Scripture deals
centrally with man in relation to a province within the
kingdom of God — this earth. This province forms a kingdom
within the overall kingdom of God, and man was created to
rule this kingdom.
The kingdom that
man was created to rule has two spheres — an earthly
sphere, and a heavenly sphere. And
the kingdom is ruled from the heavens over the domain — from
the heavens over the earth.
God rules the
whole of His universal kingdom in this manner (from a place
in the heavens over His universal kingdom), and this is the
manner in which He has established the governmental rule of
individual provinces in His kingdom as well.
Both spheres of
the kingdom are clearly seen in the Old Testament (e.g.,
Daniel 6:1ff; 10:13ff);
but, in relation to man, the Old Testament deals more
specifically with the earthly sphere, and the New
Testament deals more specifically with the heavenly
sphere.
Accordingly, this
book, From Acts to the Epistles, has to do with man
in relation to the heavenly sphere of the kingdom,
not the earthly sphere. And this would be easy to
understand by noting the clearly revealed content of the New
Testament as a whole.
The central theme of the four Gospels
(introduced in the Old Testament) has to do with the
offer of the kingdom of the heavens to Israel, ending
with Israel’s rejection of the King and the Kingdom,
resulting in the King being crucified.
The central theme of the book of Acts
(introduced in the Gospels) has to do with a re-offer of
the kingdom of the heavens to Israel, ending with
Israel’s continued rejection, resulting in the nation being
set aside.
The central theme of the epistles
(introduced in Acts) has to do with the offer of
the kingdom of the heavens to Christians, resulting in
ready acceptance at first, but later in an ever-increasing
apostasy.
And the book of Revelation
forms a climax to the entire matter, outlining events that
will occur at the conclusion of this present dispensation.
The book closes with the return of Christ in all His glory,
the overthrow of Gentile world power, the ushering in of the
Messianic Kingdom (with both its heavenly and
earthly spheres), and the beginning of the eternal ages
that follow.
