The Kingdom – The Emerging Rule of Christ Among Men

Author: George Dana Boardman (complied by Bob Mumford and Jack Taylor)

Publisher: Destiny Image Publishers

Date Published: 2008 (the original 1899 classic)

Reviewed by David Collins

There were three reasons I was keen to read this book. Firstly, the subject of ‘The Kingdom of God’ has been in ascendency in the Body Christ in the last twenty to thirty years, and more so in the last few years. This was a fascinating opportunity to examine the writings of man on the subject of over a century ago. Secondly, the author appealed to me: George Dana Boardman was the step son of the famous missionary Adoniram Judson of Burma – George’s mother and Adoniram Judson lost their spouses in the disease ridden harshness of the Asian mission field of their day, and eventually married. Thirdly, the fact that Bob Mumford and Jack Taylor were recommending this work for contemporary readers was a boon (as was Destiny image Publisher’s decision to go with the project).

In reading a book about the Kingdom of God, written before the turn of last century (1899 to be precise), I realised that it pre-dated modern-day pentecostal revivals (Azusa Street, The Welsh Revival, the Latter Rain revival, the Charismatic renewal, and outpourings of the Holy Spirit of the last twenty years). This was interesting because a large body of present day teaching about the Kingdom strongly, and rightly so, connects the Kingdom to the release of the power of the Holy Spirit. And so the question in my mind was: what was the view of the Kingdom of God prior to the ‘demonstration and power’ renewals of the twentieth century?

The simple answer to this question, I discovered was this: the unmistakable centrality of Jesus Christ as King, and the absolute call for men to submit to His rule.  As such, the Author spends much time bringing Biblical exegesis to the Kingdom laws, the Kingdom method of Christ. And he serves the reader well by spending time debunking misconceptions concerning the kingdom and then offering rectifications of the same. ‘The Kingdom - The Emerging Rule of Christ Among Men’ is so chock full of Scripture, that Boardman’s teaching is completely authoritative.

However, today we are privileged to understand more than George Boardman was able to write of in his time in history. Chapter 8 is titled “Method of the Kingdom”, and answers the question, “How does the King Himself administer His Kingdom?” At first he answers in the negative showing that the Kingdom is not administered by “sword” nor by “legislation”. Then we get to the affirmative answer: the King Himself administers His Kingdom by “teaching” [quote: “God’s Kingdom claims the authority of inward force, such as principle and truth. And trust wins its way by teaching … the men who rule the world are they who teach it”]. The second method by which the Kind administers His Kingdom is given as “healing”. The author at first points to the healing ministry of Jesus some two millennia ago, and links it (rightly so) to the provision in the atonement (Isaiah 53:4 and Matthew 8:14-17). However, he then proceeds to reference the work of the medical profession, and particularly medical missionaries, of his day as the fulfilment of the ‘method of healing’ by which Christ administers His Kingdom. Of course, he is correct – but a hundred years of renewal and restoration have added immeasurably to our knowledge, faith and experience – and today we live in an exciting time in which the miracle healing ministry of the King is flowing again alongside the esteemed work of medical professionals.

Two portions that particularly helped and inspired me were …

One: Boardman’s exposition on ministry to children in the chapter titled ‘Constituents of the Kingdom’. In this chapter he uses the famous incidents of Jesus blessing infants and saying “of such is the Kingdom of God”, to bring an outstanding descriptive list of childlike qualities, and then adding the surprise – the author says the obvious – these are the qualities found in infants and children, so our little ones are indeed major constituents of the Kingdom. This rather than the usual habit of ascribing childlike qualities to adults. There are over 11 pages to be enjoyed on this.

Two: Boardman’s exposition on Jesus’ parables of the Kingdom, this in the chapter titled, ‘Growth of the Kingdom’. The chapter begins, “The Basilea is ever Coming. The Kingdom of God, since the advent of His Son, has ever been coming and is coming still. The restoration of each separate rebel though all these centuries has been, so to speak, the recovery of a distinct duchy or principality in the empire of God. Under the Divine Spirit everything – the enterprises of the church, the institutions of men, the providences of God, the laws of nature, the very constitution of nature itself, all that has been, all that is, a;; that will be – everything is contributing each its own quota to the predestined triumph.” On that introductory note, the parables are then systematically expounded.

The book is complied in twelve chapters, the chapter titles are:

      I.        Foregleams of the Kingdom

     II.        Arrival of the Kingdom

    III.        Misconceptions of the Kingdom

   IV.        Rectifications of Misconceptions

    V.        Definition of the Kingdom

   VI.        Constituents of the Kingdom

  VII.        Laws of the Kingdom

 VIII.        Method of the Kingdom

   IX.        Symbols of the Kingdom

    X.        Church of the Kingdom

   XI.        Growth of the Kingdom

  XII.        Consummation of the Kingdom

This last chapter is a gem. “Let every son of the Kingdom be confident of the coming victory of his King. For that Kingdom is not a theory, it is a destiny; not an experiment, it is a consummation. Oh, the unconscious verity that lurked in the irony of that ancient mock purple and mock crown and mock sceptre and mock kneeling and mock “Hail, King of the Jews!”. On the head of Jesus the King are many diadems; the diadem of nature, its materials, its forces, its laws, its possibilities; the diadem of providence, its purposes, its preparations, its administrations, its conclusions, its triumphs; the diadem of redemption, its crown of grace, its crown of thorns, its crown of glory, its crown of church, its crown of character; the diadem of victory, its conquests, its temporalities, its spiritualities, its sovereignties; the diadem of universality; the diadem of immortality. He has on His garment, and on His thigh, a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS”