02-CHAPTER TWO - When the Kingdom has . . .

CHAPTER TWO When the Kingdom Has Been Established

ALL THROUGH the Bible the kingdom is clearly portrayed. It was promised to David and his seed. The prophets proclaimed it. Over nineteen hundred years ago the King was born. As soon as He commenced His ministry, He announced that the kingdom was "at hand." (Matthew 4:7, Mark 1:15) But the Jews rejected it. "We will not have this man to reign over us," (Luke 19:14) they declared. They then arrested the King and crucified Him. But according to the Scriptures, the King who is now absent is to return in glory, destroy His enemies and usher in the kingdom. But He must do it. The Church cannot. There can be no kingdom without a king, and so the King Himself must come, or there will never be a kingdom. He is David’s greater Son, the legal successor to the Davidic throne; and when He comes again He will come, not as a babe, but as a King. When the King comes back to reign, the kingdom will be established, first of all, over restored Israel; not only Judah, but all twelve tribes. As GOD showed Ezekiel, the two sticks will become one. Israel is to be regathered and converted. Then the kingdom will become world-wide.

Israel Restored So then, Israel will be restored to the land of Palestine, not in unbelief but in faith. Their hearts will be turned to GOD and once again they will serve Him. The Spirit will be poured out upon them, and looking on Him whom they have pierced, they will accept Him as their Messiah.

Moreover, they will be settled in Palestine and Jerusalem will become the capital city in the Golden Age, with JESUS CHRIST reigning on the throne of His father, David. In other words, His government will be centralized in Zion. All this the prophets clearly foretell. To spiritualize it is to cast doubt on the Word of GOD. His kingdom will be established with violence and in the midst of judgment and catastrophe. The Church does not bring it in. The world does not get better and better. "Wicked men . . . wax worse and worse," (2 Timothy 3:13) the Bible says. Then JESUS comes and smites the nations, overthrowing them suddenly, after which His kingdom fills the whole earth. It is Daniel’s smiting stone. Such is the teaching of Scripture.

Righteousness and Peace The kingdom will be characterized by righteousness and peace, and war will be no more. For the first time in six thousand years there will be peace, justice and righteousness. Bloodshed will be a thing of the past, for the nations will never fight again. Battleships, ammunition, guns, bayonets and bombs will be abolished. There will be no more taxes for defense. Violence, brutality and cruelty will be gone and gone forever.

Moreover, long life will be restored, for there will be but little sickness. Deadly germs will be annihilated and all will be healthy, well and strong. If a man dies at the age of a hundred, his death will be looked upon as the death of a child. Like the patriarchs of old, men will again live to be hundreds of years of age.

Every outbreak of sin will be instantly punished. No wrongdoing will be tolerated. The wicked will be in the minority, so much so, that the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters fill the seas. Most of earth’s inhabitants will be saved.

Even the nature of the wild beasts of the forest will be changed. Meat-eating animals will eat straw like the ox. No longer will they prey on one another. Lions, leopards, calves and wolves will live together in peace and harmony, eating the same grain and never again molesting one another. Little children will be safe in the woods where once the wild beasts roamed.

Abundance of Everything

Then, too, the earth will produce abundantly, for the desert will bloom and blossom like the rose. The whole world will become a Garden of Eden, for the curse will be lifted and the ground will yield a rich and bountiful harvest. There will be plenty for everyone, fruit, grain and vegetables in abundance. No one will lack, no one go hungry. The multiplied millions of earth will be more than satisfied. Never again will there be a famine; all will have enough.

Most important of all, Satan will be removed from the scene. At long last, man’s arch enemy will be imprisoned. Hence, he will deceive the nations no more. That, to a large extent, will account for the absence of sin and lawlessness. Temptation will be gone, for the tempter will be chained. The Kingdom Age will last for a thousand years, a full Sabbath Day. Many think six days of a thousand years each will have gone; then will come the seventh, and for a thousand years JESUS CHRIST will reign at Jerusalem in millennial splendour, power and glory, as Lord of lords and King of kings.

Oh, what spiritual, physical and intellectual heights men will then experience! No Kingdom Without a King

All this, and much more, is most vividly portrayed by the prophets. They did not see the Church; therefore, they did not speak or write of the Church. But they saw the kingdom; they saw the restoration, the regathering and conversion of Israel. They saw the coming of the King and the establishment and prosperity of the kingdom. They saw the overthrow of all Gentile nations and the glories of the kingdom.

I say, they saw the coming of the King, for there can be no kingdom without a King, and not until the Prince of Peace is here will this old war-torn world of ours know peace. It is all connected with the personal return of the Lord JESUS Himself. He has gone, but He is coming back. His feet will again tread the dirt roads of earth.

Jerusalem will then become the richest and the most glorious of all cities, for it will be the City of the great King. No wonder Isaiah broke forth in words of rapture when he cried, "And the Redeemer shall come to Zion," (Isaiah 59:20) and again, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." (Isaiah 60:1) Thus will it be when the kingdom has been established.

Though the darkness and gloom triumphant O’er the whole of the world abides, And the armies of Evil conquer Till there seemeth no pow’r besides;

Though the sword with its wake of sorrow, And the fields where the battles rage, Seem to mock at the Prince of Salem, And the Hope of the Coming Age - Yet the kingdom is surely coming, By the prophets so long foretold, When the sword shall be sheathed forever In a peace that can ne’er grow old; For the King will Himself, ’tis promised, In millennial splendor reign, And the world overflow with gladness, For His plan shall at last be plain.

Though the kingdoms of earth in council On the wisdom of man rely, And refuse to accept the offer Of the Lord who is ever nigh;

Though the forces of Wrong be many, And the armies of Right but few, Though the works of the godless triumph, And the False overthrow the True - Yet the kingdom is surely coming, By the prophets so long foretold, When the sword shall be sheathed forever In a peace that can ne’er grow old; For the King will Himself, ’tis promised, In millennial splendor reign, And the world overflow with gladness, For His plan shall at last be plain.

Though the Hope of the Ages tarry Ere the prayers of the Church prevail, And the darkness of sin and evil All the forces of Light assail;

Though the sorrows of persecution, For the sake of the Saviour’s cause, Overshadow the brighter vision And the promise of righteous laws - Yet the kingdom is surely coming, By the prophets so long foretold, When the sword shall be sheathed forever In a peace that can ne’er grow old; For the King will Himself, ’tis promised, In millennial splendor reign, And the world overflow with gladness, For His plan shall at last be plain.

- O. J. S.

~ end of chapter 2 ~

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