UNITED, YET DIVIDED
12
from the promises concerning either the kingdom of heaven, the millennial kingdom, or any other phase of God's
redeeming love, yet the church of the one Body comes within the all-embracive kingdom of God.
When, therefore, we draw distinctions between `kingdom truth' and `church truth', it must be understood that we
are comparing together various sections of that great kingdom which the Son of God will bring to its perfect issue.
THE
KINGDOM
OF
GOD
The
The church of
The church of
The perfect
kingdom of
Pentecost and
the one Body
kingdom of
heaven
after
1 Cor. 15:
25-28.
Chapter 12
TWO DISPENSATIONS RUNNING CONCURRENTLY
Peter and Paul
Peter wrote to the `dispersion'; his message was for the `holy nation and the royal priesthood' (1 Pet. 2:9), terms
NEVER used of Gentiles throughout the Scriptures. While Peter was engaged in this ministry, Paul was engaged in
his. Both during Paul's active missionary work while Israel was still a nation, and during his prison ministry, when
Israel had been set aside (Acts 28:25-28), the ministries of these two servants of God ran on together.
Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, THE ONLY MAN SENT BY THE ASCENDED LORD as His messenger to the
Gentiles. To Peter was committed the gospel of the circumcision, and he never spoke to a Gentile until Paul had
been saved and commissioned, and then only after seeing a vision and with great diffidence (see Acts 10:28).
The great foundation of Paul's doctrine was `justification by faith', whereas even the word justification is absent
from the speeches and epistles of Peter.
Chapter 13
CHRIST AS KING
The King - Son of David
The Gospel of Matthew sets forth the person of Christ as one born King of the Jews. He is introduced as the Son
of David, His gospel or good news is that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and His words and His works have the
repentance of Israel as their object.
The book opens with the genealogy of Christ as Son of David, the King, and as Son of Abraham, the Hebrew.
He is presented as One, `born King of the Jews' (2:2). His forerunner calls to repentance because `the kingdom of
heaven is at hand' (3:2). The opening words of the Lord's ministry are given in 4:17, `From that time Jesus began to
preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'.
His ministry was accompanied by a marvellous series of miracles. `John did no miracle'; he knew that these
were the credentials of the Lord as the Messiah (11:2-6). In chapter 10 we find the twelve apostles given power
over unclean spirits, power to heal all manner of diseases, leprosy, and even to raise the dead, and the commission to
preach, `The kingdom of heaven is at hand'.
The kingdom - Israel
Two very important facts are worth noticing here.
(1) The message was EXCLUSIVE to Israel.
`These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, GO NOT into the way of the Gentiles, and into any
city of the Samaritans enter ye NOT: but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Matt. 10:5,6).