Colossians 1:12-14 and the Kingdom

"...giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

This passage was read this past Sunday in the course of our morning message. The Spirit really captured my attention on the larger context of Colossians 1 and the supremacy of Christ. To put it anachronistically, Paul sounds an awful lot like a Christian Hedonist. Anyway, due to my recent meanderings on the kingdom, my attention was also drown to verse 13, and I found myself a bit stumped. Verse 12 seems to be pretty black and white on the current presence of the Kingdom, but as I thought about it, I don't think this was ever a passage I raised in question to a traditional or revised dispensationalist (ie someone who thinks the Kingdom is wholly future). Mind you, it wouldn't be a problem for a progressive, a covenant premill or amiller. While I can certainly offer my own speculations, I'm curious does anyone know how a normal dispensationalist would dodge...ah I mean handle this text on the Kingdom? Ok, that was a cheapshot, I admit it, but seriously...I'd be curious for a concrete answer from either a dispensationalist, a recovering dispensationalist or even someone who has a "friend" that's a dispensationalist.

Jesus Comes Back and We Win

To date, the title of this post is about the only part of my eschatology that hasn't come into question. I have been discussing Isaiah 65 with several friends the last few days and I thought I would extend the conversation to any still reading this blog.

Isaiah 65 is a passage often associated with the blessings of the millenial kingdom - the lion laying down with the lamb sort of stuff. I never gave it much thought until I noticed that the words that open this section (v. 17) are:

"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered..."

And I thought to myself...now where have I heard that before? Placing the "millenial blessings" after Revelation 21:1 certainly has some complications for the premill position that I have so long embraced. Nevertheless someone did once advise me that once you let go of a pretrib position, it's a downhill slippery slope (which I did not believe at the time, though I find myself slipping and sliding frequently these days). To be sure, this text isn't the end all of the discussion, nor my own wrestlings, as it is difficult to account for how death could exist after Revelation 21:1 (see Isa 65:20). Any thoughts? Even so come Lord Jesus...