The Kingdom of God annotated bibliography And Essay Part I: Introduction with Thesis Statement

The Kingdom of God is a much different kingdom than the earthly kingdom the Pharisees were expecting. What characterizes the kingdom of God? Isaiah 11:1-9 describes a restoration of innocence, in which there is no more disharmonic world but rather a world in which everyone and everything is at peace. Romans 14:16-19 relates to this passage, as it also tells Christians that the Kingdom of God is focused on peace and serving God in the Holy Spirit. Psalm 72:5-14 describes a kingdom that is without end, that covers the whole world, and that is served by all men. These two passages from the Old Testament were selected because they touch both on the spirit of the kingdom—it is oriented towards restoring peace and innocence and love—and on the earthly aspect of the kingdom: it is not just for the Jews but for all people.

But how does it recognize it? It is not a political kingdom per se. It is not what the Pharisees want or expect, for as Matthew 5:19-20 points out only the righteous will ever see it—and their righteousness must be genuine—not false like that of the Pharisees.

Part II: Annotated Bibliography

Step 1: Selecting Academic Sources

Find a minimum of five academic sources from the GCU Library on the passages that you chose in Topic 1. You may add more than five sources if you wish as long as all sources are scholarly. Do not use book reviews as sources. Be sure to select at least one source for your Old Testament passages and at least four sources for your New Testament passages.

Step 2: Annotated Bibliography

For each source, write a summary and/or evaluation of the article in your own words. Each summary should be three to five sentences. The summary/evaluation for each source should identify the main point of the article and how that article might be helpful for your Topic 7 benchmark assignment. Do not copy and paste the abstract provided by the GCU Library. The summary needs to be your interaction and summary of the article.

Article #1: Vorster, K. (2017, May 23). Kingdom, covenant and human rights. In die Skriflig 51(2), a2257.

The author is a prominent theologian who provides a comprehensive explication concerning the general concept of the kingdom of God, nothing that while it is a dynamic concept, it is firmly rooted in Old and New Testament biblical revelations. Although the precise phrase “kingdom of God” is not used in the Old Testament, the author points out that the concept is “imminent” but does not emerge until in a codified form until comparatively late in the biblical revelations despite being an innate part of original creation. Citing John the Baptist’s proclamation concerning the kingdom of God’s imminence for contemporary Jewish scholars as evinced by the proclamation of Jahweh as king with omnipotent power and authority, meaning that the kingdom of God subsumes both heaven and earth. An interesting point raised by the author concerns the precise nature of the kingdom in terms of whether it exists as a present moral reality for all humankind or if it is a future reality that is yet to be fully realized

Article #2: Vlach, M. J. (2015, Spring). The kingdom of God in Paul’s Epistles. MSJ 26(1), 59-74.

The author is a Professor of Theology at The Master’s Seminary who notes that notwithstanding the relative dearth of references to the kingdom of God in Paul’s letters compared to the other gospels, but he does make14 direct references that serve to illustrate its significance. Moreover, the author explains that the fact that Paul does not provide any definitional clarity for the concept indicates that the intended audience of his epistles already readily understood the kingdom of God. Likewise, the doctrine of salvation that was promulgated by Paul in these writings were firmly based on the resurrected Jesus in his lineal capacity as “the descendent of David.” In addition, despite the notion that the kingdom of God as described in the Old Testament has always existed as part of original creation, Paul indicates that the kingdom of God as he and other New Testament writers conceptualize it will only come about after the Second Coming.

Article #3: Guy, L. (2015). The triumph of the kingdom: interpreting Revelation 6-16. EQ 87(1), 36-44.

The author is a

D. (2019). Beginning in the end: The kingdom of God in 1 Corinthians
The author is a John Wesley Fellow, a candidate for ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church and an Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Northeastern Seminary and Roberts Wesleyan College who cites the relative lack of biblical scholarship concerning the kingdom of God in Paul’s writings compared to other parts of the New Testament is attributable to the multiple reasons, including the fact that there were political implications involved, as well as the belief that Paul preferred other terminology and that his targeted audience was already “abusing such language” due to a full understanding of what was being considered. Further, and notwithstanding the comparative paucity of references to the kingdom of God in Paul’s letters, the author concludes that the rare references he does make serve to underscore the essence of his teachings which are frequently overlooked in modern exegesis.

Article #5: Sanders, E. P. (2001). Jerusalem and its Temple in the beginnings of the Christian movement, 189-196.

The author is a published author and a Professor of Religion at Duke University who suggests that five references to the Jerusalem in general and the Temple in the Gospels in particular provide some valuable insights concerning Jesus’s contemporary teachings about the kingdom of God. For example, Jesus refers to the Temple as “the dwelling place of God,” and forbid any cursing in Jerusalem because it “is the city of the great King.” Despite the potential for some changes in the exact words used by Jesus in his references to the Temple and Jerusalem in connection with the kingdom of God, the author concludes that it is noteworthy that all five references are favorable.

The Kingdom of God Paper Part I: Biblical Passages

Passage 1 (Old Testament text on the Kingdom of God):

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear; but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, and faithfulness the belt about His waist. And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze; their young will lie down together; and the lion will eat straw like the ox. And the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:1-9).

Passage 2 (Old Testament text on the Kingdom of God):

May he endure as long as the sun,

as long as the moon, through all generations.

May he be like rain falling on a mown field,

like showers watering the earth.

In his days may the righteous flourish

and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

May he rule from sea to sea

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

May the desert tribes bow before him

and his enemies lick the dust.

May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores

bring tribute to him.…