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Dear bro. Turner:
Does the word “kingdom”
sometimes mean the rule and reign of Christ in the heart of a person as
seems to be inferred by Luke 17:21? D.S.
Reply:
 It
is my understanding that the word “basileia” (kingdom) always
refers to “rule” and only by extension does it refer to the
citizens, the territory or dominion — realm, such as is contemplated
when we say “the church” is Christ’s kingdom.
Moulton
and Milligan (Vocabulary of the Greek Testament) say, “As kingship, or
sovereignty in the abstract is necessarily the root meaning of this
word, it is easy to see how the passage into the concrete could either
be on the lines of our dominion (cf. “our Sovereign and his
dominions”), or follow the outward and visible signs of royalty.”
When
we see the word “kingdom” we should think “rule”. Then,
after the idea of “rule” is firmly planted in our mind, we may
examine the context to see if, in this case, the word is extended to
designate the realm of that rule, the people ruled, the
nature of that rule (physical or spiritual), or some other extended use.
We do ourselves, and our readers or hearers, a grave injustice when we
say “the church and the kingdom are the same” without adequate
explanation. The erroneous institutional concept of “church” that is
so prevalent only complicates and compounds the error. R. L. Whiteside
put it well when he wrote: “In its broadest sense the church is that
body of people who have been called out of sin into the service of
Christ. As Jesus
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rules over this body of people, it is his kingdom.”
(Kingdom of Promise and Prophecy; p.177.) (See P.T., V.4, No. 5)
Bro.
Turner
In Matt. 13:41 .to what does “his kingdom”
refer; the church or world??
Reply:
FIRST—
note that the servants are angels (vs. 27-30,39-41) and the reaping
or “gathering out” refers to final judgement, with no
reference at all to discipline administered by the saints in an
effort to save a brother.
“The
field is the world” (vs. 38), so both the good seed and the tares
are in the world (though saints are not of the world) so it is to
the world that the angels shall be sent “in the end of this
world” (vs. 40) to dispose of the wicked ones. I have no problem
in considering the world as “his kingdom” (vs. 41) in the sense
that God rules (has authority over) the world and all things. I
believe we err in supposing that a figure like “kingdom” must
always be used in the same sense, everywhere.
However,
as both the saints and sinners must face a final judgement, some
prefer to interpret Matt. 13:41 as a reference to the final
disposition of citizens (church members) who “offend and do
iniquity”. They thus preserve a more-or-less traditional concept
of “church”— but at the cost of the basic idea in “kingdom.”
Better, I think, to keep the basic idea of kingdom (see above) and
let each context adjust its application.
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