God ’s plan through the Messiah was to establish a “kingdom that would never be destroyed” (Dan. 2:44). Here are some hopes, promises, and implications of the Kingdom prophecies in the Old Testament and how they relate to Christians today:
The Legitimacy of the Kingdom Stands or Falls with the Legitimacy of Jesus (Luke 24:44 -48). Peter preached the first gospel sermon and quoted the Kingdom prophecy of Joel 2:28 -32. He ties it to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus to show the plan of God in the church ’s establishment (Acts 2:16 -47). As the book of Acts unfolds, authority and the name of Jesus become the focus for the Kingdom preached in all the world (Matt. 28:18 -20).
Because the Kingdom is Not the “Preferred Plan” by Mankind, Does Not Make It Any Less of God ’s Plan (Romans 10:15 -21). In Romans, Paul answers the questions about how God reconciles both Jews and Gentiles into one body. He quotes from Old Testament prophecies throughout the book to prove to the Jews that God did not “switch horses” but that Christ and the church were always His plan (cf. Romans 15:8 -12; Is. 11:10). Though men may still today reject the church (i.e. “the Man-not-the-plan” type philosophies), we know that there is only salvation in Christ, in His body, in the church, in the Kingdom (Eph. 1:3, 22 -23).
In the Kingdom, Christians Can Be Confident in God ’s Promise of Forgiveness (Hebrews 8:8-12; Jeremiah 31:31 -34). The Law of Moses could never take away sin (Heb. 9:22). However, when the Kingdom was prophesied by the inspired prophet Jeremiah, he foretold of a time when God would establish a “better covenant based on better promises” (Heb. 8:6). If God has promised from the Old Testament that in the Kingdom there is a better covenant, a better hope, and better promises, is it not God ’s will that Christians be confident in His precious forgiveness (I Jn. 1:7 -9)?
Earthly Kingdoms Come and Go, But the Kingdom God Established is Forever (Daniel 2:44; Matt. 16:18 -19). The Old Testament book of Daniel shows, among other lessons, “God rules in the kingdoms of men” (Dan. 4:34 -37). God ’s purposes will not be thwarted. In fact, during the reign of one of the harshest governments to ever be on the earth, God established the church. The church saw the demise of Rome (Rev. 18). Indeed, God has watched the church of His Son flourish throughout two -thousand years of human history while earthly kingdoms have risen and fallen. Our citizenship on this earth will not matter in eternity, what will matter is if we accept now the Kingship of Jesus Christ and are added to His Kingdom (Matt. 9:35; Rom. 6:17).
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