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1. Revelations of the Mystery of God in the Old Covenant
The Mystery of God and His Prophets: David thought it was his son, Solomon, who would be chosen to carry out the building plan for the house of God (1 Chronicles 28:5-7). But despite his great wisdom, Solomon was not the chosen of God. He did, to be sure, build a transitory temple made of stone, cedar wood and gold. He could not, however, build an eternal, spiritual temple for God. No one is worthy in himself to serve God.
That truth had already been recognized three hundred years after David, by Isaiah, the foremost priest and prophet. Isaiah longed for spiritual renewal to come to his depraved people, and cried out when he saw the train of the holy Lord's robe filling the temple: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of Hosts.” (Isaiah 6:1-8)
The Almighty had mercy upon the penitent priest, sanctified him, and revealed to him that the promised King, who is both true God and true man, would invariably be born. The Son of David is no fantasy, but the very seed and core of the divine mystery. He will come and bear in Him all of the attributes of God and the eternal Prince of Peace. The prophet-priest heard the comforting promise: For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Might God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His Kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this (Isaiah 9:6-7).
Generations of believers will browse through this “Christmas gospel” of the Old Testament without ever comprehending the depth of even one of these single words. In this Child God the Father reveals Himself in His total fullness (John 10:30; 14:8-11; Colossians 2:9 etc.).
Many prophets waited with anticipation for this coming of the promised Son of David. They enquired of their Lord regarding the where and how of His coming, and how He would establish His eternal kingdom of peace? The All-Wise answered His servants with supplementary revelations. In this way the prophet Micah heard, in the midst of distressing prophecies of judgment: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrata, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2)
The eternalness of the God-King and the infiniteness of His kingdom are a dominant element in the unfolding mystery of God.
The Koran, however, rises up in arms against these deepening promises, that the Messiah will be God and King in one Person. It was unthinkable to Mohammed that Jesus should have a higher rank than he himself. So he testified that Jesus was the greatest of all the prophets before him, and admitted that He was Allah's ambassador. The kingship and divinity of Jesus, however, is constantly denied in Islam, thus making it in its foundation an anti-Christian religion.
The Mystery of God by Daniel: In spite of all the manifestations of God's grace, the Northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by Assyria in 722 B.C. Many of its citizens were resettled in foreign countries. The residents of Judah were exiled to Babylon in the years 597 and 587 B.C. In spite of all the warnings of their prophets the chosen nation had not fundamentally repented, so that the threatened curse which Moses had spoken was realized in them (Deuteronomy 27:11-26; 29:24-28 etc.).
In the depths of their humiliation, however, their Covenant God was the closest! He revealed to them words of consolation and hope (Isaiah 40-66, etc.). In the middle of their exile He raised up from among them eminent prophets, like Ezekiel and Daniel. It was Daniel who received detailed glimpses into the mystery of God when king Nebuchadnezzar experienced a very troubling and frightening dream . He afterwards forgot the dream, so that no one was able to interpret it for him. God revealed the dream, however, to Daniel, and explained to him its meaning (Daniel 2:1-28). A massive, shining statue that the king had seen in the dream revealed the uprisings of all nations, embodied in several close cultured and connected kingdoms. A stone from heaven suddenly fell on the feet of this symbol of arrogance and shattered it. The stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth (Daniel 2:35). Daniel wrote: And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever (Daniel 2:44).
With Daniel the mystery of God appears at first as a catastrophic judgment, as if a great meteor had fallen to the earth, and like lightning had crushed the alliance of the mighty rulers. In the end, however, the kingdom of God will embrace the entire earth. The Lord of All thereby revealed to Daniel, that the kingdom of heaven would descend to the earth and overcome all other kingdoms and cultures. At this time all multi-cultural prattle will have its end, and all syncretism will disappear. Daniel testified through his dream interpretation before Nebuchadnezzar not only to the expansion of the kingdom of God throughout the whole earth; but also to the abolition and overcoming of all other world views, religions and cultures…till the end, when only the spiritual kingdom of God will exist.
Muslims claim that the stone that fell from above onto the proud statue of humanity is none other than Islam, which is symbolized by the Black Stone at the Kaaba in Mecca. The kingdom of Allah, like the stone in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, possesses the dynamism and the power to overcome all peoples and religions of the world, to subjugate, and, if necessary, to crush them (Suras al-Baqara 2:193; al-Anfal 8:39; al-Fath 48:28; al-Saff 61:9 etc.).
Whoever becomes increasingly occupied with further developments concerning the mystery of God in the days of Daniel, notices that nothing was spared the “saints of the Most High” in the battle between the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were delivered up to the heat of the fire, but they walked in it unscathed (Daniel 3:19-33). Even the madness of king Nebuchadnezzar could not hold back the coming of the kingdom of God (Daniel 4:31-32). Daniel was thrown into a lion's den, but the angel of the Lord shut the mouths of the beasts (Daniel 6:23, 27). The saints of the Lord were not taken out of Babylon, but preserved in their suffering. This will change, however, as soon as the last prince, the son of hell, whom Daniel saw in his visions, appears. He will openly blaspheme the Lord, and not only persecute the saints of God during the limited span of three-and-a half-years, but also kill them. After that the final judgment will come, in which the son of the evil one will be destroyed. This last decisive battle between heaven and hell will be carried out by the fully empowered Son of Man, who will then establish His eternal kingdom of peace. Daniel writes about His glorious enthroning: And behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7:13-14).
Daniel not only saw in his visions a growing, non-stoppable kingdom of God, but above all, recognized his King, the Overcomer, as the one who would expand and solidify a spiritual kingdom, who would form and fill it with His authority. Jesus derived His title of honor, “The Son of Man”, from this revelation in the book of Daniel. In the gospels He claimed this title for Himself more than 80 times. The true sensation in the life of Jesus Christ was not His Deity, for He always was “God of God” and “Light of Light”. The true sensation was His becoming man! This was the true miracle and the imperative condition for His work of redemption. The Son of Man accepted an earthly body in order to die as a sacrificial offering for us.
In His last, decisive answer before the High Council in Jerusalem, Jesus openly confirmed and explained His Divine Sonship. His answer was a summary of Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13-14: “Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64).
With these words the One who was bound described Himself as the Lord and the Judge of His judges! They cried out, however, “He has spoken blasphemy”, and struck Him in the face (Matthew 26:65-68).
The Koran confirms that Christ, as the son of Mary, was “brought near” to the holy God (Sura 3:45). Nevertheless, Mohammed diminished the privilege of Christ, and named Him only “one of” the many brought near! Likewise, Mohammed concealed the Son of Man's power and authorization over the nations. Otherwise he, too, would have had to worship Jesus. But the rebellious spirit in him wanted to avoid that at all costs. Indirectly Mohammed could do nothing other than to affirm the ascension of Christ to God and His eternal existence with Him (Suras Al ‘Imran 3:55; al-Nisa’ 4:158). According to Islam, Jesus lives today with the Almighty. Mohammed, however, is dead! He is awaiting judgment. Therefore, all Muslims must pray that salvation and peace be upon him (Sura al-Ahzab 33:56). Conversely, Jesus is the One who intercedes for us with the Father (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25; 1 Jn.2:1-2).
In his visions Daniel not only received insightful revelation about the enthroning of the Son of Man in the throne room of His Father in heaven (Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 5:1-14), but also shadowy recognition of the final battle between Christ and the antichrist (Daniel 7:2-28). Many details of his vision are repeated in the revelation of Jesus Christ to John (Revelation 13:5-7; 17:12 etc.). As a summary of the vision of Daniel we read: Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him (Daniel 7:27 see. 7:18).
The Son of Man retains His power and authority not only for Himself, but also commissions and authorizes His broken followers, who faithfully serve Him through His power. The Lord had already promised the people of Moses: Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is mine. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6).
Peter, the speaker for the apostles of the Lord, applied this privilege to all followers of Jesus Christ: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
The Apostle John confirmed this authorization of the saints through Christ when he wrote: He has made us kings and priests to His God and Father (Revelation 1:6; 5:10).
Daniel foresaw this development of the Divine mystery: This kingdom will be given to the nation of the people of the Most High! God's incarnation in the Son of Man is to be reproduced in His disciples, that they live righteous and holy, just as their Lord is righteous and holy. His attributes will, thereby, become visible in His people and kingdom (Genesis 1:27; Leviticus 11:33; 19:2; Matthew 5:48 etc.).
The Mystery of God and the Nations: The Lord of the Old Covenant had mercy on His people in their banishment and in the raging heat of their distress. He promised them He would renew them and lead them home. He assured the children of Jacob, however, that they were no longer the only chosen. He would send the Son of David, as the Son of Man, to “all” people. In the process God spoke personally to Christ: “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6; 42:6; 60:3 etc.).
Daniel recognized in the Babylonian captivity that Israel was a small nation. His perception had been broadened. He encountered peoples, nations and languages, and in faith laid upon them all the name of His God. He recognized that the kingdom of God cannot stay limited to a 50 kilometer area surrounding Jerusalem, but must be international and encircle the entire world!
God created all of mankind, therefore everyone and everything belongs to Him. He is our Owner and also our King. He wants to take possession of His kingdom and His property.
The correct understanding of this kingship compelled Daniel to believe on a worldwide kingdom of God under the lordship of the Son of Man. The mystery of God had been so far revealed to him to the point of recognizing the final clash between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan in the last days. The kingdom of the Son of Man cannot endure in peace as long as rebellious forces exist beside Him. The battle for the rule of the world has been declared. This much however, is certain: The spiritual kingdom of the love of God in Christ will, through defeat, be victorious.
The Koran confirms, that Christians are merciful and not arrogant (Suras Al ‘Imran 3:55; al-Ma’ida 5:82; al-Hadid 57:27). Among the enemies of Muslims they are the best, because they are nearest in affection to them (5:82). The Jews, on the other hand, are described as the Moslem's worst enemies. Therefore, Allah was to have commanded Mohammed to fight with weapons against the book possessors, until they were subdued and humbly paid their minority tribute (Sura al-Tawba 9:29-30). Daniel recognized in the plan of God the opposite to the strategy of Mohammed: The spiritual kingdom of the Son of Man would be victorious, because love and truth are invincible (1 John 4:16; 5:4-5).
PRAYER: Holy Lord, we worship You for Your great wisdom because You revealed to the prophets the coming of the eternal King, the dwelling of His kingdom on earth, and that the elect from the Jews and from the nations would dwell in it and Your spiritual King would sanctify and educate them.
QUESTION:
- What is your viewpoint on the prophets' promised spiritual kingdom?