in his teaching. As a result, we see that in Christ himself the kingdom of God is now present. The end has come—though not fully, for death, sin, and suffering remain.
The Kingdom of God That Jesus Announced Is the Fulfillment of All God’s Promises: The Eschaton Has Begun to Arrive
That the kingdom of God is already present throughout the entire NT era is further evidenced by the consistent use of end times designations for the present in the NT. First, we find that throughout the NT the term “last days” is consistently utilized to refer to the present. In Acts 2:17, Peter cites Joel 2 to explain the significance of the events that transpired with the pouring out of the Spirit and he concludes, “‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘that I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all humankind’” (Acts 2:17). The epistles also use the term “last days” and apply it to the present. Paul does so in 2 Timothy 3:1.91 Peter, likewise, warns his readers about men in the last days.92 The author of Hebrews similarly states, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world” (1:1–2). And, 1 John goes so far as to claim that these are not only the last days, but it is the “last hour” (2:18).
Conclusion
So, how does all of this relate to the opening questions?: Why then was Jesus baptized? Why was Jesus named Immanuel? Why does Matthew begin his Gospel with a genealogy? Why does the Gospel of John begin with “In the beginning”?
In all of these we find that the Gospel writers were linking the events of the coming of Christ, from his incarnation to his death and resurrection, with the fulfillment of the covenant promises of God and the coming of the kingdom of God. Jesus is baptized with a baptism of repentance on behalf of the nation because he knew that repentance must precede the restoration of Israel.93 So, he repents for the nation.94 Thus, in his repentance and baptism the “kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15).
Jesus is Immanuel (Matt 1:25) because he is himself the embodiment of YHWH returning to the land and the end of the exile. Hence, Mark’s opening citation: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight’” (1:3). Mark sees, in John the Baptist’s cry, Jesus as the “Lord” who is returning from the wilderness! Thus, the baby is named Jesus. But it must be understood that Immanuel is who he is.
Matthew’s Gospel commences with a genealogy (1:2–17) because it serves to identify Jesus with the completion of the story of the OT. The story, as Matthew frames it, begins with Abraham and runs to David, then from David to the exile, then from the exile to Jesus: “Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the time of Christ fourteen generations” (1:17). Matthew, therefore, is announcing in Jesus that the era of the exile is over and the story of Israel has come to its fulfillment in Jesus.
Why does John 1:1 begin with a clear allusion to Genesis 1:1? The Gospel of John begins by quoting Genesis because John wishes for us to see in the coming of Christ the beginning of the New Creation. Thus, for John the “beginning” is a new beginning in Jesus.
What might this mean for us? First, it means that in Jesus we have the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises and that we must read the Bible in this light. Secondly, it means that the eschaton (end times) has begun in Jesus. We live in the “last days.” The “last days” then are not something to query about as though they are future and potentially not important. Instead, they are something for us to presently endure.95 Finally, the inauguration of the New Creation in Jesus means that our mission as God’s people entails the bringing in of the New Creation.96
One of the difficulties that many have at this juncture relates to the problem of the future of the kingdom. Many of us have become so accustomed to thinking of the end times as something wholly in the future that we have trouble grasping the present reality of the kingdom. Some, perhaps, are concerned with how this might affect our view of the return of Christ. Though this is understandable, we must warn against the urge to hold so tightly to one perspective that we neglect other truths simply because they are problematic for us. We must find room in our convictions for the whole counsel of God.
The end has begun in Christ, and yet we also affirm that Christ will return to consummate his kingdom.
50. Schnabel, 40 Questions, 25.
51. I am not making any claims as to the nature and timing of the millennium. For the reader who is aware of such theology, I will only say that whether the millennium is present or future is secondary at this time. I am fully aware of the theological intricacies of premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism. However, I do believe that proponents of each of the views should be able to affirm the main thrust of this chapter and this book as a whole.
52. Beale, New Testament Biblical Theology, 18. On the same page Beale adds, “This means that the doctrine of eschatology in NT theology textbooks should not merely be one among many doctrines that are addressed but should be the lens through which all the doctrines are best understood.”
53. Cf. Matt 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22; John 1:29–34.
54. The word “Synoptics” means “seeing together” and refers to Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The term comes from the fact that these three Gospels are very similar in their overall content.
55. The five “fulfillment passages” in Matt 1–2 are: 1:18–25; 2:1–12; 2:13–15; 2:16–18; 2:19–23. In each account Matthew narrates an event in Jesus’ birth and childhood in accord with the OT in order to demonstrate that Jesus fulfilled the Scripture.
56. Cf. 1 Chr 2:1–15; 3:10–24.
57. One need only realize that the third section of Matthew’s genealogy spans five hundred years and has only fourteen generations to see that names have been omitted. See Leon Morris, Gospel according to Matthew, 22.
58. That is, the prophet that ushers in the end times. Now, I fully understand that Jesus was much more than the eschatological prophet. The focus here is merely on this aspect of Jesus’ identity and ministry.
59. That Matthew’s genealogy serves to identify Jesus with the story of the OT and not merely the lineage of Abraham and David is evident in the intended structure of the genealogy. Matthew notes in 1:17 that there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, and from David to the exile, and from the exile to Jesus. This arrangement of the genealogy suggests that the story of Israel, which moves from Abraham to David, from David to the exile, and the exile to Jesus, finds its consummation
