The Kingdom of God

I. WHAT IT IS

It is heavenly; for the God of heaven sets it up, that is, exalts it. It is evidently a holy kingdom; for the will of God is to be done in it as in heaven. Luke 11:2: “And he said unto them, when ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.” It is a righteous kingdom. See Romans 14:17: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” TKOG 5.1

It is an everlasting kingdom-“shall stand forever,” says our text. Psalm 24:7-Psalm 145:12, 13: “To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.” Daniel 7:14, 27: “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.” Hebrews 12:28: “Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear.” 2 Peter 1:11: “For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Revelation 11:15: And the seventh angel sounded: and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.” Revelation 22:5: “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign forever and ever.” TKOG 5.2

As there cannot be two kingdoms, and both stand forever, we must naturally suppose, by the texts which I have quoted, that it must be a glorified kingdom: and, indeed, the last text quoted proves it to be in the New Jerusalem state. See also Psalm 24:7-10: “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle... Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.” Psalm 145:10, 11: “All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power.” Isaiah 2:10, 19, 21: “Enter into the rocks and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the rugged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.” Isaiah 4:2-5: “In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem; when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory shall be a defence.” Isaiah 24:23: “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.” 1 Thessalonians 2:12: “That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.” TKOG 6.1

If it is a glorified kingdom, and an eternal kingdom, it cannot be consistent to say it is an earthly kingdom, or a mortal kingdom. It is an immortal one. Christ says, John 18:36: “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from hence.” It cannot be an earthly kingdom. And again, 1 Corinthians 15:50: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.” If this be true, it cannot be in a mortal state. But I will prove it immortal. Matthew 8:11, 12: “And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Luke 13:28, 29: “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.” TKOG 8.1

This can never be in a mortal state, for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, together with all the prophets, have passed from the mortal state. Then we may well conclude that the kingdom spoken of in our text is a heavenly kingdom, holy, righteous, and everlasting: an eternal kingdom, where the subjects of the kingdom will shine as the sun, and all the heirs be glorified, and corruption be changed into incorruption, and the mortal to immortal. Then death will be swallowed up in victory. TKOG 9.1

How foolish, and ridiculous the idea, that “it shall not be left to other people,” if the subjects are not immortal! If deaths and births continue as now, in one hundred years death would conquer the whole kingdom, and in process of time would change every subject from those who received it at the beginning, to their descendants; and in the fulness of time, according to the temporal millennial doctrine, the devil will be let loose and conquer a large number of children, which have been literally born in the kingdom, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea-shore, and transplant them out of the eternal and everlasting kingdom of God into the kingdom of the devil, and there excite them to make war against their sires in the beloved city. See: “Dowling’s Reply to Miller,” pp.217,218. If our learned men can reason no better than this, I would advise them to go where they can get a little common sense, before they undertake to teach people who know their right hand from the left. And were it not for the influence they obtain by newspaper puffs, for which the editors make them pay well, they would obtain no more influence than their writings deserve. But let us now inquire concerning this kingdom. TKOG 9.2