The Kingdom of God

At the end of April, I posted a piece about Herbert Armstrong's interpretation of Christ's gospel. As can be seen from the many quotes lifted from various writings of his, a significant part of Mr. Armstrong's message was the premise that other churches were not teaching that message - that only he and his church were preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. As such, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at what some of the other Christian churches are teaching on the subject.

Over a hundred years ago now, in an article on the "Kingdom of God," The Catholic Encyclopedia stated:

"In this expression the innermost teaching of the Old Testament is summed up, but it should be noted that the word kingdom means ruling as well; thus it signifies not so much the actual kingdom as the sway of the king -- cf. Dan., iv, 28-29. The Greek basileia of the New Testament also has these two meanings -- cf. Aristotle, "Pol.", II, xi, 10; II, xiv; IV, xiii, 10. We find the theocracy sketched in Exodus 19:6 ; in the establishment of the kingdom, 1 Samuel 8:7 : "They have not rejected thee, but me, that I should not reign over them." Still more clearly is it indicated in the promise of the theocratic kingdom, 2 Samuel 7:14-16 . It is God Who rules in the theocratic king and Who will avenge any neglect on his part. All through the Psalter this same thought is found; cf. Ps. x, 5; it is constantly insisted that God's throne is in heaven and that there is His kingdom; this may explain St. Matthew's preference for the expression "kingdom of heaven", as being more familiar to the Hebrews for whom he wrote. The Prophets dwell on the thought that God is the Supreme King and that by Him alone all kings rule; cf. Isaias, xxxvii, 16, 20. And when the temporal monarchy has failed, this same thought of God's ultimate rule over His people is brought into clearer relief till it culminates in the grand prophecy of Daniel 7:13 sq. , to which the thoughts of Christ's hearers must have turned when they heard Him speak of His kingdom...

In the New Testament the speedy advent of this kingdom is the one theme: "Do penance: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand", said the Baptist, and Christ's opening words to the people do but repeat that message. At every stage in His teaching the advent of this kingdom, its various aspects, its precise meaning, the way in which it is to be attained, form the staple of His discourses, so much so that His discourse is called "the gospel of the kingdom". And the various shades of meaning which the expression bears have to be studied. In the mouth of Christ the "kingdom" means not so much a goal to be attained or a place -- though those meanings are by no means excluded; cf. Matt., v, 3; xi, 2, etc. -- it is rather a tone of mind ( Luke 17:20-21 ), it stands for an influence which must permeate men's minds if they would be one with Him and attain to His ideals; cf. Luke, ix, 55. It is only by realizing these shades of meaning that we can do justice to the parables of the kingdom with their endless variety. At one time the "kingdom" means the sway of grace in men's hearts, e.g. in the parable of the seed growing secretly ( Mark 4:26 sq. ; cf. Matthew 21:43 ); and thus, too, it is opposed to and explained by the opposite kingdom of the devil ( Matthew 4:8 ; 12:25-26 ). At another time it is the goal at which we have to aim, e.g. Matt., iii, 3. Again it is a place where God is pictured as reigning ( Mark 14:25 ). In the second petition of the "Our Father" -- "Thy kingdom come" -- we are taught to pray as well for grace as for glory. As men grew to understand the Divinity of Christ they grew to see that the kingdom of God was also that of Christ -- it was here that the faith of the good thief excelled: "Lord, remember me when thou shalt come into thy kingdom." So, too, as men realized that this kingdom stood for a certain tone of mind, and saw that this peculiar spirit was enshrined in the Church, they began to speak of the Church as "the kingdom of God "; cf. Col., I, 13; I Thess., ii, 12; Apoc., I, 6, 9; v, 10, etc. The kingdom was regarded as Christ's and He presents it to the Father; cf. I Cor., xv, 23-28; II Tim., iv, 1. The kingdom of god means, then, the ruling of God in our hearts; it means those principles which separate us off from the kingdom of the world and the devil ; it means the benign sway of grace; it means the Church as that Divine institution whereby we may make sure of attaining the spirit of Christ and so win that ultimate kingdom of God Where He reigns without end in "the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God " ( Revelation 21:2 )."

see The Catholic Encyclopedia Online

In their Baptist Faith & Message, the Southern Baptist Convention stated:

"The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God’s will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age."

From their Mission & Vision statement, we read:

"Being fully committed to the proposition that Jesus Christ is the only hope for the world, and believing Southern Baptists are yearning for spiritual renewal and Christ-centered living, and recognizing the challenge of Jesus to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, we, the undersigned Southern Baptist denominational leaders, covenant with each other and every willing Southern Baptist, under God,

To make the kingdom of God the priority in our own personal lives.

To dedicate the energies and resources of the ministries we lead to seeking first the King and His kingdom.

To cooperate with each other and the family of Southern Baptists as we pursue kingdom principles and practices..."

see The Southern Baptist Convention on The Kingdom of God

From an article by the Jehovah's Witnesses entitled What Is the Kingdom of God?:

"God’s Kingdom is a real government established by Jehovah God. 'The kingdom of God' is also called 'the kingdom of heaven' in the Bible, since it rules from heaven. (Mark 1:14, 15; Matthew 4:17, King James Version) It shares many attributes of human governments, yet it is superior to them in every way.

Rulers. God has appointed Jesus Christ as King of the Kingdom and has given him more authority than any human ruler could ever have. (Matthew 28:18) Jesus uses this power only for good, since he has already proved to be a reliable and compassionate Leader. (Matthew 4:23; Mark 1:40, 41; 6:31-34; Luke 7:11-17) Under God’s direction, Jesus has selected persons from all nations who will 'rule as kings over the earth' with him in heaven.—Revelation 5:9, 10.

Duration. Unlike human governments, which come and go, God’s Kingdom 'will never be brought to ruin.'—Daniel 2:44.

Subjects. Anyone who does what God requires can be a subject of God’s Kingdom, without regard for ancestry or birthplace.—Acts 10:34, 35.

Laws. The laws (or commandments) of God’s Kingdom do more than just prohibit wrong behavior. They raise the moral character of its subjects. For example, the Bible says: 'You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. The second, like it, is this, ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.' (Matthew 22:37-39) Love of God and neighbor moves subjects of the Kingdom to act in the best interests of others.

Education. While God’s Kingdom sets high standards for its subjects, it also teaches people how to meet those standards.—Isaiah 48:17, 18.

Mission. The Kingdom of God doesn’t enrich its rulers at the expense of its subjects. Instead, it will accomplish God’s will, including the promise that those who love him will live forever on a paradise earth.—Isaiah 35:1, 5, 6; Matthew 6:10; Revelation 21:1-4."

see Jehovah's Witnesses - JW.org

Thus, we can see that other Christians have NOT avoided the subject of the Kingdom of God. Interestingly, of the examples referenced in this post, the teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses (which many Christians regard as a cult) appear to be the most consistent with Mr. Armstrong's teachings on the subject. Indeed, from the perspective of this observer, the Roman Catholic and Southern Baptist teachings appear to be the broadest and most comprehensive in their understanding of the subject.