God's written revelation, the Messiah's Kingdom and his return
Discovering the believer's identity, purpose, and how we should live

The Kingdom of Christ is at the heart of studies on the Biblical understanding of:

As such, a Biblical understanding of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is essential and foundational for a healthy Christian community because it is so relevant to who they are, their purposes and goals, authorities in their lives to include the present King of Kings, and the confidence and comfort that is found in understanding the big picture of human history.

Below are works on or links regarding the subject from differing views. Admittedly, none promote the popular "Left Behind" pre-tribulation rapture view that is popular in the "Left Behind" book series (and movies) and in many American churches.

Christians around the world in oppressive countries who are suffering harassment, discrimination, violence, tortures and death (visit Voice of the Martyrs website) because of truly living out their Christian faith are not so prone to cling to an idea that Jesus will return before a "great tribulation". They are in the midst of it. Scripture itself never promises escape from tribulation (escapism) but instead promises that

¹² Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
2 Timothy 3:12 (ESV)

In his prayer to the Father for his people, Jesus prayed

¹³ But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
¹⁵ I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
John 17:13-18 (ESV)
(Bold and italics are the authors additions)

Some of Jesus' last words to his disciples were,

³³ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
John 16:33 (ESV)
(bold and italics are the authors additions)

Right there you have a call to action (abide in Christ if you want to understand his peace [and joy → John 17:13] that surpasses all understanding), the reality check about tribulation in life, and the encouragement based on what Jesus has already done (overcoming the world). This verse is at the heart of what this web page is about.

²¹ When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,
²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
Acts 14:21-22 (ESV) [refer again Dan. 2:40-44; Dan. 7]

While the saints have been instructed that they will suffer tribulation in this world, Jesus has promised them that He is in control, having overcome the world, powers of darkness, and death itself. Jesus ask the Father to protect his people from the wicked one (Satan, the spiritual enemy who is more powerful than any earthly enemy) even as we deal with the earthly tribulations and troubles. In the New Covenant in Jesus Christ, God has given the saints a peace that passes all understanding. The Church is described as a kingdom of priests, a Holy Nation,

⁴ This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne;
⁵ and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the commander of all the rulers of the world. All praise to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.
⁶ He has made us his Kingdom and his priests who serve before God his Father. Give to him everlasting glory! He rules forever and ever! Amen!
Revelation 1:4-6 (NLT)

⁹ I am John, your brother. In Jesus we are partners in suffering and in the Kingdom and in patient endurance. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and speaking about Jesus.
Revelation 1:9 (NLT)

The Pre-tribulational view is promoted well-enough elsewhere, and many of its promoters may very well like you to think that it is the only view in Evangelical Christianity. Not only is it not the only view, but of the four major views, Dispensational (mostly Pre-tribulational) Premillenialism (DP) is a rather recent development, within just the last 200 years of Christianity's 2000 years of history. It's origins are quite interesting as well. The focus of this page, however, is predominately what the Bible teaches regarding Christ's Kingdom and kingdom life (living), and secondarily, His return. Other related topics are also included. Understanding the Kingdom of Christ is of vital importance for it affects one's perspective on all of life as demonstrated by the teaching of Jesus himself. In fact, it should consume the believer.

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Mt. 6:33)

 With such a direct and clear command from the Lord of the universe Himself why would there be any question as to the kingdom's relevance or importance in the believer's life? The context of this passage (Mt. 6:25-34) clearly affirms that we should not be worrying about our daily, earthly, physical circumstances and needs, but rather be focused on Christ's kingdom and his righteousness. We can trust our Father to take care of his children's needs. Also, the family of God, functioning properly, will be taking care of its own members. His Kingdom and righteousness (all its principles and commands) take priority over our concerns for food and clothing - the most elemental and necessary things.

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life , as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? (Mt. 6:25 ; see also 2 Tim. 2:3-4)

Some argue that Jesus is talking about God the Father's Kingdom and not his own - that Christ's kingdom is yet to come and will be an earthly kingdom, directly contradicting Jesus' clear testimony before Pilate,

³³ Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"
³⁴ Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?"
³⁵ Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?"
³⁶ Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."
³⁷ Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
John 18:33-37 (NASB)
(bold is the authors)

Notice what Jesus did not say, "I am not a king yet, but I will be sometime in the distant future." or "I am not an earthly king yet."
or "I was intending to be King of the Jews, but — since they don't want me to be their king, I am scapping that plan for now, going away, and will come back after several thousand years and try again."

Neither did Jesus say, "My kingdom is not of this world — yet! It will be later, though."

Another translation renders verses 36-37 as follows,

³⁶ Then Jesus answered, "I am not an earthly king. If I were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world."
³⁷ Pilate replied, "You are a king then?" "You say that I am a king, and you are right," Jesus said. "I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true."
John 18:36-37 (NLT)
(bold and italics are the authors)

and another...

³⁶ Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
³⁷ "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
John 18:36-37 (NIV)
(bold is the authors)

So when was the Messiah's kingdom established exactly?

For some more clarity we can listen to what God the Father states about His Son being established as King in Zion and inheriting the nations all the way back in Psalm 2. Very carefully compare and study Psalms 2 with Daniel 2:20-45, Dan. 7 (especially 7:13-26); Dan. 8:19-23; and Dan. 9:20-27. Do not add to Scripture a gap between the 69th week and 70th week in Dan. 9 like many Premillenialist do. God gave Daniel a simple, chronological, historical vision. Study the history (an overview) of the kingdoms of Medo-Persian, Greece, and Rome. Throw away the assumptions and traditions you have, and compare Scripture with Scripture - and history. 

In the New Covenant revelation, the Messiah came to earth, fulfilled his sacrificial mission and ministry, was buried and raised himself from the dead. After the resurrection, this one who proved himself to be the Divine Annointed One, the Divine King, did NOT state that, "All authority in heaven and on earth will be given to me sometime in the future...", but that "All authority in heaven and on earth HAS BEEN given to me, therefore go and make disciples in every nation...".
The harvesting is in full swing, and the laborers are few. The gospel of the kingdom (Mt. 4:23, 9:35; 24:14; Mrk 1:14,15; Lk 16:16; is advancing through all the earth - in the midst of great persecution and tribulation in many areas. Our Sovereign King will return to collect his kingdom and judge all humanity.

Both our Lord Jesus Christ and his apostles spoke of Christ's kingdom and Christ's Kingship as present reality, not something in the distant future.

Don't just trust our word or anyone elses on these teachings! You are responsible for what you believe! You are responsible to research and discover the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the whole counsel of God's truth. The Berean's were considered more noble than the Thessalonians because they did not simply trust the apostle Paul's teachings, but rather they researched and checked what he said with what scripture said.

There is so much more. Are you salivating for truth yet? Read, research and enjoy all the education and illumination God grants!

Here we want to study the views (some deal with DP) and study what God's Word and history say on the issue, God's Word being the final authority on the matter. Does history confirm any of the views? There are many questions when you are presented with the four views and understanding how to interpret God's revelation properly (Biblical hermeneutics) is key to being able to discard the chaos and erroneous views and discover the simple, literal (a loaded word to be sure) understanding of what God has revealed. But we are not going to tell you up-front what that is, though it may appear obvious we don't believe DP is it. Perhaps it is Historical Premillenialism (HP), Amillenialism (AM), or Postmillenialism (PM). Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between these views.

We want to promote study and we especially pray that the foundational principles of hermeneutics will be grasped by the students. Don't despair — and always be gracious with those who differ in their view. It is worth repeating a well-known phrase, "The more you learn, the more you realize you don't know". God's universe is greater than our miniscule imagination, yet he has intentionally revealed much about himself and his truth through the Sacred Oracles (Holy Bible). In fact, God has revealed to us in Sacred Scripture everything we need to know "...pertaining to life and godliness..." (2 Peter 1:2-8). The sooner hermeneutics are understood and practiced (such as keeping things in context, comparing scripture with scripture, interpreting the unclear passages in light of the clear passages, etc.), the sooner one can come to a good understanding of many of these teachings. Loraine Boettner's work is an excellent one covering the four views. We hope to provide some good material specifically on the science of Hermeneutics soon.

J. Stuart Russell's The Parousia is a classic on the subject and one of the most thorough research works, covering all the New Testament passages and much more on the subject of the end times and the return of Christ. This book includes reviews by C. H. Spurgeon and R.C. Sproul.

[For better research abilities of The Parousia, download the FREE Online Bible Software and their FREE digital copy of the book.]
You can also view online excerpts from specific sections. The Parousia is also back in print.

Also available with the Online Bible Software is Larry Simmons' Unmasking Pre-Trib Fallacies.

Milton S. Terry wrote the "standard" work on Hermeneutics according to Christian Research Institute's (CRI) founder Walter Martin and others. Terry writes on the issue of prophetic/eschatological passages. Find his works below.

** Some of the following are downloads. Unless otherwise noted, items are HTML links. **

Foundational Studies

Kingdom/Millennium Studies

Studies on other topics

For another large resource center on the subject with FREE books, etc. from the earliest Christian (e.g. Theologian Tertulius, historian Eusebius) and other writers such as early Jewish historian Josephus on the War of the Jews to current authors of varied fields and backgrounds visit THIS SITE. This is one of the sites we would particularly remind the reader of our disclaimer. While there is a lot of good material to be found on this site, we do not agree with some of the key propositions of the website. We also acknowledge that we have not read everything on every site linked to or even looked at every page of every site, so we do not know everything that is being proposed or promoted. We are eager to discuss with readers anything you wish to discuss.

Disclaimer: Goehring Enterprises does not necessarily agree with all the views or condone all the content of linked pages. Our mission is to provide you with some of the best resources for information gathering and research.

Copyright © 2005 Goehring Enterprises