CHAPTER FOUR
BY: GEORGE R. HAWTIN
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THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE KINGDOMS OF THIS WORL
“And there were great voices in heaven, saying. The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever. (Rev. 11:15)
Watchman, tell us of the night—
What its signs of promise are.
Traveler, o’er yon mountain height
See that glory beaming star?
Watchman, does its beauteous ray
Aught of hope or joy foretell?
Traveler, yes, it brings the day.
Promised day of Israel.
Watchman, tell us of the night;
Higher yet that star ascends.
Traveler, blessedness and light,
Peace and truth its course portends.
Watchman, will its beams alone
Gild the spot that gave them birth?
Traveler, ages are its own;
See, its glory fills the earth.
Watchman, tell us! Does the morning
Of fair Zion’s glory dawn?
Have the signs that mark its coming
Yet upon thy pathway shone?
Traveler, yes. Arise! Look round thee!
ight is breaking in the skies!
Gird thy bridal robes around thee!
Morning dawns! Arise! Arise!
With the ever increasing and rapidly multiplying signs about us, all of which signal from one end of heaven to the other that the age is ending and the coming of the Lord draws nigh, I thought it both good and profitable to rehearse some of the many statements the Lord has made. These all, being fulfilled in order, now loudly proclaim that we have almost reached the end of man’s six days of misrule and inequitable government. The kingdoms of this world are swiftly passing away, having fulfilled their purpose that they might make way for Christ’s kingdom, which shall never pass away and shall never be destroyed.
The kingdoms of this world from the beginning of time were all designed in the wisdom of God to continue for a little space and then pass away and be no more. They were made to endure for a little moment during the long period of the world’s night, after which they must be overthrown, each in his own order, until the King of kings shall come, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion and His kingdom that which shall not and cannot be destroyed.
A man must have a blind soul, indeed, if he cannot see that Daniel’s prophecies concerning the kingdoms of this world have all been fulfilled to the letter with the exception of that final kingdom of living stone, which shall never be destroyed, but which will increase and expand until it has filled the whole earth. I am sure, from the unfolding revelation of scripture, that His kingdom will expand and fill the whole earth and finally the entire universe as well. The vastness of the heavens, teeming with rock strewn planets and stars, now keep their lonely night vigil, waiting like mother earth for the times of the restitution of all things, even the day when the Lord will restore and make the heavens new and the kingdom of God will spread from the earth into the vastness of the limitless universe.
The Old Testament abounds with living promises of a coming kingdom of heaven that will displace all the kingdoms of the world and fill the earth with its magnificent glory.
Eye hath not seen it, my gentle boy;
Ear hath not heard its deep songs of joy.
Dreams cannot picture a world so fair;
Sorrow and death may not enter there
It has always been a conundrum to me to find that a truth so prominently set forth in Holy Scripture should be so seldom preached in our day and then mentioned as a sort of inconsequential misnomer. The light, frivolous orations we hear from the pulpits seldom contain any vital message – certainly no kingdom message. The Bible all too often is opened as a matter of form, a text is read, and a few words are spoken to tickle the ears of the hearers, but as for any real searching out of kingdom truth, there is practically none.
The intention of a world wide kingdom was in the omniscient mind of the omnipotent Lord from the very beginning. Adam, created and made in the image of God, was given dominion over the whole earth. He was to have dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowls of the air, and every living thing that moved upon the face of the earth. It is clear also that this dominion was not to be given to Adam alone, but to all his posterity. Therefore the plural word is used, “Let them have dominion.” Gen. 1:26
It must always be remembered that the immutable God never changes or alters His purposes. His intentions in the beginning are His intentions now and forever. If for a small moment some event, such as man’s transgression, seems to have delayed or thwarted His intention, we must never forget that omniscient wisdom foresaw that event – nay, not only foresaw it, but purposed and planned it. The childish doctrine, born of ignorance and misunderstanding, contending that Adam’s transgression was an unforeseen tragedy that ruined God’s plan, should be rejected by all as inconsistent with the Father, who is perfect in wisdom, full of understanding, omnipotent in power, omnipresent in being, and above all else immutable in purpose. When the apostle Paul by inspiration spoke of the transgression and fall of man, he stated the facts as they really were when he said, “The creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him (God) who hath subjected the same in hope.” Rom. 8:2. The hope, of course, was that Adamic man, advancing into sonship and the image of God through the experimental knowledge of good and evil, should deliver the entire creation from the bondage of corruption, sin and death into the glorious freedom of the sons of God. It was a marvelous purpose divinely executed, infinite in wisdom and full of understanding.
There were no mistakes made in Eden. Every detail was in harmony with a master plan for the working out of an eternal purpose. I may be wrong, but I think I discern a measure of satisfaction in the words of the Omniscient immediately following the transgression. “Behold, the man is become as one of us to know good and evil.” Gen. 3:22. Thousands of years later Paul, his spirit basking in holy unction, uttered these inspired words: “Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Heb. 5:14 It is not God’s intention that we should know merely the difference between good and evil. It is God’s determination that we should know both good and evil. And we, having been delivered from evil by the life blood of Jesus Christ, shall never again fall there into. Because of our experimental knowledge of the power of evil, understanding will enlighten our minds for eternity. Experience is always the only true teacher.
Having established that nothing comes upon the Omniscient unawares, but all purposes are planned by Him, let us also remember that the kingdoms of this world, weak and evil as they have always been, were the resolution and design of the Father. He it is who raises up mighty kings and kingdoms and disposes of them again when their purpose is fulfilled. He has power to raise up men like Daniel and Joseph and He has power to exalt the basest of men. Dan. 4:17. “The powers that be are ordained of God.” Rom. 13:1 Our Lord Jesus Christ, being aware that the Empire of the Caesars was raised up by God, confounded His adversaries by saying, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,” and again, though He owed no taxes for the existing government, He said, “Lest we offend, this give for thee and Me.”
It is certain that all of us chafe betimes under the misrule of bad government so prevalent in the world. We despise the evil men and seducers that everywhere wax worse and worse. We hate the lawlessness and corruption in high places, but all unknown to us the darkness of injustice, inequity and unrighteousness is teaching us something of justice, equity and righteousness. If we are not learning our lessons, then woe be to us, for only those who are taught by these evils will be able to reign in equity and unsullied goodness in the kingdom of righteousness to come. The man who has suffered evil and in its place returns good is of God. He who has suffered evil and returns evil for evil is a corrupt and fallen man, but he who returns evil for good is of the devil.
Concerning man’s coming glory and dominion over the earth David, rejoicing in heart, wrote, “Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet.” Psa. 8:5, 6 Paul, adding even greater force and explanation to David’s statement, wrote, “For unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that Thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that He puts all things in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now (at present) we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Heb. 2:5-10. These remarkable passages not only make plain God’s purpose for man — that is, that he might be given dominion over all things — but they also make very clear why it was that man must first suffer the humiliation of the fall and come under the tyrannical kingdoms and dominions of this present evil world. Only by suffering injustice will he learn justice. Only by enduring inequity will he learn equity. Only by feeling the pains of unrighteousness will he learn righteousness.
If we are to have a kingdom, first there must be a king. Then there must be a domain and finally there must be laws. Thus Eden was earth’s first manifestation of the kingdom of God. God was the king. Eden was the domain. The law was, “In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shall surely die.” The moment the law was broken, Adam himself was put away and condemned to earn his bread by the sweat of his face and, Adam being driven out from his kingdom, the kingdoms of this world and the six days of man’s carnal and unrighteous rule began.
When Jesus Christ died and rose again, He redeemed man that in his regenerate state and renewed mind he might once again inherit the promise originally given to him: “Let Us give them dominion.” The title deed and security to this dominion is now held by our Lord Jesus Christ, who during all this age of grace has been preparing sons in His likeness that they might be given rulership in His kingdom in the age directly following the age of grace. Thus it was that Daniel beheld the kingdoms of this world endure until “the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.” Dan. 7:22. Again, following the destruction of the kingdoms of this world, Daniel was told that “the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.” Dan. 7:27 At the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet (Rev. 11:15), there appears to be a very great stir in the leavens as great voices sound forth, saying, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ: and He shall reign forever and ever.”
The book of Daniel is a most remarkable book. Its pages give an excellent record of secular history and in so doing gives an exact prophetic forecast of the existence and progress of the kingdoms of this world as they were to arise in their order. The singular thing about the first vision of the book of Daniel is that it came in a dream to Nebuchadnezzar and was later amid great ceremony interpreted by Daniel the prophet. The second vision (Dan. 7), which is an enlargement of the first, was entrusted to Daniel in the reign of Belshazzar.
It would be well here for us to take particular notice of the events as they are recorded in Daniel chapter two. Nebuchadezzar had dreamed a strange dream that greatly troubled his spirit. Being unable to interpret the dream himself, he called in all the wise men of Babylon to interpret the dream for him. (Dan. 2:2-13) Nebuchadnezzar insisted he had forgotten the dream and that it was gone from him. This unlikely story may have been true or it may not have been, but we may be sure the king was not unaware of the trickery of Chaldeans and astrologers. Thus to make certain these self-styled wise men were not deceiving him, he demanded that they both tell him the dream and give the interpretation of it. Otherwise they would be destroyed and their houses made a dung hill. Whether Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten the dream or was only pretending to have done so matters little. The truth is that his irrational demand was indeed a foolproof way of avoiding deception.
After the edict was given that the wise men should be destroyed, Daniel went to Arioch, who had been assigned the task of execution, and asked for a stay. He then required of the king that he would “give him time” and he would give him the interpretation. Daniel then went to his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who with Daniel took the matter to God in prayer. The secret was then made known to Daniel, who went to the king and expounded both the dream and the interpretation to him. Surely this is a remarkable affair. The Lord must be teaching us something very special, for here we have a triple confirmation of a very important prophetic vision. First the vision was given to Nebuchadnezzar, who straightway avowed that he had forgotten it. Second the same vision was given to Daniel, and third, the dream, after being expounded to Nebuchadnezzar, was recognized by the king as being the exact representation of all that he had seen. I know of no other place in scripture where such a remarkable thing occurred. Joseph interpreted dreams after being told the dream, but only here do we find a man both restating and interpreting a vision that was received and forgotten by another. This illuminating vision was of exceptional importance because it forecast the outline and succession of the kingdoms of this world from Daniel’s day right down to the millennial day when the God of heaven will set up a universal kingdom which will break in pieces and devour all other kingdoms that were before it.
The vision seen by both Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel was as follows: “Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of gold, his breast and arms of silver, his belly and thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that 10 place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.” Dan. 1:31-35
The interpretation of this vision was given by Daniel. (Dan. 2:36-45) In his interpretation he shows that four great world empires would arise in succession. Secular history has proved these to be Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, and history will also eventually prove that the final kingdom, the stone cut out without hands, is the kingdom of God, for which all creation in every age has patiently groaned. With this in mind, Daniel, after having described the succession of the kingdoms of this world, described with inspired glory the glory of that coming reign which will never be destroyed. “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain and the interpretation thereof sure.” Dan. 2:44-45
It should not be necessary here to rehearse in detail the conquests of these four great world empires lest we be guilty of tediously repeating many things that are already well known to most readers. There are, however, a few worthy considerations that are seldom, if ever, mentioned. First, the vision must be considered as one vision. The whole vision is Babylon, past, present and future. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was the golden head of the entire Babylon system from beginning to end. It is most important that we understand that Babylon’s golden head is the supreme authority of every empire and kingdom in all times, dispensations and ages with the exception of that final age when Christ, the living stone, becomes head. The vision is one vision and the image is one image. The empire of Medo-Persia represented by silver, the empire of Greece represented by brass, the empire of Rome represented by iron and the iron and clay representing a mixture of democracies, state churches, dictatorships, emperors and kingdoms are all under one head. It is Babylon. It is a head of gold. Gold ruled then as it does now. As the love of money is the root of all evil, so the rise and fall of empires is in hope of worldly gain in perfect deference to Babylon‘s head of gold.
Not only has this been true of the political systems of the world, but it is equally true of the ecclesiastical system as well. It was true when Tetzel filled the Pope’s coffers with the indulgences of the poor and ignorant people and it is true of the church of the twentieth century. It is true of those ambitious pastors and radio preachers who capitalize on every opportunity to make their appeals for more and more gold to carry on their worldly schemes to make more and more proselytes. The inspired words of Revelation are literally true of the entire ecclesiastical system. “Thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Rev. 3:17 Long ago the Pope of Rome remarked thus to Thomas Aquinas, “Well, Thomas, the church can no longer say, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’” To this Aquinas adroitly replied, “And neither can it say, ‘Rise up and walk.’ “
All the kingdoms of this present world, whether they be under the rule of emperors, kings, dictators or democracies, are ruled by the golden head of Babylon. The Greek, the Medo-Persian, the Roman empire, together with all the offshoots of Rome that have persisted through the centuries, consisting of feet and toes of iron and clay; are all part of the great image, of which Babylon is the head. Babylon means confusion. Thus it has been and thus it will always be that wherever empires or kingdoms or church systems are dependent upon gold for their very existence they must all be classed as Babylon. All the unrest in the world at the present time is caused by man’s lust for gold. The world is full of plenty, but all manner of shortages are connived that more and more gold may be added to the already bulging fortunes of those who presently possess so much that ten thousand lifetimes could not exhaust their wealth. How different was the attitude of Paul, who taught, “Having food and raiment, let us be content.”
In our day the golden head of Babylon is even more prominent than it was in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, but the words of James are soon to be fulfilled: “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days … Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.” James 5:13, 5, 6 The hour is at hand when the kingdom of God will make dust of all former kingdoms and righteousness, equity and truth will fill the whole earth.
It must be noted that this great vision does not end with the fall of Rome as an empire, here represented as legs of iron (a possible allusion to the eastern and western sections of the Roman domain), but it continues on down to the feet and the toes, which are described as being part iron and part clay. The feet and the toes are also a definite part of Rome and they continue until they are destroyed by the stone cut from the mountain without hands. My understanding of great spiritual matters is often woefully small; nevertheless it is my opinion that the feet and toes of the image represent Rome as its power is continued under the papacy, for it is a fact that for a thousand years ecclesiastical Rome exercised as much power over Europe as did the pagan Caesars. In the iron and clay of the feet and toes we have the nominal, almost pagan, church of Rome wedded to the state or the kingdoms of this world. Thus Daniel says, “They shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.” Dan. 2:43 This great evil had its beginning about 316 A.D. when Christianity became the state religion of Rome and the church was treated to the obnoxious sight of Roman emperors presiding over church councils. Constantine made munificent grants to churches and even exercised the authority of the law in the propagation of Christianity. To his administration of state and civil affairs was added the control and management of the church. Instead of rebuking the emperor for his meddling, they welcomed him as the Bishop of bishops. Thus Christianity had embraced the protection of a semi-heathen state, and Christianity had suffered its greatest possible degradation in the patronage of a worldly potentate. Thus began the period of the iron mingled with clay and it continues to this day.
It is generally known by all informed persons that for centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire the Roman popes ruled over the kings of Europe, setting up what kings they would and putting down whom they would, casting into prison and putting to death all who opposed them, and exalting whom they would. This evil condition continues with variations to this day. It is an exasperating but undeniable fact that we in our day see the President of Protestant United States, the Prime Minister of Canada, the heads of European governments, even high authorities from communist Russia, and saddest of all, the Queen of England, making their journey to Rome to visit and receive the blessing of the Roman pope. Thank God, the hour is near when the little stone will smite the feet of the image and it will become as dust and be no more.
The vision of the four beasts, described in Daniel, chapter 7, is an enlargement on the vision of the image. You will notice that, while the first three beasts are likened to a lion, a bear, and a leopard, the fourth is not likened to any beast, but described thus: “Behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it: and it had ten horns.” Dan. 7:7 The ten horns would represent the nations over which Rome held power, and among them rose up a little horn, which had eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. Dan. 7:8. This is undoubtedly papal Rome. Martin Luther was not wrong when he declared the Pope, or little horn, to be antichrist. Many great and blasphemous things have been spoken by the mouth of this “little horn”. Among the blasphemous assertions of this little horn was the claim that the Pope was equal to God and the representative of Christ on earth. Please compare this statement with 2 Thess. 2:3,4. Vatican City, a sovereign state of one hundred eight point seven acres and a population of one thousand, includes the Vatican and St. Peter’s Cathedral. Surely this tiny state, exercising authority that has engulfed a large portion of the world, is rightly described as a ‘little horn” whose mouth speaks great things.
The ancient kingdom of Israel is the only kingdom since the fall of Adam that God recognized as being His kingdom. All others are the kingdoms of this world, and except for the over-ruling authority of God, the kingdoms of this world are controlled by the prince of this world. See Luke 4:5-7. But their time is fixed and limited and will end at the time appointed by the Father. Evil as these kingdoms are and have been, they are permitted by God. As Paul has said, “The powers that be are ordained of God.” Rom. 13:1 Imperfection, inequity, mis-rule and the exceeding sinfulness of sin are part of the lesson man must suffer and learn as he comes to the knowledge of good and evil. Man’s inability to establish a perfect government is due to his own weakness and carnality. No matter how good and noble his intentions may be he will always succumb to the dreadful authority of Babylon‘s head of gold.
Satan, taking advantage of man’s ignorance of the knowledge of good and evil, has always succeeded in making good appear to be evil and evil appear to be good. He has misrepresented and maligned God’s glorious mind and character and blinded men completely to His eternal purpose. Our fallen, broken, and blinded creation has for centuries plodded its weary way, ever trying by human effort to attain something great, but always falling helplessly and painfully from the cliff it was trying to scale. In man’s hope for a better day even his best endeavors have proved fruitless, and the golden age of which he dreamed is farther away now than ever it was. The groaning creation appears to be generally unaware that the stone Daniel saw cut from the mountain without hands is soon to make a sudden end of all the kingdoms of this world. Smitten by the smiting stone, they will become as the dust of the summer threshing floor and the wind, which represents the Spirit of God, will disperse and drive them all away. Then will that stone, which is Christ, together with the en-Christed, fill the whole earth with His glory and His reign; for thus the vision declares, “In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” (Dan. 2:44, 45) See also Dan. 7:9-14.
No book in the entire Bible sheds more light on the progress of the kingdoms of this world than does the book of Daniel. Gradually the mysteries surrounding the prophecies begin to clear up as we see them being fulfilled. Divine wisdom and understanding have purposely concealed truth under its mysterious veils of types and shadows, but time unfolds the mysteries and, as the shadows flee away, we find ourselves beholding face to face the glory of revelation. The kingdoms of this world that in God’s purpose were given their transient power over the earth are passing swiftly away. We have reached the hour in time when the whole system of Babylon is disintegrating. Even the blindest man can see the truth of this. The feet of the image, composed of iron mingled with miry clay, are crumbling rapidly. Their final collapse and destruction awaits only a slight tap on the clay feet and the entire Babylon structure will crash and crumble and become as the fine dust of the summer threshing floor, and it shall be no more forever. “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues,” for strong is the Lord who judges her!
The account of the final collapse of Babylon or the kingdoms of this world is distinctly portrayed in Revelation, chapter 18. In it we vividly behold the utter corruption of the entire religio-political system. The call of God to His saints is heard, bidding them to separate themselves from it and all that pertains to it. The weeping and wailing of the people who have made themselves rich through the abundance of her delicacies is foremost and the final rejoicing of the saints is heard, praising God that at last an enemy of God and mistress of all confusion and iniquity has been thoroughly and eternally overthrown.
“After these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her. My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come! And the merchants of the earth shall .weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: the merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, and cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
“And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing and saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! For in one hour is she made desolate.
“Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” Rev. 18
Thus with violence end the kingdoms of this world and great Mystery Babylon, that golden head, which for centuries has ruled all nations, bringing under her dominion all religious systems, binding the professing church with the chains of tradition and bringing into slavish subjection all who are unaware of her whoredoms. She is the mystery of iniquity. She is the mystery of lawlessness. She is the mystery of confusion. She is the author of every war and she is the author of every religious denomination and the root cause of every division. She is horrible darkness and unspeakable confusion.
My heart’s desire and prayer to God is that He will give the Spirit of understanding to all who read these lines. For twenty years I have prayed that God would open the eyes of His saints to see by the Spirit what Babylon really is. Times without number I have sought to show God’s dear people the cunning mystery of ecclesiastical Babylon, warning continually of the danger of remaining in her fold. Oh that God’s people would awaken and obey the Father’s call, “Come out of her, My people,” that God may be their Father and they may be His sons and daughters. I solemnly warn and admonish the people of God that it is not possible to attain to sonship or a life that is controlled by the Spirit as long as their lives are under the influence of this Satanic system, which is doomed to such utter and complete destruction. Not only are the kingdoms of the world doomed to desolation, but the whole church system, identified as it is with the world system, is also doomed to irreparable dissolution and ruin. If you obey God and come out of it, you will be spared her woes; but if you remain in it, you will be condemned with it. For what other reason does the Lord call to His people, saying, “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues?”
In Revelation, chapter 17, we have the shameful picture of a drunken harlot seated upon a scarlet colored beast. One of the seven angels talked with John, saying, “Come hither; I will shew into thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of the names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: And when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.”
The representation here depicted is that of the entire body of the organized church of our day and all preceding days, whether Greek, Roman, or Protestant. In Bible symbolism God’s people have always been represented as a woman. Israel was also represented as a woman. For examples of this we may compare Ezekiel, chapter 6, and Ephesians 5:22-32. The woman of Revelation is seen riding a beast. A beast is the symbol of world power as we have already seen from Daniel, chapter 7. What else, then, can a woman, seated on a beast, symbolize but a church supported and carried by world powers? Is not this the true picture of every organized, state church in the world, whether Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, or Protestant? And is the same thing not largely true among all denominations? Are they not all “incorporated” and their ministers registered with the government of the world? Even if they are not, their lives are still tied to the beast system, which controls their understanding, their beliefs and their lives. We must be blind, indeed, if we cannot see that the whole church system is apostate and that the church as an outward, visible human system is a wretched failure. She is Babylon, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. God has an elect people on the earth. He always has had; they are like the seven thousand elect saints who in the days of Elijah had not bowed the knee to Baal. Even so the elect today do not bow the knee to Babylon.
It is well said that this Babylon woman is drunken with the blood of the saints. The blood of saints is the life of saints. She has sapped and sucked their spiritual life away and left them in abject poverty. Have you never wondered why it is your preacher seldom, if ever, tells you anything that you have not already heard a hundred times or more? He may use different texts, but always the same old sermons. Well, it is because the harlot system has sapped away his spiritual life and the poor fellow has nothing to offer. This evil harlot in her past has not only become intoxicated with the blood of the saints, but she has also martyred millions in the past and in many countries she martyrs them still, some by death and others by excommunication and disgrace. I am not wrong, but speak forth words of truth and soberness, when I tell you that the church system of the twentieth century, even as in times past, is part of the world system and is one with the kingdoms of this world. Here is the iron mingled with the clay.
The great final act in the drama of Nebuchadnezzar’s vision was seen to be a stone cut from the mountain without hands, which smote the image of this world’s systems. It smote the image, not on the golden head nor on its silver shoulders, its brazen thighs nor its iron legs, but on the rotten, eroding feet of iron and clay. A building is no better than its foundation even if its turret is pure gold. The towering image of the political and ecclesiastical kingdoms of this world is standing on unsubstantial, eroding feet. It is not founded on a rock, but on a rope of sand, a house of cards, that will tremble and break when the test comes. They have mingled themselves with the seed of men. It is a union that cannot abide and was never intended to last. Therefore in the great vision Daniel explained, “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.” Dan. 2:34, 35 Thus with violence shall Babylon be thrown down and come to its end. The whole Babylon system will end whether it be political or ecclesiastical. Never will it exist again. Therefore, “Come out of her, My people, that ye receive not of her plagues.”
The mighty Medes their battle flags unfurled
To find a place of glory in the sun,
And proudly trampled ‘neath their marching feet
The crumpled might of once great Babylon!
The tidal wave of Greece rolled out the west
And, as the waters of its rage recede,
It carried back with fate’s relentlessness
The smashed and broken empire of the Mede. ‘
Til by the side of Tiber’s winding banks
A sleepy giant girded for the fray.
And Caesars laughed, and scoffed at heaven’s Christ,
While legions thundered down the Appian Way!
And Roman eagles screamed defiantly
And tore to shreds the vaunted might of Greece,
Then turned again with blood drenched hands to war
Against disciples of the Prince of Peace.
The heavens trembled; and the ocean tide
Of human waves rolled once again in rage.
And buried in the shifting sands of time
The proudest, mightiest empire of the age.
So perished Rome; her forum voices stilled;
She met her doom in God’s appointed hour.
Oh, Christ, can man distort Thy purposes
And take to self Thy glory and Thy power?
And so throughout the march of ages past
The tide of empire flows — then ebbs away.
The pomp and grandeur of its yesteryear
Are buried in its shifting sands today.
But strong and firm throughout the passing years
I see a rock that stands out on the shore,
A Rock of ages, cleft for you and me;
A Rock that will endure for evermore!
Oh, Christ, our life, our strength, our Rock divine.
Before Thy might the oceans stand in awe.
No decrease Thine; for this increasing stone
Was chiseled from the mountain Daniel saw.
The raging, tumbling seas of time may roll
‘Til earth’s proud empires crumble and decay
And Thou alone shall triumph, Prince of Peace,
When all the storms of life have rolled away.
Charles S. Price.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
At the time of the complete destruction of the kingdoms of this world the long awaited kingdom of God will be set up and established in the entire earth. In the vision we have been discussing we are given a brief but dramatic description of the setting up of the kingdom of God. Thus Daniel’s interpretation continues: “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Dan. 2:44
Now the stone cut from the mountain without hands, that smote the feet of the image, is Christ. He is the stone that the builders rejected. The builders of the nations and the builders of the kingdoms of this earth have rejected Christ’s headship, and to an incredible degree He has been rejected of the church system as well. Do we not find Him ‘outside’ the church of Laodicea? Do we not hear Him knocking and saying, “If any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him”? He is, indeed, the stone that has been set at naught by all the builders of all time, and He is the stone which in the end of this age will destroy all the kingdoms and systems of this world.
It will not be our place to elaborate now, but all true saints must be aware of this sacred secret – that God’s blessed Christ must include both the Head and the body, Jesus Christ the Head and all the sons of God His body. This Christ in completeness is the stone, which will smite the feet of the dark kingdoms of this world, and the saints will take the kingdom and reign with Christ forever and ever. (Dan. 7:22)
The vision of the great image in Daniel, chapter 2, and the vision of the four beasts of Daniel, chapter 7, complement each other. The latter is a further explanation of the former. In both of these visions Daniel saw the casting down of the kingdoms of this world and the setting up of the kingdom of God. Therefore we have these words in Dan. 7:9: “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him; thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Then again the vision continues: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man (compare Rev. 1:3) came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Dan. 7:13, 14
“And the kingdom, the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heavens shall he given to the people of the saints of the most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom and all dominions shall serve and obey them. This was the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly upset me and my face changed color; but I kept the matter in my mind.” Dan. 7:27, 28 (Goodspeed)
“I, John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:.. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; and His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in His right hand seven stars; and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me. Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am He that liveth and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore. Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Rev. 1:9-18
“And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are His judgments: for He hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hands. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.” Rev. 19:1-3
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He himself. And He was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies, which were in heaven, followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.” Rev. 19:11-16
“And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” Rev. 19:19, 20
“And I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. . . And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.” Dan. 7:13, 14, 27 Note: The one like the Son of man is the body of Christ, the sons of God. The Ancient of days is Jesus Christ, the Head.
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: (the saints of the most High): and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Rev. 20:1-6
“I am the vine and ye are the branches,” saith the Lord. John 15:5 “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the. Lord; and shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears: But with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity the meek of the earth: and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the falling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Isa. 11:1-9
“Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Isa. 9:7
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered together in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously.” Isa. 24:21-23
“Therefore shall the strong people glorify Thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear Thee. For Thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. Thou shall bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low. And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And He will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it,” Isa. 25:3-8
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Cor. 15:51, 52
“Thy dead men shall live, together with My dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.” Isa. 26:19
“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall bloom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; He will come and save you. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isa. 35:1-10
“Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.” Isa. 40:4 “I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree: I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: that they may see, and know, and consider, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.” Isa. 41:19
“Behold My servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth; I have put My Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.” Isa. 42:1-4
“And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.
“And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth into Jerusalem, to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, holiness unto the Lord; and the pots of the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take them, and seethe therein; and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.” Zech. 14:9-21.
“And in that day shall thou say, O Lord, I will praise Thee; though Thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and Thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon His name, declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for He hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.” Isa. 12
“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself with fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander of the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for He hath glorified thee. Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon him while He is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud. that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I have sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” Isa. 55
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.” Matt. 6:9-13
In the light of such a profound array of scriptures as those we have just considered, I am at a complete loss to understand how anyone who knows God at all could fail to grasp the living hope that a radiant age of splendor, in which the Son of God Himself will reign supreme on an illustrious, exalted throne here on earth, is coming. In that blessed age of righteousness and peace the sons of God will reign with Him for a thousand years of blessedness. Enlightening as is this array of scriptures, they are but a small fraction of the kingdom promises contained in Holy Writ.
The hope of an age of dignification and grandeur in which Christ Himself will reign supreme with His saints is woven into the warp and woof of Holy Scripture. Abraham, we are told in Genesis, looked for it and saw it afar off. To Judah the promise was given: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah. nor a law-giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.” Gen. 49:10 To David this promise was given: “Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.” Psa. 132:11 The kingdom of Christ was the theme of the prophets, as we have seen from the above scriptures. When Jesus Christ the King appeared in person. His sermons. His miracles, and every detail of His marvelous life were a living prophecy, a prophetic parable of the glory of the kingdom age to come. When His disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. He said, “When ye pray, say… Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is done in heaven… For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.”
The entire dispensation of grace (Eph. 3:2) has been set aside, not in the vain hope of the conversion of the world, as the preachers are always imagining, but for the distinct purpose of “calling out a people for His name.” Acts 15:13-18 These called out and elect saints, who have been in preparation for two thousand years, are the body of Christ, the sons of God, whom God has chosen and ordained to sit with Him in His throne. They are the fullness and completeness of Him who everywhere fills the universe with Himself.
In the blindness of church tradition, the preachers have taught the people that the hope of creation is to die and go to heaven or go to glory by the medium of the rapture, but anyone studying God’s word with care will find that heaven is not the theme of the Old Testament and it is not the theme of the New Testament. In fact there is a noticeable absence of any teaching on the subject. The theme of both the Old and New Testaments is the kingdom of God, a kingdom as literal as that of Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Alexander, or Caesar. The difference will be that those men were merely mortal men, possessed with carnal minds, but the glory that excels in the kingdom of God will be that the King will not be carnal, but spiritual; not mortal, but immortal; not passing, but permanent; not of time, but of eternity. His sharp, two-edged sword will not be stained with the blood of His enemies. It is instead that same sharp, two-edged sword which is the word of God. With it and by its transforming power He will smite the nations, not in the bloody conflict and seething hate of war, but as he smote the people at Pentecost, bringing them to repentance and the joy of salvation. He will pierce the conscience of the people and cause them to cry, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” He will prick them as Saul of Tarsus was pricked and He will save them as he was saved. His coming will be the time of the latter rain and the whole earth will feel the glory and power of Christ and His brethren, the sons of God. The lame will leap as the hart. The deaf will hear the music of redemption. The tongue of the dumb shall sing the praises of the Lamb that sitteth upon the throne. The wolf will lie down with the lamb in peace and friendship. The knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth and the inhabitant shall not say, “I am sick,” Nothing shall hurt nor destroy in all God’s holy mountain.
No one who ever lived can be compared to our incomparable Christ, for He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Mohammed is dead – dead as a door nail. Buddha is dead – dead as a stone. Confucius is dead, as are all the others who for a little moment held captive the minds of their followers. But not so with our Christ! He is alive forevermore, by many infallible proofs. He holds the keys of death and Hades. At the sound of His voice with the trumpet of God all who are in the graves, even the false christs themselves will arise to stand before Him. He ever liveth. He only hath immortality. He only is eternal. In Him is life. He is the light. From Him everything comes, by Him everything exists, and in Him everything ends. There never was a birth like His. There never was a life like His. Others have died on crosses even as He, but He died for all the world and everything in it. In that He died, He died unto sin once, but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. None had a resurrection such as He nor an ascension such as His, nor will any return to earth with such majesty as He. When He comes, His throne will be waiting for Him, and, when He reigns, all the world of all ages will know that there never was such a kingdom as His. He shall reign from sea to sea and all nations shall serve and obey Him.
How glorious is the theme! I would not miss it for a million worlds such as the one in which we now live. It is no wonder to me that Jesus refused the paltry kingdoms of this world when Satan offered them to Him. Knowing as I do the hope that lies before us, I would refuse earth’s kingdoms even as He did, and so would you.
Dearly beloved brethren, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us and, forsaking all else, cleave only to Him. Thy kingdom come! Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven! Amen and Amen and Amen!
TREASURES OF TRUTH, Volume 2, Thy Kingdom Come [George R. Hawtin] ~ BOOK 1
