Announcing the Kingdom

by Mona Hunter

Note: As a student of the School of Christian Outreach at Concordia, St. Paul, I wanted to share with you some of the work that I have been involved in. The following is an excerpt from a book report assignment. If you'd like, you may borrow the book.

Announcing the Kingdom
by Arthur F. Glasser

Thesis: "The purpose of this book is to offer the reader a biblical study of the Kingdom of God and the worldwide mission of God's people," (11).

To accomplish his thesis, Glasser explores "the emergence and development of the mission of God in both the Old and the New Testaments," by tracing that mission through the Scriptures (17). He clarifies his thesis by writing, "we shall seek to identify with the writers of the New Testament who assumed the essential continuity between ancient Israel and the church," (18).

To build his case, Glasser describes the interdependence between the Old and New Testaments. In one instance he says, "many essential perspectives and features of our biblical faith are not explicitly developed in the New Testament because the Spirit of God had already adequately developed them in the Old Testament," (19). In addition, he explains that the Old Testament includes revelation that addresses the falleness and issues of New Testament people (which includes us) by quoting John Bright who explains that,
"The Old Testament rightly heard, places me in my B.C. dilemma, shows me the wreckage of by B.C. hopes, and thereby creates in me the readiness to hear of some better hope—beyond all B.C. The proper conclusion of Israel's history is Jesus Christ, (1067:208-209). The Kingdom is never realized in the Old Testament. The Hebrews believed it was in the reigns of David and Solomon, but Glasser shows the ‘expectant' message of the Old Testament that was only fulfilled in the New Testament with the coming of Jesus. However, God has a special mission for the people of Israel and will preserve them ( a remnant, not a nation) in order that they might point the way to the coming of the true Kingdom of God."

"Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring you children from the east and gather you from the west," 
--Isaiah 43:4-5.

Glasser also shows the connection between the Old and New Testaments by demonstrating the relationship between Isaiah 2 and passage 1:10 of Paul's letter to the Ephesians.

"Many people will come and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths.' The Law will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem," --Isaiah 2:3-4.

"bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ," 
--Ephesians 1:10b.

From the beginning of time, God's mission has been to have relationship with people. Glasser very effectively traces that Mission through the Scriptures. From Genesis 1 and 2, we see that God spoke directly to the first people, "Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant . . .' and "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work and take care of it," and "It is not good for man to be alone." This was relationship. After the Fall, God immediately puts in action His plan to restore the relationship, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel," 
(Genesis 3:15.)

Glasser continues to bring to light God's Mission through Adam and Eve's descendants, the Flood and Babel, the patriarchs and their conviction of their role in God's mission, the Exodus and the growing anticipation of the coming Kingdom. The book explains how Israel misinterpreted its role as God's chosen, believing that it held an elite nationalist political standing and forgetting they were to be a blessing to the world.

Announcing the Kingdom is the best work I have ever read for systematically explaining the progression of God's mission, His love and our history as His people that I have ever studied. He backs up every assertion with Scripture. He does not misuse Scripture or stretch the possibilities of its meaning to make his point or prove his perspective.

The following are only five of the many quotes that I found helpful and enlightening.

1. "The extended emphasis in the Old Testament on the ‘stranger within the gates' means that the church-in-mission today must give priority to the needs of all minority and immigrant peoples, and issue particularly important today with regard to the millions of displaced and refugee people we find all over the globe"(87).

2. "The tree was set before them as an alternative to discipleship," (39).

The question of, "Why did God put the tree in the garden if He knew man would sin by eating the fruit?", is one I've never had an explanation for. This quote helped me to see the issue from the perspective of God's love and gift of freedom that allows us to truly learn and appreciate how much He loves us.

3. "his wrath was directed against human sin, whereas his love for sinners remained unchanged,"(47).

4. "one must keep in mind is that genuine spiritual renewal cannot be programmed. It is a gift of God to God's people," (113).

5. Wherever true Gospel is preached, one invariably finds evidence of the vigorous promotion of ideas that oppose it, (234).

I end this with one of my favorite passages in the Bible which in some way sums up Glasser's book, "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news,'" (Romans 10:15).

I pray that God helps, strengthen, guides and blesses all those that He has called to service and that many more from all over the world will listen to that call.