What Does It Mean to Be Heirs to a Kingdom?
Those who teach that the church fulfills the kingdom promises to Israel in no small way diminish what Scripture promises us as New Testament saints.
Why do I make such a claim?
It’s because the Bible also specifies “the kingdom” as our inheritance: “Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5).
James reveals that we are “heirs of the kingdom.” It’s not just any old realm, but “the kingdom.” Let’s look at what the Bible says about our privileged status as heirs.
It’s a Future Reality
The New Testament says that we are heirs, as Paul emphasized in Romans 8:16-17:
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
Is that not wonderful news? We do not yet possess all that is promised to us. A distinct difference exists between being an heir and receiving what’s promised. Other texts also describe our status as heirs, such as Ephesians 1:14, Titus 3:7, and 1 Peter 1:4. Of course, we are heirs to eternal life and all that will mean for us.
But could it be that our inheritance also includes the kingdom over which Jesus will rule? It does; consider the words of 1 Corinthians 15:50-53:
“I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” (emphasis added)
Beyond the multitude of biblical texts that proclaim Israel’s continuing place in God’s prophetic program for our world, these verses also dispel the error of Replacement Theology. How is it possible for the church to have replaced Israel as God’s kingdom on Earth when it’s impossible for believers in their current state to inherit this kingdom?
The wording is unmistakable: “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” These words dispel any and all ideas that we now belong to the realm promised to Israel or can ever hope to do so before the Rapture.
I have read and heard interpretations of 1 Corinthians 15:50-55 that claim these verses refer to what happens to the believer at the time of their redemption. Although this false teaching shocks me, I realize that it’s necessary to maintain the error that the church is the promised kingdom of God. Both the passage and its context make it abundantly clear that the kingdom is our future inheritance, not our past or anything we now possess.
Being heirs to the kingdom rather than possessors of it is exceedingly good news. Today’s church is full of strife, divisions, and false teaching. Isn’t it rather disheartening to consider the church as our glorious inheritance of a kingdom? Besides the disharmony, it’s also a time when we suffer affliction from without, aging bodies, and death (unless Jesus appears first).
Those who say the church is somehow the kingdom promised to Israel throughout the Old Testament diminish its glory into something totally unrecognizable to those prophecies and, frankly, undesirable.
But where does Israel fit into the kingdom if we are also its heirs?
Differing Experiences
Although the millennial kingdom is promised to both Israel and New Testament saints, our future experience of it will differ from that of the Jewish people, both those alive at the time and those whom the Lord raises from the dead at His Second Coming.
During the Millennium, Jesus will rule over the earth from Zion. Israel will occupy a prominent position in this kingdom, as we read in Psalm 47:1-4:
“Clap your hands, all peoples!
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,
a great king over all the earth.
He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah”
Not only will the Lord restore a kingdom to Israel and give it a premier place in His worldwide kingdom, but He will also dramatically change the world’s opinion of the Jews. Rather than outcasts, God will make them “renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth” (Zephaniah 3:20).
As New Testament saints, we will reign with Jesus (Revelation 2:26-27 and 5:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:2). Along with Israel, we will experience the glories of the coming kingdom, but our roles will differ.
All the various “no-Israel” teachings not only negate the future of the Jewish state, but also greatly diminish what it means for us to be heirs of that kingdom as well. As believers, we already belong to God’s spiritual kingdom (Colossians 1:13). But oh, what a day it will be when we return with Christ and watch as He sets up His physical kingdom on the earth (Revelation 19:11-20:4).
What we believe about Israel supremely matters. Returning to the earth with our triumphant Savior will be far more exciting than we can imagine. It’s then that He will destroy the last vestiges of Satan’s kingdom, which will lead to His earthly rule from Zion. Can you even imagine the thrill of being with Jesus at His Second Coming and then participating in His righteous reign over all the nations?
The removal of Israel from Bible prophecy is far more than just a question about Israel’s future; it also dramatically impacts what Scripture promises us as believers.
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