KINGDOM - OLOGY 24

The initiation of contingency in relation to the Mediatorial Kingdom

            The gifts and calling of God are eternal. That one eternal purpose to establish a Mediatorial Kingdom in the earth where God can make a revelation of Himself to all created intelligences in and through His Son, never changes. And just as eternal and unchanging is that program of redemption to implement His purpose in the face of human contingency. For that reason we need to survey the initiation of contingency in human experience. The words of our blessed Lord spoken in those final hours before His passion dramatize this fact.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not” (Matt. 23:37). These were spoken directly to the nation of Israel, but the words immediately preceding make it certain that they apply as well to mankind reaching, back to the Garden of Eden. The God of creation and history has repeatedly sought to gather mankind under His wings. That is the meaning of the words "how often." But the tragic response of mankind to this benevolent purpose of a gracious God has been an absolute NO, "Ye would not." And this has been repeated through the course of history.

            This was true in the generations of mankind preceding the election of Israel. In a paradise of long ago, under the most favorable circumstances, God outlined His will for mankind and placed one restriction on man to test his willingness, to bow the knee to the kingship of God. Influenced by Satan, man decided that he was better able to run his own affairs. He decided that divine direction was an infringement upon his freedom and his best interests (Gen. 2:16-17; 3:1-6). This resulted in expulsion from the garden, exclusion from the tree of life, the experience of the curse, and the loss of immediate and intimate communion with God (Gen. 3:12-24).

            But God did not abandon His purpose or His people. Adjusting to this situation, He made a provisional arrangement to move forward with His program. He announced the plan of redemption in promise (Gen. 3:15), and then by performance initiated animal sacrifices to cover sin and provide clothing (Gen. 3:21). And in this new economy under which man was determined to live, He permitted man to be guided by his God-given conscience. Conscience led one son of Adam to reject the shedding of blood as the means of association with God (Gen. 4:3-7), and this ended in murder (Gen. 4:8), and exclusion from the presence of the Lord (Gen. 4:16). The perilous movement of conscience grew to a devastating tide by the time of the flood. "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). Again it became clear that mankind had universally determined to reject the kingship of God and follow the dictates of his own heart. This made the flood necessary with the destruction of all humanity and the entire earth except for one family (Gen. 6:6-8).

            At this point the redemptive program of God intervened to implement the divine plan for establishing a kingdom in the earth. One family found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and in the midst of universal rebellion against God, and in the face of an impossibility of a universal flood, Noah believed God and built an ark to the saving of his family (Gen. 6:8, 14, 22; 7:16). Once the flood had abated, a new arrangement was necessary to implement God's purpose. Human government was ordained to supplement conscience and control the destinies of men (Gen. 9:1-7). But even this effort on the part of God to gather men to Himself failed. In a comparatively short time the sea of humanity, from the loins of Noah, entered into conspiracy to circumvent the purposes of God. Men determined not to migrate over the earth, and they determined to worship the creation rather than the creator. So God blocked all their plans by confusing their language (Gen. 11:1-9).