Kingdom Life Series–Introduction

This series of studies will explore various aspects of our covenant relationship with God–what life is supposed to be for us now in the Kingdom of God.  Although I have been a preterist for many years now, little has been written about the practical elements–that which draws believers into a closer daily walk with the Lord Jesus.  The study of eschatology is not merely a stimulating intellectual exercise or just an interesting topic for theological debate–it is a matter of life because the message itself unfolds as that from which the very life of God flows.  It becomes a river of “living water” quenching our own thirst and that also of our friends, family, loved ones and anyone else whose life comes into contact with our own (John 4:14; 7:38).  The concepts are not just concepts–mental pictures, they are that which opens our eyes to see the reality that can only be seen by a personal, experiential revelation of God’s grace, “the saying of him who hears the words of God, who sees a vision of the Almighty, fallen down, yet with open eyes” (Num. 24:4; II Kings 6:17).

It was 32 years ago that I accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ into my life and set out on the journey of a lifetime to do whatever the Lord wanted me to do.  One Sunday evening in the hot summer month of August 1976, I went forward at the end of a worship service at Redeemer Temple in Denver, CO to surrender myself to the calling of God into the ministry of the Word.  At the awkward age of 16 years old while the focus of my peers was on music, sports and “just having fun” I found myself experiencing “quiet time” away in the mountains, reflecting upon what this calling of God would someday mean.  It is a joy like no other and one that has, through the years, lifted me far above even the most difficult circumstances of life.

Kingdom life is a matter of perspective, something easily overlooked by the masses who are blinded to the glorious nature of all things spiritual.  Even believers have been deceived into believing what they are seeing instead of pressing forward into the riches and depths of all that God has for them.  “…Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor has it risen up into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those that love Him” (I Cor. 2:9; Isa. 64:4).  As we progress in our studies we will discover that what we see all around us is the manifestation of unbelief, living in a physical world that is yet to be transformed by the powers of the age to come.  Christians have become so content with the status quo that many actually believe it can be no different without some further interjection of God Himself into the affairs of the world.  “It is bad,” they say, “and can only get worse with the passing of time.”  Only those whose vision lies far beyond that which is now seen can genuinely know that God has done everything He needed to do, that redemption is complete, that willing humanity is restored to His presence and that the future of this physical realm now belongs to those who believe.  It was a question of dominion at the beginning and it remains so today.  “And dominion was given to Him, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:14).  It is the purpose of God that His people would share in the glory of that dominion:  “And the kingdom and rulership, and the greatness of the kingdom under all the heavens shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.  And all the kingdoms shall serve and obey Him” (Dan. 7:27).

In the Hollywood movie, The Matrix, the main character Neo is told by Morpheus that what he sees in the world around him is merely an illusion–a lie.  “You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on the television.  You can feel it when you go to work…when you go to church…when you pay your taxes.  It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.”  The world is deceived by the ‘what-you-see-is-what-you-get’ mentality.  Things are what they are and have no hope of getting better unless Jesus comes back to rescue us from ourselves.  Preterists are those who have chosen to see beyond the seen and into the glorious nature of what stands just outside the realm of human sight–the victory has already been accomplished, the battle has been won.  The destiny of preterism is that of manifesting into the seen that which originates with the unseen–taking the riches of the spiritual realm and bring it into the physical realm.  You cannot change the world outside yourself until first you change the world that is inside you.  People are looking to God to “fix” global warming, to bring an end to war, to address the plight of poverty and to solve all of the world’s problems when in fact that is not His job.  “The heavens are the Lord’s, but the earth He has given to the children of men” (Psa. 115:16). 

Recently there has been a number of defections away from the preterist message.  Some have adopted a modified form of preterism, while others have gone back out into the chaos and darkness of futurism, leaving behind that which they once held dear as truth.  Acceptance or rejection of the message does not determine whether or not it is true, only that it originates from the inspired testimony of the written word of God.  People come and go but the message remains and will be carried over the centuries of time to new generations as they awaken to the truth of God’s word.  The precious message of truth has been entrusted into the hands of those now living to carry it forward in ways never before seen.  It is a daunting task and an awesome responsibility–one that requires both dilligiance and endurance.

The resolution to the problems of society begins within the hearts of each individual.  People are changed and transformed one heart at a time.  Preterists who have wasted valuable time and resources wrangling over various “doctrinal issues” must come to realize that while we are debating the ‘state of the dead’ and ‘eternal conscious torment’ or the ‘corporate body view’ of the resurrection millions around us are dying without ever having heard the gospel of Jesus Christ or the good news of accomplished salvation.  Preterism transcends denominational barriers, doctrines, creeds and confessions.  As believers awareness to the reality of our stance before God, we are now enabled to stand together, shoulder-to-shoulder worshipping in the presence of God–not as Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans or Charismatics, but as Kingdom heirs, fellow citizens taking our place alongside all who are gone before us.  Preterists ought to be neither Calvinist nor Arminian, but those who are balanced in every area of life and doctrine.  Those who have taken it upon themselves to become the preterist ‘gate-keepers’ deciding for themselves that which constitutes orthodoxy and drawing unnecessary lines of fellowship only limit themselves and their small band of followers.  The reality is that our God does not fit into any size theological box and no systematic doctrinal approach answers every question to our satisfaction.  There is always a few verses leftover that just do not seem to fit into whatever it is we are trying to prove or disprove.

Each of the subsequent installments of the Kingdom Life Series will address the realities of redemption:

1. “In Adam” or “In Christ”–Where Does Humanity Dwell?
2. The Relationship Between “Law” and “Grace.”
3. Defeat of the Law of Sin and Death
4. The Five Points of Preterism
5. The Kingdom Message

Larry D. Siegle (December 23, 2007)