The Gospel of the Kingdom

Israel's Promised Kingdom-Salvation:

1. Didn't fail

2. Wasn't postponed until the future

3. Wasn't fulfilled instead with a change of identity and in some other, spiritual, ethereal way

4. Was fulfilled on location, on time, in Israel, literally

5. It's just that only the remnant of believers experienced it

6. Then Gentiles were grafted in next

7. But it wasn't over for Jews - because God began using believing Gentiles to provoke unbelieving Jews to faith

8. In that order (first in Israel, then from among the Gentiles) God created one new man - the Church - the body of Christ - the house of God - comprising Jews and Gentiles without distinction, and without the works of the Law - the very outcome foreseen in the Law and the Prophets

9. History recorded the subsequent destruction of the Temple, in the generation predicted by Daniel and Jesus - and persecutions continue to abide the godly in Christ Jesus - but as for the timing of His coming, and the end of the world, no-one knows, only the Father

10. Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom-salvation of grace and freedom on the cross - yet His Second Coming shall bring the consummation of that Kingdom-scheme - of the Gospel scheme - but only the born-again shall enter it

11. In the mean time we have received the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses unto JESUS among all nations, while God is giving space for more people to be saved

12. And then the end of all things - which was first announced after John baptised Jesus, and which is at hand - and the renewing of all things; the resurrection; final judgment; the visible Kingdom; and new heavens and a new earth - shall come

That is the Apostles' doctrine - the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ...

...according to my current, imperfect understanding if it

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NOTES

Point #1 likely counters an idea of first-century critics of Paul's Gospel

Point #2 counters Orthodox Judaism; and strict Dispensational Pre-Millennialism

Point #3 seems to counter the strict Covenant Theology adhered to by many Post-Millennialists and A-Millennialists

Point #4 establishes a Scriptural and historical case for JESUS as Messiah

Point #7 precludes anti-Semitism

Point #8 made observing the Law unnecessary 

Point #9 made observing Moses' Law impossible; refutes full-Preterism; seems to define "the coming of the Lord" and "the end of the world" more broadly than part-Preterism; and seems to refute some Historical Post-Millennialist ideas

Point #10 raises questions for Non-Dispensational Pre-Millennialism



POSSIBILITIES UNDER CONSIDERATION

'Inaugurated Eschatology'

Symbolic Millennialism (without all of the constructs of strict Covenant Theology)

Optimism (with limited ideas of Christian Reconstructionism where possible, not necessarily fully-fledged Christian Reconstructionism; but optimism limited by but not only by the ever-present certainty of persecution to varying degree, at varying places and at varying times for various reasons, and allowing for the possibility of increased persecution near the very end of time)


CERTAINTIES CONCLUDED

Jesus is the Messiah 

Modern religious Judaism is at best not necessary