Who Created God?

By J. Warner Wallace 9/20/2017

     Richard Dawkins, the famous English evolutionary biologist and renowned atheist, revived an objection related to God’s existence in his book, The God Delusion. In the fourth chapter (Why There Almost Certainly Is No God), Dawkins wrote, “…the designer hypothesis immediately raises the larger problem of who designed the designer. The whole problem we started out with was the problem of explaining statistical improbability. It is obviously no solution to postulate something even more improbable.” In essence, Dawkins offered a restatement of the classic question, “Who created God?” On its face, this seems to be a reasonable question. Christians, after all, claim God created everything we see in our universe (all space, time and matter); He is the cause of our caused cosmos. Skeptics fail to see this as a satisfactory explanation, however, because it seems to beg the question, “If God, created the universe, who (or what) created God?”

     Part of the problem lies in the nature of the question itself. If I were to ask you, “What sound does silence make?” you’d start to appreciate the problem. This latter question is nonsensical because silence is “soundless”; silence is, by definition, “the lack of sound”. There’s something equally irrational about the question, “Who created God?” God is, by definition, eternal and uncreated. It is, therefore, illogical to ask, “Who created the uncreated Being we call God?” And, if you really think about it, the existence of an uncreated “first cause” is not altogether unreasonable:

     It’s Reasonable to Believe The Universe Was Caused | Famed astronomer Carl Sagan once said, “The Cosmos is everything that ever was, is and will be.” If this is true, we are living in an infinitely old, uncaused universe that requires no first cause to explain its existence. But there are good scientific and philosophical reasons to believe the universe did, in fact, begin to exist. The Second Law of Thermodynamics, the expansion of the universe, the Radiation Echo, and the problem of Infinite Regress cumulatively point to a universe with a beginning. In the classic formulation of the Kalam cosmological argument: (1) whatever begins to exist has a cause, (2) the universe began to exist, therefore, (3) it is reasonable to believe the universe has a cause.

     It’s Reasonable to Accept the Existence of An Uncaused “First Cause” | This “first cause” of the universe accounts for the beginning of all space, time and matter. It must, therefore, be non-spatial, a temporal and immaterial. Even more importantly, the first cause must be uncaused. If this was not true, the cause of the universe would not be the “first” cause at all. Theists and atheists alike are looking for the uncaused, first cause of the cosmos in order to avoid the irrational problem of an infinite regress of past causes and effects. It is, therefore, reasonable to accept the existence of an uncaused, first cause.

     It’s Reasonable to Believe God Is the Uncaused, “First Cause” | Rationality dictates the ultimate cause of the universe, (even if it isn’t God), must have certain characteristics. In addition to being non-spatial, a temporal, immaterial and eternal (uncaused), it must also be powerful enough to bring everything into existence from nothing. Finally, there is good reason to believe the cause of the universe is personal. Impersonal forces cannot cause (or refuse to cause) at will. The minute an impersonal force exists, its effect is experienced. When the impersonal force of gravity is introduced into an environment, for example, its effect (the gravitational attraction) is felt immediately. If the cause of the universe is simply an impersonal force, its effect (the beginning of the universe) would occur simultaneous with its existence. In other words, the cause of the universe would only be as old as the universe itself. Yet we accept the reasonable existence of an uncaused first cause (one that is not finite like the universe it caused). For this reason, a personal force, capable of willing the beginning of the universe, is the best explanation for the first cause of the cosmos. This cause can be reasonably described as non-spatial, a temporal, immaterial, eternal, all-powerful and personal: descriptive characteristics commonly reserved for the Being we identify as God.

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James "Jim" Warner Wallace (born June 16, 1961) is an American homicide detective and Christian apologist. Wallace is a Senior Fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and an Adjunct Professor of Apologetics at Biola University in La Mirada, California. He has authored several books, including Cold-Case Christianity, God’s Crime Scene, and Forensic Faith, in which he applies principles of cold case homicide investigation to apologetic concerns such as the existence of God and the reliability of the Gospels.

• Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels

• God's Crime Scene: A Cold-Case Detective Examines the Evidence for a Divinely Created Universe

• Alive: A Cold-Case Approach to the Resurrection

• Cold-Case Christianity for Kids: Investigate Jesus with a Real Detective

• Keeping Your Kids on God's Side: 40 Conversations to Help Them Build a Lasting Faith

• Forensic Faith: A Homicide Detective Makes the Case for a More Reasonable, Evidential Christian Faith

Who Knows the Moral Value of a Fetus? Well, I Do.

By Jennifer Hartline 9/17/2017

     I lost a baby this week.

     I was pregnant. A stunning, surprising, totally unexpected pregnancy. These things just don’t happen at my age, they said. That time in my life was ending, they said. I’m too old for this. The statistics were grim and the odds were not in our favor, they said. This little baby had the cards stacked against him from the start.

     And yet … God gave us a new life. And we rejoiced in the gift.

     I dreamt of little fingers and toes and that heavenly, intoxicating scent of a new baby’s head. I could already feel the warmth of a soft little body snuggling into my arms. These are the irresistible hopes that make the crushing nausea of early pregnancy worth enduring.

     There was a beautiful, flickering little heartbeat. A miracle in the making, hidden away in darkness, yet flashing right there on the screen. Here I am! I’m alive!

     It’s useless to tell yourself you won’t get your hopes up. Of course you will. There’s no such thing as protecting yourself from the pain of potential loss. That isn’t how love works.

     Love means you open yourself up not just to the wonder, but also to the wound, and accept it if it comes.

     And it came. Our hearts are wounded with loss. That little tiny heart flickering away inside me fell silent and still. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.

     I can’t fathom what God’s purpose has been in all of it. But that little soul, in that very tiny body, for such a short time on this earth, is not wiped from existence. God doesn’t create and then throw away. He discards no one. I won’t understand it on this side of heaven, but I know Him, and I trust Him, and that’s enough for now.

     In a culture that worships abortion the way ours does, grieving the death of a tiny unborn child is an intolerable blasphemy. The culture of death says I’ve lost nothing of any value, certainly not a person to be mourned.

     In the era of disposable human beings, this little one who never breathed air, never spoke, never walked, never did anything at all, is just worthless tissue to be flushed down the drain.

Do You See Humanity Here?

     You and I were once this small. And we were human then, just as we are now. Our human worth was inherent to us from the very first moment of our creation, irrespective of time and growth.

     It’s a humble, yet unspeakably amazing, beautiful beginning. (We should never despise humble beginnings.) Life, even when no larger than a sesame seed or a peanut, is sacred.

     I don’t care a whit about the opinion of those who would mock me for expending emotional energy and tears over some “thing” they deem a parasite or just insentient “tissue.” I’m not asking anyone to be sad with me.

     I do insist, though, that you look at that photo and see humanity. Look at that small child and see a human being. If you cannot, then it’s not your vision in need of correction. It’s your soul. If you cannot acknowledge the humanity of the weakest and the smallest, then you have no grasp of humanity at all.

Something Worse Than Suffering

     We will be harshly judged for the way we treat the most vulnerable, and there is no one more vulnerable than the child in the womb. It does not make us enlightened that we measure progress and victory by how easy it is to invade the womb with weapons and destroy the fragile life within. It makes us barbaric and inhuman.

     There is something worse than suffering a loss. Far worse is an entire society devoted to the continued slaughter of its own children, employing euphemisms with great zeal to disguise the brutality, ease the prick of conscience, and assuage the burden of guilt.

     Nothing could be worse than a society too dulled and hardened to even feel the loss.

     That’s what we have become. We aren’t progressive, free people. We are a stony-hearted people. We are slaves to sexual gratification. We are bullies who feel entitled to someone else’s flesh, even someone else’s life. We are predators, and our babies are the prey.

We use scissors and scalpels and suction to enslave those weaker than ourselves, and yet somehow we feel superior to those who used whips and chains.

     Today every pregnant woman is surrounded by con artists who sell her a lie for their own gain. These professional thieves persuade mothers to pay them to steal her child’s life. Paid assassins masquerading as doctors and champions of “women’s rights.”

Indignant About the Past, Oblivious to Our Own Guilt

     It’s fashionable today to be morally outraged at the sins of past generations which we now find too outrageous to have ever been tolerated. How blind and deluded we are to think we can sit in judgment on slave owners or Confederate soldiers and rail against the inhumanity of their actions!

     We are oblivious to the mountains of tiny corpses we stand on today, and the fact that we’re in blood up to our necks. We butcher human beings who cannot scream. Babies just like mine, every day, are bombed with chemicals designed to kill, then suctioned out, and literally thrown away.

     We use scissors and scalpels and suction to enslave those weaker than ourselves, and yet somehow we feel superior to those who used whips and chains.  It's worth repeating

     We stand around feeling terribly clever for debating the moral value of an embryo or a fetus. It makes us deep thinkers, analytical masterminds or something. Really it exposes our real motives for what they are: We deny the humanity of every human we want the right to kill.

     I will mourn my little child, and my arms will ache for a while. But I am blessed because I know the eternal value of human life. It’s our society that is wretched and empty, because we despise the gift.

     Take another look at that photo. That’s fragile, beautiful, awesome humanity, and it’s worth everything.

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The Simple Truth That Can End Abortion

By Michael Brown 9/13/2017

     A radio host in Detroit told me he was shocked one day when a caller referred to his child as a “carbon unit.” Yes, a carbon unit. That’s how a dad talked about his own kid.

     This is not much different than referring to a baby in the womb as a “mass of cells” or comparing it to a tumor that needs to be removed.

     This is the very mentality that underlies the pro-abortion movement. That a child in the womb, growing, developing, moving and kicking, looking more and more like mom or dad (or both) by the day, is not a human being. It is a thing, an appendage to be expelled if not wanted. As expressed by pro-abortion feminist Florence Thomas (speaking of her abortion in France in the mid-1960s), she felt “a relief. An immense relief. This tumor went away, disappeared. I could go back to living.”

     If the fetus is nothing more than a mass of cells, a tumor, then the baby (or even the adult) is nothing more than a carbon unit.

     NARAL Upset by People “Humanizing Fetuses” | In keeping with this mentality, NARAL (the National Abortion Rights Action League), took strong exception to a silly Doritos commercial during Super Bowl 50 (2016). In the commercial a pregnant woman gets an ultrasound with her husband present. He mindlessly munches Doritos — to his wife’s consternation. Then he dangles one near her belly. We’re led to assume that the baby made a premature exit from the womb, eager to grab that Doritos chip.

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     Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is a Senior Contributor to The Stream, and the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Breaking the Stronghold of Food. Connect with him on Facebook or Twitter.

     He became a believer in Jesus 1971 as a sixteen year-old, heroin-shooting, LSD-using Jewish rock drummer. Since then, he has preached throughout America and around the world, bringing a message of repentance, revival, reformation, and cultural revolution. He holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has served as a visiting or adjunct professor at Southern Evangelical Seminary, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (Charlotte), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Fuller Theological Seminary, Denver Theological Seminary, the King’s Seminary, and Regent University School of Divinity, and he has contributed numerous articles to scholarly publications, including the Oxford Dictionary of Jewish Religion and the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament.

     Dr. Brown is a national and international speaker on themes of spiritual renewal and cultural reformation, and he has debated Jewish rabbis, agnostic professors, and gay activists on radio, TV, and college campuses. He is widely considered to be the world’s foremost Messianic Jewish apologist. He and his wife Nancy, who is also a Jewish believer in Jesus, have been married since 1976. They have two daughters and four grandchildren.

     Dr. Michael Brown Books:

• 1     Breaking the Stronghold of Food: How We Conquered Food Addictions and Discovered a New Way of Living
• 2     Can You Be Gay and Christian?: Responding With Love and Truth to Questions About Homosexuality
• 3     The Real Kosher Jesus: Revealing the Mysteries of the Hidden Messiah
• 4     In the Line of Fire: 70 Articles from the Front Lines of the Culture Wars
• 5     Hyper-Grace: Exposing the Dangers of the Modern Grace Message
• 6     Outlasting the Gay Revolution: Where Homosexual Activism Is Really Going and How to Turn the Tide
• 7     Our Hands Are Stained with Blood
• 8     Authentic Fire: A Response to John MacArthur's Strange Fire
• 9     Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: General and Historical Objections, Vol. 1
• 10     A Queer Thing Happened To America: And what a long, strange trip it's been
• 11     Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: Messianic Prophecy Objections, Vol. 3
• 12     Go And Sin No More: A Call To Holiness
• 13     Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: Theological Objections Vol. 2
• 14     Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: New Testament Objections (Vol. 4)
• 15     Whatever Happened to the Power of God?/It's Time to Rock the Boat
• 16     The Grace Controversy: Answers to 12 Common Questions
• 17     60 Questions Christians Ask About Jewish Beliefs and Practices
• 18     Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus:Traditional Jewish Objections Vol 5
• 19     Israel's Divine Healer
• 20     Whatever Happened to the Power of God
• 21     A Time For Holy Fire: Preparing the Way for Divine Visitation
• 22     How Saved Are We?
• 23     Saving a Sick America: A Prescription for Moral and Cultural Transformation
• 24     Revolution in the Church: Challenging the Religious System with a Call for Radical Change
• 25     What Do Jewish People Think about Jesus?: And Other Questions Christians Ask about Jewish Beliefs, Practices, and History
• 26     From Holy Laughter to Holy Fire: America on the Edge of Revival
• 27     Revolution: Jesus' Call to Change the World
• 28     Let No One Deceive You
• 29     Revolution!: The Call to Holy War
• 30     It's Time to Rock the Boat
• 31     The End of the American Gospel Enterprise
• 32     Hyper-Grace: Exposing the Dangers of the Modern Grace Message (2014-01-07)
• 33     The Revival Answer Book

Not Hearers Only

By Harry Reeder 10/1/2013

     “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:22–24).

     Obviously, a pastor’s heart desire for the flock is that none are “deceived” but all are “gospel-blessed” by not only receiving freely the saving grace of Christ but experiencing increasingly the transforming grace of Christ, out of love to Christ, from a desire to exalt Christ through the life-changing preaching of God’s Word.

     I want to provide three pastoral exhortations to help us to move from being “hearers of the Word” only to being effective “doers of the Word” purposefully. Beforehand, however, let’s establish two essential presuppositions that lie behind these exhortation:

     Presupposition 1: The public and searching expository preaching of God’s Word is the divinely ordained and designed primary means of grace and growth. It is not the exclusive means, but I would affirm it as the primary means without hesitation. This is why the Apostle Paul declares, “For Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the gospel” and “it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.”

     Presupposition 2: The believer’s relationship with God’s Word before and after it is preached is the single most important factor in becoming a “doer” and not a “hearer only” of the Word. Paul affirms this in Acts 17:11 as he profiles the noble-minded believing Jews in Berea by identifying two characteristics. First, “they received the word with all eagerness,” meaning that they intentionally prioritized the faithful exposition of God’s Word. Secondly, they “examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so,” meaning that they had a daily commitment to personally and intentionally study the Scriptures while reflecting upon what had been preached to them. So on the one hand, they were teachable since they longed to learn profoundly from an intentional exposure to a faithful pulpit ministry. On the other hand, they were also discerning, as demonstrated by a prioritized, habitual study of God’s Word.

     Both elements are crucial. We could not grow without being teachable since we cannot do what we do not know. The Christian life is not lived by human imagination or intuition but by divine revelation. In being teachable the Bereans were not gullible; they refused to be misled by preachers who were not handling the Scriptures accurately. This practice was not born of a critical spirit but from a desire to learn rightly since Christians cannot do rightly until they know rightly.

     Now that we’ve established our presuppositions, here are my three practical pastoral suggestions to help you become both a better “hearer” and a better “doer” of God’s Word.

     First, establish a sacred time, a sacred place, and an intentional practice for the daily study of God’s Word. I suggest the morning so that you can reserve the evening for family worship and Bible reading. Assign Saturdays for personal and family reading of the passages of Scripture to be preached on the Lord’s Day. Our forbearers called this “Sabbath Eve preparation.” This is one reason I recommend Tabletalk. By design it leaves the weekend open from the regular daily studies, allowing an opportunity to secure from your church the texts for the Lord’s Day worship. Consider redeeming the time on the way to corporate worship by having one family member read the text again and then another pray for the service, your family’s participation, and the success of God’s Word. This has been an unbelievably helpful family practice for us.

     Second, on the Lord’s Day afternoon or evening, consider and discuss what was preached and its life implications both personally and as a family. We enjoyed doing this after the Lord’s Day evening worship as our family partook of our traditional Sunday night popcorn and pizza.

     Third, since “all Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17), establish a “band of brothers/sisters” to share what God has been teaching you and its implications for your life. This allows you to develop an intimate and transparent, same-gender small group designed to encourage, pray, and hold “one another” accountable as Christ-followers who desire to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord” (2 Peter 3:18). Also, I have found the use of a personal journal to be an invaluable asset for continual reflection upon what the Lord is teaching me and how He is challenging my heart and life. To paraphrase the words of a faithful Puritan divine,  I have become convinced that reading makes a thoughtful man; listening makes a learning man; writing makes an exact man.

     One final thought. A believer’s motivations to be a “hearer” and “doer” of God’s Word are multiple, not the least of which is “if you love me [who first loved us], you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). While we don’t “do” God’s Word to be saved, we long to “do” God’s Word to exalt our Savior because we are saved.

     May our Lord bless you to be both an intentional “hearer” and “doer” of God’s Word as you “long for the pure spiritual milk that by it you may grow up into salvation.”

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• 1     From Embers to a Flame: How God Can Revitalize Your Church
• 2     The Leadership Dynamic: A Biblical Model for Raising Effective Leaders

How Then Should We Love?

By Kelly Kapic 10/01/2013

     Has it ever struck you how strange it sounds to be commanded to love? Say you are a devoted Pittsburgh Steelers fan and someone told you to love the Dallas Cowboys. This would not sound like a joyful invitation, but rather a cruel joke. How can I love what I do not even like?

     Scripture does not merely invite us to love God and neighbor; we are commanded to do so. And this is where it gets a bit tricky. How can we be commanded to love? Sometimes in reaction to our culture, which often confuses love with sappy sentimentality, Christians are tempted to let the pendulum swing too far in the other direction. We say things such as “love is not a feeling—it is a commitment.” While I am sympathetic with the concerns of well- meaning Christians, I have to admit that concept of love is depressing if it exhausts one’s definition of love. Commitment is vital, certainly, but is that really all we mean by love? I am happy if my wife is committed to me, but I sure hope she feels something good, too. Marriages based on contractual obligation alone and not nourished by the waters of affection, tenderness, and grace lead us to the cool of winter, not the warmth of spring.

     So how does the commandment to love God and neighbor move beyond mere obligation to being not only a duty but also a delight? Here is the short answer: He loved us first. That changes everything.

     In 1 John, we find ourselves caught in the beautiful and complex web of God’s love and commandments. John reaches a crescendo late in his letter when he declares, “We love because he first loved us” (4:19). This idea is not introduced here, but it is presupposed throughout all that came before. The statement only makes explicit what was previously implicit. Earlier John announced, “This is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another” (3:23). Simply put, the commandment is twofold: first, believe in the name, and second, love others. There is a reason belief and love go together for John.

     To believe “in the name” is not mere cognitive movement, not simply a set of facts agreed upon. To believe in the Sent One is to begin to understand the Sender—God so loved that He sent his Son (4:10). And the love of the Father is what grounds our adoption as sons and daughters (3:1), a promise sealed upon us by His Spirit. To believe in the name is to understand the divine humiliation: the Son condescends, dwells among us, and as the sympathetic High Priest, He experiences the realities of our brokenness and takes to Himself the judgment of the cross. To believe in the name is coming to the point where we realize that He came not because we were so admirable, but because we were so needy. He came out of the overflow of the triune God’s love — a love toward us.

     How can we love others? Because He first loved us. And because He continues to love us. God’s love is a powerful liberator. It frees us from the trap of self-absorption and opens us to the other. Love gives us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hands to extend to our God and neighbor. Love is brave, truthful, and generous. Love loves. But when we try to love without first being soaked in divine love — the love of the name — we easily turn “love” into something ugly. Our endeavors can get twisted into manipulation, consumption, and idolatry.  Christian love can never grow out of mere willpower; it must always find its source and strength in God.

     So what does love look like? “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us” (4:18–19). This is why for John, anyone who is motivated by fear or “hates his brother” is undermining the gospel. To hate your brother or sister, to be a fearmonger, points not to impressive conviction but to a malnourished soul that tries to feast on the carcasses of others. The one who fears and hates may say he “loves” God, but everything points to the absence of the Spirit in him. If there is no love, how could God’s Spirit be present? “Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (4:21).

     When our gaze is drawn to Christ, the fruits of the gospel begin to manifest themselves in our lives. Believing in the name, we are freed from fear by the love of the Father who sent His Son for us. Resting in the name, we are secure in the finished work of Christ. Empowered in the name, we are set free by the Spirit to spread the love of God. We love not merely because we are told to but because God’s love has made us alive and free. We love, because He first loved us. That is the heart of the gospel.

Click here to go to source

• A Little Book for New Theologians: Why and How to Study Theology
• Embodied Hope: A Theological Meditation on Pain and Suffering
• Communion with the Triune God
• Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition (Ivp Pocket Reference)
• God So Loved, He Gave: Entering the Movement of Divine Generosity
• Mapping Modern Theology: A Thematic and Historical Introduction
• Sanctification: Explorations in Theology and Practice
• Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty Isn't the American Dream
• Communion with God: The Divine and the Human in the Theology of John Owen
• Reading Christian Theology in the Protestant Tradition
• The Devoted Life: An Invitation to the Puritan Classics
• A Little Book for New Theologians: Why and How to Study Theology by Kelly M. Kapic (2012-08-03)
• The Ashgate Research Companion to John Owen's Theology (Ashgate Research Companions)
• The Devoted Life: An Invitation to the Puritan Classics

Read The Psalms In "1" Year

Psalm 105

105 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
4 Seek the LORD and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
6 O offspring of Abraham, his servant,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

7 He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as your portion for an inheritance.”

Dragons and Holiness

By Tony Reinke 10/01/2013

     The incredible imaginative power of the human mind connects us. If I mention standing ankle deep in the ocean, many of you can picture this image (and maybe feel the dizziness as you watch the water rush past your feet and back). Or if I mention the feeling of floating free under water in a swimming pool with eyes open, many of you know this feeling, too. Or if I mention the muffled silence that blankets a neighborhood in a thick snowstorm, you can probably imagine it. Thousands of other scenarios we can enjoy together. This is the work of our imagination.

     The imagination is a necessary component for reading fiction books, nonfiction books, and, of course, for reading the Bible. God’s book engages our imaginations by the parables of Jesus, the poetry of the Psalms, the adages of the Proverbs, and, of course, the apocalyptic language of the prophets. But what makes human imagination even more incredible is how we experience in our minds things we did not, have not, or cannot experience ourselves. The book of Revelation is one example.

     In Revelation, we read about the Son of Man dressed in a robe, with a voice like the great falls, and a two-edged sword for a tongue, with a face bright as the sun. Then we see a throne in heaven, surrounded by a rainbow of brilliant color, with lightning and thunder pealing off the throne. On each side of the throne are six-winged angelic creatures in flight, ceaselessly singing, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Rev. 4:8). Bowls are filled with the prayers of the saints. And a Lamb stands as though it had been slain, whose blood makes white.

     Can you see all this in your imagination?

     Then behold the dragons, full of power and rage. A red dragon with seven heads is followed by another beast that has a nasty scar on one of its seven heads and a mouth full of blasphemies calling forth for idolatrous worship on earth. And then there’s another beast that speaks like a dragon, with the power to command fire from heaven. Finally, there’s a scarlet beast on whom rides a woman, the mother of all prostitutes and sexual sin, carrying a cup of sexual immorality.

     Late in the story, one breaks in on a white horse. The rider’s name is Faithful and True, and the Word of God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He makes war. Under His crown blaze eyes like a furnace. His robe drips with blood, and from His mouth He bears a sword to strike down beasts and rebels. He treads the winepress of God’s fury. The images of Christ permeate the book.

     So why all this imagery?

     Imagination is what one theologian calls “the power of synoptic vision” (Vanhoozer). It allows us to order the world, and to see things collected together as opposed to the fragmented way we typically perceive the world. Dragons embody evil. He who is called Faithful and True embodies holiness and justice. Revelation engages our imaginations until we see reality through radical images, images that push us past the dominant worldly ideologies we simply assume and naturally ingest daily just like the air we breathe.

     The images in Revelation expose us to the world again, but they stun us in new and shocking ways. They break into our imaginations (sometimes with violence), but they also give to us new and alien ways of looking at the world that enable us to transcend our loud cultural environment. This cultural transcendence is possible because God has given us imaginations. Revelation works to purge and refurbish those imaginations, providing us with a profoundly fresh theological angle on the world that we have grown comfortable with. Here in Revelation, our imaginations are engaged to see the evil in this world, not as a scattered random acts of evil, but as a collective whole. By collecting the evil, we see the superiority of Christ over all. And we see that all victories of Christ over evil are tied directly to his death.

     How do we respond to such imaginative literature? We read and heed. This is called forth at the beginning and end of the book (1:3; 22:7). Through the imagination, we are called to wake up and to put off lukewarmness. Revelation invites us to see ultimate reality through our imaginations in breathtaking, earth-scorching, mind-stretching, sin-defeating, dragon-slaying, Christ-centered, God-glorifying images intended to change the way we think, act, and speak.

     Irrespective of the literal meaning of these imaginative dramas in Revelation, and irrespective of their literal timing and prophetic fulfillment, they remind us in stark images that the times are too evil and time is too short for us to slumber lazily. Our imaginations are stretched, awakened, and shocked from spiritual lethargy. Such is the life-altering power of imaginative imagery for those perceptive readers who understand our desperate need to see dragons.

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     Tony Reinke is senior writer for Desiring God and author of three books. He hosts the Ask Pastor John podcast and lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and three children.

• 1     12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You
• 2     Newton on the Christian Life: To Live Is Christ
• 3     Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books
• 4     The Joy Project: A True Story of Inescapable Happiness

The Fear of the Lord

By Ray Ortlund 10/01/2013

     “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). If that is so, and it is, then the fear of the Lord is never to be feared. This fear is not a barrier to growth but a breakthrough to growth and eternal fulfillment. But the word fear needs clarification, doesn’t it? After all, doesn’t the Bible say, “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18)? Yes. So, there must be two kinds of fear.

     One kind of fear is the fear that shrinks from the Lord in dread, that cowers from Him and turns away from Him in terror, as if He were our problem. That kind of fear is pagan, not Christian. It has nothing to do with glorifying and enjoying God. It is suspicion and resentment toward God. The gospel does not create this fear in our hearts. The gospel shows us the glory of God’s grace in Christ, and lifts us up, assured and fearless, to face life boldly as men and women of eternal destiny.

     If you are not in Christ, you fear the Lord in all the wrong ways, and you don’t fear Him enough. The Bible tells you that you are facing “a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries” (Heb. 10:27). If you are not in Christ, you are God’s adversary, headed toward judgment, and you fully deserve it. But He is freely offering you Christ as your shelter.

     You need shelter for many reasons. Here’s just one: without Christ, you are all you have. Arthur Allen Leff of Yale Law School, a brilliant unbeliever, put it bluntly: “It looks as if we are all we have. Given what we know about ourselves, and each other, this is an extraordinarily unappetizing prospect; looking around the world, it appears that, if all men are brothers, the ruling model is Cain and Abel. Neither reason, nor love, nor even terror, seems to have worked to make us ‘good,’ and worse than that, there is no reason why anything should.” If you are not in Christ, you are all you have. That is something to fear. But Christ is a shelter for people who are in deeper trouble than they even know. Turn to Him. Turn to Him now. He will receive you.

     Here is the other kind of fear: “The fear of the Lord [as] the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). This is a new attitude of openness to God, created by His love. If you are in Christ, His perfect love is casting out your fear of judgment. The Bible says, “Fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:18-19). The punishment fell on our Substitute at the cross. We have received Him with the empty hands of faith. We are under God’s love now. The gospel frees us from the fear that God will, in the end, condemn us anyway. Nothing will ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

     For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:38–39).

     We believe that, and we love Him.

     So, we fear the Lord in a new way. We fear that we might grieve the One who loves us so. This wholesome fear, the Bible says, is a teachable humility (Prov. 15:33). It is total openness to doing God’s will (Gen. 22:12). It is repentance, turning away from evil (Job 28:28). It translates into simple, practical obedience to God’s Word.

     The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man (Eccl. 12:13).

     The fear of the Lord is another way of describing trust in the Lord. But the word fear adds connotations of reverence and awe. The fear of the Lord is the opposite of a glib shallowness. This humility doesn’t mind total dependence on the Lord. In fact, the fear of the Lord is psychologically compatible with “the comfort of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:31). It is a new sense of reality with the living God (Acts 2:43; 5:11; 19:17), rescuing us from a merely theoretical faith. This fear is sweet, keeping us close to the Lord.

     The fear of the Lord gains in appeal as we agree with C.S. Lewis that “in God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself.” If we think we can live a single day of our lives without staying low before the Lord, yielding to His superior wisdom and drawing upon His endless provision moment by moment, we are deceiving ourselves, no matter how brilliant we may be.

      But as soon as we accept that we are not the measure but the measured, we are not the givers but the recipients,  and that Jesus Christ is the universe’s greatest expert in all things human, we embark on a wonderful new journey. We are free to grow and change.

     The fear of the Lord is the beginning of this wisdom.

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By John Walvoord (1990)

Major Divine Judgments

1. Judgment on Christ at the cross ( John 1:29; Acts 20:28; Rom. 3:23–26; 5:9; 1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:15, 21; Gal. 1:4; Titus 2:14 ).
2. Contemporary judgment on believers’ sins ( 1 Cor. 11:29–32; Heb. 12:5–6; 1 Peter 4:14–15; 1 John 1:9 ).
3. The judgment seat of Christ ( Rom. 14:10–12; 1 Cor. 3:11–15; 9:24–27; 2 Cor. 5:10; Eph. 6:8 ).
4. The judgment of Israel ( Ezek. 20:33–38; Matt. 24:42–51; 25:1–30 ).
5. The judgment of the nations ( Matt. 25:31–46; Rev. 18:1–24; 19:17–19, 21; 20:7–9 ).
6. The judgment of Satan and fallen angels ( Matt. 25:41; John 16:11; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Rev. 12:7–9; 20:1–3, 7–10 ).
7. The judgment of the great white throne ( Rev. 20:11–15 )

Prophecy In The Epistle To The Galatians

     Paul’s epistle to the  Galatians deals largely with the question of legalism as it relates to salvation and as it relates to sanctification. Accordingly, prophetic revelation was not part of the revelation of this book.

     However, because our life stretches on from time to eternity, it is impossible to have a correct view of life without a view of its culmination. Paul brought this to our attention in  Galatians 6:7–10. In this passage he stated the law of the sower, that is, that what is sown determines what is reaped. Accordingly, one who lives in keeping with the sin nature will reap the judgment of God.

Galatians 6:7–10 (ESV) 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

     On the other hand, one who sows to please the Spirit will inherit eternal life (v.  8 ). Paul was not saying that good works are rewarded by eternal life, but rather that those who have good works demonstrate that they have eternal life and will reap its benefits. Accordingly, he exhorted the Galatians, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (v.  9 ).

     God allows what we sow to bring forth its harvest, whether good or evil. To some extent, God, however, intervenes in grace, and He does not always allow that which we have done wrong to have its inevitable judgment because He is dealing with us in grace based on our faith in Jesus Christ. It is obvious, however, that even under the grace of God, a Christian does not inherit a crop he has not sown. The harvest may not be in this life; it may be in the life to come at the judgment seat of Christ. On this basis, Paul continued with his exhortation, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers” (v.  10 ).

Prophecy In The Epistle To The Ephesians

     1 Corinthians 15:20–28. History records that Jesus died and that He rose again. As such, He is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (v.  20 ). Though others have been restored to life in both the Old and New Testaments, it may be assumed that they died again and returned to the grave. In Christ, a new order began with Christ receiving the body that will last for eternity. Because He has received a resurrection body, those who are raised after Him may also receive a similar body and will not die again. Dorcas, however, was merely restored to this life ( Acts 9:36–42 ). It was proper for Christ to die and be resurrected first and then for others in their proper order to be resurrected ( 1 Cor. 15:22–23 ).

1 Corinthians 15:20–28 (ESV) 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

     When human history has run its course and the millennial kingdom has been fulfilled, the final judgment on the wicked ( Rev. 20:11–15 ) will take place, when Christ will be able to present the conquered world to God the Father. “Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power” ( 1 Cor. 15:24 ). In some sense, God’s kingdom will continue forever as God necessarily directs His entire rule over creation.

The Prophecy that All Things Will Be Brought under Christ

     The epistle to the  Ephesians primarily concerns God’s purpose for the church, a new line of truth not revealed in the Old Testament. Accordingly, prophecy is somewhat incidental to the revelation of the epistle, but as is always the case, it has a natural climax to what is experienced in this life.

The Prophecy that All Things Will Be Brought under Christ

     Ephesians 1:9–10. Paul revealed that it is an important part of God’s ultimate purpose to bring all things under Christ. Paul referred to the riches of God’s grace (vv.  7–8 ), and then stated, “And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment — to bring all things in heaven and on earth under one head, even Christ” (vv.  9–10 ).

Ephesians 1:9–10 (ESV) 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

     Accordingly, Christ will be recognized as the inheritor of the Davidic throne and King over Israel. He will also be recognized as Head over the church, and all things will be placed in subjection under Him. As the revelation that follows makes clear, Christians also will form part of this, having been predestined to share in this consummation of the mystery, God’s revelation concerning the church.

The Prophecy of Our Inheritance

     Ephesians 1:13–14. Because the church is a part of this grand purpose of God, believers have, as Paul stated, “heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” (v.  13 ). As a part of our salvation also, we received the Holy Spirit as God’s seal, or token, of ownership: “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of his glory” (vv.  13–14 ).

     A part of the certainty of God’s purpose being fulfilled in Christ, accordingly, is the presence of the Holy Spirit now and because of His presence as God’s seal, our ultimate redemption. The redemption mentioned refers specifically to the resurrection of the body ( Rom. 8:23 ), which includes all the dramatic transformation that will come in resurrection, or translation, for a Christian when he will receive a new body, will be delivered completely from sin, and will be equipped to serve the Lord throughout all eternity.

Ephesians 1:13–14 (ESV) 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Romans 8:23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Prophecy of the Glorious Inheritance of the Saints

      Ephesians 1:18–19. In keeping with the revelation given in previous verses, Paul went on to speak of his prayer for the Ephesians that they may know something of the wonderful riches that will be theirs in their inheritance in Christ: “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe” (vv.  18–19 ).

     The salvation of a Christian has with it many tokens of the future, including the indwelling Holy Spirit, which is a seal unto the day of redemption, a new nature desiring the things of God, and new experiences as God works in the life of the believer to sanctify and make him useful in His service. All of these, however, are tokens of that which is yet ahead, which is far greater, and which Paul referred to as “the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (v.  18 ).

     The point is that when a Christian’s salvation is completed in heaven, he will be an illustration of the grace of God and the power of His resurrection. Accordingly, he will be glorious — that is, he will reflect the infinite perfections of God’s handiwork. To some extent, this power of resurrection is experienced in this life, but its consummation will be complete in its transformation of a believer into the image of Christ.

Prophecy of the Grace Revealed in the Church

      Ephesians 2:7. In keeping with the wonderful fact that Jesus Christ will be seated in the heavenly realms, Christians will share His glory, and the purpose of this is that they manifest God’s infinite grace “in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (v.  7 ). Angels do not know experientially anything about the grace of God, though they observe how God works in the human race. Though all saints of all ages are a display of the grace of God, the church is especially selective. According to this Scripture, Christians will manifest the great riches of this grace. If anyone wants to know the grace of God, he should consider the state of a Christian in heaven made complete and perfect in the presence of God. All of this is grace, not human attainment.

Prophecy of the Holy Spirit as a Seal of Our Redemption

     Ephesians 4:30. In keeping with  1:13–14, Paul used the argument of a Christian being sealed unto the day of redemption, that is, his resurrection and perfection, as an argument why he should not grieve or sin in the presence of the Holy Spirit. As an important warning related to the spiritual life, Christians are exhorted not to grieve the Spirit: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (v.  30 ).

     The presence of the Holy Spirit is God’s assurance that His purpose in grace for the church will be fulfilled completely. On that basis, Christians should be yielded to God and not allow sin in their lives that would grieve the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Sin that grieves the Holy Spirit is sin that should be confessed and straightened out in keeping with the promise of  1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” The important reality of maintaining unbroken fellowship with God requires that sin be faced, confessed, and dealt with as soon as it is known by an individual Christian.

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Every Prophecy of the Bible: Clear Explanations for Uncertain Times

The Coming of the Kingdom part 31

By Dr. Andrew Woods 02/17/2015

We began scrutinizing New Testament texts that "kingdom now" theologians employ in an attempt to argue that the kingdom is a present reality to show that none of these passages teach a present, spiritual form of the kingdom. We have examined the typical texts from both the Gospels and  Acts used by "kingdom now" theologians. We now briefly turn our attention to the Pauline Epistles.

The Kingdom In Thessalonians And Corinthians

Kingdom now theologians employ  1 Thessalonians 2:12: "So that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory." This verse, in actuality, teaches a future manifestation of the kingdom rather than a present one. E.R. Craven focuses on the last word "glory" in interpreting the earlier word "kingdom." He explains, "The preposition in the Greek is eis. But since believers on earth are not yet in glory, the whole expression is manifestly proleptical,  ( proleptical - a rhetorical device by which objections are anticipated and answered in advance ) and the E. V. gives the translation, unto." [1]

Another verse employed by kingdom now theologians is  1 Corinthians 4:20: "For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power." However, the context argues for a futuristic understanding of the word "kingdom" here. Toussaint observes, "There is no verb in the Greek text, so it must be supplied. That Paul is anticipating the future is seen in verse five and eight of the same chapter." [2] McClain adds, "To interpret  1 Corinthians 4:20 as a present kingdom of the saints would make Paul contradict what he had already written in verses five and eight." [3] Furthermore, the word "power" (dynamis) in verse  20 is used in a futuristic sense in  Hebrews 6:5, which says, "and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come." McClain observes, "The same Greek term is used to describe the great public miracles which, according to  Hebrews 6:5, belong to 'the age to come, i.e.,' the Kingdom age." [4] Also, all the other references to "kingdom" are futuristic in this letter ( 1 Cor. 6:9-10; 15:24, 50 ). Thus, the idea here is that knowledge of the future influences one's behavior in the present ( 2 Pet. 3:11 ). Thus, "Paul's ministry could demonstrate the authority of that future kingdom." [5]

1 Corinthians 4:20 (ESV) 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

Hebrews 6:5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,

1 Corinthians 6:9–10 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 15:24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

1 Corinthians 15:50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

2 Peter 3:11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,

Kingdom now theologians also employ  1 Corinthians 15:24, which says, "then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power." However, because the context of the passage pertains to the future resurrection and "the end," the kingdom's establishment must transpire in the distant future. McClain explains:

The time of the Kingdom may be ascertained from the main subject matter of the context, which is resurrection. Every man must be raised from the dead, we are told, but each in his own order...This threefold order of resurrection fits the eschatological system of the New Testament; first the resurrection of Christ Himself; second, the resurrection of His saints at the Second Advent ( 1 Thess. 4:13-18 ); third, the resurrection of the unsaved at the "end" (cf.  Rev. 20:11-15 ). Since the Kingdom is to be established at the second coming of Christ, and it is to be delivered up to the Father at the "end," the period of the kingdom must be located in the future between the two resurrections, as also indicated clearly in  Revelation 20. [6]

For The Kingdom Of God Is Not Eating And Drinking

Romans 14:17 says, "for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Kingdom now theologians frequently use this verse to speak of the present and spiritual reality of the kingdom. Historic premillennialist George Ladd writes,

The Word of God does say that the Kingdom of God is a present spiritual reality. "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" ( Rom. 14:17 ). Righteousness and peace and joy are fruits of the Spirit which God bestows now upon those who yield their lives to the rule of the Spirit. They have to do with the deepest springs of the spiritual life, and this, says the inspired apostle, is the Kingdom of God...The Kingdom is a present reality...It is an inner spiritual redemptive blessing ( Rom. 14:17 ) which can be experienced only by way of the new birth... [7]

Some kingdom now theologians go even further than Ladd and use this text to convey the idea that we should not be looking for a coming kingdom with physical characteristics such as eating and drinking. Rather, the kingdom is entirely spiritual and a present reality. However,  Romans 14:17 does not deny an earthly kingdom. The kingdom will very clearly be a time of banqueting and feasting. Jesus said in  Matthew 8:11 of the kingdom: "I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." In fact,  Romans 14:17 simply says that believers should not emphasize the physical aspect of the kingdom at the exclusion of its spiritual components.

Promoting emphasis rather than exclusion is a common way of communicating in Scripture. Toussaint explains, "It was common for the Jews to say 'not...but' and simply mean that the emphasis is not this but that." [8] For example, when  Hosea 6:6 says, "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice," the prophet was not calling for sacrifices to cease in order to pursue mercy.  Hosea is simply saying sacrifices should not be emphasized at the expense of mercy. Similarly, the exhortation regarding not laying up treasure ( Matt. 6:19-20 ) does not mean that Christians should not have bank accounts. Rather, it is a question of emphasis. Instead of emphasizing money, believers should emphasize spiritual priorities. Just so, the exhortation regarding jewelry ( 1 Pet. 3:3-4 ) does not mean that women should never wear jewelry. Rather it is a question of emphasis.

Instead of emphasizing outward beauty, women should emphasize inward beauty ( 1 Pet. 3:6; Prov. 31:30 ). In addition, in the previously discussed verse,  1 Corinthians 4:20 ("For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power"), it does not say that words or speech will be absent from the kingdom. Speech will obviously be present in the kingdom as  Zechariah 8:23 predicts, "In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'" His words are a matter of emphasis. In other words, instead of excluding speech, the kingdom will also be emphasized by power in addition to speech. When understood in this light,  Romans 14:17 does not deny or exclude the physical component in the coming kingdom. Instead, the verse simply highlights or emphasizes the fact that the coming kingdom will emphasize a spiritual component as well. [9] In other words, "in that coming kingdom the emphasis will not be on food but on spiritual realities." [10]

Furthermore, although "is" (estin) is in the present tense in  Romans 14:17, this verse is not communicating that the kingdom is a present reality. It is possible to interpret  Romans 14:17 along the lines of a dejure (legal), defacto (factual) distinction. While believers are legally heirs of God’s coming kingdom, the kingdom is not yet a factual reality upon the earth. We find the same dejure/defacto distinction in Paul's other letters. For example, in  Philippians, believers are called citizens of heaven ( Philip. 3:20 ). In  Ephesians, believers are said to be seated with Christ in the heavenly places ( Eph. 2:6 ). This heavenly position represents the legal standing of the believer. Yet believers are not factually in heaven now. This same dejure/defacto distinction is likely present in  Romans 14:17 regarding the kingdom. Thus, all  Romans 14:17 teaches is that believers are citizens of the earthly kingdom to come rather than present, factual residents in the earthly, Davidic kingdom yet to come.

This future kingdom idea seems to be in view in this passage since the context deals with the future judgment of rewards for the believer ( Rom. 14:10-12 ). This futuristic understanding of the kingdom in this verse does not mean that the concept is inapplicable in the present since knowledge of the future always affects one's behavior in the present.  Second Peter 3:11 says, "Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness." Toussaint notes, "In that coming kingdom the emphasis will not be on food but on spiritual realities. If that will be true in the future, the Christian's present conduct should reflect it. The future does influence the present (cf.  2 Peter 3:11 )." [11] McClain further explains how this futuristic interpretation of  Romans 14:17 still allows a present application to the church:

The thought here fits a future Kingdom better than a present one. For surely in the present life no one can deny the importance of meat and drink; but so far as the Church is concerned in the future kingdom these things will be of no consequence. Therefore since the church is to reign in the Kingdom, its members should not judge or grieve one another in such matters here and now (cf. vss.  13-21 ). All disputes of this nature should be left for the 'judgment seat of Christ,' which will inaugurate His Kingdom upon the earth (vs.  10 ). [12]

ENDNOTES

The Continual Burnt Offering (Romans 12:1)

By H.A. Ironside - 1941

September 21

Psalm 94:9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
  ESV

Laid on Thine altar, O my Lord divine,
Accept my will this day, for Jesus’ sake,
I have no jewels to adorn Thy shrine,
Nor any world-proud sacrifice to make;
But here I bring within my trembling hand
This will of mine—a thing that seemeth small,
And Thou alone, O God, canst understand
How when I yield Thee this I yield Thee all.