Ep. 16: The Five Elements and Epochs of The Kingdom Of God

An introduction to a Reformed view of the Kingdom of God in its 5 elements and its 5 covenantally-administered epochs, culminating in the Kingdom’s definitive consummation in the New Creation. The relation between Christian cultural activity and the Kingdom of God is also clarified.

https://reformedlibertarians.com/016

Main Points of Discussion

00:00 Introduction

00:32 Episode description
 
01:03 Kingdom of God as the New Creation and central to Bible and all reality

03:25 5 “Royal” Elements
 Ruler, Realm, Reign, those Ruled, Regulation by Covenant

05:31 Covenant in Scripture as oath-commitment
 Covenants as administering Kingdom of God

07:20 5 Epochs
 1. Probation/Proffered
 2. Promised
 3. Prefigured
 4. Present-Inauguration
 5. Parousia-Consummation
& See "The Grid": https://upper-register.com/papers/kline_grid.pdf

10:22 Contrary to postmil, premil, and heresy* [see note below] of popular “Evangelical” Dispensationalism

12:15 1st Epoch: Probation – the Covenant of Works
  “Eschatology Precedes Soteriology”

17:10 2nd Epoch: Promised – the Protevangelium (Gen. 3.15) and Abrahamic Covenant
  The Seed is Christ, the Land is New Creation, the Blessing is Salvation by grace alone, thru faith alone, in Christ alone

19:24 3rd Epoch: Prefigured – the Old Mosaic Covenant
  Temporary and typological theocracy
  Suspension of normal operations of “common grace”
  Non-free market and coercive punishment of non-aggressive immorality
  Typological principle of works (covenant blessings & curses)

24:03 4th Epoch: Present-Inauguration – the New Covenant
  The gospel, salvation accomplished in history
  Crucial distinction between (a) “subjective recognition of Christ’s reign” involving the implications of Christian beliefs for all of life -vs.- (b) “objective realm” of Christ’s Kingdom as the new heavens&earth, presently and uniquely manifest as the institutional church (not as common culture or society)
  The gospel, church, and presently-inaugurated Kingdom are NOT “political”

30:23 5th Epoch: Parousia-Consummation – the everlasting, full realization of the New Covenant
  Flesh & blood (pre-glorified human nature) cannot inherit the Kingdom, and so requires eschatological transformation, glorified incorruptibility

*Note
Differing forms of Dispensationalism (heretical or not) have been used by some to justify the worst of the United States government’s murderous, warmongering foreign policy. One of Dispensationalism’s erroneous beliefs (in all its forms) is that after the first advent of Christ, God’s promise to give the physical territory of Canaan to the physical descendants of Israel remains in effect.
A doctrinal “heresy” can be understood as a teaching that denies some point of orthodox creedal teaching. The heretical teaching we had in mind (and should have specified) is the belief that prior to Christ’s first advent, or during the era of the Law (or Old Covenant), salvation was not by grace through faith in Christ, the promised Savior. Not all forms of Dispensationalism teach this, however.
For further discussion of Dispensationalism, see this lecture on The New Covenant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynilaJANdoM

Additional Resources:

• The Majesty On High, by Steven M. Baugh
  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1544985584/
    - Books At A Glance summary
  https://www.booksataglance.com/book-reviews/the-majesty-on-high-introduction-to-the-kingdom-of-god-in-the-new-testament-by-s-m-baugh/
• Audio from Baugh on the Kingdom of God
    - Reformed Forum, Christ The Center Podcast ep.635 w/Baugh on The Majesty On High
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUnRUG-eGHI
    - WSCal Office Hours Podcast w/Baugh on The Majesty On High
  https://www.wscal.edu/devotion/kingdom-of-god/
     - Lecture by Baugh on Kingdom as Consummation
  https://www.wscal.edu/devotion/thy-kingdom-come/
     - Conference Presentation by Baugh on Kingdom in New Testament
  https://www.wscal.edu/devotion/the-kingdom-in-the-new-testament/
     - Devotional by Baugh on Kingdom in John’s writings
  https://www.wscal.edu/devotion/a-survey-of-the-kingdom-of-god-in-johns-writings/
• “The New Creation, the Kingdom of God, and the Church,” by Steven M. Baugh
  https://opc.org/nh.html?article_id=1128
• Spring 2024 Friday Night Academy on Covenant Theology in systematic, biblical, and practical perspectives by Pastor Charles Lee Irons of Santa Clarita URC
  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwrDNUO5MDu9WPd6FaReLxZkaK7VO8plE
• Sacred Bond: Covenant Theology Explored (2nd ed), by Brown and Keele
  https://reformedfellowship.net/products/sacred-bond-covenant-theology-explored-second-edition
• Reformed Covenant Theology: A Systematic Introduction, by Harrison Perkins
  https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/reformed-covenant-theology-a-systematic-introduction-perkins.html
• video explaining The Biblical-Theological “Grid” graphic of the Kingdom Of God in 5 Epochs, by Lee Irons
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu7rbuOseZ8
    [ PDF of The Grid : https://upper-register.com/papers/kline_grid.pdf ]
• video explaining Adam’s Probation and the Priority of Eschatology, by Lee Irons
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NJwB_f1P4
• “The Deeper (Reformed) Protestant Conception,” by Lane Tipton
  https://reformedforum.org/what-is-the-deeper-protestant-conception/
• The Reformed View of Christian Cultural Activity and Mistaken Views
  https://reformedlibertarians.com/004
• Reformed Biblical-Theological Foundations for Christian Cultural Activity, by Gregory Baus
  https://honest2blog.blogspot.com/2022/01/reformed-biblical-theological.html
• About Theocracy in New Covenant Era
  https://reformedlibertarians.com/015
• The Conquest of Canaan, episode 14 of the Biblical Anarchy Podcast by Jacob Winograd w/Gregory Baus
  https://reformedlibertarians.com/ep...