“Biblical optimism is built on the fact that Christ is seated on His throne ruling the nations with a rod of iron.”
Now I ask you again, what nations is He presently ruling with the rod of iron? What nations is He presently breaking and shattering with the rod of His authority/severity? I will repeat what I just posted and you tell me how He is ruling the nations with the rod of authority/severity, “unfortunatly “then came Amalek”; WWI, and then the Depression, and then WWII, the Holocaust and the bomb. Then the millions murdered by communism in Russia, the millions murdered in China and the millions murdered in Cambodia and Rhwanda. There were more wars in the last century than ever before in history. During the last century and into this, the greatest rival to Christianity has entered the battle field for the hearts of mankind”
I will add this, there are more children being born into paganism/heathenism every year than there are converts to Christianity and in the most enlightened of nations, America, Christianity is being censored from the public square. He is not ruling the nations yet with the rod of His authority/severity, that will come during the millennium when Satan is bound for 1000 years and can’t deceive the nations. Now He is calling individuals through the power of His gospel and building up His church.
Matt 12:28,29, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.”
Luke 10:9, “And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.”
The kingdom of God has come in the sense that the powers of the eschatological kingdom (My kingdom is not of this world), the active saving power of God, have actually entered human history in the person and activity of Jesus to redeem men from the kingdom of Satan. The earthly presence of Jesus bound Satan in the sense that he was not able to act freely as he had, but that binding by the presence of Jesus is different than the binding and incarceration of Satan during the 1000 years where he can’t deceive the nations. Here the binding is in reference to his power over individuals as can be seen by the helplessness of the demons in the presence of Jesus and His disciples when they were given power, not nations and certainly not Judas, the Sanhedren or the crowd.
It is wrong to understand these passages to mean that the kingdom of God has come in its fullness and there will be no future coming of the kingdom as we have been taught to petition. The kingdom as the realm in which the will of God is perfectly done is consistently future in the New Testament writings.
All of them. Let me ask you, where do you get your definition of the phrase "rod of iron"? Depending on your source, I think you may have the wrong definition.
I will add this, there are more children being born into paganism/heathenism every year than there are converts ...
Such anecdotes don't do much for my interpretation of the Bible. I interpret the world from the Bible, not vice versa.
The kingdom of God has come in the sense that the powers of the ...
Is this your acknowledgement that we all spiritual the text to one degree or another?
It is wrong to understand these passages to mean that the kingdom of God has come in its fullness and there will ...
Of course I never said that. However, when the fullness of the kingdom apeears it will be in its consummate state, Rev. 21 & 22. Sin and death will be no more.