3.
The
“Therefore, you, be praying like this: ‘Our Father, the
[One] in the heavens, let Your name be regarded as holy. Let Your kingdom come; let Your will be done, as in heaven, [so] also
on the earth.” (Matthew 6.9-10 ALT)
The
God’s
plan to achieve His purpose is a progressive plan that begins and continues in
His Son. We see the principle set forth when ancient
His
plan has progressed through the eons and will continue to progress through the
oncoming eons until all things in the heavens and on the earth are subjected to
the Son of God, so that He alone is the King and the Sovereign of the entire
creation of God. The Son’s mission is to see that God’s will is not only done
on earth but that it is done throughout all God’s creation. Everything is
working toward this one purpose when Christ will head up all in the heavens and
on the earth that will lead to the abolishment of death and the reconciliation of
all to God, whether on the earth or in the heavens. It is only when all has
been subjected to Christ and all sovereignty and all authority and power have
been nullified that the Son will subject Himself to His Father, so that God may
be All in all. This is when the Son will
give up the kingdom to His God and Father, and His will will reign supreme. See 1 Corinthians 15.20-28; Ephesians 1.10;
Colossians 1.20.
The
Beyond
the eons, the
What
does the
This
is the purpose of the eons and explains the crisis of the eons when God’s Son
was impaled on a stake at
The
The
reign.
Now,
the word kingdom appears many times
throughout both Hebrew and Greek Scripture. Depending on the translation, kingdom, in its singular and plural forms,
appears in the Bible over 400 times.
The word kingdom, as translated from the Greek
word basileia, means “reign.” It can
refer to the reign of a king, or “the realm ruled by a king or the territory,
people, or sovereign power pertaining to it.” Thus, kingdom refers to the
rule or reign over a realm. Instead of the word kingdom,
the Young’s Literal Translation most often uses the word reign, which appears 300 times.
Throughout
Scripture, we discover many types of kingdoms, from the
The
universal
Although
Scripture refers to many kingdoms, we need to be clear that when it comes to
God, there is really only one kingdom; it is the
In
a pure sense, the
There
is no one higher than God and no one who rules beyond God, for He is Supreme. For You, LORD, are most high above all the
earth; you are exalted far above all gods (Psalm 97.9 NKJV). All power and dominion belong to God alone. God rules over all and
absolutely nothing happens in His creation apart from His rule. There is no
place in this vast universe that is outside His realm. He knows all that is
going on in His universe and He is Supreme over all that is going on. Most
importantly, He is working all things in His universe according to His purpose
and plan.
Throne—a
canopy or covering.
Another
way to convey this thought is through the word throne. David declared: The
Lord has established His throne in the heavens and His sovereignty (kingdom)
rules over all (Psalm 103.19 NASB). A throne
is the seat of authority. It is the place from which the rule comes forth. In
the Hebrew language, throne conveys
the thought of a canopy or a covering, implying protection. Thus, from the
throne comes the rule over a realm, and it is this rule that provides
protection to the realm over which it presides.
God
alone is the one who rules over the universe in which our earth is located. It
is His throne, His realm, His kingdom; and His throne is the canopy or
protection over His entire realm. All rule comes from His throne, which is in
heaven.
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the
glory, the victory and the majesty; for all
that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all. Both
riches and honor come from You, and You
reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make
great and to give strength to all. (1 Chronicles 29.11-12 NKJV)
“O LORD, the God of our fathers, art Thou not God
in the heavens? And art Thou not ruler
over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Thy hand so
that no one can stand against Thee.” (2 Chronicles 20.6 NASB) [1]
So,
when our hearts might begin to falter as we see upheaval, uncertainty and storm
clouds forming upon the earth or in our personal lives, let us not be dismayed,
discouraged or disheartened. God is in control, and all is being worked out
according to His purpose and plan. His throne is everlasting and indestructible,
and His canopy is over all!
Let
it be set in our hearts that in God’s creation there really is only one
kingdom. All other kingdoms and those who rule in them are subordinates in the
“At one moment I
might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull
down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns
from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it.
Or at another moment I might speak
concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; if
it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of
the good with which I had promised to bless it.” (Jeremiah 18.7-10 NASB)
Even
the
When
the Son gives up the kingdom to His God and Father it is for one reason alone.
The Son will have done all the Father has asked in heading up all in the
heavens and on the earth. When He has accomplished His mission, He must give up
the kingdom to God, for this is in accord with the purpose of the eons. In no
way does this diminish the Son’s place in God’s creation. Do not even entertain
such a thought! He is forever the Son of God, the Head of the new creation.
Giving up the kingdom gloriously means that He will have accomplished all the
work the Father gave Him to do. When all is subjected to the Son, then the Son
will subject all to the Father. Further, it is most likely that the
administration or governing of God’s kingdom will change from a hierarchical,
command type form of governing to a familial, paternal form of governing, like
a father’s relationship to his children. All will know what to do; they will
know the heart of God, for His laws will be upon their hearts and written in
their minds (Hebrews 10.16). God the Father will lead His family of love.
Praise God!
In
all places of His dominion.
Now,
David, as the Psalmist, adds to the comprehensiveness of God’s kingdom as he
declared: “Bless the Lord, all His works,
in all places of His dominion” (Psalm 103.22 NKJV).
In
making this declaration, it seems that David did not restrict himself to the
earth, for he looked out beyond the sky of our earth and included all the works
of God in all places of His dominion, which must include all God’s creation.
From
our vantage point on earth, we might think that we are the only beings in God’s
vast universe apart from His angels (messengers) and other celestial beings.
Truly, God has undertaken a mighty work on this earth through the creation of
mankind, but are we to assume that this earth is the sum total of all the
action in God’s vast universe? Do we live on the only planet in God’s vast
universe that has created beings in residence? If earth is the only inhabited
place, then the extent of God’s actual rule is restricted to one minuscule
planet floating in an immensely huge universe. Earth is so small that it does
not even measure up to one speck of dust.
Is
earth all there is? According to David, it is not!
Considering
the dimensions of the universe, God must have countless places of His dominion. Although man has long studied the universe
and through recent advances in technology has scanned the vastness of the
universe, he still does not know the full dimensions of God’s creation.
How
many places of His dominion are there? We do not know, and we are not told.
However, one of the oldest books of the Bible, Job, does give an indication
that there are other inhabited places of His dominion in the universe.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to
present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. And the
LORD said to Satan, “From where do you
come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the
earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” (Job 1.6-7 NKJV)
God’s
question to Satan, “From where do you come?” implies that the sons of God came
from various places in the universe. What are we to conclude from this
question?
In
Scripture, sonship refers to rulership. The sons of God represent
rulers in God’s kingdom, which is the reason for them appearing before the
throne. Consequently, within the
Another
proof that there are many places of His dominion is the fact that Christ is
going to head up all in the heavens and on the earth (Ephesians 1.10). If there
are no other dominions, then there is nothing for Him to head up outside the
earth. Since there are other places of His dominion, we are left to wonder how
Christ is going to head up all in the heavens. As we search Scripture, we do
not have to wonder very long, for Paul has revealed to us that the body of
Christ is seated together among the celestials, in Christ, and is being saved
for His celestial kingdom (Ephesians 2.6; 2 Timothy 4.18).
Today,
the body is among the celestials in spirit, to be manifested literally in the
next eon. The body of Christ is the complement of the One completing the all in
all (Ephesians 1.23 CV), and the body has been brought forth as the
vessel to carry the evangel of Christ throughout the universe, that is, among
the celestials and on the earth. Those who belong to the Lord are to be the
complement or the fullness of Christ, and as the complement they will be part
of Christ’s work to complete the all in all. What a glorious destiny!
Now,
with these foundational but essential truths, let us trace some aspects of the
kingdom as revealed in Scripture, beginning with the kingdoms of the earth. In
doing so, we need to keep two thoughts in mind.
First, the
As
mentioned previously, one way to look at it is along the lines of the feasts
that the Israelites were called to celebrate, particularly the fall feasts of
the Trumpets and the Tabernacles. According to this thought, there was the Passover Age from Moses to Christ’s
crucifixion, the Pentecostal Age from
Pentecost to the presence (parousia)
of Christ and the Tabernacles Age,
which is when heaven comes to earth. God has been steadily and precisely moving
toward His purpose of the eons, all in accord with His perfect plan.
Second, although there is only one true kingdom,
individuals must enter into this kingdom to come under its reign. In other
words, we must enter the
All
mankind will eventually enter in but not all at the same time. There are some
who are chosen and predestined to enter as firstfruits to God who, in turn, will
lead others into the kingdom in the eons of the eons.
Have
dominion.
In
Scripture, the first mention of the concept of kingdom or rule is what was spoken
by God as He created man.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness; and let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the
cattle, and over the whole earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth
on the earth. (Genesis 1.26 DNT)
Some
translations use the word rule and
another simply uses the word over
instead of dominion. The point is
that man was brought forth to rule over, to have dominion over or to be over
the creatures of God’s earth. Some call this the Dominion Mandate. This is a very important point, for it lays down
an unchanging principle that is foundational to God’s purpose of the eons; that
is, through God’s Son, mankind is destined to reign, not only over this earth
and the future earth, but also among the celestials.
Of
course, we know that the perfect order that was restored in six days was
brought into ruin through the one transgression of Adam, which gave Satan, the
usurper, jurisdiction over the world. The whole creation has groaned and
suffered ever since that fateful day (Romans 8.22) as it waits for the seventh
day of rest.
The
kingdoms of the earth.
It
wasn’t until after the deluge of Noah’s day that the first kingdom or form of
government appeared on earth, and it came through the three sons of Noah.
When
the flood had subsided, Noah drank of the wine and uncovered himself inside his
tent. His son, Ham, saw his nakedness, and on account of this sin, his son
He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; and let
Because
of this blessing and curse, two forms of government or, we could say, kingdoms
formed on the earth. One was man-centered and the other was God-centered.
The
first man-centered kingdom on earth came through Nimrod, a descendant of Ham.
And
Nimrod and his people became mighty and fierce conquerors
that settled in the
Just
as confusion came upon the
The
God-centered government followed the line of Noah’s son, Shem, and progressed from
Peleg to Terah and then to Abraham, the Hebrew, until it broke forth through
the sons of Israel as Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt as a theocratic
nation under the one, true God—a kingdom of priests, a holy nation (Exodus
19.6), chosen to lead all the nations of earth to God. Although there were
times of glory for the Israelites, their history is marked by much failure as
they turned from their God and became apostate lovers, harlots (Hosea 1.2),
with the kingdoms of the world. They became the tail instead of the head
(Deuteronomy 28.13). In a sense, they joined with the Nimrods of the world,
which placed them under
When the Son of God came to this earth over 2,000 years
ago, He came seeking the lost sheep of the house of
Consequently, Jesus declared: “Therefore I say to you, the
Thus, we begin to see a progression of the kingdom in the
history of the nations, starting with the descendants of Noah.
The prince of the power of the air.
However, to understand something of the history of the
kingdoms of this earth, we need to be clear that the instigator behind the
kingdoms of men is the adversary, Satan, the prince of the power of the air
(Ephesians 2.2). Under Satan’s jurisdiction, the kingdoms of the earth can be best
characterized by hatred that has led to war and killing of the masses. The
adversary is the instigator of war among men, for when he is bound for a
thousand years, war will cease; but when he is released from prison, he will
deceive the nations to gather for one final battle, which God will promptly end
by pouring fire (i.e., His judgment) upon the deceived nations (Revelation
20.1-3, 7-9).
We discover further proof of the adversary’s jurisdiction
over the earth with Satan’s failed attempt to tempt Jesus by offering Him the
kingdoms of the earth.
And, leading Him up
into a high mountain, the Adversary
shows Him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in a second of time. And
the Adversary said to Him, “To you shall I be giving all this authority and the
glory of them, for it has been given up to me, and to whomsoever I may will, I
am giving it. If you, then, should ever be worshiping before me, it will all be
yours.” (Luke 4.5-7 CV)
Satan is good at taking a portion of truth and twisting it
to his advantage. In this case, it is true that the kingdoms of the inhabited
earth were given up to him, but it was not a willing gesture on the part of
man, for it was taken by deceit, not by honest gain. It appears that the
adversary revealed all the kingdoms of time to Jesus, indicating that he is a force
behind all the kingdoms throughout the history of mankind. Thank God; Jesus saw
through the deceit of the adversary and dismissed him, and soon He will conquer
the kingdoms of this world when, as
the King of kings and the Lord of lords, He will slay the lawless with the
breath of His mouth and remove all the tares from His kingdom (Matthew
13.36-43; 2 Thessalonians 2.8).
In the Revelation, we discover that a day is coming when all
heaven will proclaim with a loud voice: “The
kingdom of this world became our Lord’s and His Christ’s, and He shall be
reigning for the eons of the eons! Amen!” (Revelation 11.15 CV). Praise God!
At
times, it might appear that the adversary has had the upper hand in the
kingdoms of men, but whatever the appearance might be, we need to be assured
that all that has occurred and will yet occur in the history of mankind is in
accord with God’s purpose of the eons.
There
are two truths that we should keep in mind.
The
first is that Christ is the mighty victor over the works of the
adversary. The victory of the cross of
The
second is that Satan, as the adversary, is one of God’s greatest means
by which to bring about His purpose and plan. Although Satan might be the chief
of the jurisdiction of the air (Ephesians 2.2 CV) over
this earth, he rules only by the will of God. Let us not forget that he is a
subject in God’s kingdom. Do we think for a moment that if God did not want
Satan to be in a place of rulership that he would be in that place today? Of
course not; with one stroke God could remove Satan from ruling. In His wisdom
and according to His purpose and plan, God has not only chosen not to remove
him, but He has intended it to be this way from before the disruption of the
world. In fact, Satan was created to be the adversary, so that God could
accomplish all that He has purposed.
The
serpent.
This
point is so important to our understanding of God’s purpose that we need to
consider the origin and created nature of Satan.
It
is a sure thing that most of us have been taught that Satan was created a
perfect, beautiful angel, but his pride got the best of him, and he fell into
sin when he sought to rise above the throne he was given, even to rise to the
level of God. This teaching is based on Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. However, a
careful study of these texts presents some difficulties that cannot be resolved
if they are left to apply to Satan.
Ezekiel
28 is about the king of
Isaiah
14.12 is often incorrectly translated as referring to Lucifer, son of the
morning, which most people believe speaks of Satan before his supposed fall.
However, the word Lucifer is not the
proper translation from the original Hebrew. The word should be rendered howl: Howl, son of the dawn!
On
careful examination of Isaiah 14.9-17, it should become apparent that this does
not refer to Satan and some fall in the past but most likely refers to the
lawlessness of man that has gone forth in an attempt to conquer the world (Revelation
13.1-6). Is this the man who made the
earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a wilderness and
overthrew its cities, who did not allow his prisoners to go home (Isaiah
14.16-17 NASB)? This is not a description of Satan but of lawless mankind energized by Satan’s
power. This is the man of sin, the man of lawlessness, the son of
stubbornness.
And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet
were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the
dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. (Revelation 13.2 NASB)
Today,
Satan is the prince of the air associated with this earth. As such, he is still
in the heavenly places (not in a fictitious hell)
as the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12.10). In The Revelation of Jesus Christ, John perceived a battle between the
dark angelic forces in heaven and the Lord’s angelic hosts. John saw this battle
fought in heaven and Satan and his host not prevailing but being cast down to
earth.
And the great dragon was cast out, the ancient serpent called Adversary
and Satan, who is deceiving the whole inhabited earth. It was cast into the
earth, and its messengers were cast with it. (Revelation 12.9 CV)
In
this description of Satan, we discover the key to his origin. He is called the ancient serpent. In Job, considered
one of the oldest writings of Hebrew Scripture, there is a reference to the
serpent. Three translations of the same verse are presented.
His Spirite hath garnished the heauens, and his hand hath
formed the crooked serpent. (Job
26.13 GB)
By his spirit hath He arched the heavens, His hand
hath pierced the fleeing serpent. (Job 26.13
REB)
By His spirit He makes the heavens seemly, His hand
travails with the fugitive serpent. (Job 26.13
CV)
Through
Job we are given a contrast of God creating two things.
First, by His spirit, God made the heavens. There were
no hands involved and no effort on His part. We are given the impression of
something that occurred with ease. The word seemly
means “pleasing in appearance, suitable, proper, or fitting.” This is how the
heavens were created, and we could say that it was a pleasing sight.
Second, by His hand, God made or formed the crooked,
fleeing serpent or fugitive. It was not done by His spirit but by His hands,
which implies an effort on the part of God. We labor with our hands and when we
do, the object of labor is at a slight distance from our body. In like fashion,
God labored over the serpent, keeping it at a distance. In other words, God
travailed in forming the serpent. The forming of this creature was not suitable
or seemly; it was, we could say, dirty work.
Why
would God travail over the making of the serpent? There is only one answer that
makes any sense; the serpent was not something pleasant. In the garden of Eden,
we could say that the ancient serpent was odious, something unpleasant. John
the apostle gives us the answer.
He who is habitually guilty of sin is a child of the
Devil, because the Devil has been a
sinner from the very beginning. The Son of God appeared for the purpose of
undoing the work of the Devil. (1 John 3.8 WNT)
He who is doing the sin, of the devil he is, because from the beginning the devil doth sin;
for this was the Son of God manifested, that he may break up the works of the
devil…. (1 John 3.8 YLT)
He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son
of God was revealed, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3.8 HNV)
In this one verse, as presented in three translations,
there is little doubt that the devil, who is the ancient serpent, was a sinner
from the very beginning. But there is more.
You are of your
father, the Adversary, and the desires of your father you are wanting to do. He
was a man-killer from the beginning, and
does not stand in the truth, for truth is not in him. Whenever he may be
speaking a lie, he is speaking of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of
it. (John 8.44 CV)
In other words, the ancient serpent was created a sinner,
and this is why God had to form him from a distance with His hands and why it
was such travail to God. Satan was created a sinner and a man-killer to be the
adversary of God and of mankind.
Jehovah
declared to Isaiah: I have created the
waster to destroy (Isaiah 54.16 ASV; also CV/KJV/JPS/ LITV/MKJV); and I form the
light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I am Jehovah, that
doeth all these things (Isaiah 45.7 ASV; also DNT/GB/HNV/LITV/MKJV). [2]
With
these verses, there should be little doubt that God created evil itself and
created the serpent to be the administrator of evil.
In
the day of the Lord, the Lord will come and deal with the man-killer, the
ancient serpent, the dragon (monster). Isaiah was given a prophecy of that day.
For behold, the LORD is about to come out from His place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; and the earth will
reveal her bloodshed, and will no longer cover her slain. In that day the LORD
will punish Leviathan the fleeing
serpent, with His fierce and great and mighty sword, even Leviathan the twisted serpent; and He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.
(Isaiah 26.21-27.1 NASB) [3]
In that day the Lord with his sore and great and mightie
sword shall visite Liuiathan, that pearcing
serpent, euen Liuiathan, that
crooked serpent, and he shall slay the
dragon that is in the sea. (Isaiah 27.1 GB)
When
all these Scriptures are looked at together, it becomes apparent that they
refer to one and the same being: And the
great dragon was cast out, the
ancient serpent called Adversary and Satan, who is deceiving the whole
inhabited earth (Revelation 12.9 CV).
Hopefully,
this presents the proper view of the adversary. If he was created by God to be
evil and a sinning adversary from the beginning, then his creation is in accord
with the purpose of the eons. Thus, Satan’s rulership in the
It
is clear that God uses Satan to bring about His purpose and plan. One example
is Paul, the apostle who was given abundant revelations from God. Most likely,
to keep Paul from exalting himself and creating a “ministry” centered on
himself, God sent a messenger (an angel) of Satan to buffet Paul the rest of his
life (2 Corinthians 12.7). Paul asked for the messenger to be taken out of the
way, but the Lord answered: “My grace is
sufficient for you, for power (My power) is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians
12.9 NASB). Thus, God used Satan to keep Paul from relying
on himself.
In
Job’s life, we also see the same principle at work. In both cases, it is
important to note that Satan was limited in what he could do. In Job’s case,
God first told Satan he could not touch Job’s body, and then He gave him
permission to touch his body but not to kill him (Job 1.12; 2.6). In the end,
God received the glory from Job’s life.
“I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees Thee;
therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42.5-6 NASB).
We
must keep a proper perspective. Satan cannot work outside the will of God and
is used by God to bring about His purpose. However, let us not make the mistake
of giving credit to Satan for everything bad or evil. We must not forget that
man partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Man can create his
own mischief without the aid of Satan and the demonic host.
The
Most High rules in the kingdom of men.
Regardless
of Satan’s authority, or regardless what a kingdom looks like here on earth, or
regardless what created being is in charge, one principle does not change: God
rules in the kingdom of men, for the heavens do rule. This principle of God’s
rule is most clearly demonstrated in the story of Nebuchadnezzar.
In
the book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar was given dreams and Daniel was called
upon to interpret them because in him was the Spirit of the Holy God (Daniel
4.8). In his dream, Nebuchadnezzar was told that the Most High rules in the
kingdoms of men.
The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and
the demand by the word of the holy ones; to the intent that the living may know
that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom
of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the
lowest of men. (Daniel 4.17 ASV)
Then,
Daniel was called upon to interpret the dream, at which time he revealed the
second part of this great principle―the
heavens do rule.
And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of
the roots of the tree; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou
shalt have known that the heavens do
rule. (Daniel 4.26 ASV)
God
has not relinquished His rule over any part of His creation, most of all over
earth and mankind. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, for the heavens
do rule, was the lesson learned by Nebuchadnezzar, but it is a lesson that
seems to have been lost down through the history of mankind’s rulers. However,
the principle is very simple and straightforward. God is in the heavens and He
rules; thus, the heavens do rule, and He extends this rule into the kingdoms of
men. The Psalmists confirm this fact.
Jehovah hath established his throne in the heavens; and his
kingdom ruleth over all (Psalm 103.19 ASV). But our
God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever he pleased (Psalm 115.3 ASV).
Through
this dream, Nebuchadnezzar was warned to break off his sins by being righteous
and his iniquities by showing mercy to the poor (Daniel 4.27). If he did not
turn from his ways, his kingdom would be cut off from him for a season until he
realized that the heavens do rule. Instead of heeding the warning, the king
glorified himself, giving himself honor. When he exalted himself above God
(denying God’s rule over his kingdom), his kingdom was taken from him. Seven periods
of time passed over him until he knew that the Most High rules in the kingdom
of men.
Seven is God’s number of perfection. It is the perfect
completion of that which is in view. In this case, it was the completion of
Nebuchadnezzar’s chastisement, which is an encouragement that God’s
chastisement has limits and is not eternal or without end. It is also prophetic
of the coming of God’s Son to rule over this earth in the seventh day, the
sabbatical rest day of 1,000 years.
When Nebuchadnezzar returned to his senses, he
declared: And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes
unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored him that
liveth for ever; for his dominion is an
everlasting dominion, and his kingdom from generation to generation; and
all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he doeth according
to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and
none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? (Daniel 4.34-35 ASV).
Another
compelling proof of this principle is brought to light through Jesus’ own words
when He was in the custody of Pilate and about t0 face the cross.
Pilate therefore said to Him, “You do not speak to
me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority
to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above;
for this reason he who delivered Me up to you has {the} greater sin.” (John
19.10-11 NASB)
Consequently,
all authority on earth comes from the throne of God. Paul later confirmed this
same principle to the Romans.
Let every person be in subjection to the governing
authorities. For there is no authority
except from God, and those which exist are established by God. (Romans 13.1
NASB)
In
other words, no individual in a place of governmental authority in the heavens
or on the earth holds a ruling position apart from the sovereign will of God.
This may be difficult for us to understand; but whether the ruler believes in
God or does not believe, is righteous or unrighteous, is good or evil, is just
or unjust, that ruler exists because of God. If this were not true, then God
would not truly be the Supreme of His kingdom. After all, all authority,
visible or invisible, heavenly or earthly, is created by God’s Son. [4]
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens
and on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created
by Him and for Him. (Colossian 1.16 NASB)
Let
us not forget that our Lord Jesus Christ has been given all authority in heaven
and on earth (Matthew 28.18). On the
cross He disarmed principalities and powers (Colossians 2.15). He is the head
of all principality and power (Colossians 2.10). God raised His Son from among the
dead and seated Him at His right hand among the celestials far above all
principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named,
not only in this age but also in that which is to come (Ephesians 1.20-21). Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and
bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the
earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father (Philippians 2.9-11 NASB).
We
do not see His authority fully
manifested over this earth at this time except, in some measure, in the
ecclesia, which is His body. Praise God; the day is coming soon when He will
rule through His conquerors and then in person, no longer hidden from man’s
view. God’s King, along with the sons of the kingdom, is coming!
The
reign [kingdom] of the heavens.
From that time began Jesus to proclaim and to say, ‘Reform
ye, for come nigh hath the reign of the
heavens.’ (Matthew 4.17 YLT)
‘For I say to you, that if your righteousness may not
abound above that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye may not enter to the reign of the heavens.’ (Matthew
5.20 YLT)
‘And, going on, proclaim saying that, the reign of the heavens hath come nigh…. (Matthew 10.7 YLT)
And he answering said to them that—‘To you it hath been
given to know the secrets of the reign
of the heavens, and to these it hath not been given…. (Matthew 13.11 YLT)
The
New Testament (Greek Scripture) begins with the book of Matthew, which uniquely
contains the phrase the reign of the
heavens or the kingdom of the heavens,
[5] which
occurs thirty-two times, and was the message of John the baptist, Jesus and His
first disciples. Their message was directed exclusively to the lost sheep of
the house of
Daniel
the prophet has left us the explanation of this matter as he unfolded the
revelation of four earthly kingdoms, followed by God’s kingdom that will crush
all the previous ones and rise for the eons.
“In the days of those kings the God of the heavens
is setting up a kingdom which shall not be pawned for the eon. And the kingdom
shall not be left to another people. It
is crushing and terminating all these kingdoms, and it shall rise for the eons.”
(Daniel 2.44 CV)
In
Daniel 7.13-14, we are given a glorious picture of Christ as the Son of Mankind
standing before the Transferrer (Ancient) of Days and receiving jurisdiction
(dominion), esteem (glory) and a kingdom with eonian jurisdiction that will not
pass away, and His kingdom shall not be confined. In Luke’s account, we are
given further reinforcement of this fact.
“He shall be great, and Son of the Most High shall
He be called. And the Lord God shall be giving Him the throne of David, His
father, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for the eons. And of His kingdom there shall be no consummation.”
(Luke 1.32-33 CV)
Notice
that this kingdom is in direct relation to the promise to David to have a son
sitting on his throne, which reveals the progression of the kingdom that will
come upon this earth. Daniel’s view was limited in some respects, for he only
saw his people, the Hebrews, coming into this kingdom. In his mind, what was
revealed to him referred to his people only
(Daniel 9.24; 10.14; 11.14; 12.1), but we know that it refers to the true sons
of Israel, the ones who have circumcised hearts, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the
will of man, but of God (John 1.13 NASB).
A
careful study of Daniel 7 will reveal that the kingdom in question is an
earthly kingdom, for it is a kingdom that has jurisdiction under the entire
heavens (not in it or throughout it) (Daniel 7.27). In other words, it has
jurisdiction over the entire earth. Further, this kingdom will be given to the
saints, which, again, to Daniel referred to his people.
The
Israelites expected the God of the heavens to bring His rule down to earth, and
this is the primary meaning of the reign
of the heavens. This was their expectation, and it will be fulfilled when
Messiah Jesus sets up His kingdom over this earth.
Most
notably is the fact that the twelve apostles of Christ were seeking and
expecting the kingdom to be restored to
When
Simon Peter’s brother Andrew first discovered that Jesus was the Messiah, he
ran to his brother Simon and declared: “We
have found the Messiah” (John 1.41). This is what they were looking for,
and it was based entirely on what the Hebrew prophets had foretold.
After
His resurrection, Jesus walked among His disciples and for forty days spoke to
them that which concerns the
At
His first advent, Jesus came to preach the
kingdom of the heavens to the lost sheep of the house of
What
is our view today? Are we looking to “go to heaven,” or are we waiting for the
Son of God to come out OF heaven, so that we can meet Him
and escort him back to this earth, so that He can begin to reign over the
kingdom of this earth? Where will Christ be reigning during the oncoming eon?
He will reign over the earth. Where will His body-bride be while He reigns?
Paul tells us to comfort ourselves that we shall always be with the Lord (1
Thessalonians 4.17). Where He is, we will be. We will be forever in His
presence once we come into His presence at the end of this eon, whether He is
heading up all on the earth or in the heavens. We will be engaged in His
business, which is in both the physical and the celestial, spiritual realm.
This includes ministering to God.
Now,
through the interpretation of a dream given to Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel prophesied
of the eonian
‘And in the days of these kings raise up doth the God of
the heavens a kingdom that is not destroyed—to the age, and its kingdom to
another people is not left: it beateth small and endeth all these kingdoms, and
it standeth to the age [confirmed for the eons].’ (Daniel 2.44 YLT [CV])
At
the end of our present age or eon, the God of the heavens will raise up a
kingdom on earth that will not be destroyed but will last to the end of the
eons. All other earthly kingdoms will not stand in the day of this kingdom, for
this will be the day in which the heavens do rule on earth. [7]
A kingdom of righteousness, justice, peace and
lovingkindness.
When the heavens do rule on earth, the inhabitants of this
earth will finally experience that for which their hearts have longed. The
foundation of the
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He
who sat on it is called Faithful and
True, and in righteousness He judges
and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him
which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood,
and His name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean,
were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that
with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press
of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He
has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND
LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19.11-16 NASB)
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I
will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness
in the land. In His days
For a
child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will
rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of
His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to
establish it and to uphold it with
justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore [lit. henceforth and
age-abiding, or eonian]. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
(Isaiah 9.6-7 NASB [REB/CV])
“In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring
forth; and He shall execute justice and
righteousness on the earth.” (Jeremiah 33.15 NASB)
He loves
righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD. (Psalm
33.5 NASB)
Righteousness
and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You. How blessed are the
people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of Your
countenance. In Your name they rejoice all the day, and by Your righteousness
they are exalted. For You are the glory of their strength, and by Your favor
our horn is exalted. (Psalm 89.14-17 NASB)
A throne will even be established in lovingkindness, and a judge will sit on it in faithfulness in the
tent of David; moreover, he will seek
justice and be prompt in righteousness. (Isaiah 16.5 NASB)
War will cease and the
Lord will judge the nations and settle all disputes according to God’s law. The
nations will even desire to learn the ways of the Lord. This is in full keeping
with another word from Isaiah: For when the earth experiences Your judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn
righteousness (Isaiah
26.9 NASB).
This is the heart of the word of the kingdom.
The
word of the kingdom.
As
He walked among the lost sheep of the house of
So answering, He said to them, “To you it has been given
to know the secrets [or, mysteries] of
the kingdom of the heavens, but to those [ones] it has not been given. …
For this reason I speak in allegories [parables] to them, that seeing they do
not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (Matthew 13.11,
13 ALT)
In
the context of the secrets of the kingdom
of the heavens, Jesus referred to the going forth of the word of the kingdom as a message to be sown in the heart of the
hearer.
When any one heareth the
word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one,
and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received
seed by the way side. (Matthew 13.19 KJV)
Every one hearing the
word of the reign, and not understanding—the evil one doth come, and doth
catch that which hath been sown in his heart; this is that sown by the way.
(Matthew 13.19 YLT)
In
the strictest sense, the word of the
kingdom (reign) refers to the
Messianic kingdom in the next eon as the holy and blessed enter life eonian;
however, it is actually much bigger than this. The word of the kingdom encompasses the vastness of the
The
celestial kingdom.
For
those who believe in Jesus in this eon, that is, the ones who are members of
the body of Christ, the word of the kingdom speaks of the celestial kingdom.
According
to Paul, we could say that the message of the kingdom encompasses far more than
just the earth or the physical realm. It also encompasses the celestial realm,
or what is called the celestial kingdom
or celestial reign. Paul is
the one through whom the secret of the celestials was revealed, and this secret
refers to the ecclesia, which is the body of Christ.
Spiritually
speaking, today, the predestined are blessed with every spiritual blessing
among the celestials, in Christ, and are seated together among the celestials,
in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1.3; 2.6 CV). This is a
present spiritual reality pointing toward a future manifestation when the conquerors
of Christ will enter the celestial and spiritual realm. The day will come, and we pray soon, that the anointed
firstfruits will enter the celestial kingdom and reign with Christ as He heads
up all, both in the heavens and on the earth (Ephesians 1.10).
At the end of his life, Paul joined the celestial kingdom
with the oncoming eons.
Yet the Lord stood beside me, and He invigorates
me, that through me the heralding may be fully discharged, and all the nations
should hear; and I am rescued out of the mouth of the lion. The Lord will be
rescuing me from every wicked work and will be saving me for His celestial kingdom: to Whom be glory
for the eons of the eons. Amen! (2
Timothy 4.17-18 CV)
In
the spiritual sense, Paul saw himself already among the celestials, but he also
saw the coming eon in which he, along with all who attain to the out-resurrection (Philippians 3.11),
will enter the celestial kingdom as a new creation in Christ with a spiritual
body.
There are bodies
celestial as well as bodies
terrestrial. But a different glory, indeed, is that of the celestial, yet a different that of the terrestrial, another glory of the sun, and another glory of the
moon, and another glory of the stars, for star is excelling star in glory. Thus
also is the resurrection of the dead.
It is sown in corruption; it is roused in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor;
it is roused in glory. It is sown in infirmity; it is roused in power. It is
sown a soulish body; it is roused a
spiritual body. If there is a soulish body, there is a spiritual also. Thus it is written also, The first man, Adam, “became
a living soul:” the last Adam a vivifying Spirit. But not first the spiritual,
but the soulish, thereupon the spiritual.
The first man was out of the earth, soilish; the second Man is the Lord out of heaven. Such as the soilish one
is, such are those also who are soilish, and such as the Celestial One, such are those also who are celestials. And
according as we wear the image of the soilish, we should be wearing the image
also of the Celestial. Now this I am
averring, brethren, that flesh and blood is not able to enjoy an allotment in
the
This
celestial kingdom comes into full view for all the saints at the presence of
the Lord when He comes to resurrect those who have believed and trusted in Him,
obeyed His word (law), and conquered through His love. In that glorious day,
the saints will be wearing the image of the Celestial and enjoy an allotment in
the kingdom of God, which is the kingdom of the Son of His love, the celestial
kingdom for which Paul longed, and for which we are waiting.
Until
that day, the body of Christ is in spiritual warfare with the dark forces among
the celestials. Paul pealed back the curtain on this warfare and the way to
fight the battle.
Put on the panoply of God, to enable you to stand
up to the stratagems of the Adversary, for it is not ours to wrestle with blood
and flesh, but with the sovereignties, with the authorities, with the
world-mights of this darkness, with the spiritual forces of wickedness among the celestials. Therefore take up
the panoply of God that you may be enabled to withstand in the wicked day, and
having effected all, to stand. (Ephesians 6.11-13 CV)
Why
is there so much conflict between the body of Christ and these unseen, dark
powers? There is only one possible explanation, and that pertains to who will reign
among the celestials. Today, these dark, celestial forces have jurisdiction over
this earth, influencing the nations and kingdoms of the world. But the day is
coming when they will be cast out and replaced with a people, namely, the body
of Christ, whose reign under the Headship of Christ will extend throughout the
universe. They will rise in rank above the angels in the
Beloved
in Christ, entering the celestial kingdom of Christ and being joined with Christ
as He heads up all in the heavens and on the earth is to be our fondest hope or
expectation (Ephesians 1.10). It is what we are to be striving to enter. Our
hope is not about rising in the air as so many preachers stress in our day. Do
not put your hope in what many call the rapture.
Our hope is to be transfigured into the body of His glory and to always be with
our Lord, which is intimately connected with the celestials and the work to be
done on earth in the oncoming eons.
Our
hope is to reign over the earth and among the celestials, which is a realm
beyond our expectations. This is the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Although
the word celestial means “on-heavens”
or “that part of the universe which is higher than all the heavens,” perhaps it
is best to think of the celestials as another dimension rather than a specific
place. What if the throne of God is not billions of miles away but in our
midst, hidden by the limits of our physical dimension? Something to think
about!
The
spiritual kingdom.
Entering
into the manifestation of this kingdom, which means we will be transported
into Christ’s kingdom for the eons of the eons, should be our fondest desire. But
is this all future, or can we taste of this celestial kingdom today? The
celestials speak of the spiritual kingdom; something we are to taste today.
God
is spirit (John 4.24), and as such, God’s kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. Of
course, our world system or kosmos [orderly
arrangement] does not recognize the spiritual nature of God’s rule, for the
kingdoms of men are mainly built upon the temporal and the physical, that is,
what is transitory and what can be seen and felt.
A new
heart also will I give you, and a
new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out
of your flesh, and I will give you a
heart of flesh. And I will put my
Spirit within you, and cause you to
walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and do them. And ye
shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people,
and I will be your God. (Ezekiel 36.26-28 ASV; also
Hebrews 8.7-12)
Nicodemus
was told that he had to be born of water and the spirit to enter the kingdom
(John 3.5), which refers to entering the millennial
But
the good news is that those who have believed in Jesus and His finished work on
the cross in this eon have already received an earnest of the spirit of God and
their uncircumcised hearts are being circumcised. They are coming into the renascence,
or we might say that they are tasting the true renascence to come. They have
not received the full anointing of the spirit of God, and God’s laws have not
been fully put upon their hearts and written in their minds, so that they are
as natural to them as breathing. But praise God; Christ’s body is being built
as a
Now we have
received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so
that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also
speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit,
combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. (1 Corinthians 2.12-13 NASB)
Do you not know that you are a
Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ, and hath
anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. (2
Corinthians 1.21-22 KJV; [earnest in ASV, CV, DNT, GB, LITV, WEB, YLT])
Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God,
who also hath given unto us the earnest
of the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 5.5 KJV; [earnest in ASV, CV, DNT, GB, LITV, WEB,
YLT])
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth,
the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is
given as a pledge [earnest] of our inheritance, with a
view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
(Ephesians 1.13-14 NASB [earnest in ASV, CV, DNT, GB, KJV, LITV, WEB, YLT])
Notice
that for us who believe in this eon we receive the spirit of God as an earnest
or a pledge of what is to come, which points to the promise of eonian life in
the eons to come as well as immortality. The revelation given to Paul by the
risen Christ transcends the promise revealed through Ezekiel and even what
Jesus taught Nicodemus. Paul carried the thought to new heights as he revealed the
true nature of the body of Christ, which is to be an entirely new creation, not
merely a regenerated man, but a transfigured, spiritual man (body) that is
destined to be constituted to reign among the celestials (1 Corinthians 15.44-57;
2 Corinthians 5.17) for the eons of the eons.
Writing
to believers from among the nations, Paul encouraged their hearts that they are
growing into a holy temple in the Lord.
So, consequently, you are no longer strangers and
foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the holy ones and [members] of the
household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being [the] cornerstone, in whom [the] entire
building having been joined together is growing into a holy temple in [the] Lord, in whom also you [plural] are being built together into a habitation for
God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2.19-22 ALT)
Is
there anything greater than being built together into a habitation for God in
the spirit? This speaks of the spiritual nature of the
The
spiritual kingdom―a spiritual house.
The
spiritual kingdom is a spiritual house of living stones.
And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and
precious in the sight of God, you also,
as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood,
to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1
Peter 2.4-5 NASB)
King’s
of old lived in stone castles that were often cold and dark. The castles had no
life, for they were made of inanimate stones. But God’s King is a living stone,
and His kingdom is made up of living stones that are being built together in
Christ into a spiritual house. The living stones are to become a holy
priesthood in the age to come. Those found worthy to attain to the first
resurrection will be priests unto God.
Blessed
and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the
second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and
will reign with Him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20.6 NASB)
Who
are the ones that will become a royal priesthood? They are the ones that know
and unashamedly declare who Jesus, the Son of Mankind, is.
Simon Peter answered, “You
are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16.16 NASB)
This is the Rock upon which this spiritual house is being
built to the glory of God. Jesus is the Son of the living God who is building a
living house of living stones. There is no death in this house, for its living
stones are destined for the first resurrection, immortality and eonian life.
Those who conquer through the love of Christ, walking in a
manner worthy of the kingdom, not defiling themselves with the things of this
world, will enter into the coming kingdom as priests of the order of
Melchizedek. They are like the sons of Zadok who will minister both in the
sanctuary to the Lord (celestial realm) and in the outer court (physical realm)
to the mortals (see Ezekiel 44).
Christ will be the King-Priest on the order of
Melchizedek. His priesthood is not of the order of Aaron.
So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a
high priest, but He who said to Him, “YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN
YOU”; just as He says also in another passage, “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE
ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.” (Hebrews 5.5-6 NASB; see
Hebrews 5.6, 10; 6.20; chapter 7)
Melchizedek
of old who met Abraham is a type of Christ the King-Priest.
For this
Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met
Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to
whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all,
by the translation of his name, king of
righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. (Hebrews 7.1-2 NASB)
When He comes to this earth, Christ will come as the King
of Righteousness and the King of Peace, and His kingdom of king-priests will
administer righteousness and peace throughout His kingdom. In their glorified, spiritual
bodies, they will be able to move freely between the celestial and the earthly
(physical) realms.
The
kingdom of the Son of His love.
Today,
the only ones who acknowledge the spiritual kingdom of God, the spiritual house
of God, and are in varying degrees under the reign of this kingdom, are the
members of the ecclesia, which is the body of Christ, that one day will literally
be transported into the kingdom of the Son of His love. However, until that
day, in spirit, we taste of this kingdom of love.
Therefore we also, from the day on which we hear,
do not cease praying for you and requesting that you may be filled full with
the realization of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, you to
walk worthily of the Lord for all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work,
and growing in the realization of God; being endued with all power, in accord
with the might of His glory, for all endurance and patience with joy; at the
same time giving thanks to the Father, Who makes you competent for a part of
the allotment of the saints, in light, Who rescues us out of the jurisdiction
of Darkness, and transports us into the
kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we are having deliverance, the
pardon of sins…. (Colossians 1.9-14 CV)
We
cannot see with our natural eyes the kingdom of the Son of His love any more
than we can see the jurisdiction of darkness. We know they exist because we
have been given the spirit of God that allows us to discern that which is
spiritual. The
What
is the source of this power? Is it not the grace of God, which is the overwhelming
power that takes the ugly and transforms it into the joyously beautiful, and
the love of God? In his first letter to Timothy, Paul wrote: Yet the grace of our Lord overwhelms, with
faith and love in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1.14 CV). The power of grace overwhelms us with the faith and love of Christ.
It is not our faith and love any more than it is our grace. It is all of God.
But what is the greatest of these? Is it not love (1 Corinthians 13.13)? The
power of God is the power of love. This is why Jesus emphasized love while He
walked on this earth at His first advent and why the apostles stress love in their
epistles.
We
who have believed are experiencing a foretaste of the kingdom of the Son of His
love. It is God’s love for His Son that has made it possible for us to enter
the
Today,
Christ walks among His body on earth dispensing His blessings of love and
manifesting the kingdom as a present spiritual power driven by grace, which
overwhelms with faith and love. Our Beloved Lord is not trillions of light
years from us, for the word is Christ among
(in) the nations, the expectation of glory! By faith and with great
expectation we wait for the presence of the Lord when He will peal back the
veil to welcome us into His celestial kingdom.
Paul
never lost sight of the coming celestial kingdom and pressed on toward it. Until
the glory of that day, let us be like Paul.
Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but
one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward
to the things which are before, I press
on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3.13-14 ASV)
What is the goal unto the prize? It is entering the coming
kingdom and glory through the out-resurrection
(Philippians 3.11 WAET) or first resurrection reserved for those who walk worthy of the God
who calls into His own kingdom and glory. It is not man’s kingdom; it is God’s
kingdom. It is not man’s glory; it is God’s glory.
The kingdom and glory.
You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and
uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; just as you know how
we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father
would his own children, so that you would walk
in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
(1 Thessalonians 2.10-12 NASB)
Paul saw the goal set, not only before him, but before all
the brethren in Christ, and he encouraged the brethren in Thessalonica to walk
in a manner worthy of the God who calls you
into His own kingdom and glory. This
is the same thing as pressing on toward the goal for the prize. The call is an
invitation to enter God’s kingdom and glory in the next eon and to be part of
the work of Christ in heading up all until all is filled with His glory.
The Psalmist expressed the desire of his heart as one who
saw the day when the whole earth would be filled with His glory.
And blessed be His glorious name forever; and may the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen, and Amen. (Psalm 72.19 NASB)
However, glory will not be manifested all at once as if
the whole earth will explode with glory. No; the kingdom and glory will take
root in the earth and be progressively manifested until not only the earth, but
the entire creation of God is filled with the glory of God.
Today, the glory of God can be seen in some measure in the
creation around us, some of which is breathtaking in its beauty and
magnificence. This form of glory is in the physical realm, but there is a glory
in the spiritual realm that is veiled in our day. It is the glory of Christ
that is being formed in the called-out vessel, the ecclesia, which is the body
of Christ. Christ in you, the hope of
glory (Colossians 1.27)!
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from
glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3.18 NASB)
But we have this
treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power
will be of God and not from ourselves…. (2 Corinthians 4.7 NASB)
The glory of the Lord will come in a people before it is
manifested in the earth. In fact, the glory of the Lord will be manifested to
the nations of the earth in His people. Today, it is hidden in earthen vessels,
waiting to be manifested in spiritual, celestial bodies.
Habakkuk the prophet stood on his guard post to keep watch
to see what the Lord would speak to him. The Lord answered by telling him to
record the vision, for the vision yet for
the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it
tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay (Habakkuk
2.1-3 NASB). The Lord continued to speak to Habakkuk five specific
woes. In the third woe, the Lord declared that He makes the nations grow weary
for nothing, “For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk
2.14 NASB; also Isaiah 11.9).
All of man’s fading glory must be brought to naught, so
that the glory of the Lord will go forth.
The writer of the Hebrews epistle brought this prophecy to
light as pertaining to the coming of the Lord, for yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will
not delay (Hebrews 10.37 NASB). The
world to come is the subject of the Hebrews epistle (Hebrews 2.5), and within
this context is the promise of bringing many sons to glory through the One who
is now crowned with glory and honor (Hebrews 2.9-10).
When Christ, the Son of Man, comes to reign over this
earth in the next eon, He will come in His glory and sit upon the throne of His
glory.
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon
the throne of his glory…. (Matthew
25.31 KJV)
As he beheld the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and
exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple, Isaiah the prophet
heard the seraphim calling out to one another (Isaiah 6.1-2 NASB).
And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy,
is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is
full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6.3 NASB)
When the Lord sits on His throne of glory, the whole earth
will be filled with His glory. But take note that when He does come to sit upon
His throne over this earth, He will be glorified in His saints on that day.
These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away
from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints
on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our
testimony to you was believed. (2 Thessalonians 1.9-10 NASB)
This is the beginning of the glory of the Lord being
manifested in the earth and through a people that will progress until it has
filled the whole earth, which will occur during the Kingdom or Tabernacles Age,
the next eon (Numbers 14.20). However, as glorious as this eon will be, I do
not believe that it will be the culmination of glory. It is not until the earth
upon which we live enters its own lake of fire to be purged of all wickedness that
glory will truly fill the earth upon which mankind lives. This does not occur
until the last eon, the eon of the eons, God’s day, the eighth day, in which
all is new and the glory of God comes down out of heaven as the city-bride, a
people conformed to the image of the Son, envelopes the entire earth. This is
God’s purpose and plan!
We could also say that glory does not fill all until God
the Father is All in all. When He is
all there is only one word to describe it, and that word is glory. The glory of God will shine
brighter and brighter until it bursts forth out of heaven to fully envelope the
new earth.
A bride having the glory of God.
John, the apostle who received the
Then I saw a new
heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed
away, and there is no longer any sea. And I
saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made
ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the
throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle
of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His
people, and God Himself will be among them….” (Revelation 21.1-3 NASB)
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high
mountain, and showed me the holy city,
And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to
shine on it, for the glory of God has
illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. (Revelation 21.23 NASB)
The nations will walk
by its light, and the kings of the
earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no
night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and
nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever
come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of
life. (Revelation 21.24-27 NASB)
Today, there is much talk about the
Paul, the apostle of the nations, sheds light on the
matter in his epistle to the Galatians.
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the
bondwoman and one by the free woman. But the son by the bondwoman was born
according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. This
is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding
from
Carefully follow Paul’s thought. The
We are to be heirs of the
The celestial and the physical realm will become one, and
the new earth will be the center of the affairs of God’s vast creation and
universe as all mankind will continue to be brought into the holy of holies.
The
The
The
purpose of the eons is for God’s Son to head up all, and when He has accomplished
this work, the Son will deliver the kingdom to God the Father, so that He may
be All in all. The kingdom does not
end at this point, but its character does change. All sovereignty, all
authority and power will be nullified, and death will be abolished (see 1
Corinthians 15.20-28). Government as we know it will change as all creation becomes
one family with one Father.
It
appears that this truth is lost in a sea of confusion among the innumerable
sermons preached throughout Christendom. We might be tempted to think that
Christ’s abdication of the throne of the kingdom is something of a defeat,
disgrace or abasement to Christ. Quite the contrary; it is the height of
victory and for the greatest glory of God. If Christ does not give up the
kingdom to God the Father, then His reign will not be a success, and He will
have failed in His mission.
The
purpose of the eons is for God to be All
in all, and the accomplishment of this purpose has been given to the Son of
God. His primary work is to head up all, so that God may be all. If the Son
does not subject Himself to the Father, then He will not have accomplished the
work that He has been given to do.
The
Son’s desire is to do the will of His Father. Scripture is filled with the
proof of this desire.
But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and
I Myself am working.” … “But the witness which I have is greater than that of
John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works
that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.” (John 5.17, 36 NASB)
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe;
the works that I do in My Father’s name, these bear witness of Me.” (John 10.25
NASB)
“If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may
know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” (John
10.37-38 NASB)
“Father, glorify Thy name.” There came therefore a voice
out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” (John 12.28
NASB)
“Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet
not My will, but Thine be done.” (Luke 22.42 NASB)
When
the Son was on earth, He finished the work His Father gave Him to do (John
17.4). He was obedient to the point of death on a cross. The finished work of
the cross was and is an absolute success. When He finished this work, there was
nothing more to do to bring salvation to all mankind. Consequently, when the
work of heading up all for God is finished, there is nothing else to do. He
cannot proceed beyond this work and be obedient to the will of God. When all is
subjected to Him and death is abolished, then the work is finished, and He must
give up the kingdom to the Father. In that glorious day, all mankind will be
reconciled to God as well. Can you imagine anything more glorious than the Son
of God bringing salvation and reconciliation to all mankind, so that God may be All in all?
Dear
brethren, may the eyes of your heart be enlightened to see the glory of the
work given to the Son and to come into the realization that all the saints of all
eras will one day join Christ as He heads up all in the heavens and on the
earth. When Christ has accomplished His work, the reign of all the saints who
will have reigned with Christ will end as well.
And they shall be reigning for the
eons of the eons. (Revelation 22.5
CV)
Let
us not fear that all will end and we will cease when all is headed up in Christ.
And
of His kingdom there shall be no consummation (Luke 1.33 CV). Believers are on the leading edge of the greatest kingdom that
mankind and all God’s creation have ever known, beginning with the eons of the
eons and moving beyond the consummation of these eons into the magnificent,
endless glory of God.
God
has great things planned for those who love Him, and in the consummation, all
will love Him, not out of coercion or force but out of true heart-felt love for
the Father of all. Can you imagine anything greater than being bathed in the
love of God and never again having to deal with sin and death? This is glory!
But
there is great news for those who believe in this day; as new creations in
Christ, the conquering believers of Christ will enter the
Let us press on toward the goal for
the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus!
This
is why Paul, in reference to the celestial kingdom, could declare: to Whom be glory for the eons of the eons.
Let us also give the glory to God!
The
eonian gospel.
In
conclusion, there is one more matter related to the kingdom that is called the eonian evangel or gospel, which means
“good news.” As our present eon comes to a close and the kingdom begins to
descend upon this earth, the judgment of God will be brought to bear on the
inhabitants of the earth.
John
recorded in his Unveiling of Christ
that an angel will fly in the mid-heaven of this earth and proclaim the good
news for the eon to come, which sets the stage for the eons of the eons. Most
translations refer to it as an eternal
gospel, but this is not the proper translation of the Greek word aiōnion. It is the good news of the
eonian
And I perceived another messenger flying in
mid-heaven, having an eonian evangel to
bring to those situated on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and
language and people, saying with a loud voice, “Be ye afraid of God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judging
came; and worship the Maker of heaven and the land and the sea and the springs
of water.” (Revelation 14.6-7 CV)
So
many people view the Revelation from the perspective of all the
What
is the purpose of the
Please
hear this: God’s judgment of the nations is a good thing. It is not for the
purpose of destruction but of restoration, leading all the nations into
righteousness and justice. Then, and only then, will the nations be at peace
and know true joy and blessing.
For when
the earth experiences Your judgments the inhabitants of the world learn
righteousness. (Isaiah 26.9 NASB)
God be
gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us―Selah.
That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let
the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Let the nations
be glad and sing for joy; for You will judge the peoples with uprightness and
guide the nations on the earth. Selah. Let the peoples praise You, O God; let
all the peoples praise You. The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God,
blesses us. God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth may fear Him. (Psalm
67.1-7 NASB)
This
is the good news of the
[1] For other Scriptures, see Deuteronomy 10.14;
32.39; Jeremiah 27.5, 6; Daniel 4.17.
[2] For other Scriptures, see Judges 9.23; 1 Samuel 16.14, 15, 23;
18.10; 19.9; 2 Samuel 12.11, 12; 1 Kings 14.10; 21.29; 2 Kings 21.12; 2 Chronicles 34.24, 28; Proverbs 16.4; Isaiah
31.2; Jeremiah 11.11; 14.16; 18.11; 19.3, 15; 23.12; 26.3, 13; 32.42; 35.17;
36.3, 31; 40.2; 42.10, 17; 44.2; 45.5; 49.37; 51.64; Lamentations 3.38; Ezekiel
6.10; Amos 3.6; Micah 1.12; 2.3.
[3] In Scripture, the word sea can refer to nations. In these verses, sea most likely refers to the nations of the earth, over which
Satan has exercised jurisdiction.
[4] Power
and authority are two different
matters. One who has power delegates authority. The one who has power is in
control, simply because there is no one beyond the person with power. In like
fashion, God is the Supreme, the ultimate power of the universe. He does not
need authority, for He has the power. Consequently, He alone dispenses or
delegates authority in His universe.
[5] In the Greek, heaven
is in the plural and should read heavens.
Unfortunately, most English translations do not use the plural form.
[6] The kingdom of the heavens and the
[7] In the history of the nations on the second earth,
the average life span of the great civilizations that have arisen to date has
been about 200 years.
[8] Yet Jesus
said to them, “Verily, I am saying to you, that you who follow Me, in the renascence whenever the Son of
Mankind should be seated on the throne of His glory, you also shall sit on
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of