For 30 years Bro. Edward Byrd has been publishing THE REMINDER- a monthly paper dealing with biblical studies and discussing contemporary issues from a biblical perspective. No real Christian can read it without being spiritually enriched and, at the same time, challenged to a closer walk with the Lord.
    Landmark MBC, in Rockford, has recently sent a special offering toward the support of THE REMINDER and requested a bundle of papers each issue so that every family in our church may have access to its rich contents. I believe that the life of the body will be greatly blessed and strengthened by its sound, biblical message which, unashamedly, heralds the Gospel of the soon coming Kingdom of our Lord and calls for preparation to meet the King.
    If YOU, or your church, would like to partake of this regular source of spiritual nourishment, you may write to:

    In a recent letter a fellow pastor, who has often written to commend my stand on THE CHURCH, asked a number of pertinent questions. I quote the gist of his letter.
    "In the January 15 issue you discuss, 'John the Baptist, the Bride, and the Kingdom'....In the same article you mention that you believe 'the church is no kingdom in any sense of the word.' Why not? Did not John and Jesus both preach that the kingdom is at hand? (Matt. 3:2). Did Jesus not give the keys of the kingdom to His church (Matt. 16:19)? Did Daniel not prophesy that Jesus would set up His kingdom (Dan. 2:44)?
    ... My position is that the church is NOW the bride of Christ. The other metaphors which describe the church - house, body, etc., are descriptive of the present position of His churches to Himself. Why put bridehood in the future?
    I do not want to sound argumentative, but simply want to know your position on the church and kingdom. I used to be a pre-trib and pre-mil proponent. I was reared and taught this for years. I then found out, by careful study, that the two-phase theory of the Lord's

coming could not be proved. Since that time I have taken a Gospel-mil position - that is, that the kingdom is now, and that the Lord is ruling and reigning through His churches in this age." (Oklahoma)
    I think it will be worthwhile, in the following article, to share with the readers of the CLARION HERALD my answer to these questions E.G.


Dear Bro. __________:
    Thank you for your most encouraging letter and the assurance that, so far as you are concerned, there may be fellowship without perfect agreement on the details of every Biblical doctrine.
    I am delighted for the opportunity to respond to your questions; nor do they present a problem from my point of view. Some years ago I published a small booklet (catechistic in nature) dealing with Israel, the Church & Christ's

Return, in which I dealt with these things. Nor has my position changed much during the intervening years. In fact, I believe that I discussed some of these very things with you while you were still with _________ in Illinois. But, to your questions.
    You concluded correctly that I viewed the BRIDAL RELATIONSHIP to Christ as being PROSPECTIVE for men of all ages who have walked faithfully in covenant-fellowship with their God. Nor may this relationship be the experience of ANY so long as the bride is, bodily, on earth and the Bridegroom, bodily, in heaven. Rather than the New Testament viewing the consummation of a marriage-relationship as being cast in THE PAST, it is set forth as PROSPECTIVE - at Christ's RETURN (2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 19:1-9). So far as the present age is concerned, His churches ALONE enjoy the blessings of covenant-fellowship with Him to whom they are "espoused" - awaiting His coming and the consummation of a relationship that is best ILLUSTRATED by the FIGURE of "marriage". Present subjection to the rule of Christ (in the functioning fellowship of a New Testament church) is essential if one would have ANY TRUE BASIS for expecting to share His glory, power and very deity (nature) in the coming age! I place BRIDEHOOD in the future because that is, obviously, where the Scriptures have placed it! (Matt. 25; Rev. 19:7-9; 21:2, 9-11). I do NOT regard the church as NOW being the BRIDE for the simple reason that I have found NO BIBLICAL BASIS for doing so.

    You raised a number of questions relative to my suggestion that the church is NO KINGDOM - in any sense of the word. Let us consider those questions.


    It is true that both Jesus and John the Baptist declared the kingdom to be "at hand". I understand this to mean that its power and presence were manifested in THE PERSON of Israel's rightful King (Messiah) Who came with an offer "to restore the kingdom to Israel" (Acts 1:6) on the condition of the nation's REPENTANCE and SUBMISSION to "the Son of Man".
    1) Remember that He was "NOT SENT but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel", (Matt. 15:24 comp. 10:6).
    2) Jesus openly and publicly offered Himself to Israel as her Messiah - even after refusing the kind of "kingship" the people would have once forced upon Him, (Jn. 6:15; Matt. 21:1-10).
    3) Through her leaders, the nation REFUSED - both to repent and to accept Him whom God had sent to be their KING, (Lk. 19:14, 27).
    4) Thus, Jesus declared (title to) the Kingdom to be "TAKEN FROM THEM" (Matt. 21:43) and given to a people who would bring forth the kind of "fruit" that was required by its principles - the very principles so forcefully enunciated by our Lord in His Sermon on the Mount, and SUBMISSION to which is now essential for ANY who would share His rule when the Kingdom DOES COME!
    5) The parable recorded in Luke

19:11-17 was spoken TO DISPEL THE FALSE CONCEPT "that the kingdom of God should immediately appear", (vs. 11). The nobleman (Christ) must first go into a far country (heaven) where He would sit at God's right hand (Psa. 110:1) until the time appointed of the Father for Him to RECEIVE (Dan. 7:13-14) and subdue "the kingdoms of this world", which WOULD BECOME the kingdom "of our Lord, and of His Christ", (Rev. 11:15).
    6) One needs to understand that A KINGDOM requires three basic things: a reigning king, a subject people and a specific, geographical territory - conditions that DID NOT EXIST when Jesus came the first time, and that DO NOT EXIST NOW!


    In my understanding of the Scriptures, there is indeed a proper place for Matthew 16:19 in relation to the Kingdom. Jesus DID give TO HIS CHURCH the "keys of the kingdom".
    1) In NO WAY, however, does this indicate that the church IS THE KINGDOM! Jesus did not give the "keys" to the church that she might, as in Alice in Wonderland, "unlock herself"! Rather than its BEING A KINGDOM, the New Testament church is the instrument raised up by our Lord to proclaim the "Gospel of the Kingdom" to all nations UNTIL the time of His re-appearing and the establishment of His kingdom, (Matt. 24:14; 2 Tim. 4:1). It is the Father's ultimate purpose TO GIVE her the kingdom! (Luke 12:32).
    In the meantime, she is: to seek

it FIRST (Matt. 6:33), and to PRAY FOR ITS COMING - when the will of God will be DONE ON EARTH as it is NOW being done in heaven, (Matt. 6:10).
    2) "Keys" symbolize AUTHORITY: the context makes clear that these specific "keys" are for "binding and loosing" (by means of discipline), and speak of both the AUTHORITY and RESPONSIBILITY of every New Testament church to JUDGE SIN within the local assembly. THIS is THE SPHERE OF ITS EXERCISE - the proper use of "the keys". It is IN, and through the instrumentality of, His churches that the Lord is NOW "calling out from among the Gentiles" a SPECIAL PEOPLE for His name and kingdom, (Acts 15:14; comp. I Pet. 2:5-10).
    3) The apostle Paul severely rebuked the church at Corinth for trying to act like "kings" instead of BEING servants" of Christ, (I Cor. 4:8). He declared the PRESENT "ruling" (judging) of the saints to be limited to those WITHIN the body! (I Cor. 5:9-13). Our "judging" (ruling) of "the world" and "of angels" is set forth as a FUTURE PROSPECT - following the return of our Lord in His personal body-presence, to this earth. And, PLEASE, do not fail to note the close association between the present exercise and submission to the power of discipline (within a local New Testament church) and the privilege of inheriting and ruling in the FUTURE KINGDOM! (I Cor. 6:1-11; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5; comp. Acts 20:32)."

    There is no reason to doubt that, in Daniel 2:44, the prophet foresaw Jesus ChristRE-ESTABLISHING what the Scriptures describe as the Messianic-Davidic Kingdom. Any attempt, however, to rationalize a "mystical", or so-called "spiritual fulfillment" of this) in His establishment of the New Testament church, requires a PERVERSION of the context, of history and the teachings of both Jesus and His apostles! Such a concept would require as great a "sacrifice of the intellect" as any slave of Rome ever made to swallow the dogmas of Papal Infallibility, the Immaculate Conception or the Assumption of Mary!
    Daniel 2:44 is set in the midst of the prophet's divinely-inspired interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a great image - representing a succession of Gentile world- powers. From the "head of gold", clear down to the "feet of iron and clay", one may observe a progressive DEGENERATION. The system will receive its ultimate deathblow from One whom Daniel figuratively portrays as a Smiting Stone of destruction - NOT by human ingenuity, or even the triumph of a faithful gospel witness, but by direct, DIVINE INTERVENTION, in the person of Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords!
    According to Daniel's prophecy, our Lord will strike the ultimate blow AT THE TIME when the Gentile world system is headed up under 10 co-existing rulers who have sold their souls to carry out the strategy of the Man of Sin (anti-christ)

who will be destroyed by the very BRIGHTNESS (epiphany) of our Lord's BODY-PRESENCE (parousia; see 2 Thes 1:8). Then (at the consummation of this age) "the kingdoms of this world" BECOME the kingdom "of our Lord and of His Christ" Who shall THEN REIGN FOREVER AND EVER! (Rev. 11:15). The rule, and redemptive power, of our Lord will reach as far as does the curse of sin!
    The VICTORY of our Lord was won at Calvary - a victory into which we may enter and walk by FAITH. The verdict has already been reached - th sentence upon Gentile world dominion handed down. The EXECUTION of that sentence only awaits the day of the Father's appointment - according to the good pleasure of Him "who worketh ALL THINGS after the counsel of His own will", (Eph. 1:11, ASV)!
    This being true, I strongly suspect that Paul's response to your "GOSPEL-MIL POSITION" would be "Anathama! Maranatha!"
    I strongly suspect that your acceptance of this position has been more deeply influenced by a series of intelligent sounding Protestant publications than by an independent study of the Word. I suggest this only because I know of so many others who have accepted it without really considering other possible alternatives.
    Any study of the Scriptures relating to "the kingdom" will surely be a blessing. An exhaustive, in- depth study will require YEARS of research! Nor do I believe anyone will have done his best to understand the doctrine while ignoring the monumental effort that has gone

into the studies of such men as George N.H. Peters, in his work entitled The Theocratic Kingdom and of Alva J. McLain, in his less tedious work, entitled The Greatness of the Kingdom.
    ...Thank you again for writing - and for giving me an opportunity to answer some of your questions.
. . .Mine is no loosely held philosophy, but a concept deeply rooted in what I consider to be a consistent handling of the Word of God.
    May the Lord continue to direct your heart into the ways of faithfulness.
    In the riches of His grace,
    Eugene L. Garner



    The church of Jesus Christ was viewed by Paul as a place of BROAD LIBERTIES - a fellowship of brethren who manifest a mutuality of love and respect because the "love of Cod" has been shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit Who indwells "the body". He allowed no stifling chains of "uniformity" to interfere with a spontaneous, yet orderly, outburst of thanksgiving, praise, adoration and worship as the Holy Spirit moved upon the hearts of the various body members. He saw each of the local assemblies that he planted as being richly endowed with a VARIETY of useful functions - corresponding to the diversity of functions in a healthy human body.
    The multiplicity of members, who make up a New Testament church, are not all designed to fulfil the

same role in the functioning of the body; yet, so close is our relationship that we are "members one of another" - the divinely appointed role of each ESSENTIAL to the proper functioning of the whole.
    There is room in a local, New Testament church for ALL who, in the spirit of humility, meekness, faith and love, acknowledge Jesus Christ as LORD over their lives as individuals, and within the relationship of the church body.
    To meet the needs of His people, God places within every local assembly a DIVERSITY OF GIFTS, ministration, and workings - all designed to function under the control of the Holy Spirit; NOT as instruments of "the flesh"! No one person can know, understand,

perceive and do EVERYTHING that is necessary to the maturing of a New Testament church so as to manifest "the fulness of Him that filleth all in all".
    The fellowship of the Lord's church is BROAD enough for ALL THAT is good. It is too narrow ONLY FOR SIN! E.G.


    Last month our hearts were saddened to learn that Bro. Ken Murphey, pastor of the New Macedonia MBC, of Doniphan, Missouri, had fallen victim to a logging accident, broken leg, blood clot and heart attack that suddenly blotted out his life. He leaves behind a wife, Linda, and two sons.
    Like many Missionary Baptist pastors (and through no fault of his own), Bro. Ken found it necessary to seek secular employment, to meet the needs of his family, while attempting to provide spiritual leadership and nourishment for the little church that was so dear to his heart. His sudden passing leaves Sister Linda (who has a serious heart condition, and is unable to work) without any source of income. Last Sunday Landmark MBC took a "love offering" which, in addition to our prayers, will be given toward meeting her immediate need. The manifestation of genuine Christian love, on the part of other churches, would surely help to ease the pain and anxiety of this dear sister and her family at this critical time. You may address her: