The ambiguity that is the reign of God. Not defined yet debated throughout the course of history. What does the term "reign of God" mean? Is it a patriarchy or monarchy controlled by a divine being? Is it the teachings that God bestowed onto the prophets for generations to learn and comprehend? As we continue on, the debate will go on, but some of the questions will be answered. .
The debate started when the Jewish Testament and the New Testament arrived at different views of God. The Jewish Testament viewed God as angry, vengeful, and full of wrath for humankind. The New Testament viewed God as a forgiving and loving omnipotent being that will answer to those who are in need. As by the description, both sides have conflicting views of the being. Both so extreme that it could be possible that God may fall in between the two views and take on both sides. Many have misinterpreted what is the reign of God, and history has documented the case.
The Crusades had both the Christians and the Middle Eastern world fighting gory feuds on which side is right and which side is wrong. For centuries, there was no resolve and peace among both parties. A simple misinterpretation took these wars into a new level that would even be considered to be bloody by today's standards. In the long run, neither side won because no new views came into shape and proof was impossible to come by. This is an example of how religion can backfire on a divine being and separating instead of integrating. .
Many have come to extreme view that there is no reign of God but only the course of actions that the world bring upon itself. It would be pretty simplistic to say that since no man or woman have physically seen God, than God cannot exist. Even though I am not going to take the route that I recently mentioned, I will disagree with Cardinal Kasper on his views of the reign of God. As follows.
Earlier I mentioned about the inconsistency of both the Jewish and New Testaments because of their polar views of God.