DEFINITION OF TERMS (For Serious Students)

COVENANT

LAW

LAW
I. In the Old Testament
II. In the New Testament

GRACE

GRACE, MEANS OF

KINGDOM OF GOD

KINGDOM OF GOD, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
I. In John the Baptist
II. In the teaching of Jesus
III. Kingdom and church
IV. In the rest of the New Testament
V. In theological thought

Most of us know of the approximate 400-year gap between the Old and the New Testaments between c.432-5 BC.

Prior to the 'gap' the Babylonians had destroyed Israel as a nation. From then on, Israel was a minor territory in a succession of empires. The Persians followed the Babylonians. But the most significant influence was the expansion of the Greek Empire under Alexander the Great, who annexed Palestine in 332 BC. Greek influence remained, in various forms, until General Pompey subdued the East for Rome, taking Jerusalem in 63 BC after a 3-month siege of the Temple area. His army killed priests as they were performing their duties, and entered the Holy of Holies, an act the Jews could neither forgive nor forget.

This Greek and then Roman influence set the scene, preparing the way for the ministry of Jesus. The Greeks developed science to a more sophisticated level and with it, the powerful force of humanism we see so much in evidence today. The Romans built the world's first extensive communications network through a magnificent roading system that enabled the message of Jesus to be taken to the known world of the time.

So this 'gap' of 400 years played a vital role in preparing the way for, and identifying the change between, the second and third 'kingdoms'.

However, not so well known, is the fact that this was not the first big gap in recorded Bible history.

As with the period between the Testaments, this certainly wasn't a time when things stood still. It too was a preparation time for the next step in God's plan. Without it, the events that took place from the Exodus onwards would not have been possible.

For the Patriarchs were a nomadic people without a written language. History was passed on from generation to generation solely by word of mouth. Hence why a period covering 1000's of years is recorded in just the one book of 50 chapters, the book of Genesis.

During this 'gap' their population increased dramatically from 70 to maybe 4 million in just 400 years. How was this possible? As we will see later, there was a change in the definition of the family. But too, the people learned the principles of sustainable, settled, intensive agriculture from the Egyptians. So they could now feed, clothe and house a far greater number of people. As well as being introduced to a written language, they also learned the social and organisational skills that enabled them to undertake the exodus.

While we tend to look negatively upon the period of captivity, a major purpose behind it was to set up the Israelites for the next stage of their development in the fulfilment of God's plan. God continues to do that with us today. He puts us through unusual and difficult circumstances in order to prepare and equip us for what is to come.

So now we have laid the 'time' foundation upon which the 'Three Kingdoms of God' can be built.

The more usual '2 kingdom' approach of 'Law' to 'Grace' suffers a considerable problem. For the Law was not set out in detail until the time of the exodus from Egypt. There was no formal law as such during the nomadic period of the patriarchs although the people understood many of the principles upon which the Law was based. It would not have been possible for the Patriarchs to record it, for they had no written language. So it is clear that there was a pre-law period or 'kingdom age'. During this time God related to His people in a different than from when the time the Law was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai.

Once we understand this, recognising too that God works in threes, the Bible and God's plan for His people throughout all the ages becomes clear. It is this plan that we are going to investigate here.

Genesis can be a bit of a mystery to many of us. We would love more information. But we need to appreciate that Adam, Noah, Abraham and all, did not have laptop computers in their tents to record events in detail, as they went about their nomadic wanderings to find new feed sources for their herds. All history had to be passed down from generation to generation verbally, being retained in the mind. It is fortunate I was not one of them, or Genesis would have been very short indeed!

Because of these limitations, God too restricted what He revealed about Himself to the memory capacity of the people. Therefore we only have a very brief overview of these incredible times that provided the foundation for the world in which we now live.

As we proceed, I trust you will get a better understanding and appreciation of the life and times of our Patriarchs. For it is through them that we receive our spiritual inheritance.

Now we move into a time period about which much more is known. It has been recorded in greater detail through the written language developed during the Jews stay in Egypt. Additionally, archaeology and other recorded historical sources give us a greater understanding of the life and times of the people from Moses to Nehemiah. No need for great memory here!

God too, as society developed, revealed more of Himself. For Moses and others, could now write His revelations and instructions down. Fortunately, not all had to be written on stone tablets!

Seeing how this 'kingdom age' developed from that of the Patriarchs increases our understanding and appreciation of God's plan for us today.

This is the kingdom age we are most familiar with, as it's the one we are living in right now. We are hugely blessed to have the example of Jesus, the record of the New Testament and the personal guidance of the Holy Spirit, to reveal layers of meaning to us. We also have historical records, expositions and interpretations galore to help us in our understanding of the kingdom of God.

Having communication channels that started with the Roman roads, then the printing press and today, with our plethora of communication media, we are well able to take the message of Jesus to the world.

Through understanding this progression through the three ages, and with the increasing revelations of God Himself, we gain an increased appreciation of how blessed we are to live in this third kingdom age.

The return of Jesus and the establishment of His final kingdom, is the time every truly convicted Christian eagerly looks forward to. We get but a small inkling of its glory throughout the Bible, but particularly in its final 17 chapters. Just to whet our appetite!

So let's look forward then with eager anticipation to the discoveries we are about to make about the progressive revelation of God and His purposes throughout the three kingdom ages.

Understanding the organisation of society throughout the various kingdom ages also helps us better understand how God worked as He did with the Patriarchs, Israel and now, us!

This is truly fascinating to me - and I hope to you also!

This series will help you both understand the development of the Bible and God's principles a lot better. It has certainly helped me, as the Lord took me through it, step by step, as I wrote it.

Nothing is by chance in God! Everything is planned and foretold prophetically, or in type and pattern, before it occurs.

What an amazing God we have!

ANCIENT OLIVE PRESS

This sketch looks similar to a first century olive press discovered at the ruins of ancient Capernaum in Israel. In ancient times September was not only time to prepare for the New Year, but it was also time for harvesting olives. It lasted through November. Near the orchards there was usually an olive press, as sketched in the image above.

Source: http://www.bible-history.com