IMPORTANCE OF THE KINGDOM

 

The most momentous event of earth's history is the establishment of God's Kingdom among men, in the hands of our Lord Jesus and his selected joint-heirs, the overcomers of the Gospel Church. This great event, toward which all of God's promises and types point, we now see to be not only at hand, but just upon us. None of those awake to these facts, and who properly or even partially realize them, and whose hearts are in full sympathy with God's great plan of the ages, and who see that God's panacea for the sin and misery and dying of the groaning creation is to be applied by this Kingdom, can possibly feel other than an absorbing interest in the fact, the time and the manner of its establishment.
 

 

CLASSES OF MEN INTERESTED IN IT

 

All who trust implicitly for the fulfilment of the prayer our Lord himself taught us to offer – "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven" – must feel the liveliest interest in the fulfilment of their request, if they prayed from the heart – in spirit and in truth. We can see that even the world, if it could but realize the true character of this Kingdom, would hail it at once, as they finally will, as the long sought blessing, bringing with it the precious favors of the golden Millennial age, so long desired.

 

 

CLASSES OPPOSED TO IT, AND WHY OPPOSED

 

But one general class could possibly be opposed to this rule of righteousness. This class embraces all who love not the golden rule of love, and who, instead of loving others as themselves, are willing to see others crushed, oppressed and denied their rights and the reasonable rewards and comforts of toil in order that they may luxuriate extravagantly, "wantonly" (James 5:1-9), in more than heart could wish or reason ask. These hold to the present arrangement of society with a death clutch, and seem instinctively to dread the promised kingdom of Messiah. And, with these, the wish is father to the thought, that it will never come. As David said, "Their inward thought is, that their houses [families] are to be forever, their dwelling-places from generation to generation; they call them by their own names in [various] countries....This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings." (Psa. 49:11,13.)

Disbelieving or ignoring the multiplied testimony of the prophets touching this Kingdom – for it was always the theme of them all: "Spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:21) – many seem to dread the Kingdom, and to instinctively feel the truth, that if God should establish his Kingdom it would rule in justice; and that if justice were meted out, many of earth's rulers would change places with their subjects, or, perhaps, be put into prison; and many of the great and lordly and purse-proud and flattered would be stripped of glory and honor and wealth ill-gotten, and be seen in their true light, as ignoble. These dread, though they do not believe the testimony, that "There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, and hid, that shall not be known." (Matt. 10:26.)

And with these ignoble ones – unjust stewards of wealth and power, in the final use of which they are not "wise" as the one commended for prudence in the parable (Luke 16:1-9) – stands a yet larger class, without whom they would fall. This large class, which has not, perhaps, at present more than its reasonable share of honor, office, wealth and comfort, has hope, however slim, of some day being able to roll in luxury, the envied patrons of the "common herd." Ignoble these: the slaves of selfish vanity and toys of fickle fortune. And of these – alas! it is true – are some who wear the name of Christ, the poor man's friend, and who with their lips ask only daily bread, and pray with solemn mockery, "Thy Kingdom come," while in their every look and act and dealing with their fellowmen they show how much they love the present unjust rule, and how, rejoicing in unrighteousness, they would not gladly have Christ's Kingdom come.

Strange it is – in marked contrast to the attitude of many of God's professed children – that not infrequently we find some "Socialists" and others – who reject "Churchianity," and with it too frequently the Bible, and all faith in a revealed religion, yet who really grasp some of the fundamental principles of righteousness – recognizing man's common brotherhood, etc., as some of their writings most beautifully show. They seem to be expecting and striving for the social equality and generally favorable conditions repeatedly promised in Scripture as the result of the establishment of Christ's Kingdom among men, when God's will shall be done on earth. And yet, poor Socialists, it would appear that often their advocacy of liberal dealings and equality is largely the offspring of their poverty and appreciated lack of the average comforts and advantages, rather than the outgrowth of principle; for, let one of them inherit or acquire great wealth, and he is almost sure to abandon his socialistic theories.

Very circumspectly ought those saints to walk who pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth," lest their prayers be mere mockeries of lip-service, to which their hearts and lives do not consent. "Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee," represents one of the most searching and severe reproofs which the Judge will pronounce against some who have professed to be his servants and to long for his Kingdom of love and justice. Let all who thus pray for and believe in the coming reign of righteousness even now square their actions and words by its just precepts, as far as in them lies.
 

 

A NIGHT OF WEEPING AND A MORNING OF JOY

 

The period in which sin is permitted has been a dark night to humanity, never to be forgotten; but the glorious day of righteousness and divine favor, to be ushered in by Messiah, who, as the Sun of Righteousness, shall arise and shine fully and clearly into and upon all, bringing healing and blessing, will more than counterbalance the dreadful night of weeping, sighing, pain, sickness and death, in which the groaning creation has been so long. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." (Psa. 30:5.)

As though by instinct, the whole creation, while it groans and travails in pain, waits for, longs for and hopes for the day, calling it the Golden Age; yet men grope blindly, because not aware of the great Jehovah's gracious purposes. But their highest conceptions of such an age fall far short of what the reality will be. The great Creator is preparing a "feast of fat things," which will astound his creatures, and be exceedingly, abundantly beyond what they could reasonably ask or expect. And to his wondering creatures, looking at the length and breadth, the height and depth of the love of God, surpassing all expectation, he explains: "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." (Isa. 55:8, 9.)

 

 

WHO CONSTITUTE THE KINGDOM

 

 

God's ways of establishment of Immanuel's Kingdom, under which "all the families of the earth of the earth will be blessed," are generally unknown. The whole mankind is alarmed more and more at the sight of falling present order of the world into chaos, and only people of God accept quickening the pace of events because they know that "Jehovah hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm." (Nah. 1:3.)

 

If the clouds of impending historic storm of anarchy with the dread events are already casting their shadows before them and causing fear and trepidation in the world, those who look from "the secret place of the Most High," see a silver lining to the clouds of trouble which may well cause them to look up and lift up their heads and rejoice that their deliverance draweth nigh, and also relief for all bought with the precious blood, when "the Sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in his beams." (Mal. 4:2.)

So called "great tribulation" (anarchy) precedes directly the setting up of the Kingdom of the Highest, which is to be the fifth universal empire of earth, and to have no end; and to bring blessings to all its subjects, while all other kingdoms have in great measure brought disappointment and oppression to the "groaning creation." No wonder that in type it is declared to be ushered in with a Jubilee trumpet (Lev. 25:9); and no wonder the Prophet Haggai (2:7) assures us that eventually it shall be recognized as the "Desire of all nations."

As having a practical bearing upon the manner of the establishment of "the Kingdom of God," the "Kingdom of Heaven," let us keep in memory what we have already learned from the Scriptures respecting this Kingdom's royalty and those who shall constitute it.

(1) It is the Kingdom of God in the sense that the Heavenly Father is the Great King and has arranged the plan of salvation of which the Millennial Kingdom will be a part. It is his Kingdom also in the sense that it will be established and perpetuated by his power. (1 Cor. 15:24-26.) It is his Kingdom further, in that it will represent him as the great chief ruler, and his laws and his love and mercy through the Mediator whom he has appointed.

(2) It is also the Kingdom of Christ – the Kingdom of God's dear Son, in that Christ as the Mediator of the New Covenant will be the active ruler of this Millennial Kingdom, as the Father's representative, for the purpose of subduing evil, destroying sin, and bringing into full, hearty obedience to the Father and his laws all of the redeemed race willing to be fully restored to the divine likeness and favor and everlasting life.

(3) It will be the Kingdom of the saints, in that they as "a royal priesthood" (Rev. 5:10) shall reign and judge and bless the world in conjunction with their Lord, Jesus. (Rom. 8:17,18.) The Kingdom class proper will consist only of our Lord and his "elect" of this Gospel age, to whom he said: "Fear not, little flock, it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." Of these, also, the Lord said to the Prophet Daniel, "The Kingdom and dominion, even the majesty 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 rulers shall serve and obey him." (Dan. 7:27.)

But these, be it remembered, will all be "changed" in their resurrection (the first resurrection (Rev. 20:4,6; 1 Cor. 15:42-46,50-54; John 3:5,8) and thereafter will no longer be human beings, but "partakers of the divine nature," and as invisible to mankind as are God and the heavenly angels. There will consequently be necessity for some means of communication between this glorious Church and those whom it will be judging and lifting up out of the degradation of sin and death. Such communication between spirit beings and humanity in the past has been accomplished by the spirit beings appearing in bodies of flesh, and thus communing with certain important persons respecting divine arrangements. Thus angels appeared to Abraham and Sarah and Lot and Gideon and Daniel and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and others. Such communication was made by our Lord to the apostles after his resurrection as a spirit being – because it was necessary to communicate to them certain instructions, and "the holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:39.)

But we do not expect that the communication between the spiritual rulers and their earthly subjects will be after this manner during the Millennium; for we find that God has made provision that a certain class of humanity, already tried (during the period before the Gospel age) and found worthy of perfection and everlasting life, shall throughout the Millennial age serve as the intermediaries between the spiritual Kingdom, the saints, and their subjects, mankind.

(4) These intermediaries, while not the Kingdom in the proper sense of the word, will be so fully the representatives of it amongst men that they will be recognized as the Kingdom by men: they will represent the Kingdom before men and be the only visible representatives of it. Hence we have termed these "the earthly phase of the Kingdom," visible among men. (Luke 13:28.)

These, "Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets" and ancient worthies referred to by our Lord and by the apostles (Matt. 8:11; Heb. 11:4-40), having passed their trial, will be awakened from death perfect – fully restored to human perfection; and will not require a "resurrection by judgment" a thousand years long, as will the residue of mankind. And this perfection will enable them to communicate with the spiritual Kings and Priests direct, without need that the spirit beings assume fleshly bodies for the purpose of communicating the laws, etc., for the world. Just as Adam, while perfect, before his transgression, could commune direct with the heavenly powers, so will these worthies commune, when restored to the same state of perfection.

But the earthly rulers will not be the "Kings and Priests," but under the King's appointment they shall be "princes in all the earth"– prominent or chief ones – rulers, instructors.
 

 

NTIMATE COMMUNICATION
BETWEEN THE KINGDOM AND ITS REPRESENTATIVES

 

That the earthly phase of the Kingdom will be on terms of intimate communion, fellowship and cooperation with the Kingdom proper, the spiritual rulers, is evident. They will be related to each other as father and children, and as cooperative departments of the same heavenly government: the heavenly being the legislative or law-giving department, and the earthly the executive or law-enforcing department. As it is written: "Out of Zion [the spiritual Kingdom] shall go forth the Law, and the Word of the Lord [the divine messages, through the "princes"] from Jerusalem." (Isa. 2:3.)
 

 

SETTING UP THE KINGDOM

 

"The Kingdom of God is preached, and every man [accepting the testimony as a message from God] presseth into it." (Luke 16:16) For over nineteen centuries this message, this offer of the Kingdom, has been doing its intended work of selecting the "elect" "overcomers" from the world. During all this age these have waited the Father's time for their setting up or exaltation to power, as his Kings and priests, to rule and to teach the redeemed people of the earth, and thus bring to them the opportunity of everlasting life through faith and obedience. Yet during all this time this Kingdom class has suffered violence at the hands of the Ishmael and Esau class, and at the hands of Satan, the prince of this world, and his blinded servants. As our Lord expressed it – "The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." (Matt. 11:12) Our Lord, the head of the Kingdom, suffered to the extent of death; and all of his followers have suffered something of earthly loss as a consequence of being translated out of the power of darkness into the Kingdom of God's dear Son. (Col. 1:13.)

This submission for over eighteen centuries to the violence of dominant evil has not been because of lack of power on the part of our risen, ascended and glorified Lord to protect his people; for after his resurrection he declared – "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." (Matt. 28:18.) The exercise of the power is delayed for a purpose. In the Father's plan there was a "due time" for the great sacrifice for sins to be given, and another due time for the Kingdom to be set up in power and great glory to rule and bless the world: and these were far enough apart to permit the calling and preparing of the "elect" Church to be joint-heirs of the Kingdom with Christ. The evil influences and opposition of sinners have been permitted for the purifying, testing and polishing of those "called" to be members of the Kingdom class. As with the Head, so with the body, it is God's design that each member shall as a new creature be "made perfect through suffering." (Heb. 5:8,9.)

But now we are in the end of this Gospel age, and the Kingdom is being established or set up. The increasing of anarchy over the world is the proof that the work of selecting (1977) and exaltation (1980) of the Kingdom's class was finished and now we see the triumph of his power. All this is in harmony with the Scriptural declaration that the Kingdom of God must first be set up before its influence and work will result in the complete destruction of "the powers that be" of "this present evil world" – political, financial, ecclesiastical.

Let us note some scriptures to this effect. In describing the events under the Seventh Trumpet (1980), this order is observed: (1) the power is taken by the Lord as King of Earth, and his reign begun; (2) as a consequence the great judgment-trouble comes upon the world. We are told, prophetically, that the reign begins before the time of trouble, and before the resurrection of the saints and prophets; but that it will continue long after these (for a thousand years), until it shall have "judged" all mankind, rewarding those who reverence the Lord, and destroying those whose influence is corrupting. Note these points in the following quotation: "We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art and wast and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. [Represented in Christ – "All things are of the Father," and "all things are by the Son," his honored representative.] And [as a consequence of the reign begun] the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that reverence thy name, small and great; and shouldst destroy them which corrupt the earth." (Rev. 11:17,18.)

The Prophet Daniel was divinely inspired to rehearse and explain to King Nebuchadnezzar his vision of Gentile power, represented by a great image. The vision showed a stone smiting the image on the feet, and as a result the utter wreck of Gentile power, and that stone then expanding until it filled the whole earth.

 

 

The explanation given shows that God's Kingdom will be set up and fully empowered, and that the wreck of earthly governments will be the direct result of the energy of that Kingdom. Daniel's inspired testimony is as follows: "In the days of these kings [the last of Gentile power – represented in the toes of the image] the God of heaven shall set up a Kingdom [present representatively throughout the Gospel age, but not recognized by the world as a kingdom]; it [unlike the changing Gentile kingdoms represented in the image] shall never be destroyed: and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people [as the power of the image shifted from one people to another], but it shall break in pieces and consume all these Kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." (Dan. 2:44,45.)
 

 

SETTING UP THE EARTHLY GOVERNMENT

 

The period, in which the pagan rulers were permitted to hold the power over the world was named by our Lord the "Times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24). This period includes history of four universal empires: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome.

Not until the full end of Gentile Times should we expect the earthly phase of God's Kingdom; for in giving a lease of dominion to the Gentiles until that date God made no mistake and his plans alter not. At the time of prophetic movement of Bible Students in USA (1874-1914) was understood the beginning of the period of depriving the Gentiles of the power.

Leader of this movement, C.T. Russell wrote at the foreword to the Volume II Studies in the Scripture, as follows (1916): "This Volume sets forth, what its author has been preaching for over forty years, that the 'Times of the Gentiles' chronologically ended in the fall of A.D. 1914. The expression, 'Times of the Gentiles,' in Bible usage signifies the years, or period of time, in which the Gentile nations of the world were to be permitted to have control, following the taking away of the typical kingdom from natural Israel, and filling the hiatus between that event and the establishment of God's Kingdom in the hands of Messiah – 'whose right it is.' (Ezekiel 21:27.)

We could not, of course, know in 1889, whether the date 1914, so clearly marked in the Bible as the end of the Gentile lease of power or permission to rule the world, would mean that they would be fully out of power at that time, or whether, their lease expiring, their eviction would begin. The latter we perceive to be the Lord's program…"

The Gentiles eviction takes place in three stages: of war, revolution and anarchy. Such the way of the destruction of the old world is showed in the Old Testament in the Elijah vision, whereas in the New Testament in John vision. The prophet Elijah saw: wind, earthquake and fire (1 Kgs 19:11, 12), whereas the apostle John saw the eagle calling with a loud cry: woe, woe, woe (Rev. 8:13).

 

 

From this viewpoint the period named by the Lord "the Time of the Gentiles" has two characteristic ends:

 

The first. Extinction of the permitting for the Gentile power in 1914. In this year took place the outbreak of First World War ("wind"). In 1939 the world expansion of the revolutionary communist ideology began ("earthquake"). At the end of this revolutionary phase, the prince of this world, Satan made an attempt to do the desperate counter-attack. He set up at Poland the last point of resistance – the power of the red beast, that is the papacy in the communist style (1977-1980). This last form of the falling Gentiles power was showed also as the ten fingers (mix of iron and clay) of image from Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The satanic fortress could not however long survive in the face of the triumphant power of God's Kingdom.

 

The second. "The breaking to shivers as the vessels of the potter" of Gentile power in anarchy ('fire"; from 1980/81).

These both ends mark the transitional period, during which the quasi-pagan powers of so-called Christianity are being overthrown, whereas the Israeli nation, deprived of God's favor for nearly two thousands years, is rising from the ashes to take up the leading position among the nations of the world.

 

 

 

 

The earthly phase of the Kingdom of God when set up will be Israelitish; for such is God's engagement or covenant with Abraham and his natural seed. Even the chief favor, the spiritual Kingdom, was offered first to fleshly Israel, and would have been given to them if they had been ready at heart to receive it on the conditions attached to it – to suffer with Christ and afterward to be glorified with him. (Rom. 8:17) Israel indeed desired and sought the best God had to give; but "Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for: but the election [the "little flock" selected from both Jews and Gentiles] hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded – not forever, but until the election of the spiritual seed, the Kingdom proper, is completed. (Rom. 9:31-33; 11:7,23,25-32.)

In the miraculous fulfilment of Divine prophetic promises, Israelites, in various stages of unbelief, have gathered already back to the Holy Land. Prophetic period so-called "Seven times" of punishing was ended (from 606 B.C to 1914 A.D.; Lev. 26:18). The time also ended of so-called "Double" of the Divine disfavor (from 33 A.D. to 1878 A.D.; Jer. 16:18; Zech. 9:12; Isa. 40:2 ). They have their own sovereign state and their prosperity is growing continually.

Yet none of Israelites shall be in any degree reckoned as a part, or even as supporters of, or associated with the earthly phase of the Kingdom, except as they shall first recognize Christ Jesus as the Son of God, the only Redeemer and Deliverer for Israel and the world.

The beginning of the earthly phase of the Kingdom, after the total fall of the Gentile power, we understand, will consists wholly of the resurrected holy ones of olden time – from John the Baptist back to Abel – "Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the holy prophets." (Compare Matt. 11:11; Luke 13:28; Heb. 11:39,40.) While these ancient worthies will have neither part nor lot in the spiritual Kingdom, because not "called" thereto, that high or "heavenly calling" not being possible until after the ransom had been paid by our Lord Jesus, yet they will occupy a position of preferment above the world, having attested their faith and love during the reign of evil, in a manner approved of God. Thus they were prepared and proved worthy to be the earthly ministers and representatives of the spiritual Kingdom. In harmony with this it is written in the Psalms, as addressed to the Christ – "Instead of [being longer considered] thy fathers [they] shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes [chief ones, captains] in all the earth." (Psa. 45:16.)

These ancient worthies will be unlike the remainder of mankind, not alone in the fact that their trial is past while the trial of the world in general will just be beginning; but they will be unlike them also in the fact that they will have attained the reward of their faithfulness – they will be perfect men, having completely restored to them all that was lost in Adam of mental and moral likeness to God, and perfection of physical powers. Thus they will not only be the "princes" or chiefs of earth (the earthly representatives of the Heavenly Kingdom – Christ and his Church), but they, individually, will be representatives of what all the willingly obedient may attain to under the New Covenant.

When Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the ancient worthies have been resurrected, and shall appear amongst the regathered Israelites, about the close of the time of Jacob's final trouble with Gog and Magog, their superior mental powers will speedily distinguish them from others. Moreover, their perfect minds will quickly grasp present-day knowledge and inventions; and they will be peculiar in many ways, as was the man Christ Jesus, of whom the people said – How knoweth this man literary matters, having never learned? (John 7:15.) And as Jesus taught the people positively, definitely, clearly, and not doubtfully and in a confused way, as did the scribes, so it will be with the perfected ancient worthies, when they appear amongst men. Besides, these worthies, "princes," will have direct communion with the spiritual Kingdom (Christ and the Church) as our Lord had with the angels, and as Adam enjoyed similar personal communion before he came under divine sentence as a transgressor. These "princes" of the new earth (the new order of society) will be fully qualified for the honorable position assigned to them.

 

 

 

Thus we see that when God's time for the inauguration of his Kingdom among men shall arrive, his agents will all be amply ready for the service; and their master-strokes of wise policy, their moderation and dignified self-control, and their personal exemplification of every grace and virtue will attract men and quickly enlist them – chastened under the great tribulation – in active cooperation. Even before the disclosure of their identity, doubtless the people of Israel will have remarked their pre-eminence over other men.

Furthermore, let us remember that the very design of the great time of trouble, now nearing a culmination, is to break the stony hearts of the whole world, to bow down into the dust the proud, and break up the fallow ground with deep furrows of pain, trouble, sorrow, thus to make the world ready for the great blessings of the Millennial Kingdom. And it will serve its intended purpose: as the Prophet declares, "When thy judgments [Lord] are [abroad] in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." (Isa. 26:9.) By that time all will have learned that selfish schemes and all schemes that can be devised and carried out by fallen men are defective, and lead only to various degrees of trouble and confusion. And all will by that time be longing for, but despairing of, a reign of righteousness – little realizing how near at hand it is.

Israel's long cherished hopes of the Kingdom will meantime be reviving amongst those who, from respect for the promises, have gathered to the Promised Land. When to these the ancient worthies shall declare their resurrection, and the form of righteous government to be established, the plan will undoubtedly be promptly recognized as of the Lord, and when they shall learn that the real Kingdom over them is the spiritual, and that Jesus the crucified is the King, and mentally, with the eye of faith, shall "look upon him whom they pierced" – then, "They shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem." And God "will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication." (Zech. 12:10,11.)

 

 

 

The news of the discomfiture of the hosts of God and Magog, and of the wonderful deliverance of Israel from their enemies, will be speedily followed by the news of the appearance of their renowned "fathers," resurrected, and the establishment of a government with these at its head, and of the general conversion of Israel to the long rejected Messiah. And no doubt much of this will pass for a fraud amongst Gentiles: the Jews will be laughed at for being gullible, and the ancient worthies will be classed as shrewd impostors.

But the blessing attending the reorganization of government under the new auspices in Holy Land, will work such wonderful and rapid changes in Israel's welfare as will astonish the then anarchistic and discouraged world, and lead many to think and to say – whether impostors or not, the work of these men who claim to be the resurrected prophets is the very one the world needs! Would to God they would take control of the whole world, and bring order and peace out of our universal disorder. And then they will send to have these wonderful "princes" extend everywhere their government, their yoke of righteousness, seen to be so beneficial to Israel. This is stated by the Prophet in the following words:

"It shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain [Kingdom] of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains [as a Kingdom overtopping or overruling all kingdoms], and shall be exalted above the hills [the highest peaks]; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain [Kingdom] of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion [the spiritual Kingdom – the glorified Christ, head and body] shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem [the seat of the earthly representative government in the hands of the "princes"]. And [previously – in the great time of trouble] he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people. And [as a result of the Lord's rebukes and subsequently his law and Word] they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (Isa. 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-4.)
 

 

THE INTIMACY
BETWEEN THE KINGDOM AND ITS EARTHLY "PRINCES"

 

As we should expect, the communication between the two phases or parts of the Kingdom will be easy and direct; and thereby the supervision and instruction of mankind will be complete – the "princes" being the channels of divine communication. This seems to be the intimation of our Lord's words to Nathanael: "Hereafter ye shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God [the messengers of God, the "princes" of the new dispensation] ascending to and descending from the Son of Man." (John 1:51.) Was not Jacob's dream of the ladder between heaven and earth, and the passing to and fro of messengers, a prophecy as well as a dream, foreshowing the coming close communication between the Heavenly Kingdom and the world, in which work, as one of the communicating messengers, Jacob himself was to have a share in the blessing of the world? We believe that it was so intended. (Gen. 28:10-12)

That Moses, the mediator of the Law Covenant, was a type of Christ, the Mediator of the New Covenant, is clearly taught in the Scriptures and generally recognized by Bible students; but all have not recognized that Moses was a type of the entire Christ – head and body – and that in this sense the entire Gospel age has been the period of Christ's raising up. This, however, is the only application of the type which will fit in a number of cases: for instance, in Acts 3:22,23.

At the institution of the Law Covenant, at Mount Sinai, Moses seems to have been a type of the complete Christ (head and body) at the introduction of the Millennial age, when the New Covenant will be introduced to the world – after "the sound of the great [seventh] trumpet," and the black darkness and "great earthquake," etc., of the Day of Vengeance shall have appalled mankind and made them ready to hear the voice of the Great Teacher, and glad to accept his New Covenant. This is distinctly pointed out by the Apostle (Heb. 12:18-22) who seems to mark every step of the parallelism. Israel had been approaching and had finally reached Mount Sinai, that might be touched, and from which such fearful sights and sounds emanated that all feared and quaked: but we are approaching Mount Zion and its wondrous glories and blessings far superior to those at Sinai; but accompanying these greater blessings will be the more terrible trumpet, blackness and earthquake shaking – the final shaking of all that can be shaken (all that is sinful and contrary to the divine will), that only that which is true and enduring may remain. The solution of the whole matter is in the words: "Wherefore we [who anticipate thus] receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably." (Heb. 12:28.)

During the Gospel age the mountain of spiritual Zion, that is the power of the future Kingdom of Christ was watched from more and more close perspective. From the beginning of seventh thousand of years from Adam fall, the invisible King, Jesus Christ, present second time, he began final preparations to establishment of this kingdom. "I [God] have set my king [Jesus Christ] upon my holy hill of Zion." (Psa. 2:6.) From then, the existing order of the world began to tremble because of social "tremors". The last from these shocks, anarchy, is pictured in the Scriptures as "the great earthquake, such as was not since there were men upon the earth, so great an earthquake, so mighty" (Rev. 16:18). The morning of the third day, in which Israelites gathered at Sinai (Gen. 19:16) seems to represent the beginning of this seventh Millennium day – that announced by the Lord as the "third day," designed for completion of the work of salvation (Luke. 13:32).

We note that after this Moses went up into the Mount (Kingdom) and was glorified in type; that is, the skin of his face did shine so that Israel could not look at him. This would seem to typify the completion of the Church (Christ, head and body) in glory. And the veil which Moses afterward wore before the people, but laid off when with the Lord in the Mount would seem to typify the earthly phase of his Kingdom, the "princes in all the earth" through whom the Christ will speak to the people and be represented, the glory being hidden. This seems to be a striking illustration of the intimate relationship which will exist between the earthly "princes" and the heavenly Kings and Priests. Moses' going up into the mount to commune with God while the mountain was clothed in clouds flashing with lightning, and the earth quaked as the thunder rolled, represented the fact that the Body of Christ will be completed, the last members "changed" and received into the Kingdom at the time when the present order of things is being changed, in the midst of a great time of trouble such as earth has never yet experienced.

As the first tables of the Law that were broken represented the failure of the Law Covenant by reason of the "weakness of the flesh," so the second tables represent the New Covenant, of which Christ is the Mediator, and which will not fail. This New Covenant will become operative toward the world after the "Body of Christ" is complete. The electing of the members of the Great Prophet like unto Moses was continued through the entire Gospel age. (Acts 3:23.) Now note the fact that it was when the second tables of the Law (representing the New Covenant) were delivered, that Moses was changed so that thereafter he wore a veil before the people, because his face shone.

The inauguration of the Kingdom will be accompanied with such awe-inspiring scenes as will cause the whole world to tremble with fear, and to gladly recognize the
Anointed of the Lord as King of the whole earth. As Israel entreated that the Lord would not speak to them any more – by the terrible sights and sounds witnessed at Sinai – so here, all peoples will desire to have the Lord Jehovah cease speaking to them in his wrath, and vexing them in his hot and just displeasure, and will be glad to hear instead the great Mediator, to recognize him as the King whom Jehovah sets over them – Immanuel; the great antitype of Moses – the veiled (hidden) Prophet, Priest and King. (Compare Heb. 12:19 and Psa. 2:5, 6).

 

 

 

Israel shall be willing, anxious for the new Kingdom; as it is written, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." (Psa. 110:3.) It will be just what Israel has waited for (blinded to the higher spiritual call of the Gospel age): only it will be much grander and more enduring than any thing they ever conceived of. Then a vast number of sadly misinformed partial-believers in Christ will say, "Have we not prophesied [preached] in thy name, and in thy name done many wonderful works?" (Matt. 7:21,22.) These will not be recognized as the bride of Christ, but will be left to have part in the wailing and gnashing of teeth of the great time of trouble, and will doubtless become God's people instead of sectarians, and will be "willing in the day of his power." And indeed, very shortly, as our text declares, God's Kingdom will be recognized as "the desire of all peoples."

 

 

On the basis of Volumes I, II, III, IV of Studies in the Scriptures