(e). Foreword

Foreword In writing a book, the author must have some particular purpose or objective. After all, why write a book if you are not attempting to achieve a particular goal? This book is no exception.

There are seven objectives behind the writing of this book. They are… To challenge your thinking. In today’s Christian world, there are many views that are held; some are based on sound interpretation of the Scriptures and some are not. It has been this way for nearly 2,000 years. Unfortunately over time, teachings or doctrines have developed that are based not so much on the Scriptures but on tradition which may or may not be supported by the Scriptures. For example, why do we have single pastors heading up local assemblies when the Scriptures are silent on such a thing and, in fact, reveal just the opposite existed in the early church? Or why do people believe that the Kingdom of God’s Son has already come when it is very clear from the condition of the world governments that a Righteous King is not ruling over the nations at this point in time? Or why do so many Christians believe that when they die, they will go to heaven, receive reward and enter into the Kingdom, when we are to be waiting for the One who comes from heaven, at which time (future time) He will take the scepter of the Kingdom and begin ruling over the earth? Or why do some Christians believe that the Kingdom resides in them in some mystery, when the Kingdom refers to the literal and absolute rule of God’s King, who is coming very soon? Or why do others believe that the church must take the world for the Lord, establishing His Kingdom on earth so that He can come back, when the Scriptures state that the church will be in apostasy when He returns? Or why are pastors-teachers telling people that the Lord cannot come back for many years (some say 500 years) and others are saying they do not want Him to come soon because they have too much to do for the Lord, when the Scriptures reveal that His return is not dependent on us but on the Father who has set the time, and our time is almost up? Obviously, this list of questions could go on almost endlessly. The point is that we need to be challenged in these last days because there is much deception and it will lead the Lord’s people away from the truth and into false teachings that will leave them unprepared to appear before the judgment seat of Christ. To encourage you to become like a Berean. In the book of Acts, it is revealed that the believers in Berea received the word with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so (Acts 17:11). In other words, they heard what was taught but they dug into the Scriptures to see if it was true. They did not take man’s word for it; they wanted to see for themselves.

Today, how many of the Lord’s people, when they hear something, search the Word of God on their own to see if what they have heard matches the Scriptures? Too often, believers are spoon fed every Sunday, to the point that all they know is what someone else has told them, whether it is sound or not. The result is that they fail to develop a discerning ear that knows truth from error. Don’t take man’s word for it; study the Word of God, asking the Holy Spirit to shed His light upon the Word that the eyes of your heart might be enlightened (Ephesians 1:18). You are encouraged to take every thought in this book to the Lord and search His Word to see if it is so.

Man’s word is here today and gone tomorrow, but God’s Word remains forever. No man can write a book without injecting his own words; however, if we remain close to the Scriptures, comparing Scripture to Scripture and allowing the Scriptures to teach us, then there is value to the words. We need the God-breathed Word, for this is what is profitable. To commit the content of this book to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Today, there is a desperate need to teach the Lord’s people regarding the Word of the Kingdom and the coming of the Lord Jesus when He ushers in the Kingdom Age (the Reign of the Heavens). Sufficient Scriptures and explanation of the Scriptures are presented so that those who have a mind to be a Berean and who want to teach others in like fashion can do so. Further, some Scriptures along with discussion of the context are repeated in various ways throughout the pages that follow. This is by design. As Paul wrote to the Philippians: To write the same things {again} is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you (Php 3:1). To produce in your heart an eager expectancy for the return of the Lord. How many Christians do you know who are eagerly, even anxiously, awaiting the arrival of our beloved Lord Jesus? How many even realize that we are in the last days right before the final seven years of Man’s Day? We do not know the exact day and hour of His return, but we are to know the season. We are in the season of His return and we need to be watchful until He comes. To encourage you to nurture a personal love relationship with the Lord Jesus. Our beloved Lord is coming back to receive a bride who will sit upon His throne to rule with Him for the next 1,000 years and then into the eternal ages. How can one be a bride if the person has not developed a personal relationship with the bridegroom? Why would it be any different for the Bridegroom? He is coming for a people who know Him, not merely know of Him, and who have loved Him with their whole heart. He is after a lover to reign with Him. While we remain in the body, we are to seek Him, spend time with Him, walk with Him and love Him. Love is one of the foundational themes of this book. To explain the Word of the Kingdom and the Reign of the Heavens. The prophetic Scriptures point to one event, and that is the day when the kingdom of this world becomes the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (Revelation 11:15). For the last 6,000 years, the history of the world has been heading toward this one glorious day. It is the age of the Kingdom and Glory. There is no subject as important and foundational as the King and the Kingdom of Glory. In fact, this is the central message of the Scriptures. Some sections of this book are devoted to proving that Christ and His Kingdom is the foundation upon which rests all Scripture. In fact, once the proper foundation is laid, the Scriptures will be opened up in ways that you never imagined. Scriptures that were hard to understand or confusing will become clearer once the Kingdom comes clearly into view. To encourage you to press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. The children of God have set before them the most unbelievable goal, and that is to enter the Kingdom and reign in glory for the 1,000 years that precede the eternal ages. This is what the Word of the Kingdom is all about, but we must pursue the coming Kingdom as a goal to be won like a race. If a born-again Christian runs the race in the proper fashion, there is a prize, a crown awaiting him in the Day of Christ. One who is given a crown is one who has successfully run the race of the faith and who will be approved at the judgment seat of Christ to enter the Reign of the Heavens to rule and reign with Christ. This book will have met its objective if you begin to press on toward the goal, or if you have already been pressing on, it encourages your heart to continue.