The Kingdom of God, Mentor Guide, MG02

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T H E K I N G D O M O F G O D

Therefore, since the Lord God is alone the genesis and spring of all life (Rom. 4.17), we die because in some way we are alienated, estranged from the life of God; an alienation which arose from Adam’s rebellion to God’s rule, and now through him has passed on to all of us (Rom. 5.15, 17-18; 1 Cor. 15.22). We all, as fallen and estranged human beings, participate in our own sin and subsequent judgment upon us (Rom. 3.23; 5.12), and we have brought on ourselves the judgment and result that death represents (Rom. 6.23; Heb. 9.27). The reality of death, therefore, in both individual and cosmic eschatology, is a power, a force originating from the seminal rebellion of humankind in the world, which touches the life of all persons. Death is not merely the natural result of age and fatigue; rather it is the result of being disconnected from God due to our own rejection of his rule and reign in our lives. It is a separation fromGod. In some tragic sense, all human life to its very core participates in the effect of Adam’s sin in the flesh (Rom. 8.6; 1 John 3.14), and that particular sin orientation remains in us despite our intent to keep God’s law (Rom. 7.9; 1 Cor. 15.56; James 1.15). As the father of lies and rebellion, the devil is seen in the New Testament as a kind of lord of death (Heb. 2.14), and in places, death itself may be seen as a demonic power (1 Cor. 15.26-27; Rev. 6.8; 20.13-14). Death shall be rendered powerless at the Second Coming of Christ, whose death on the cross has broken its power, and given those who trust in him the prospect of living forever through faith in him (John 11.22-23; 1 Cor. 15.54-58).

In all of your discussions with the students on the various theories surrounding the Intermediate state, it is important to highlight the central element of hope associated with the kingdom victory of Jesus Christ. In other words, the work of Jesus on the cross was not to give us additional topics of theology to discuss, but to give us definite, clear, and undeniable truth that we can base our lives on, and that can provide encouragement for us and others in the midst of a world where thousands die each day, often with little or no hope and no understanding of what the loving Father God has done for them in his Son. The good news of the Kingdom of God in Christ is that he himself, the one who did not need to die nor was under 7 Page 106 Outline Point III