| The Kingdom of God on Earth |
God's Plan for the WorldThe view of planet earth, seen from outer space, is very beautiful indeed. Confirmation of this has come from the astronauts who have gazed upon it. The earth is the fairest jewel in God's creation and it is the chosen place in the whole universe where He has promised to reveal His Kingdom in all its glory. That is why it is so beautiful.The earth, of all the planets in the solar system, is the one that is perfectly suited to all forms of life and the one that orbits at exactly the right distance from the sun to provide comfortable conditions for the human race. The
Bible -- Sole Source of Information
We think it is logical to assert that if there is a Great Designer, and if He created a race of beings to inhabit this planet and no other, then there must have been an ultimate objective in His mind. Happily, we have not been left to guess what that goal might be. From the day that God put a human being on this earth, His one supreme purpose was that His creation should willingly respond to His own perfection:
The final stage in fulfilling that intention is what the Bible describes as THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH. A
Real Kingdom
The kingdom of God on earth will soon be here. The abundant signs which confirm this are not the subject of this booklet; but we are mightily convinced that it is so! This coming Millennium will be the most exciting thing the world has ever seen. It will overshadow all those periods in history labelled with names like 'the age of enlightenment', 'the classical age', 'the renaissance' and so on. The kingdom of God will provide a superb environment on this lovely planet for all who will acknowledge God as supreme Creator and Jesus Christ as king of the world. A
Beautiful World Now ponder on the absence of religious bigotry or sectarian strife; imagine the benefits of internationally accepted laws, with justice administered by fair-minded yet uncompromising judges. Conjure up a mental picture of life without terrorism and child-abuse; where good-neighbourliness prevails and evil tendencies are discouraged, where governments establish good standards of behaviour, and implement just forms of retribution. That will be the kingdom of God on earth! To many people, the Kingdom of God is just a vague hope that one day man will bring about a state of happiness on earth. To others, the Kingdom is a dream of heavenly bliss in the skies. But the realist knows that the aspirations of men are not producing a better world for us or our children. And anyone who reads his Bible carefully knows that there is no evidence for the common belief in an afterlife in heaven. The Kingdom has to do with a real, tangible world empire which will be set up when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth from heaven in the near future, "Thy
Kingdom Come"
Christendom still repeats the prayer. "Thy kingdom come" should always be on the lips of the faithful Christian. For the most part, human beings act as though there is no Creator and no purpose in the world around them. But they are without excuse, for just look at the wonders of the human body and the miracles of plant life! Did they occur by chance or by design? Even atheists are forced to marvel at the incredible wonders of living cells. The apostle Paul, a well-educated man of his time, declared that atheism is untenable because "that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1: 1 9,20). If there is a God, and He has a future for the human race, then surely He has told us? Of course He has! The whole Bible, from beginning to end, reveals His plans for the earth. He spoke to the "fathers" and through prophets, and "in these last days by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things" (Hebrews 1:1,2). That is why the Gospel was the centre of Christ's ministry. "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom" (Matthew 4:23). He left no doubt when that kingdom would happen:
Where
on Earth will it be? After the exodus from Egypt the special relationship built up between God and the Israelites caused Him to name them as His kingdom. God was their leader and they were His people:
Israel could not keep their side of the bargain for long and often degenerated to the level of the nations around them. But in their prime, in the days of King David and his son Solomon, they experienced what it was like to be the Kingdom of God. They prospered and expanded and had peace in the land. It was summed up by king David when he said: "He (God) hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel" (1 Chronicles 28:5). The
Failure of the Jewish Kingdom
That statement was a tremendous forecast of the desolation of the royal line until the greatest heir to the throne should come-Jesus Christ! In other words, until the kingdom of God should again appear on the earth. It is not surprising, therefore, that there was always a remnant of faithful Jews who were looking for a Messiah from the line of King David of the tribe of Judah. The disciples of Jesus were greatly excited at the prospect of the renewed kingdom of God in Israel's land. After he had been raised from the dead they asked: "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). They were, in fact, in too much of a hurry! They had seen his title "King of the Jews" placarded on the cross outside the city walls of Jerusalem. He had come out of the grave and once more was amongst them, alive and well, indeed immortal, and they were impatient to see the crown on his head and the kingdom of God restored there and then. It was not to be -- yet. The gospel of the kingdom had first to be preached to all nations -- not only to the Jews. Jesus quietly told them:
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