As we have discussed, our Promised Land in Christ is the nations, the very ends of the earth (see Psalm 2:8). The Lord is coming back to restore the entire earth, and we are now laying the foundation for the coming of His kingdom to do this.
This is not a new concept. This is precisely what was attempted by many of the colonists who first came to America. Many who are considered "the founding fathers" of America had a theology that they were establishing the kingdom of God on earth in what they called "the new world." Were they? If so, how? If not, where did they go wrong, and what can we learn that would keep us from making the same mistakes?
The answer to these questions is that they were both were right and wrong. The Lord actually began laying the foundation for the coming of His kingdom in the first century. Through prophets and righteous men and women, He has steered history and laid a most brilliant framework for the coming kingdom. There are some ways in which what has been developed in America and other nations is a model of the coming kingdom. There are also many ways in which it is not. Understanding this can help us to navigate through our own time better, and it is worth taking a bit of time to examine.
Kingdom Theology
The theology that was generally shared by many of America's founding fathers is what is called "Reconstructionist theology." A form of it has been more recently called "kingdom now" theology. There are actually many variations of this doctrine, but it was the basic theology of the Puritans and greatly influenced most of the colonies in due time. These really thought that America was a new Promised Land, was to be a representative of the kingdom of God on earth, and they therefore sought to establish its government on biblical principles. Through them there was much good influence from this theology that helped establish the nation on a foundation of government and culture that was godly and biblically based.
However, let us be clear that America is not the kingdom of God. If you observe the pattern in which the Lord has very systematically prepared for His coming kingdom throughout the church age, we can see that America was a major step forward in preparing for the coming age, but it is not the Promised Land.
In saying this, I am not necessarily talking about the form of government. The coming kingdom is going to be just that, a kingdom, not a democracy. However, there will be some democratic principles to it in the sense that it will actually promote freedom and in many ways, self-government. This actually is a part of the initial reason God created mankind and gave us free will. He did not want robots, but a family and friends. He wanted cooperation based on love, not fear or compulsion.
When the Lord has restored the earth to its original purpose, there will not be any more rebellion. The whole creation will have learned for all time through us that rebellion is not the course to take. However, God created man with a free will because you cannot really have fellowship with a computer or robot. That is why He put the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden. He did not do this to cause Adam and Eve to stumble, but to give them the opportunity to prove their obedience and love. There can be no true obedience if there is no opportunity to disobey. There had to be freedom to not worship God for the worship to mean anything.
It is for this reason that the coming kingdom will actually promote freedom and choice. There will be no question about who the Sovereign is, and He will always have the power and authority to rule over any issue and decision. However, His ultimate goal is for His creation to be so ruled by love that we choose the right thing to do on our own. It is like when I tell one of my children to read their Bible. I am glad that they obey, but it means much more to me when they read it without me having to tell them because they have developed a love for God's Word and knowing His ways.
Robin McMillan made an observation about this that has a lot of truth to it: Almost every doctrine about the kingdom has basically been about how to control people. Many movements that start to emphasize kingdom theology open the door to a control spirit. We need to understand why.
You can teach a parrot to say and do the right things, but it will not be in its heart. You can teach a person to do and say the right things, but it will not be in his or her heart. It has been proven that if you turn the lights out in a city, people become like animals. As Margaret Thatcher once said, "The veneer of civilization is very thin." That's true. Civilization in this age is mostly the result of the control exerted by the authorities and police. However, those who have civilization in their hearts do not need to have the lights on to do the right thing. They do the right thing even if they could get away with doing the wrong thing.
Restraints and controls are a good thing for this age and will actually be how the kingdom age begins. However, the goal of the kingdom is to not need any restraints. Everyone will have it in their hearts to do the right thing because all will be ruled by love. It will take a thousand years to get there.
The Lord will rule with a rod of iron at first, even smashing many things that nations have been built on. Some of that smashing will have taken place before His return when everything that can be shaken will be shaken in preparation for the coming kingdom.
Also, at the end of this age, mankind will have brought upon themselves such troubles as the world has never seen by trying to rule the world without God. This, too, will be an example for eternity of what the fruit of trying to live and rule without Him will be. No one will want to try that again.
Now let's get practical. Most of the troubles we suffer in our own lives are the result of things we try to do without God. Many are the result of choices we make without even consulting Him. We may think that this is just what we were talking about, how the Lord does not want to control us, but has set us free to make our own choices. That is correct, but there is a difference between God dictating to us what He wants and Him wanting to walk with us just as He did with Adam, having fellowship in our choices.
The most basic purpose for which God created mankind was for fellowship. We are not maturing, and we are not fulfilling our purpose unless we are growing in this fellowship.
We must also keep in mind that for the immature, control and dictating is essential. For toddlers, you have to repeatedly tell them to do this or don't do that, and they learn to obey you through discipline, though obeying will probably not be in their hearts until they have matured. Young Christians, whose minds have not yet been renewed, will be the same way. However, the goal of all godly discipline is not just control, but bringing about a maturity which results in increasing freedom.
II Corinthians 3:17 states, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." This could have also read, "Where the Spirit is Lord there is liberty." Freedom is a basic goal of the kingdom. There is authority in the kingdom, and for a time it will seem most severe to the nations that have not been built on the principles of the kingdom, but its goal is always liberty. This is a basic principle that we must get into our minds and hearts as we prepare the way for His kingdom.