Journal: Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society
Volume: JOTGES 34:66 (Spring 2021)
Article: An Exegetical Analysis Of Dillow’s View Of Jesus’ Kingdom Entry Sayings
Author: Robert N. Wilkin

JOTGES 34:66 (Spring 2021) p. 19

An Exegetical Analysis Of Dillow’s View Of Jesus’ Kingdom Entry Sayings

Robert N. Wilkin

Executive Director
Grace Evangelical Society

I. Introduction

Final Destiny1 is a major expansion of Jody Dillow’s earlier work, The Reign of the Servant Kings. Chapters 18–22 deal with the Lord Jesus’ kingdom entry sayings. The author has been a friend of mine for thirty years. He has written for our publications and spoken at our conferences. A mutual friend who has adopted Dillow’s view of the entry sayings recently challenged me to show why that view is mistaken. While I have reflected on Dillow’s view of the entry sayings before, I realized they warranted a more thorough review.

I have chosen six of Dillow’s major points in chaps. 18–22 to illustrate why I believe this portion of Final Destiny misses the mark regarding what the kingdom entry sayings mean. Before we look at those six points, I will first delineate Dillow’s three understandings of the entry sayings.

II. Three Ways Dillow Understands Entry Sayings

Dillow suggests that when the Lord talks about entering His kingdom, He means three different things. The context in each case determines which of the three meanings is meant.

JOTGES 34:66 (Spring 2021) p. 20

First, entry sayings can refer to “a call to enter into personal salvation or soteriological entrance into the millennium.”2 We agree on this point.

Second, entry sayings are sometimes “a call to enter a rich life now by following the principles of the Sermon on the Mount.”3 I do not see any examples of this in any of the entry sayings.

Third, the kingdom entry saying can refer to “a call to greatness, that is, an abundant entrance into the kingdom.”4 I do not see this type of entry saying in the NT except in cases where the context specifically mentions a rich entrance, as in 2 Pet 1:5–11.5

I disagree with points two and three. All kingdom entry sayings refer to entering the coming kingdom of Christ.

III. Questionable Exegetical Support #1: Believing False Prophets In Matthew 7:16–20, 21–23

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