Christ Triumphant
Biblical Perspectives on His Church and Kingdom
By Raymond O. Zorn
Banner of Truth. 243 pages. £12.95
Raymond Zorn was born in America and trained for the ministry at Gordon College, Boston, and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. After serving in Presbyterian pastorates in New Zealand, he became a professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics at Reformed Theological, Geelong, Australia, in 1976. Professor Zorn is now retired but continues to be active in the ministry. First published in 1962, the book has been re-worked and bears all the marks of a thorough acquaintance with the world of biblical scholarship.
The aim of the book is to present a clearer picture of Christ's Church and the kingdom of God as distinct entities. The volume falls into three equal parts. The first is definitive, the second mostly eschatological, and the third practical.
In the section titled 'A millennial rule', Professor Zorn points to the fact that those who hold to pre-millenarianism do so on the basis of Revelation 20 (p. 102). If that passage is taken away, by their own admission, the foundation of the pre-mill position is no more! Hence the provocative title of this review. He shows that the Old Testament give no hint of a 1,000 year millennium on earth and in the New Testament there is a constant reference to the absolute finality of Christ's second coming, a finality which allows for no further work of salvation on earth, and no 1,000 year separate reign of Christ. The author shows convincingly that when we reach chapter 20, there is no reason for abandoning the symbolism characteristic of the Revelation. Phrase by phrase, he expounds the key verses of Revelation 20. For instance, when is Satan bound? When do the martyred saints live and reign? He shows that Revelation 19 and 20 signify the same event. He demonstrates by the internal evidence provided in the passages themselves that Ezekiel 40-48 matches or parallels Revelation 21-22, and the same applies to Ezekiel 38-39 and Revelation 19-20.
The exposition does justice to the principles of interpretation utterly necessary in interpreting apocalyptic literature. It simply will not do to arbitrarily impose a literal meaning on Scripture where that is discountenanced by its own criteria.
Practical lesson
The main practical lesson arising out of Christ Triumphant is that Christ is reigning presently and that this reign is absolute. It is a reign over every sphere: over the cosmos, the powers of darkness, over the believing community. Included is a helpful exposition of those New Testament passages which cite Psalm 110.1: 'The LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'
The author is aware of the principle question arising, namely, to what extent will Christ exercise his present possession of power in the future? Will he extend his rule to the point where even civil governments submit to him? Theonomy is weighed in the scales of Scripture and found wanting. The problems attendant if the Old Testament civil laws are imposed in a theocratic manner are discussed. In the process, Professor Zorn reveals that he is essentially pessimistic about the future (p. 200).
This book deals well with the issue of common grace and urges maximising the gifts of common grace. Geerhardus Vos is cited: 'Whenever one of these spheres (science, art, commerce, industry) comes under the divine supremacy and glory, and this outwardly reveals itself, there we can truly say that the kingdom of God has become manifest.'
Considering the main theme of Christ's triumph, it is disappointing to find that important Scriptures relating to that triumph are ignored. Also, there is a complete lack of application when it comes to working through what it means for Christ to triumph over all his enemies. What enemies? Does this include false religions? Psalm 72 which declares most fully the triumph of the King is not even mentioned. No reference is made to Psalm 2.8 or to Habakkuk 2.14. The symbolism of Isaiah 65.20-23 is used to nullify the message of Isaiah 2.1-5 and 11.1-9. While Isaiah uses metaphorical language in Isaiah 11.6-9, that does not alter the fact that he is describing this earth and not heaven. Daniel 2.44 which declares that Christ's kingdom will break in pieces and crush all other kingdoms opposed to his is ignored. There is no reference to Isaiah 49.1-7; 59.19-21 or Romans 11.
The great apostacy
If Christ is reigning and extending his kingdom systematically round the world, what of the apostasy described in the little apocalypse of 2 Thessalonians 2.1-12? The Puritans like Thomas Manton (who preached a series of sermons on those verses) dealt fully with that passage. They perceived that the apostasy was a falling away from apostolic Christianity. This decline is represented in the rise of the Papacy from which deliverance came in the Reformation. The Puritans believed that Christ's sufferings on the Cross would result in a reward commensurate with that sacrifice as seen, for instance, in Psalm 22.27: 'All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord and all the families of the nations will bow before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.' This emphasis on Christ's rule should be part of this thesis but again the author ignores this aspect.
The pioneer missionaries were inspired to action by the promises that God's redemption purpose would spread throughout the earth on a very generous scale (see Iain Murray's The Puritan Hope). A rediscovery of this aspect of Christ's present holding of all power (Matthew 28.18) has the same capacity to motivate and inspire as it has in previous times and should lead us to another desperately needed missionary awakening. Doom and gloom never inspires effort. Hopefully, Raymond Zorn will attend to the cited omissions in the next edition of his book. In the meantime, we are grateful for the value of the exposition he has provided.
Errol Hulse
