Below are 17 elements of a framework for studying and understanding biblical teaching on the Kingdom of God.
1. God is a King, and His Kingdom is Universal.
2. God intended for the earth to be a place where His rule would be fully honored and obeyed.
3. Through the Fall, the earth became a place of rebellion against the rule of God.
4. However, God is still King of the Universe, and He intends to restore the earth someday as a place where His rule is fully honored and obeyed.
5. God's plan to do this centers on His provision of a virgin-born Savior-King, the Lord Jesus Christ (who through His physical presence on the earth as King someday will restore the earth as a place where God's rule is fully honored and obeyed).
6. After the Fall, the line of the virgin-born Savior-King is narrowed over time to the descendants of Jacob, also known as Israel. God chose the descendants of Israel to be His people, making certain unconditional promises to bless them, and all the world through them, with the blessings of His kingdom.
7. Before choosing Israel, God established accountability for all nations in the covenant made with Noah and his sons.
8. After the Exodus, God formed the descendants of Jacob into a nation directly under His rule using just 613 laws. Succeeding generations of Israel would be blessed or cursed conditioned on their obedience to God's laws.
9. God intended for Israel to function as a "kingdom of priests". Other nations of the world would be blessed through them, with blessing or cursing being conditioned on their blessing Israel.
10. Since the promised virgin-born Savior-King would come from Israel, He too could be expected to function as a Priest. God's plan also called for Him to function as a Prophet "like unto Moses".
11. The glory of the historical kingdom of Israel reached an historical high under the rule of Solomon in fulfillment of promises God made to David, foreshadowing the even greater glory laid in store for the rule of Jesus Christ, the ultimate Son of David and God's virgin-born Savior-King.
12. After Solomon, Israel's failures to live up to the conditions of God's covenant with them spiraled downward, until God finally withdrew His presence and blessing from them.
13. God indicated this period of withdrawal would be limited, promising to restore and exceed the previous blessing on Israel, and on the nations through Israel, in the Kingdom of Israel's Messiah, the virgin-born Savior King.
14. After many years, Jesus came to the earth the first time, claiming to be the promised prophet, priest, and King, and offering His kingdom to Israel. But Jesus was rejected and put to death on the cross.
15. However, God the Father raised Jesus from the dead and then highly exalted Him at His right hand as Lord. From this exalted position, Jesus began to build His Church, which consists of people from every nation, people who will rule someday with Jesus in His earthly kingdom.
16. Jesus will return in fulfillment of the promises made to Israel to establish with His physical presence a literal kingdom here on the earth.
17. Ultimately, Jesus will hand His kingdom over to God the Father, merging it with God's Universal Kingdom. Thus, the earth will be fully restored as a place where God's rule is fully honored and obeyed.
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