The Kingdom of God and Saint John (Teaching 11 of 39) - The KOG Entrepreneur Show - Episode 41

In this episode Steven discusses the Apostle John's take on the Kingdom of God and how he adjusted the terminology to be more accepted during a time when the Roman Empire was afraid of a Christian uprising and mutiny. John was able to effectively communicate his message without diluting its effectiveness, by using a more specific terminology.

11. John’s Writings (John 18:36). John is the only Gospel writer who records these words of Jesus: “My kingdom is not of this world.” Near the end of the first century, when John was writing his Gospel, Christians were often assailed with the accusation that their goals were not spiritual, but political. The Roman Empire was being filled with reborn citizens of a heavenly kingdom, but their “kingdom of God” terminology could be misunderstood. Thus, John adopts the phrase “eternal life,” as much to show the new quality of life Jesus Christ has brought as to describe its quantity. The idea of “eternal life” describes a divine dimension of life available to mankind, as well as a destined duration of “everlasting” endlessness. The words “eternal life” occur fifteen times in John’s writings, “the kingdom of God” only six. Some have thought John’s relatively infrequent use of “kingdom of God” suggested this message application was confined only to the time of Jesus’ ministry and the birth of “the church age.” Notwithstanding the fact that the birth of the church did introduce a new era in human history, the message of “the gospel of the kingdom” was not changed. For example, see the thrust of its being taught and preached throughout Acts (20:25; 28:23, 30-31).

Hayford, Jack W. ; Thomas Nelson Publishers: Hayford's Bible Handbook. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995

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