THY KINGDOM COME

Kingdomization

Miles J. Stanford

DR. J. DWIGHT PENTECOST, for 35 years a distinguished theologian on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary, has recently, written a book titled THY KINGDOM COME, Victor Books, 1990, 360 pages. For some time the all-pervasive subject among dispensational theologians has been "the kingdom," and this tome is no exception. Actually, it is the epitome of "kingdomization."

EVALUATION -- To state the end at the beginning, Dr. Pentecost relates Israel to the Church via Israel's New Covenant. This dispensational error in turn causes him to "kingdomize" the Church, and that to the extent that would gratify any Covenant or Theonomic theologian.

"DALLAS" DISPENSATIONALISM -- Dr. Pentecost recently commented that Dallas Seminary is still sound on such dispensational things as pre-mil and pre-trib, but that the questions are in the area of the New Covenant and application of kingdom truth. Whereupon the author, without question, applies Israel's New Covenant truth to the heavenly Church!

THE NEW COVENANT -- At the outset we will consider Chapter 15, titled "The New Covenant." This will provide the raison d'être for the drastic dispensational devastation of the entire book, with its give-away title, Thy Kingdom Come. This material is typical of "progressive" dispensationalism, which is broad and loose enough to amalgamate Israel and the Church.

INCLUSIVISM -- Dallas Seminary now has dilated, and therefore debilitated and denigrated, Dispensationalism--one that is wide enough to include: 1) The Church is partaker of the "spiritual" blessings of Israel's New Covenant. 2) The Sermon on the Mount is applicable to the heavenly Church. 3) The Church is a phase of Israel's future millennial kingdom--a recognition of a present form of the theocratic kingdom. 4) There will be no distinction between the heavenly Church and earthly Israel in eternity.

On that kingdomized platform the leadership and entire faculty (with the exception of two "older" professors) have acquiesced to the progressive teaching that the Lord Jesus Christ now rules over the Church from David's throne, in heaven! Despite all of the above, and more, the official Dallas doctrinal statement, signed by all, professes "complete separation between Israel and the Church."

BIBLICAL BEGINNING -- Typical of all dispensationalists, Dr. Pentecost first establishes the obvious scriptural fact that Israel's New Covenant is exclusively hers. (The author's statements are in italics; all emphases ours.)

The New Covenant was made "with the house of Israel and the house of Judah" (Jer. 31:31). It is undeniable that the Mosaic Covenant was made with Israel--and since this covenant supplants the Mosaic Covenant, it must of necessity be made with the same people with whom the original Mosaic Covenant had been made (pp. 171,172).

FUTURE KINGDOM --

A further observation is that from the time of the first announcement of the New Covenant onward throughout the OT, that covenant was viewed as future. This means that Israel did not enter into the benefits of the New Covenant at any time in its OT experience.

Since Israel has not yet entered into the benefits that flow from the New Covenant, its ultimate fulfillment must still be viewed as yet future. In other words, it can only be experienced after Israel's conversion at the second advent of Christ (Rom. 11:26) and in His thousand-year reign that will follow (p. 172).

The term "Israel" is not used in the Scriptures to describe anyone but the physical descendants of Abraham. Since the Church today is composed of both Jews and Gentiles without national distinction, it would be impossible for the church to fulfill God's promises made exclusively to the nation Israel.

The New Covenant not only promised Israel salvation, it also promised a new life as all her covenants are realized under the kingship of her Messiah on earth for a thousand years. The church certainly is not fulfilling the material portion of this covenant (p. 173).

DOCTRINAL AND DISPENSATIONAL DESTRUCTION -- Thus far Dr. Pentecost is a classic dispensationalist, faithfully setting forth the scriptural fact of Israel's exclusive New Covenant, and its future kingdom fulfillment.

In spite of the obvious truth of the rightly-divided Word which he has established, he (along with dispensational leaders practically to a man), suddenly and without the slightest qualms, reverses all. He states that it is obviously not so, but that Israel and the Church are related, after all. As a result, his dispensationalism crashes to the ground: Israel's ground. Now hear this:

Romans 11:26,27 clearly indicates that the New Covenant can only be realized after the Second Advent of the Messiah. Since the tribulation, Second Advent, and millennial age are yet future, the fulfillment of this promise must be yet future, and the church cannot now be fulfilling the covenant, though it is obviously partaking of some of its blessings.

While it is true that by the blood of the New Covenant believers in the church today receive benefits from that blood (such as the forgiveness of sins, the impartation of the Holy Spirit as God's gift), it certainly does not mean that the church is fulfilling the New Covenant (pp. 174,175).

The New Covenant has been established through the death of Christ, but Israel's reception of its benefits awaits that nation's future repentance. Meanwhile benefits accrue to believers today--by grace through faith--based on the blood of Israel's covenant (p. 176).

Note the several errors here. 1) "... though it [the Church] is obviously partaking of some of its [New Covenant] blessings."

The Church, the Bride of Christ, is complete (not yet completed) in her glorified Bridegroom, her Head and her Life. She needs nothing from earthly Israel's future kingdom covenant! Any Jewish "blessing" related to the all-glorious Bride of Christ is a "put down" a "letdown," and a "come down"!

2) "While it is true that by the blood of the New Covenant believers in the Church receive benefits from that blood (such as forgiveness of sins, the impartation of the Holy Spirit ... )."

COME BACK! COME BACK! -- In the first place, "progressive" dispensationalists are in "regression"--they are moving in the wrong direction. The heavenly Church is centered in her glorified, heavenly Source. Nothing comes to her from Israel's earthly source!

The Church receives no benefits from "the blood of Israel's New Covenant." Both Israel's New Covenant and the Church are based upon "the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant" (Heb. 13:20).

Further, Israel's New Covenant "forgiveness of sins" does not compare with the Church's forgiveness of sins. Israel's forgiveness will place her in the earthly millennial kingdom; the Church's forgiveness has positioned her in the Holiest of All, "hidden with Christ in God" (Eph. 2:13; Heb. 10:19,20; Col. 3:3).

As for the "impartation of the Holy Spirit," again there is no comparison. Israel will be indwelt by the Spirit of God, who will write the kingdom law in her heart, and cause her (individually) to walk according to the law of God, obeying His statutes and doing them.

The Spirit of Christ indwelling the member of the Body of Christ, brings in the life of Christ, resulting in the fruit of the Spirit, against which there is no law. Israel will never have what the Bride already has; the Bride will never need what Israel will ultimately have.

"NARROW IS THE GATE" -- "On the other end of the argument are those who take a very narrow view and say that the New Covenant was made with the house of Israel and Judah, and that the church has no relationship to the New Covenant whatsoever" (pp. 174,175).

The "very narrow view" is simply the rightly-divided Word of truth, which established the revelation that earthly Israel and the heavenly Church are totally unrelated, separated as far as the heavens are above the earth. "There is no entity on earth today as important as His Body, the Church."

THE BEST COVENANT -- Again, the author attempts to foist something of Israel's earthly fare upon the Church, already blessed "with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 3:3).

The New Covenant has been established through the death of Christ, but Israel's reception of its benefits awaits that nation's future repentance. Meanwhile benefits accrue to believers today... based on the blood of Israel's covenant (p. 176).

No, nothing from Israel, thank you. She will have little enough as it is, when compared to the incomparable Bride who will rule over her in the kingdom. The Church does not look to "the blood of Israel's covenant"; rather, she is beneficiary of the best Covenant: "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant" (Heb. 13:20).

This sad New Covenant misapplication opens the floodgates to even more drastic doctrinal and dispensational depredation, as we shall now see in our evaluation of the remainder of the book.

"THY KINGDOM COME" -- In the process of covering all kingdom truth in the Scriptures, Dr. Pentecost seeks to establish what he repeatedly terms

the new form of the kingdom [emphasis his] which would be administered in the present age, which falls between the death of Christ and the Messiah's second advent back to earth (p. 265).

While Israel's covenants play a prominent role in the Gospels, little reference is made to the covenants in the NT Epistles. This observation supports the fact that during this present age [the term "dispensation" does not appear in the book], in which a new form of the kingdom [emphasis his] is being developed, God has temporarily set aside the nation Israel, His Covenant people, and is developing a new kingdom program (p. 285).

What Dr. Pentecost does here is to make this "new form of the kingdom" primary, and the Church supplementary to it. He places this kingdom in "the present age which falls between the death of Christ and Messiah's second advent back to earth." Contrary to this, the dispensational truth is that this present age is the dispensation of grace, of the Church, and extends positionally from the Cross (actually, from Pentecost) to the Rapture.

KINGDOM CHRISTIANS!

The kingdom of God is made up, then, of all who by faith have received Jesus Christ as personal Saviour (p. 277).

KINGDOM CHURCH!

This kingdom age--in which the prophesied program concerning the new form of the kingdom will run its course, and in which the Church Christ promised has been formed--is indefinite in its duration (p. 269).

NEW COVENANT CHURCH! -- Kingdom promotion for the Church can get one in deep doctrinal trouble:

Christ indicated to the disciples that their time of waiting would be brief when He said, "In a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:5). That of which Christ has spoken in the upper room and in His post-resurrection ministry was the same thing the Father had promised in Ezekiel 36:26-27.

This is simply incredible! To think that a long-time Dallas theologian (or any evangelical theologian) would equate Israel's promised kingdom indwelling of the Spirit of God, with Pentecost! These theologians are so kingdom-oriented that they would sacrifice Pentecost upon the altar of their coveted New Covenant kingdom!

The [New Covenant] promise of God reaffirmed by Jesus Christ became the foundation of their faith as they prayed. And after the Ascension when the Eleven gathered in the upper room, "They all joined together constantly in prayer" (Acts 1:14).

Without doubt they were all united in prayer for the fulfillment of that which the Father had promised and was confirmed to them by Christ's promise. The prayer was answered as the historical event recorded in Acts 2 took place (p. 269).

Kingdomization has come to this! And Dr. Pentecost is not alone in this erroneous equalization. All of the leading dispensational theologians are equating Israel's kingdom indwelling with that of the Church. Does the Body deserve such manhandling? The Holy Spirit gives Life to the Church, and Law to Israel, and never the twain shall merge. Never.

PRESENT THEOCRATIC KINGDOM! -- In this book the author makes no distinction between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven. The Church is mentioned approximately a dozen times. But the phrase, "the new form of the kingdom," and its equivalent, are used over one hundred times! Dr. Pentecost establishes the kingdom on earth during the present Church dispensation, and makes the Church a "part" of that kingdom.

Matthew then recorded the revelation of a new form of the kingdom in which the church would play a significant part (p. 265).

This kingdom is given precedence over the Church! Instead of the kingdom being in mystery form according to the Word, it is made preeminent, and thus the Church is made "mysterious"! A kingdom is theocratic. All theocratic kingdoms in the Word are law-governed.

Christ chose to reveal through parables (Matt. 13) the form of the theocracy through which God would evidence His sovereign authority during this present age (p. 235).

A new form of the theocratic administration was introduced as predicted by Christ in Matthew 13, which has continued through this age. The church is within this new form of the kingdom (p. 321).

"CHURCH THEOCRACY"! -- Since the day of Pentecost has placed the Church in this new form of the kingdom, it is naturally under its theocratic, legal administration! The author continues:

At that point (Israel's refusal of the Messiah's offer of the kingdom) a new form of theocratic administration was instituted. Rather than invest authority in one individual who would exercise authority in every realm of life, authority was assigned to administrators in four different realms in which we live.

1) The civil realm; 2) The realm of the home; 3) The realm of employment; 4) The religious [sic] realm. Those in authority in these four realms are effectively God's administrators, and to them is given the responsibility of curbing lawlessness in those realms and bringing men into subjection to God's authority in each of them (p. 293).

THEY HAVE TAKEN AWAY MY GRACE! -- How do you think the Covenant, Messianic Jew, and Dominion/Kingdom folk are going to respond to this, and the following?

1) Civil Government - The authority of the civil rulers extends even to the removal of the lawless by death, the sword being the symbol of that power.

As these civil administrators exercise their God-given authority and provide benefit for man as they exercise their authority, they are to be supported by taxes and are to be respected because of the position they hold as God's administrators of His kingdom (p. 294).

2) The Home - Paul and Peter make it clear that the responsibility to curb lawlessness in the home is placed on the husband. That home, in short, will constitute a miniature theocracy.

3) Employer/Employee - The apostles commanded slaves and hired servants to recognize and submit to the authority of their masters and employers, because God has given administrative responsibility in the present form of the employer in that realm. Thus they are Christ's representatives in that realm as theocratic administrators.

4) The Church - The flock refers to the body of believers, meaning that the elders are responsible to oversee the flock so as to curb lawlessness and to bring those in the flock into subjection to the authority of Christ.

These are the responsibilities resting on those who are administrators in this part of the theocracy. And through this process Christ is effectively ruling through these delegated representatives to provide a kingdom in which those living in that kingdom can enjoy the blessings of Christ's rule (p. 296).

No wonder the Church is being flattened out and bound to the horizontal plane of Israel's earthly kingdom! Little wonder that believers are being deprived of the knowledge and benefits of their vertical, heavenly position in the Son at the right hand of the Father!

This is not grace teaching, and hence not Church teaching. It is simply a fall from the cutting edge of true dispensationalism to the earthly, law-oriented realm of Covenant and Theonomic/Reconstruction theology.

The position of this book is somewhat North of Pentecost!

"The Church is the supreme

purpose of God in the universe."

Lewis Sperry Chafer

(Systematic Theology IV: 54)

MJStanford

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(Materials by Miles J. Stanford are republished here under exclusive permission from the author.)