The Spine of Scripture: God's Kingdom from Eden to Eternity

by Dominic Bnonn Tennant

Why do the gospels represent the good news as being about the “kingdom of God”? What is this kingdom, and how does it relate to us today?

This book traces the surprising biblical narrative of kingdom, from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. It starts by showing that John 3:16 is actually about God transforming Adam’s ruined kingdom into his own eternal one. It then goes back to Genesis to explain the origin of this kingdom, demonstrating that the image of God in Adam is actually representative rulership and sonship. From there, it traces the history of this kingdom through the Fall in Eden to the disinheritance at Babel—all the way to the occupation by Satan’s forces by the time of Jesus.

This then sets up a comparison between the way that the New Testament preaches the gospel, and the way modern evangelicals do. The conclusion is that the gospel of the New Testament is fundamentally the message of the triumph of Jesus as king of the cosmos—and the call to submit to, and receive the benefits of, his rulership.

The final part of the book unpacks some critical implications of this. It argues that the Great Commission is a directive to conquer the lands ruled by Satan, in the name of the now-reigning King, Jesus. This directive consciously mimics the dominion mandate given to Adam, and should be seen as God’s end-game in retaking the whole earth as his kingdom—a plan that will succeed through “the power of God for salvation” by the time Jesus returns.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 9, 2019

Reviews

[Kyle Grindberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book, I highly recommend this if you want to study what the Kingdom of God is all about. It was extremely helpful analysis of questions that have dogged me in my reading of Scripture, like what the Gospel is when taking its presentations together, the understanding of what the presence of the Kingdom of God means for the world, etc.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tennant has written about things that are new to me, and this book leaves me with more questions than answers. I think I see the divine council in scripture, but I don't fully understand how that impacts or changes how I think through things or which passages of scripture I should read and understand differently. I guess I need another book.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Should Be Required Reading

This is an excellent book. It serves as an introduction to biblical theology as well as an advanced course for those who already understand the broad concepts. And Tenant is an excellent writer.

[Laynie · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ THIS BOOK!!!

Bnonn causes any Christian to think deeply about the things presented in this book, especially Divine Council theology, he lays out an argument and does a pretty good job of defending his arguments. I appreciate hom writing this book and causing me to think about how we present the Gospel today.

[Tyler C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot of biblical theology throughout the years, but this one might be my favorite (and the most practical).

Also, might have the best defense of preterism and postmillenialism that I’ve seen so far.

[Owen Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you agree with Bnonn's interpretation of every passage or not, this book does a great job of explaining how the weird and seemingly loose ends of the biblical narrative are actually coherent and intrinsic to understanding the nature and direction of God's kingdom in history.

[Eric Naykalyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Fascinating premise. A little difficult to follow at times, due to the style of the author.

[Scott W. Blankenship · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic read! Bnonn does a great job tracing the theme of the kingdom through the scripture.

[Brennan Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. A very cohesive and convincing argument, with a deep dive into the linguistics.

[Brianna Quagliata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure Doctrine!

This is a must for all Christians to have a better understanding of what the Kingdom of God is and what the implications are.

[Kyle McC · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun read! When you read it open your bible and follow the argumentation. The spine of the scripture is kingdom theology. I guess I never seen this highlight in this way. I recommend this for a read. This was also is my first exposure to divine council. Its actually refreshing to read about spiritual aspects of the Bible without all the nonsense.

[Ben Murray · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rating and review coming soon.