Why study the Biblical subject, the Kingdom of God? Many scholars believe that the kingdom of God is the central theme of the Scriptures. God’s kingdom is seen from the first chapter of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation. One major study of the kingdom of God suggests that it is so grand in its scope that it embraces all other themes.

God’s kingdom thus has within it all of the covenants of God, God’s sovereign promises and plans for His creation. This includes the role of His chosen people Israel, salvation, the future messianic rule of Christ on the earth and the eternal state. To say that the kingdom of God is the central theme of the Scriptures does not indicate that it is the grand purpose or reason why God created the heavens and the earth. The Scriptures reveal that God’s creative acts were ultimately and exclusively for His glory. The Seraphim who stood in the temple with Lord in Isaiah’s vision, recorded in Isaiah chapter six, exclaimed, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah 6:3. In a later passage Isaiah stated, “everyone who is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yes, whom I have made.” Isaiah 43:7. See also Numbers 14:21. King David exclaimed, “the heavens declare the glory of God, Psalm 19:1. See also Psalm 8:1; 97:6; and 108:5; 113:4; and 148:13, (above bolding intentional).

God’s image-bearers, humans, not only were charged to fill and subdue the earth and rule over it, but they also exist to display and declare His glory to all creation. See selected verses (not an exhaustive list):1 Chronicles 16:24, 28, 29; Psalm 29:1-2; 57:5, 11; 71:8; 72:19; 96:3; 102:15; 138:5; 145:10-13; Isaiah 40:5; 42:12; 59:19; 66:18-19; Jeremiah 4:2; Ezekiel 3:12; Daniel 7:14; Habakkuk 2:14; Matthew 6:13; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 1:31; 10:31; 2 Corinthians 4:15; 10:17; Philippians 2:11; 1 Peter 4:11; Revelation 4:11; 5:12-13; 14:7; 19:1, and 7.

Many Biblical scholars have identified at least two distinguishable components of God’s majestic kingdom that are revealed in the Scriptures. (1) The first component is God’s universal rule of all of His creation over which He is identified as a King. (2) The second component is referred to as the “mediatorial kingdom” over which God has placed a mediator to superintend and rule God’s creation upon earth as God’s divinely appointed representative. This “so called” mediatorial kingdom has within it two segments of rule. The first segment is the rulership by humans who, from the time of the rebellious and sinful acts of Adam and Eve, rule with unrighteous and unjust hearts. The second segment of the mediatorial kingdom is a rulership by the Son of God, the Messiah who will reign on the earth in perfect righteousness and justice. This brief study on the Kingdom of God will assist the student of the Scriptures in the accurate identification and proper understanding of these components of the kingdom of God.

1. The Majestic (Universal) Kingdom

Many Scriptures clearly identify God as the “King” of His creation. For example, Psalm 22:28 states, “For the kingdom is the LORD’s and He rules over the nations.” (NKJV). Psalm 45:6 declares, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of fairness (righteousness) is the scepter of your kingdom.” And Psalm 47:2 proclaims, “For the LORD Most High is awesome; he is a great King over all the earth.” King David gave praise to God as recorded in Psalm 145:10-13, “¹⁰ All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and your faithful ones will praise you. ¹¹ They will proclaim the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power; ¹² to make known to the sons of men his mighty deeds, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. ¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your rule endures through all generations.”

Isaiah declared in 44:6, “This is what the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts says, I am the first, and I am the last; besides me there is no other God.” Jeremiah in 10:10 stated, “But the LORD is the true God. He is the living God and everlasting King.”  Both John (the Baptist) and Jesus began their itinerate ministries with proclaiming, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 3:2 and 4:17. John and Jesus did not need to explain the meaning of the “kingdom of heaven” for their audience would have clearly understood its meaning as it is described in the Old Testament. The last two verses of the Book of Acts states that Paul, “stayed two whole years in his own rented dwelling, and welcomed all who came to visit him, proclaiming the kingdom of God, and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness without any restriction.” Acts 28:30-31. These are just a few of the great number of passages in the Scriptures that attest to the presence of God’s universal kingdom over which He reigns as King.

Aspects of God’s Majestic (Universal) Kingdom

First, it is ruled by God. There is no one greater, more exalted, deserving, glorified, powerful (or any other of a multitude of descriptive words that could apply) than the awesome Creator of the universe. God created it and He rules it!  King Hezekiah of Judah, in his prayer to God declared, “O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, who sits enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made heaven and earth.” Isaiah 37:16. See also Psalm 47:8; 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1; and 146:10.

Second, it is a kingdom that is universal in its scope and sphere of influence. As God is its ruler, wherever He exists, and is present, there also is His majestic rulership evident. It is impossible to separate God from His role as King over his kingdom. God’s kingdom and thus God’s reign extends and exists beyond mankind’s feeble imagination to comprehend its limits as it has no limits or boundaries. Everything and everyone including all created beings, even Satan must submit to the rule of God over His kingdom. Nothing is permissible unless God ordains it. Nothing escapes His oversight. No event surprises God or takes Him unawares. God’s plans and designs for His kingdom will unfold exactly be completed as He has purposed and ordained.

Third, it has a throne from which God rules. It must be remembered that God is spirit, John 4:24 and to human eyes is invisible, 1 Timothy 1:17. The perception of Scripture of God sitting on a throne must be understood as a theophany, which is an appearance of God in a manner than humans can perceive. Isaiah for example “saw” God in a vision. “In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple.” Isaiah 6:1. It is significant that Isaiah “saw” God sitting upon a throne to authenticate His role as King and Ruler over His creation. The prophet Daniel, Daniel 7:9-10 had a similar vision of God sitting on a throne, as did the Apostle John, Revelation 4:2.

Fourth, it is an everlasting kingdom, Psalm 145:13, existing now and will continue forever with God reigning on His throne in heaven, Revelation 21:5. It could be argued that God’s kingdom has always existed in eternity past. Moses, as recorded in Psalm 90:2, stated, “from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.” God has always existed, and He is King over His creation forever. There will never be a time when He will not reign as King over His creation.

Fifth, God’s rule over His universal kingdom superintends and oversees those who rule as mediators upon the earth. This included rulership over those kings of Judah and Israel who ruled from the days of Saul to the time that the army of Babylon conquered Jerusalem. It includes rulership over any king, president, prime minister, dictator, or any ruler at any time upon the earth, in the past, in the present and in the future. It will also include the superintendence and oversight of the messianic kingdom when God’s Son, the Messiah will rule upon the earth, sitting on the physical throne of David for a thousand years, following His second advent to the earth.

2. The Mediatorial Kingdom

The second component of God’s kingdom revealed in the Scriptures is what some Biblical scholars designate as the “mediatorial kingdom.” It is not that there are two differing kingdoms with competing spheres of influence and purposes. There is in reality only one ruler, the eternal God who is King and sovereign over all things who has elected to rule on the earth through a human regent or mediator. See Alva J. McClain, The Greatness of the Kingdom, pages 41 and following. This decree of God to have a representative ruling on earth began on the sixth day of creation, where He gave mankind the mandate to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue (rule over) the earth, Genesis 1:28 and Psalm 8:6-8.

One major promise of God’s covenant with Abraham was that kings would come from him, Genesis 17:6. This was a reference to the line of Abraham, the Hebrew people, that would extend for generations to come and from whom God would appoint kings to rule over them. Thus, beginning with Saul and extending to the days when Babylon conquered and destroyed Jerusalem, the children of Abraham had a mediatorial king rule over them. Three kings ruled first for 120 years (Saul, David and Solomon) over a united Israel. Then several kings ruled for a period of several hundred years over two distinct “kingdoms,” Israel to the north and Judah in the south.  There is also a possibility that the reference to “king in Jeshurun” in Deuteronomy 33:5 refers to Moses. See note by John MacArthur on this verse, John MacArthur Study Bible, NASB, page 295.

From the day humans were created, God’s instructions for them included a role of mediatorial rulership over the earth. The apex of this rulership is God’s covenant with David which included the promise that David’s house and kingdom and throne would endure forever, 2 Samuel 7:16. David’s greatest descendant, a Son who would be born (given to us) would rule (His government) on the throne of David and over his kingdom forever. See Isaiah 9:6-7 and Luke 1:31-33. This greater “Son” is the promised Messiah who when He returns to earth following the days of the tribulation will set up a kingdom in which He will rule the earth as He sits upon the throne of David on Mount Zion. That which previous “kings’ could not do, which is to rule with perfect righteousness and justice, this greater Son will accomplish.

This Son will fulfill all that God intended for His regents (mediators) to accomplish. Sinful and rebellious human mediators failed to fulfill God’s role for them on the earth. Thus, God provided His unique and divine solution, in that a human would be born from the lineage of Abraham and David who could perfectly fulfill God’s purposes for a mediatorial to represent Him as ruler on the earth. This human, a son, was also God, Jesus Christ, John 1:1, 14, who now sits at God’s right hand on God’s throne in heaven and will one day sit on the throne of David on the earth, and will rule the earth for a thousand years, Revelation 20:1-6.

Aspects of the Mediatorial Kingdom

(1) First, it was in the past and is now “ruled” by sinful and rebellious human mediators. God’s mandate for humans is to be fruitful, multiply, fill and subdue (rule) the earth. Genesis 1:28, Psalm 8:6-8. This mandate has not been revoked. God’s image bearers are imperfect, unrighteous and often have little or no concern for their gracious, merciful and very patient Creator. The kings of Israel and the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah were also sinful and rebellious against God.

The present days, which began from the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. are called the “time of the Gentiles,” Luke 21:24, because from that time, the people of Israel have been “ruled” by Gentile nations which will continue until the time of the Gentiles have been fulfilled. The prophet Daniel received revelation from God about the end of the domination of God’s covenant people by Gentile nations. This end will come when God establishes an everlasting kingdom that will destroy the Gentile kingdoms, Daniel 2:36-45. This kingdom God will establish will be the messianic kingdom, ruled by the Messiah.

A brief discussion on Christ as ruler “now” and Israel’s current status as a nation is necessary. Many conservative and evangelical Biblical scholars hold to the view that although Christ is not reigning over His kingdom upon an earthly throne, He nonetheless is “ruling” while sitting upon the Davidic throne in heaven as He sits at the right hand of His father in heaven. This viewpoint is often referred to as the “already/not yet” aspect of the mediatorial kingdom. See Craig A. Blaising and Darrell L. Bock, Progressive Dispensationalism, Baker Academic, 2009.  The members of the body of Christ, the Church therefore, receive the blessings of this heavenly rule by their Savior, Jesus Christ. To enhance this viewpoint, the Church is also often understood to be a spiritual nation which completes the requirements of a proper kingdom, which has a King who has the divine right to rule, a throne, and a kingdom (nation).

Other conservative and evangelical Biblical scholars strongly disagree with this viewpoint. One of these scholars is Andrew M. Woods who defends the view that Christ’s rule over His kingdom is still in the future and will only be realized when Christ returns to the earth and only then will He sit on the Davidic throne. Christ currently, according to Woods, sits at the right side of His Father upon the Father’s throne. Woods also defends the viewpoint that the Church is not a kingdom or nation and emphatically claims that the Church has not replaced Israel as a nation and thus does not receive the benefits and promises promised to Israel stated in the Old Testament. See Andrew M Woods, The Coming Kingdom, What Is the Kingdom and How Is Kingdom Now Theology Changing the Focus of the Church? Gospel Grace Press, 2016. Others, such as Michael J. Vlach have a modified viewpoint, in that Vlach defends the truth that the Church has not replaced Israel but allows for some spiritual benefits of Christ’s rulership to accrue to the Church as Christ is understood to be “ruling” over His kingdom from heaven although the earthly aspect of His kingdom will not be realized until He returns to earth and rules on the Davidic throne which will be set up in Mount Zion/Jerusalem. See Michael J. Vlach, He will Reign Forever: A Biblical Theology of the Kingdom of God, Lampion Press, 2017.

The current status of Israel may also cause some to consider that the “times of the Gentiles” has been fulfilled in that Israel is not under the domination or nor is being “ruled’ by a Gentile nation. The clear teaching of Daniel 2:36-45 is that the Gentile nations will be destroyed by a kingdom that God will set up. Some understand that this kingdom was inaugurated at the time of Christ’s first advent and thus the process of destroying the Gentile nations began at that time and will be fully realized when Christ returns to the earth to establish His dominance of the earth’s kingdoms over which He will rule from His throne in Jerusalem/Mount Zion.

Others understand that even though Israel exists as a nation, it is a nation of unbelievers in the Messiah and thus it is not functioning as God’s covenant people who are responding in faith and obedience to the Messiah. The current status of Israel may have some application to the “dry bones” prophecy of Ezekiel chapter 37 in which the people of Israel have the “bones” of a people but have not yet received the Spirit of God within them, Ezekiel 37:14. However, this passage in Ezekiel is best applied to the gathering of Israelites from the nations which will occur during the days of the tribulation just prior to the return of the Messiah to the earth to establish His kingdom. The statement of God in Ezekiel 37:14 also directly applies to the “Spirit” promises of the Davidic Covenant, as stated in Ezekiel 36:27.

(2) Second, it will be ruled by a righteous and divine mediator who will rule on the earth. God’s intention for a regent to superintend and rule over the earth as His representative will be most righteously realized in the rule of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, when Christ returns at the conclusion of the days of the tribulation to establish a just and peaceful kingdom. Christ can fulfill this mandate because He lived as a human and was the only human who righteously fulfilled the law of God. Christ also was the perfect lamb who was killed as an atoning sacrifice, taking upon Himself the sins of mankind, one time for all people. Therefore, Christ is the perfect “representative” to rule the earth as God intended. This rule by Christ has not yet occurred and will be evident upon His return to the earth to establish His kingdom.

(3) Third, the mediatorial kingdom began at the sixth day of creation. It did not exist before this time. As a component of God’s Majestic (universal) rule over His creation, the mediatorial kingdom had a definite beginning on the sixth day of creation as stated in Genesis 1:28. It has not yet been concluded but will have a “ceremonial” fulfillment when Christ will deliver (give to) the kingdom to the Father, 1 Corinthians 15:24-28. Thus, the purposes for the mediatorial kingdom will be fulfilled in that all enemies will have been defeated. This defeat will happen at the end of the thousand-year messianic kingdom as stated in Revelation 20:7-10.

(4) Fourth, it involves a promise of a house, kingdom and throne that would be everlasting. The mediatorial kingdom is intertwined with the Davidic Covenant and aspects of this covenant: (house and David’s line), (kingdom and land), and (throne of David) all apply to the governance of the kingdom. These aspects will transition into the eternal state as Christ will forever rule on the Davidic throne, representing the house of David and David’s kingdom. The mediatorial kingdom is also intertwined with the Abrahamic and New Covenants of which the promises of these covenants are everlasting and will also transition into the eternal state. The passage in 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 refers to the end of the earthly domain of the mediatorial kingdom but not its existence. Christ will continue to rule forever along with His Father in the eternal state.

(5) Fifth, the plans of God involving His covenant people, Israel will be fulfilled during the messianic kingdom stage of this mediatorial rule. As Biblical revelation unfolds from Genesis to Revelation, it is evident that one major pillar of the mediatorial kingdom involves God’s covenant people Israel. God told Moses to tell these people that “if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant then you will be my special possession from among all peoples.  For although all the earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”  Exodus 19:5-6. The Scriptures reveal God’s unique relationship and plans for His covenant people and the responsibilities they have in the spiritual administration of the mediatorial kingdom. They were to be a kingdom of priests bearing witness of God’s greatness and salvation to all nations. However, instead of righteously proclaiming God to the nations, they profaned His name, Exodus 36:20-23. God’s solution for these sinful acts of His covenant people is to cleanse them, put new hearts in them and give them His Spirit, Ezekiel 36:25-27. In the future days of the messianic kingdom, they will fulfil their role as priests to the nations, Isaiah 61:6 and 66:21.

(6) Sixth, all nations of the earth are being blessed spiritually through the mediatorial ministry of the “Son” and will be blessed as God fully intended them both spiritually and physically during the messianic kingdom stage of this mediatorial rule. Jesus Christ, as Abraham’s and David’s greater son, has blessed all nations through His sacrificial atoning sacrifice. He also is blessing the nations, including Israel through His mediatorial role as an advocate and providing cleansing and forgiveness of sins, Acts 5:31; 1 John 1:7-9; and 2:1.  During the days of His future messianic kingdom, Christ will be present on earth to bless the nations with health and peace and the nations will worship Him. See Isaiah chapters 60-66 and Zechariah chapter 14:16-21.

3. The Messianic Kingdom

The millennial or messianic kingdom is a future extension of the mediatorial kingdom which is governed by the divine rule of the universal majestic kingdom of God. There are not two or three separate “kingdoms” having competing spheres of influence. The kingdom of God is one kingdom with at least two components, (1) the majestic kingdom, which is universal and governing all things by God and (2) the mediatorial kingdom on the earth which is “ruled” by God’s appointed mediators, humans, who are His image bearers. God’s image bearers have been unrighteous and unjust in their administration of the mediatorial kingdom. However, God has lovingly and graciously given His one unique Son to be the one, who through His sacrificial atoning sacrifice and resurrection, has the divine right to rule over this mediatorial kingdom at the exact time of God’s choosing. This rule by the Son of God will be on earth in the future. Many Biblical passages attest to the literal reality of this earthly future kingdom, including its: reason (necessity), ruler, realm, and residents. These aspects of the messianic kingdom will be briefly examined below. The following description of the Messianic kingdom is an overview only and is not intended as an extensive or exhaustive study. Refer to the resources section of this brief essay on the Kingdom for an extensive study of the Messianic Kingdom.

It is necessary to biblically define the messianic kingdom before individual aspects of the kingdom can be examined. Some may have the mistaken understanding that the only reference to this kingdom is in Revelation 20:1-10. This passage of Scripture reveals the duration of the kingdom, one-thousand years and its divine ruler Christ and some of its co-rulers, the martyred saints. This passage also reveals that Satan will be bound in captivity the entire length of the duration of this kingdom and will be released when the thousand-year period is over. The duration of the kingdom is mentioned six times in these verses, which is significant because these multi-references to its length is extremely emphatic and cannot be ignored or allegorized as if it just represented a long time period. The repeated references to the thousand-years should be taken as a literal time period. The plain teaching of Scripture on this issue should be accepted as fact.

Prior to the Revelation chapter 20 reference, the Scriptures reveal a great amount of information about this kingdom which is often referred to as the millennial kingdom because of its duration of one-thousand years. Many of these Biblical references will be stated below. From an examination of the Biblical evidence, it is possible to attempt to define the messianic kingdom as: a future reign on earth by the Messiah, Jesus Christ that will fulfill God’s plans to have the earth ruled by a mediator who is righteous and just and also fulfill God’s purposes for His covenant people to be a blessing to the nations of the earth. This is only an attempt at a basic definition for a conclusive definition would consume many pages of text and then likely it would miss some important and salient aspects of the kingdom. It is also important to add that during the messianic kingdom, and as it transitions into the eternal state, God’s covenant promises of the Abrahamic, Davidic and New covenants will be completely fulfilled. Thus, the promises of the messianic kingdom and these covenants are intertwined and cannot be properly understood without this relationship to each other.

The Reason for the Messianic Kingdom

God deemed that His image bearers would rule over the earth He had created as His regents and mediators. This rule included rule over all plant and all animal life, Genesis 1:28-29, and the works of His hands, Psalm 8:6-8. It is also evident that humans would rule over each other, not because God desired them to overtake His theocratic rule, but because humanity had rejected God from being a divine King over them. God made a covenant with Abraham which included the promise that kings would come from his lineage, Genesis 17:6. Many generations later, God appointed human kings to rule over His covenant people. God selected one person in particular, David whom He had chosen as king to be the head of a dynastic royal house, which include a throne and regal lineage that would be everlasting. These promises are included in the covenant God made with David, 2 Samuel 7:8-17.

The Abrahamic covenant, from which all other covenants God made with His covenant people derive, included a basic set of promises. These promises involve a land, a seed and a blessing to all nations. The land is identified in the Scriptures as Israel which had decreed boundaries. It was a realm with set limits to its size and not just a nebulous or misty promise of a landscape somewhere. The seed blessing included Abraham’s descendants which included a nation, the Hebrews and included the kings of this nation Israel and later the divided kingdoms (nations) of Israel and Judah. However, the seed blessing much more imminently included a single seed, a person who would in a future day, rule over, not only the covenant people of God but all nations of the earth. This person is clearly identified as the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. His rule over the earth is yet future. The blessing promise was first to be administered to the nations through God’s covenant people and then through the life, death, resurrection and future rule of the singular seed, Jesus Christ.

The image bearers of God, humans did not righteously and justly carry out their role as God’s regents on the earth. The two who were first created, Adam and Eve, rebelled against God by their sinful response to the insipient interjection of temptation by Satan. This resulted in the curse of the ground, the earth, by God and the separation of humanity from perfect fellowship and a righteous relationship with God. This also resulted in the sinfulness of all who descendants of Adam and Eve, even from birth, Psalm 51:5. God’s ultimate plans and purposes for His creation was not doomed to failure. God, Himself provided the means for the “reverse of the curse” by first enacting a divine covenant with Noah, his descendants and the earth itself after purging the earth of its mass of sinful, corrupt and rebellious image bearers. God next enacted divine covenants with Abraham, Moses, and David that included land, seed (including a nation) and blessing. God also enacted a unique new covenant in which contained promises that He would create a new heart within His people and inscribe His laws within them and also put His Spirit within them.

To perfectly fulfill these covenant promises, God deemed that the problem of humanity’s sinfulness would need to be dealt with in a manner that satisfied His holiness. Sinfulness has a most terrifying result, eternal death which forever separated God’s image bearers from their Creator. The great “message” of the Scriptures is that God Himself provided a solution to the consequences of the sinfulness of humans. God demanded a holy, perfect, pure and sinless atoning sacrifice that He could accept as sufficient to remove the penalty of humanity’s sinfulness. God, though His infinite love and mercy to his created image bearers, gave His unique Son, who is truly God, to be this atoning sacrifice. God’s unique, virgin born Son fulfilled His role as humanity’s sin bearer by His death on a cruel Roman cross and forever conquered sin and the grave when He was resurrected to life. The resurrected Son returned to heaven to sit at His Father’s right side with the role of mediator and advocate between the Father and His image bearers. But there is more to be accomplished before God’s covenant promises can be perfectly fulfilled. In a future day, known only to God, His unique Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah will return to the earth, as a warrior King, who will defeat His enemies and the enemies of His covenant people and establish an earthly kingdom that will transition into the eternal state and through which, all of His covenant promises will be fulfilled. Therefore, to summarize, first, the Messianic kingdom will have a righteous and just Regent, the singular Seed of Abraham, who will rule the nations of the earth in perfect holiness. Second, this kingdom, during its duration and as it transitions into the eternal state, will witness the perfect completion of all God’s covenant promises to His covenant people including a specific land and nation. Third, through this divine Regent, all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

The Ruler of the Messianic Kingdom

If this kingdom is rightfully called “messianic” it is because its ruler is the Messiah who is revealed in the Old Testament with titles such as Branch, Servant, Redeemer, Savior and the four-fold titles in Isaiah 9:6, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. The title “Messiah” is mashiach in the Hebrew and may apply in the Old Testament as a reference to the coming Savior, Jesus Christ in 1 Samuel 2:10; 35; 2 Samuel 22:51; 23:1; Psalm 2:2; 20:6; 28:8; 84:9; 89:51; Daniel 9:25-26; and Habakkuk 3:13. For an excellent discussion of “Messiah” in the Old Testament, see Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope: is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic, B & H Publishing Group, 2010. The Messiah (Hebrew mashiach) is the one who is called Jesus Christ in the New Testament in (Greek messias) in John 1:41 and 4:25. The NASB translates the Greek word christos as Messiah in Matthew 1:1, 16.  An important passage in the New Testament regarding Jesus Christ and His rule of a future kingdom is Luke 1:30-33, “³⁰ The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ Look, you will conceive in your womb, give birth to a son, and will call his name Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. ³³ He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

The Scriptures give evidence of the divine status and role of the Ruler of the coming Messianic kingdom by the various names and titles that are ascribed to this Ruler. Some of these names and titles have been introduced in the above paragraph. The following short listing of a selected number of these names and titles are representative only of the great volume of these names and titles that appear in the Bible. They are simply stated in an alphabetical order but are not stated in a chronological order or order of importance for all of them are defining characteristics of this most beloved Ruler, who is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anointed: Psalm 2:2; Acts 4:26

Apostle: Hebrews 3:1

Branch: Isaiah 4:2; 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15; Zechariah 3:8-9 and 6:12-13.

Christ (the Greek Christos has the meaning of anointed or Messiah and occurs over 500 times in the N.T.)

Everlasting Father: Isaiah 9:6

Great Priest: Hebrews 10:21

High Priest: Hebrews 3:1; 4:14, 15; 5:10; 6:20; 7:26; 8:1, 3; 9:11

His Holy One: Isaiah10:17

Holy One of Israel: Isaiah 10:20

Immanuel: Isaiah 7:14; 8:8; Matthew 1:23

Jesus (the Greek esous has the meaning “God is salvation” and occurs over 900 times in the N.T.)

Judge: Isaiah 11:3-4; 16:5; 33:22; 51:4-5; Ezekiel 34:17, 20; Joel 3:1-2; Micah 4:2-3.

King: Psalm 2:6; 24:7-10; 45:6-7; Isaiah 6:5; 33:22; Ezekiel 20:33-34; Daniel 2:47; Zephaniah 3:12-20; Zechariah 9:9; Luke 1:30-33; 19:38; John 1:49; 12:12-16; 18:37; Revelation 17:14

King of Kings: Revelation 19:16

Light of Israel: Isaiah 10:17

Lord: Isaiah 2:2-5; 10:20

Lord of hosts: Isaiah 6:5; 24:23; 44:6

Lord of lords: Revelation 19:16

Lord our Righteousness: Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:16

Messiah: Daniel 9:26

Messiah the Prince: Daniel 9:25

Mighty God: Isaiah 9:6; 10:21

Mighty to save: Isaiah 63:2

Priest: Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 2:17; 5:6; 7:17, 24

Prince of Peace: Isaiah 9:6

Prince of Princes: Daniel 8:25

Redeemer: Job 19:25; Isaiah 59:20; 60:16

Root of Jesse: Isaiah 11:10 (also Isaiah 11:1)

Ruler: Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:6; Revelation 1:5

Savior: Isaiah 19:20; 43:3, 11; 45:15, 21; 49:26; 60:16; 63:8; Luke 2:11; John 4:42; Acts 5:31; Ephesians 5:23; Philippians 3:20; 1 Timothy 1:1; 2:3; 4:10; 2 Timothy 1:10; Titus 1:3, 4; 2:10, 13; 3:4, 6; 2 Peter 1:1; 2:20; 3:2, 18; 1 John 4:4, Jude vs. 25

Servant: Isaiah 42:1; 49:5-7; 50:10; 52:13; 53:11

Shepherd: Isaiah 40:10-11; Micah 7:14; (compare with Jeremiah 23:1-3, Ezekiel 34:11-31, and 37:24)

Son: Isaiah 9:6; Hosea 11:1

Wonderful Counselor: Isaiah 9:6

The Realm of the Messianic Kingdom

The Scriptures prophesy of the works of the Messiah who will be the Ruler of the Messianic kingdom. These descriptive works provide insight into how His Realm will be governed. The government of the kingdom will be upon the shoulders of the Messiah, Isaiah 9:6. He will rule His kingdom with a rod of iron, Psalm 2:9; Isaiah 11:4; Revelation 12:5 and 19:15, destroying His enemies and ensuring complete compliance to Him by the people who inhabit the kingdom. The Messiah will reign and judge the people of the kingdom with wisdom, righteousness, faithfulness and justice, Isaiah 11:1-5; Jeremiah 23:5.

Others will have leadership roles including judges, Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30; elders, Isaiah 24:23; Revelation 4:4 and 11:16; princes, Isaiah 32:1; rulers with Christ, 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:10; 20:4-6. A resurrected king David will also have a role as prince, Ezekiel 34:24 and 37:25.

It will be a realm of peace, security, health and rest, Psalm 72:7; Isaiah 2:4; 29:18-19; 32:18; 33:24; 35:3-6; Jeremiah 30:17; for the nations will turn weapons of warfare into other uses and the Messiah will now allow any rebellion or evil acts to shatter the peace. The animals will also be at peace with each other and with humans, Isaiah 11:6-9; 65:24-25.

It will be a realm of righteous instruction and justice. Peoples from the nations on the earth will journey to Mount Zion to receive the Messiah’s instruction, and righteous judgments, Isaiah 2:3-4. See also Psalm 96:10; Isaiah 16:5; 61:3, 11; and Malachi 3:3, 17-18. The inhabitants will have God’s law written on their hearts, Jeremiah 31:33. It will also be a realm of truth, Psalm 85:10-11; Jeremiah 33:6; and Zechariah 8:3, and 8.

It will be a realm of holiness as those who inhabit Jerusalem will be called holy, and the kingdom will be a holy place, Isaiah 4:3-4; Joel 3;17; Zechariah 2:12; and 14:20-21. Those who journey to Mount Zion from the nations of the earth will travel on a “highway of holiness, Isaiah 35:8-10. Jerusalem will also be called faithful and a city of righteousness, Isaiah 1:26. Mount Zion will be called God’s holy mountain, Psalm 48:1; Isaiah 27:13; and Jeremiah 31:23, for the Lord will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, Isaiah 33:5. It will also be a realm in which the inhabitants will be filled with the Spirit. Isaiah 32:15; 44:3; Ezekiel 36:27; 37:14; and Joel 2:28-32. The peoples of the realm, the families of the nations, will worship the Lord, Psalm 22:27-28, Malachi 1:11. A temple will be built where offerings will be made to the Lord and His priests will minister to Him, Ezekiel chapters 40-48. God’s covenant people will be called priests and servants of God, Isaiah 61:6. The most exalted place of the realm, Mount Zion will be covered by a canopy of the glory of the LORD which will provide shelter from heat and protection from storms, Isaiah 4:5-6.

The Residents of the Messianic Kingdom

The Scriptures reveal that following the terrifying days of the tribulation, Revelation chapters 6-19, which is also known as the time of Jacob’s trouble or distress, Jeremiah 30:7, the Messiah will return to the earth when the remnant of His covenant people have repented of their national sin of having rejected the Messiah during His first advent. The confession of this sin is recorded in Isaiah 53:1-9 and 64:1-12. See also Psalm 79:1-13; and 80:1-19. They will also call upon their Messiah to return, Hosea Isaiah 63:15-64:12; 5:15-6:3; Zechariah 12:10-13:1 and Matthew 23:37-39. Only then will the Messiah return, 2 Chronicles 7:13-14; Zechariah 14:3-5 and defeat the enemies of His covenant people and begin the process of establishing His kingdom on the earth. Those who are rescued by the Messiah will journey with Him to Zion as He begins His rulership of the earth, Micah 2:13.

Those who have been rescued from their enemies will be accompanied by those whom the Lord will gather from the nations to come to Jerusalem and Israel where they will take up residence under the glorious rule of their Messiah. See Isaiah 11:12; 27:12; 34:16-17; 40:9-11; 43:1-7; 49:5-6, 14-26; 54:1-17; 56:1-8; 60:1-22; 61:2b-11; 62:1-12; 66:18-21; Jeremiah 3:11-18; 23:3-8; 29:14; 30:1-11; 31:1-14; 32:37; Ezekiel 11:14-20; 20:33-44; 28:25-26; 34:11-31; 36:22-38; 37:15:28; 39:25-29; Micah 2:12; 4:1-12; Zephaniah 3:12-20; Zechariah 10:1-12 and Matthew 24:31. Many Gentiles will accompany the covenant people of God as they journey to Mount Zion. These Gentiles will have faith in the Messiah and assist the people of Israel in many tasks, Isaiah 49:6; 56:6-8; 60:3, 10, 14; and 61:5.

Others who will be residents of the Messianic kingdom include those who will be martyred for Christ during the tribulation, Revelation 20:4-6. It is possible that 2 Timothy 2:12 refers to all believers in Christ who will be resurrected to rule with Christ in the Messianic kingdom.  Revelation 5:10 refers to the role of resurrected believers who will be priests and who will reign upon the earth which can only be during the period of the Messianic kingdom. Others, including resurrected Old Testament saints, like king David will have leadership roles in the Messianic kingdom See Ezekiel 34:24 and 37:25. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will also be present,

Matthew 8:11. Some, however, dispute the role of resurrected believers being resident in the Messianic kingdom. For a discussion on this, see J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come, pages 532 and following.  Matthew 25:31 states that angels will also be present when Christ comes to sit upon His throne.

Resources for a study on the Kingdom of God

Recommended books on the kingdom of God: Michael J. Vlach, He will Reign Forever: A Biblical Theology of the Kingdom of God, Lampion Press, 2017, page 21. Alva J. McClain, The Greatness of the Kingdom: An Inductive Study of the Kingdom of God, BMH Books, 1959; Eugene H. Merrill, Everlasting Dominion, A Theology of the Old Testament, B & H Publishing Group, 2006; Andrew M Woods, The Coming Kingdom, What Is the Kingdom and How Is Kingdom Now Theology Changing the Focus of the Church? Gospel Grace Press, 2016. See also J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come, A Study in Biblical Eschatology, (Durham Publishing Company) Zondervan, 1958; and The Masters Seminary Journal, MSJ 23/2 (Fall 2012) for several articles on the Kingdom of God.

For a study of the Kingdom in Isaiah refer to Michael J. Vlach, He will Reign Forever: A Biblical Theology of the Kingdom of God, Lampion Press, 2017, pages 145-178. See also the chart of Isaiah’s Description of Israel’s Future Kingdom, The MacArthur Study Bible, NASB, Thomas Nelson Inc. 2006, page 1032.

This study of the Kingdom of God is adapted from Appendix 1 of the book, Isaiah: A Messianic Study, which is posted on the E-books page of the servantsplace.ca website.

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