A Biblical Survey of the Kingdom: Still Coming – Part 4

That the kingdom did not come in the gospel accounts is vindicated with the apostles’ question and Jesus’ response in Acts 1:6-7: So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”  He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has […]

A Biblical Survey of the Kingdom: the Gospel of the Kingdom – Part 3

The theme of Matthew’s Gospel is Jesus Christ as King and the Kingdom of God.  Matthew wrote of the offer of the King and the kingdom He brings, mysteries and parables about the kingdom and Israel’s rejection of the King and thus the kingdom.  The Jews were expecting a literal, earthly and Davidic kingdom, fulfilling […]

A Biblical Survey of the Kingdom: Kingdom of Priests – Part 2

Though promises were made to Abraham and his descendants through Jacob, the Israelites were not part of a kingdom for over four centuries.  After the Exodus from Egypt, the people came to Mount Sinai.  It was there where the LORD told Moses to tell the house of Jacob the following in Exodus 19:4-6: You yourselves […]

A Biblical Survey of the Kingdom: Kingdom at Creation – Part 1

Narratives on the Kingdom of God literally bookend the Bible.  The kingdom’s loss and expectation of its restoration is the very saga of the Scriptures.  This is the theme of the Bible and the overall story it tells.  The kingdom was active at creation, in the Garden of Eden, with God, Adam and Eve.  We […]

The Kingdom According to the Prophet Daniel

A GREAT IMAGE The clearest explanation of the Kingdom of God comes from the Book of Daniel, especially in chapters two and seven.  In chapter two, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, has a dream of a great and frightening image with a head of gold, a chest and arms of silver, a core and thighs […]

The Millennial Temple: His Sanctuary Shall Rise – Part 8

These numerous details on Ezekiel’s temple and on the work within require that they be taken seriously.  The exact measurements and point-by-point instruction are nothing like portions of Scripture that are to be understood symbolically, such as the great image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Dan. 2), or John’s vision of the seven-horned and seven-eyed Lamb (Rev. […]

The Millennial Temple: the Prince of Feasts – Part 7

The prince over Israel is a key millennial figure. His largely feast-centered duties are detailed in Ezekiel 45:9-46:18.  In Israel’s past she was often ruled by unjust princes that would expropriate property from the people and manipulate the currency (45:9-12).  God will no longer allow this with the installment of David as His prince in […]

The Millennial Temple: Levitical Caretakers and Zadokite Priests – Part 6

THE SHUT GATE Much of Ezekiel chapters 44 through 46 describe the priesthood, the sacrificial system that they will implement and related matters.  In 44:1-3 it is said that the outer eastern gate is to remain shut because it is through that entrance that the LORD God of Israel entered the temple (vv. 1-2; cf. […]

The Millennial Temple: the Altar of Sacrifice – Part 5

The altar of sacrifices’ design and statutes for its sanctification are given in Ezekiel 43:13-27.  The altar sits in the inner court before the temple proper (Ezek. 40:47).  The base is one-and-a-half feet high.  It is surrounded by a one-and-a-half foot wide trench or gutter with a nine inch high top edge, undoubtedly for draining […]

The Millennial Temple: the River of Life – Part 4

The many features that could never be created by man divulges the timing of the temple’s construction under the Messiah’s kingship. Nevertheless, some imagine that this temple was an offer only for Israel in Ezekiel’s day, and has no future fulfillment. The deniers have no excuse, for there is an element that is so marvelous […]