The Spine of Scripture

Book excerpt: Why do the gospels represent the good news as being about the "kingdom of God"? What is this kingdom, and how does it relate to us today? This book traces the surprising biblical narrative of kingdom, from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. It starts by showing that John 3:16 is actually about God transforming Adam's ruined kingdom into his own eternal one. It then goes back to Genesis to explain the origin of this kingdom, demonstrating that the image of God in Adam is actually representative rulership and sonship. From there, it traces the history of this kingdom through the Fall in Eden to the disinheritance at Babel-all the way to the occupation by Satan's forces by the time of Jesus. This then sets up a comparison between the way that the New Testament preaches the gospel, and the way modern evangelicals do. The conclusion is that the gospel of the New Testament is fundamentally the message of the triumph of Jesus as king of the cosmos-and the call to submit to, and receive the benefits of, his rulership. The final part of the book unpacks some critical implications of this. It argues that the Great Commission is a directive to conquer the lands ruled by Satan, in the name of the now-reigning King, Jesus. This directive consciously mimics the dominion mandate given to Adam, and should be seen as God's end-game in retaking the whole earth as his kingdom-a plan that will succeed through "the power of God for salvation" by the time Jesus returns.