, “which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 3:10-15). In doing so, one labors for what time cannot efface, because such work will endure for all eternity.

Midnight Call - 07/2025