Humanity has been living in the tension of God’s already and not yet Kingdom anticipating the end of time. Since time immemorial, the calamities have sometimes been associated with the end time. For instance, the occurrence of war, diseases, floods, and famines are a few. It is recorded,
When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and Kingdom against Kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs. (Matthew 24: 3-8)1
With such signs mentioned in Scripture, there has been an expectation for the establishment of the Kingdom of God to reign forever. There are also indicators that the end will come, and Jesus Christ will reign forever. At some point, it is like specific experiences which seem to be scary will precede and go hand in hand with end times. Of course, as mentioned, the calamities will precede the second coming of Jesus. After that, there will be judgment where those who will have overcome the world will reign with Jesus forever.
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; (Matthew 25:31-34)
As presented in some texts, this may not be easy, and it is only a handful who will inherit the Kingdom of God and reign with Jesus eternally. That is why it is noted, “For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:14) The Scripture also warns and exhorts Christians to be careful so that they may inherit the Kingdom of God in the end. It is indicated, “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 25:13) It has taken several years, in fact, thousands, yet it has not come to pass. The waiting period has been long, but that longing for the coming of the Kingdom of God has never faded.
New Testament scholarship in the twentieth century came up with three positions, the futurist, inaugurated, and the realized in discussing the establishment of the Kingdom of God.2 Of the three positions, the dominant one is the inaugurated one which Mcgrath argues as “The kingdom of God has begun to exercise its influence within human history, although its full realization and fulfillment lie in the future.”3 As explained by Mcgrath, there is a sense of what makes the longing for the establishment of the Kingdom of God not fade away among Christians.
The expectation of the second coming of Jesus continues to be anticipated by many Christians. It is driven by the longing for an escape from a world full of challenges. It is often caused by hermeneutical stances of reigning with Jesus Christ as King at the end of time. During this moment, it is when Jesus Christ will rule as King eternally, and there will be no more suffering. It is also perceived as a moment of suffering for those who did not follow Jesus’ way. Texts of reference are cited below,
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away…But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:1-4, 8)
Either way, the expectation or the hope to reign with Jesus Christ should not be an excuse for just wishing away the challenges or suffering we face. Working towards averting suffering should continue as it has always been amongst true Jesus followers. Looking forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ may be a means of sustaining one in suffering but not stopping it. Daniel L. Migliore is right in arguing that, “Christian hope does not close our eyes to the suffering of the world. On the contrary, Christians believe that God cherishes the world, has created and redeemed it, and wills to have abiding communion with it. If we hope in fulfilled life beyond death, we cannot be indifferent to suffering life before death.”4
Different movements have arisen in the history of Christianity that have continued to teach and preach the urgency of establishing the Kingdom of God. It is interesting that, at times, people have been led astray and even led to heretical movements. An example is the Montanism movement which appeared in the second century. The movement was condemned for being heretical. It is described as a movement “associated with Montanus in the 2nd century, that stressed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to Montanus through trances that led to his prophetic utterances about the return of Christ and the establishment of the new Jerusalem, together with an emphasis on asceticism. It was condemned by the Church.”5
Other views continued to develop along in the history of Christianity about the end time. For instance, in the Seventeenth, the early Quakers compared to the recent and present generations have different views about the end time. Wilmer Cooper argues,
Seventeenth-century Friends had a much clearer awareness and understanding of last things than we do today. Partly this can be attributed to the fact that in those days it was a tradition within Christendom to deal seriously with such matters. Recent generations have been the product of the nineteenth-century view of evolutionary development and the progress theory of history that believed everything was getting better and better all the time. Our present generation, however, harbors a new preoccupation with end time because of the frightful nuclear age in which we live. Also, two world wars, the Holocaust in Nazi Germany, and many other world-shaking events have brought us to a point where we not only deny that there is any such thing as steady and predictable progress in history, but we have even begun to question human survival itself. In this sense, we have something in common with those of seventeenth-century Quakers or even early Christian in the New Testament times.6
As rightly put by Cooper frightful occurrences continue to be experienced by humanity and all creation. For instance, the looming climate crisis and in the recent past the Covid 19 pandemic which became a threat and still is. Certainly, human survival continues to be put on the spot making the discussion about end times unavoidable within the Christian movement.
Unimaginable things sometimes happen, especially under the influence of teachings about the coming of the Kingdom of God. There are instances where followers of such movements end their lives in horrible ways anticipating inheriting the Kingdom of God. For instance, twenty years ago members of a cult movement in Uganda ended their lives with a belief that the world would come to an end. In fact, at some point, careless living may be influenced by the connotation that, after all, the world is passing away or it will come to an end. In part of the Scripture, people stopped working as they thought; after all, the world was ending. The second letter of Paul to Thessalonians had such issues where it is noted,
More evident in 2 Thessalonians, though, is a concern to address problems in the churches. There are two in particular, which may be linked, since one is primarily a doctrinal issue, the other a behavioral one. The doctrinal issue concerns those who say “that the day of the Lord is already here” (2.2); the behavioral issue concerns those who refuse to work and are (in the author’s view, at least) causing trouble (3.6–12). It is possible that a belief that the final day had already come (cf. 2 Tim 2.18) led people to abandon their normal daily commitments.7
The announcement of John the Baptist showed Jesus Christ as one who was coming to inaugurate the Kingdom of God. In the gospel of Matthew, it is noted, “in those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (1:1-2). Presumably, the time was ripe for the Kingdom of God to be inaugurated as a matter of urgency. Even John the Baptist seemed to be sure that the time had come for the Kingdom of God to be established.
In a conversation with his disciples while in prison, John inquired whether the Jesus Christ he knew was the one who had come or not. It is recorded, “The disciples of John reported all these things to him. So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” When the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’” (Luke 7:18-20). Seemingly what John expected in the Kingdom of God being established was not happening.
When Jesus Christ began his ministry after the day of baptism, the time had come for him to become the King of the Jews. As expressed in John’s conversation with his disciples while in prison, it seems Jesus Christ was not the King that Jews expected. As it turned out, the Kingdom that Jesus Christ came to inaugurate was a different one. Of course, the kingdom is associated with the king, who is the ruler of the Kingdom. The ruler of the Kingdom of God then is God. God, the ruler of the Kingdom of God, is exemplified in Jesus Christ’s inauguration of the Kingdom.
It became a challenge to the Jews even as the Kingdom of God took root. It did not meet their expectations. It was not like the worldly Kingdom, as the ruler came with weapons to fight to bring deliverance in oppressive circumstances. The Jews had for a time now waited for the messiah to free them from the york of oppression. So, it became a great relief for the Jews when Jesus Christ appeared as they knew that the one who had been promised to them had come to reign as a King who would usurp the existing Kingdom. That is why even Herod feared Jesus and even went ahead to execute a plan to kill him, which failed.
A critical agenda rooted in the inauguration of the Kingdom of God was to deal with the problem of sin. In the pronouncement of the birth of Jesus, it is declared that “he will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Luke 1:21). It is deciphered in the words of John the Baptist in calling people to repent for the Kingdom of God was at hand (Matthew 3:2). Paradoxically, the religious leadership was the first to be called to repent. It is recorded, “But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. (Matthew 3: 7-8)
Repenting meant that people should turn away from sin and change their way of life from what was sinful. It seemed that for the Kingdom of God to be realized, there was a need to deal with the problem of sin. Bearing the fruit of repentance meant deciding to stop living a sinful life. From the look of things, the outward way of life was becoming obsolete as it was grounded in deceitfulness. A change in the inward life was the epitome of birthing the Kingdom of God. No way would necessitate the coming of the Kingdom of God other than allowing God to reign in the hearts of the believers.
A new way of life was needed to counteract the existing one that was not violent as it might have been expected. Nearing crucifixion, Peter defended Jesus as an earthly King (John 18:10). Of course, even today, it would be imagined that oppressive rulership can be changed only by war or violent means. Jesus’ way was peculiar in freeing people from the oppressive rulership. It emanated not from using violent means but from embracing a religion that would transform the heart from the problem of sin.
In God, being the ruler through Jesus Christ does not use force. God rules in the hearts of those who are subjects of God’s rulership, which leads to the transforming of life for good. In this aspect, the existing religious role at the time of Jesus Christ in transforming people’s lives for good had diminished. Consequently, there was a need to inaugurate the Kingdom of God that was to be lived out in the here and now and after that.
These occurrences relate to eschatology, described as the “Study of the “last things” or the end of the world. Theological dimensions include the second coming of Jesus Christ and the last judgment.”8 Or universally, it can be termed as “Events of the end time concerning the total universe or the entire human race. They anticipate the ultimate triumph of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, when all things will be subject to him (1 Cor. 15:25; Phil. 3:21). Resurrection, judgment, and transformation of the world will occur (Rev. 21:1).”9
It is also necessary to understand the effect of incarnation on the not yet and the yet to come in the Kingdom of God. A theological discourse on the Kingdom of God and Incarnation needs to seek the converging points. It is to realize the implication of incarnation to Christian living and Christianity. The point of departure is to see incarnation as the end in itself to living out the Kingdom of God. The embodiment of incarnation tries to solve the problem of the long-awaited Kingdom of God that is not coming as expected. Incarnation helps us understand how to live in the Kingdom of God in the here and now.
William Syndor defines incarnation as “The distinctive Christian belief that in Jesus Christ, God entered human life and became one of us ‘the word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth’ (John1:14).”10 The act of incarnation, as in the word becoming flesh, seems to emanate from the Gospel of John. The context in which these words are recorded has a much more significant impact. It is where life was now to be viewed differently as in the “Word” becoming flesh.
It is where people’s spiritual needs are met, there is a transformation in life for good, and the problem of sin is dealt with. Restoration of life takes place; those who were rejected, oppressed, despised, segregated, and excluded from their communities find a community that would embrace and accept them. It is what is longed to be experienced in the Kingdom of God. All these embody and continue the act of incarnation. It is part of living out the Kingdom of God that needs to be experienced by humanity and all creation.
George Eldon Lad notes that “An initial manifestation of God‘s Kingdom is found in the mission of our Lord on earth. Before the age to come, before the millennial reign of Christ, the Kingdom of God has entered into this present evil age here and now in the person and work of Christ. We may therefore now experience its power: we may know its life: we may enter into a participation of its blessings.”11 Incarnation does not negate the fact that there is the yet-to-come Kingdom; it is still there.
Experiencing the Kingdom of God in the here and now moves forth in liberating humanity from the tension of the expectation of the end of times. It is not just a matter of longing for God’s coming Kingdom; it is also experiencing it. Merrill C Tenney notes that “the experiential reality is very important that “we have seen his glory” this becomes a personal observation of new reality, the manifestation of grace and truth. It was the greatest possible expression of God’s compassion for people” The lesson here is that humanity experiences the Kingdom of God in the here and now, anticipating the yet-to-come Kingdom of God.
Oscar Lugusa Malande is a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Vihiga Yearly Meeting in Kenya and holds a Master of Arts in Religion and Certificate in Entrepreneurial Ministry from Earlham School of Religion. He is a doctoral student at the University of Birmingham, Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre. Oscar currently teaches at Friends Theological College Kaimosi in Kenya. Oscar is married to Zipporah Adema Mileha and they are blessed with four children, two girls, Axtel Imali and Georgia Muhonja, and two boys, Samuel Malande and Jay Riggs Mulindi.
- All Biblical citations are from Coogan, Michael D.; Brettler, Marc Z.; Perkins, Pheme; Newsom, Carol A.. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version. Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.
- Alister E.McGrath, Christian Theology : An Introduction, (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2016), 433. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/bham/detail.action?docID=4631570. Created from bham on 2022-06-18 06:23:14.
- Ibid.
- Daniel L. Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding : An Introduction to Christian Theology, third ed., ( Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2014.), 344. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/bham/detail.action?docID=4859168. Created from bham on 2022-06-18 04:00:21.
- Donald K McKim, The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Second Edition: Revised and Expanded (Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.), 202-203.
- Wilmer Cooper, A Living Faith: A Historical Study of Qukaer Faith (Richmond, Indiana: Friends United Press, 1990), 114.
- Michael D Coogan,.; Marc Z. Brettler etal. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version (Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition),2080.
- Donald K McKim, The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, 106.
- Ibid, (105-106).
- William Sydnor, More than words (New York: Harper &Row Publishers, 1990), 74.
- George Eldon Ladd, The Gospel of the Kingdom: popular expositions on the Kingdom of God (Michigan: Grand Rapids: NM B Eerdmans publishing company, 1975), 123