3 - Jesus and the Kingdom
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
Summary
The Vindication of Jesus
And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient until death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father.
(Phil 2:8–11)Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.
(Acts 2:36)Many prophets have made predictions about the future, and in some traditions the prophet is a mere technician reading the cosmic signs. But the prophets of Israel understood their words of warning and promise to be revelations of God's Reign and plan of action. They did not predict a coldly fated future, but one that was as sure as God's compassionate will. The exact future could even change while God's unswerving purpose remained constant. If the people would repent, God could alter the future.
These prophets were agents, declaring security and destruction, initiating God's dominion by their very words. The response of the people to the prophets' declarations was, therefore, crucial to their future. Present historical realities were critical occasions where the future hung in the balance, and even the prophetic predictions were tests of the people's obedience.
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- Jesus and the Future , pp. 57 - 78Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1990