The Daily Word of Righteousness

You Are My People, #25

And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, [remember that] thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. (Romans 11:17,18)

The Jew is the natural branch of the olive tree. Gentiles must be grafted on the tree because they do not belong to the tree by nature. The Jew who was broken off must be attached once more to his own tree.

For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? (Romans 11:24)

It is the Lord's plan to turn again to the Jews just as soon as God's will has been accomplished in the ordained number of Gentiles. The olive tree, the Divine promise, that was with the Jews and then passed to a remnant of Jews and elect Gentiles, shall return in the last days to the nation of Israel.

For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. (Romans 11:27,28)

There Is Only One Kingdom of God, of Heaven

Because of their pride, the Gentiles are insisting that God loves the Gentiles more than He does the Jews. Therefore the Divine plan is (they claim) to remove the believing Gentiles to Heaven where they will reign over themselves in the spirit realm, while the Jews, without the Holy Spirit, govern an earthly kingdom.

Where the Lord Jesus will be in their plan is not made plain by the teachers of this unscriptural conjecture.

It would not be difficult to write an entire book of refutation of the two-kingdom doctrine. One could prove from Genesis to Revelation that the Scriptures are proclaiming only one Kingdom of God—a Kingdom developed in Heaven that will come and govern the peoples of the earth.

The two-kingdom doctrine is a ruinous concept. It is destructive of coherent biblical interpretation and is anti-Semitic. The two-kingdom teaching exposes Gentile conceit.

Every scriptural reference refers to the Kingdom—singular. Nowhere in the Hebrew or Greek Scriptures is there a suggestion of two kingdoms, two churches, two brides of the Lamb, two temples of God.

One of the bases of the two-kingdom doctrine is the notion that Matthew is referring to a kingdom of Heaven while Luke and Mark are referring to the Kingdom of God. Which kingdom is supposed to go to Heaven and which kingdom stays on the earth we are not certain.

Notice the description of the parable of the sower, as set forth in Matthew:

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. (Matthew 13:11)

"The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven."

Notice the description of the parable of the sower, as set forth in Luke:

And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. (Luke 8:10)

"The mysteries of the kingdom of God."

The parable of the sower is a parable of the Kingdom of Heaven and also of the Kingdom of God. We believe, therefore, that the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God are the same Kingdom.

To be continued.