The word “church” appears in the New Testament about a hundred times. Jesus himself said he came to establish it (Matthew 16:18). And Acts 20:28 tells us that God purchased the church with his own blood.
His. Own. Blood.
If anything in the Christian life deserves a clear origin story, it’s the church. So here’s my question: how well do you actually know that story? Here’s what I’ve found: Most Christians know that the church matters. They understand that it’s important. But ask them to trace its origins—to walk through the prophecies, the promises, the pieces God had been putting in place for centuries—and you’ll get a lot of guesses and very broad strokes. Since prophecy is, like, sooo complicated, we shouldn’t be surprised at that response. The good news is, prophecy doesn’t have to be complicated if we don’t make it complicated, at least where the church is concerned. So let’s talk about it!
We’re going to walk through a series of prophecies—some from the Old Testament, some from the words of Jesus himself—that paint a very specific picture of what God’s kingdom had to look like. Every single one of these prophecies gets fulfilled in one chapter of your Bible. And here’s what I think you’ll find interesting: two words you may have always kept in separate categories, “church” and “kingdom,” are going to become impossible to pull apart. Let’s start with Isaiah 2:2–3.
In the last days
the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.
Many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.1
These two verses alone already give us three prophecies about the institution of the church that we need to note. I call these three “the when, the who, and the where” because that’s exactly what these three prophecies tell us. We know it’s going to be in the last days; that’s the “when”, and we’ll see what that means later. We know that all nations will stream to it; that’s the “who”. And we know that that word of the Lord will be in Jerusalem; that’s the “where”. Notice as well how the mountain is described. Isaiah attaches an element of supremacy and finality to this mountain. It’s going to be the highest and the most exalted! Keep this idea in mind as well.
Building on this, we have another prediction in Daniel 2. The Israelites were in captivity in Babylon at this time under King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar has a disturbing dream that he can’t figure out the meaning of, and as it turns out, neither can any of his magicians and astrologers because Nebuchadnezzar not only required that they tell him the interpretation of the dream, but he also demanded that they retell the dream itself. They weren’t up to this task, which takes all the scammers and con artists off the stage and leaves the one true God to do what he does best. God reveals the dream to Daniel, and we see what his conversation with the king looked like beginning in Daniel 2:27–35:
Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:
As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.
Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.”
First off, notice how the language Daniel uses for this mountain is very much parallel to the language Isaiah uses in the previous passage. Daniel describes this mountain as huge and filling the entirety of the earth. This imagery is also informative for what this kingdom is going to look like, and Daniel continues in verses 36–38:
This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.
Daniel labeling Nebuchadnezzar as the head of gold here helps us establish a timeline with the kingdom of Babylon representing the golden head and the following kingdoms representing the subsequent parts of the statue. However, Nebuchadnezzar almost certainly lets this golden head thing get to his own head. A chapter later, he makes a statue of…himself. This statue is made entirely out of gold, and he demands that everyone bow down and worship it. This probably puts him in the top three contenders for the most blatant narcissist in the Bible, but I digress. Daniel continues the interpretation in verses 39–44:
After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
Each part of the statue represents a different kingdom. Since God reveals explicitly that the head represents Nebuchadnezzar, then it’s easy enough for us to look back in history to see how it all played out.
- The head of gold represent the Babylonian Empire.
- The chest and arms of silver represent the Medo-Persion Empire.
- The belly and thighs of bronze represent the Greek Empire.
- The legs of iron with feet partly of iron and partly of clay represent the Roman Empire.
Now that we have in mind the entire statue and know what each piece represents, we come to verse 44:
In the time of those kings [the Roman Empire], the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
God was promising to establish a kingdom during the time of the Roman Empire. We also see that God would set up his own kingdom distinctly different from the other kingdoms. It wasn’t going to change hands, nor would it ever topple to any outside force as these kingdoms all eventually did.
A few chapters later, in chapter 7, Daniel himself receives a vision—a parallel to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, but now from God’s vantage point rather than a pagan king’s bedroom. Daniel sees four great beasts rising from the sea, representing these same four empires. But above them all stands the Ancient of Days, and in verse 18, we receive our final Old Testament prophecy about this kingdom:
The holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.
Daniel 7:18
So these comprise the Old Testament prophecies that characterize God’s kingdom and show us the bars that need to be cleared in order for the church to be that kingdom. It needs to be:
- In the last days
- Comprised of many nations and many peoples
- Have its origin point in Jerusalem
- During the time of the Roman Empire and
- The saints will be the ones to possess this kingdom as we just saw in Daniel 7.
We now move to the New Testament prophecies where Jesus gives some further qualifiers for this kingdom. The first recorded line that we have from any sermon Jesus preached is:
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.
Matthew 4:17
Notice how the language shifts. We’re no longer talking about something distant or far away but something that’s quickly approaching. Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven as near and something imminent (other translations of the Bible say that it is “at hand.”). We see just how imminent in Mark 9:1 when Jesus is talking to his disciples:
And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
From these passages, we get our first two New Testament prophecies. First, Jesus says that the kingdom was so near that it was going to come during the lifetime of the disciples. Second, this kingdom was going to make its entrance with power! Something extraordinary was going to mark the arrival and origin of what was soon to be ushered in.
We add to our list once again in John 3, when Jesus spoke with Nicodemus:
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
John 3:3–5
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
Jesus describes how to enter the kingdom. You enter through water and the Spirit. Nicodemus is clearly confused, and understandably so, but we’re going to see what these two things correspond to in just a bit, and it’s all going to make sense.
Our last New Testament prophecy comes from Matthew 16 where Jesus asks the disciples who they think he is.
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16–19
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
We see a specific person with specific keys to a specific building. Peter was going to be given the keys of the kingdom of heaven. To recap, here are all the prophecies we’ve accumulated:
- In the last days.
- Comprised of many nations and many peoples.
- Have its origin point in Jerusalem.
- During the time of the Roman Empire.
- The saints would be the ones to possess this kingdom.
- During the lifetime of the apostles.
- Powerful signs would be seen.
- Entrance through being born again (water and spirit).
- Peter would open the doors (having the keys of the kingdom).
Now our list is complete, and we’ve fully painted this picture, but the question remains: What have we actually painted a picture of? Without seeing their fulfillment, half of these prophecies just seem vague and esoteric. What do all these prophecies actually mean? As I promised earlier, we see the fulfillment of every single one of these prophecies in Acts 2 as the church was finally established. Let’s see exactly what that looks like. In Acts 1, Jesus commanded the apostles to wait in Jerusalem until they received the powerful promise from the Father (see Acts 1:1–8). Then, it finally happened.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
Acts 2:1–5
Already in these first five verses, we see four prophecies of the kingdom on our list checked off. Isaiah said that all nations would be present in Jerusalem. Jesus promised that it would come with power, and we certainly see a display of power here with violent wind, tongues of fire, and the apostles, obviously alive and well at this time, miraculously speaking in different languages that everyone represented there could understand. Verses 14–17 give us more fulfilled prophecies:
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
“‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.’”
By recalling this prophecy from Joel who also speaks about this time period labeled “the last days,” we see that Peter is attributing this exact moment to what Joel was referring to. If all the other bars we established are cleared, then we understand that the last days started at this time and extends into today and in the future (cf. Hebrews 1:1–2). Peter is making the declaration that a new era was being ushered in. As for the rest of the prophecies, let’s take a look at verses 36–39:
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
Acts 2:36–38
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
How do these people, guilty of crucifying the Messiah, respond to the infallible proof of Jesus’ power and resurrection? Peter answers that question. And notice who is doing the answering. Go back to Matthew 16. Jesus looked at this same apostle and told him, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” This is that moment. Peter stands up, and he uses those keys. He opens the door. That’s prophecy number nine, fulfilled right here. By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he blazes the trail for what it now means to follow God, telling this despondent crowd how to enter a relationship with Christ and become citizens of the kingdom they had been reading about since childhood.
He tells them to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This satisfies both the water and the Spirit side of the equation that Jesus presented in John 3.
Lastly, we talked about how the saints would inherit this kingdom forever. Notice the very next verse:
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.
Acts 2:39
The command to repent and be baptized and the subsequent promises are going to apply to every person whom God calls through the gospel. As it turns out, Isaiah 2, Daniel 2, and Joel 2 find their fulfillment in Acts 2. Anyone who hears and obeys the gospel of Jesus Christ is now counted as a saint in God’s kingdom. This is further reinforced by passages like Romans 1:7, Ephesians 1:1, and Philippians 1:1 all referring to the churches and the members within them as “God’s holy people” and “saints.”
With all nine of those prophecies fulfilled to the letter in a single chapter, we need to say something plainly: the kingdom is fulfilled in the church. The church is not a substitute or contingency plan for the kingdom. The church is where Jesus is King of kings, established exactly when and how he promised.
There is a teaching that is held sincerely by a lot of people that says something like this: Jesus came to establish his kingdom in the first century, but the Jews rejected him, so he pivoted and set up the church as a backup. They say the real kingdom is still coming. Jesus will try again one day and finally get it done.
This teaching cannot be squared with what we’ve just walked through. Every one of these prophecies was about a kingdom. Every one of them was fulfilled the moment the church was established in Acts 2. The church didn’t replace the kingdom. The church is how the prophesied kingdom arrived.
And here’s what’s at stake if we get this wrong: we miss the blessing of Jesus being King right now. The book of Revelation says that Jesus “is Lord of lords and King of kings” (Revelation 17:14). He is—present tense. Jesus, the one who, since his resurrection and ascension, has been seated at the right hand of the Father, reigning over a kingdom that, as Daniel promised, will never be destroyed and will never pass to another. You are not waiting for a King. If you have obeyed the gospel, you are already a citizen of his kingdom, and he is already on his throne.
With all of these prophecies being fulfilled to the letter, we can be sure that the church is exactly what God has been planning for his holy people this entire time, and we see everything that had to align in order for everything to come true. I think there’s no better place to wrap up our study than a brief look at Paul’s words in Colossians 1:13–14. Pay close attention to the tense:
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Amen, brother Paul. God has rescued us; He has brought us into the Son’s kingdom. Past tense. Later on in this chapter, Paul calls this kingdom the body of Christ, the church. Paul isn’t describing something on the horizon. He’s describing a present reality. The kingdom is here, and we can be in it now. This kingdom will last forever, and if we have obeyed his gospel, we are all, as saints, a part of it.
There’s a distinction worth pressing here, though. All of the church is kingdom life—every obedient believer is living under the reign of King Jesus. God has always been King; therefore, the kingdom has actually always existed in the broadest sense. When Israel demanded a human king, God told Samuel plainly that they weren’t rejecting Samuel. Instead, they were rejecting God as their King. The kingdom didn’t originate in Acts 2. What originated there was the fulfillment of where the kingdom had always been headed. The community called to embody and announce it. So while the kingdom is larger than the church in one sense, the inverse is not true today: you cannot live kingdom life and be outside the church. Jesus built His church and gave Peter the keys of the kingdom. The church is where the kingdom is visible, and it is where God is calling all people to live and thrive.
Now, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to come. There is a future dimension to God’s kingdom—a final inheritance, a last chapter still unwritten. Jesus himself spoke about it. But he also issued a warning alongside it.
Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 7:21
In this context, Jesus was speaking about the judgment that is coming. If that passage has ever unsettled you, if you’ve read those words and wondered whether they apply to you, check out this study, where we walk through that passage carefully.
- Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. ↩︎