R. Alan Streett - Heaven on Earth: Experiencing the Kingdom of God in the Here and Now

When Dr. Alan Streett writes a book, it has a long life because of the way he reveals biblical truth in such a practical and applicable manner. In a day when world events lead believers to focus so much on Christs second coming that they forget to appropriate all the first coming provides, Heaven on Earth is a welcome addition. Streett reminds us that we do not have to wait for our Lords millennial reign to be blessed. Christ is ruling already from the Fathers right hand. This reminder should move every believer to get this bookread it and reap!

O.S. Hawkins

president and CEO, GuideStone Financial Resources

Good biblical scholarship always needs clearheaded and careful writers who can help the church grasp the core essentials of the gospel of the kingdom. Alan Streett has written a rare book, combining good scholarship with a compelling and clear style that allows him to speak powerfully to a wide audience. There is gold in this hillsearch and find. I am quite sure your efforts will be rewarded.

John H. Armstrong

president, ACT 3 Network

Alan Streett has written a very readable theology of the kingdom of God for everyman (to borrow from N.T. Wrights series). But it is more than a theology, for it is the grand narrative of Gods relationship to the world and humanity told in a fascinating manner without any mincing of words when it comes to bringing out its practical implications. It is at a length and in a style that all can read (with notes for scholars), so I can only hope that as many as can get their hands on it will indeed take up and read. At the end of the work one wants to stand and sing the Hallelujah Chorus.

Peter Davids
visiting professor of Christianity

Houston Baptist University

Since Jesus spoke so often of the kingdom, shouldnt we? I heartily commend Alans contribution to this important conversation about one of the Bibles often overlooked themes, the kingdom of God. Read it and be challenged.

Ed Stetzer
president, LifeWay Research

author of Subversive Kingdom

Alan Streett has come upon a discovery that is revolutionizing his understanding of the Bible, the gospel, and the Christian life. You feel his exhilaration in every chapter as he grapples deeply with Jesus core messagenot simply about how to get your soul to heaven when you die, but how Gods dreams for planet earth can come true, beginning with you, and catching all of us up in Gods transforming mission. This is a courageous work that will stimulate needed conversations about the Bible and the gospel, especially in Baptist and Evangelical circles. Highly recommended.

Brian D. McLaren

author and speaker

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Scripture quotations marked NKJV and all Scripture quotations in chapters 1 and 415 are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NRSV and all Scripture quotations in chapters 2, 3, and 16 are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are 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. www.zondervan.com

Verses marked P HILLIPS are from J.B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English, 1962 edition, published by HarperCollins.

All italicized emphasis in Scripture quotations is added by the author.

Cover by Dugan Design Group, Bloomington, Minnesota

Cover photo Peter Zelei / Vetta / Getty Images

Backcover author photo by Domus AureaPhotography by Rene

HEAVEN ON EARTH

Copyright 2013 by R. Alan Streett

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Streett, R. Alan (Richard Alan)

Heaven on earth / R. Alan Streett.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-7369-4914-9 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-4915-6 (eBook)

1. Kingdom of God. I. Title.

BT94.S88 2013

231.7'2dc23

2012041345

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

To the members of
The Presidents Class
Dallas, Texas

A few of the people who have helped me write this book deserve special mention.

Bob Hawkins, president of Harvest House Publishers, and I are kindred spirits. We like to talk about our sons, discuss theology, think outside the box, and drink coffee. When Bob has business in Dallas, we sometimes get together at Starbucks. On one such occasion, after an animated conversation on the present reign of Christ, Bob invited me to put my thoughts into print. Thanks, Bob, for your encouragement and for the opportunity to share my ideas with a wider audience.

I also wish to extend my appreciation to my editor, Gene Skinner, who saw the book to completion once it left my hands. Gene and his team did a great job getting the manuscript ready for publication.

A special thanks to the students of Criswell College (Dallas, Texas) who have signed up for my classes on the kingdom of God over the years. As I presented my ideas and theories in the classroom and received their feedback, my understanding of the kingdom developed more fully.

Finally, and most of all, I wish to recognize the extraordinary effort of my wife, Lynn Fenby Streett, who proofread, edited, and offered suggestions on how I could communicate my ideas more clearly to a lay audience. She kept this book from being a dry academic treatise.

Contents

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!

M ATTHEW 3:2

T he concept of the kingdom of God is elusive. From the beginning of Christianity, the greatest minds have been baffled by it. Theologians have equated it variously with heaven, the church, Israel, Christendom, democracy, socialism, communism, an ethical ideal, an inward spiritual experience, Christs millennial reign, and the eternal state. No wonder there is so much confusion!

In more recent times, New Testament scholars have taken a renewed interest in the kingdom of God. Their inquiries have advanced our knowledge of the subject, but we have many more avenues to explore and questions to ask and answer.

For more than a decade, learning about the kingdom of God has been my all-consuming passion. In the course of my study, I have spent an inordinate amount of time reading the major scholarly and popular books and journal articles about it. I have enjoyed countless discussions and debates about the kingdom, and Ive written about it, lectured on it, and taught courses about it. In my opinion, nothing is of more importance than correctly understanding the kingdom. It is the overarching theme of the entire Bible, a thread that runs throughout it, and the great umbrella under which all other subjects are subsumed.

My goal is to introduce you to the kingdom of God in the hope that you too will become captivated by it. If I succeed, you will never be the same. Are you ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime?

The journey begins in a garden (Genesis 12) and ends in paradise (Revelation 2122). Along the way, we will meet many interesting characters and discover great treasures. Be forewarned, howeverthe trip is not for the faint of heart. We will encounter various obstacles, but the road signs are plentiful, and our maps are reliable. If we take our time to navigate carefully, we can reach our destination. If we succeed, our knowledge of the kingdom of God will be crisp and clear. Best of all, we will discover how to tap into the kingdoms riches and enjoy them here and now.