August 7, 2007

Premillennial Nuggets - Acts 1:1-9
Was Jesus Amillennial?

“In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.” (Acts 1:1-9)

Though all Scripture is inspired and we submit to all of it, what better source to go to than Jesus himself discussing a future Israel in the kingdom of God?

The salient point in this passage is that for 40 days up to the Ascension, Jesus taught the disciples about the Kingdom of God. And notice that on the very last day that Jesus was physically on earth the disciples ask a question about Israel and the kingdom,

“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

After being taught for 40 days by Jesus about the kingdom, the disciples are not asking if he is going to restore the kingdom to Israel, but when. It is a foregone conclusion with the disciples that Israel has a future in the kingdom of God.

Further, Jesus’ answer to their question only underscores this future reality. He says,

"It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority..."

His answer assumes a future Israel, and thereby in this shared assumption with the disciples Jesus defers the answer to when the kingdom will be restored to Israel to the Father’s sovereign timing. Jesus does not chastise them for believing that Israel has a future in the kingdom. He does not say, "The church has replaced Israel so they will not be restored to the kingdom." There is nothing even remotely that suggests this. Jesus' answer to them is that they are not to know when (not if) this happens. Further, they are to focus on being "witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Thus, we can learn two things about the disciples’ question concerning the kingdom of God: (1) Some aspect of the kingdom has not been fulfilled yet. In other words, the kingdom has not been completely fulfilled at that time. (2) The kingdom will be restored to Israel, but only the Father knows what time it will happen in the future.

Was Jesus Amillennial? According to Acts 1:1-9, no, he was not.

It is important that we see kingdom theology as having a progressive inaugurated already/not-yet dimension, rather than an either/or (either it is spiritual or physical).

Classical dispensationalists make the mistake of viewing the kingdom of God as not fulfilled in any sense right now, but only realized at the commencement of Christ's second Coming. And many (not all) amillennialists make the opposite error and view the kingdom as being fully realized at the moment, thereby having no future aspects of the kingdom to be realized.

And therefore, sadly, many who teach on the doctrine of the kingdom of God have a monochromatic view of the kingdom: for them it is only spiritual in nature. But the testimony of Scripture demonstrates that it is multifaceted: political, spiritual, physical, ethnic, and social. And it does not happen at one exact time, but it is progressive, which will culminate into a fully realized kingdom in the next age.

That is why Jesus could speak during his ministry by saying that the kingdom is in their midst. And why Peter in Acts 2 can make certain statements about the kingdom being realized in a new aspect during the apostolic period after Christ’s own kingdom ministry. And why a new phase of the kingdom is ushered in after the seventh trumpet of God's wrath is blown, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever" (v. 11:15b).

So, it is illegitimate when an Amillennialist asserts, "This Bible passage says the kingdom is happening right now, therefore it is completely fulfilled in all its aspects with no future reality to be realized.” The reasoning does not follow Biblically as we noted above because the nature of the kingdom of God is inaugurated and progressive, which will be realized in all its fullness at the commencement of the age to come.