MORE ON GOD'S KINGDOM

Some have commented to me about these articles without leaving a comment on the blog.  I wonder if you are getting the thought I am trying to reveal.  The Kingdom of God and the Church of God are two different entities, but that is not the the theme that I am following here.  My emphasis is on the fact that God purposed for man to be king and rule the earth.  There are a few important points that we have discussed in this vein of thought.

One is God in the very beginning commanded man to have dominion or rule over the earth and everything that lived here.  That was His purpose.

Two, man abdicated his position yielding to Satan, and Satan became the god of this world, and he still is.

Three, is God defeated?  No.  He destroyed the world that then was with a world wide flood, and started again with one man, three sons, and their wives.  He gave them the same command, to have dominion over everything that lived.

From the son of Noah, Shem, came the "Godly Line" which gave us Abraham.with whom God made a covenant to not only bless all nations through his seed, but also to give him all the land of Eden from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River.  God called him to Canaan and gave him two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, but God chose Isaac as the seed of promise and confirmed His covenant with him.  He gave Isaac a son and named him Jacob or Israel.  He was setting up a line from which He would bring that king.

Fourth, God through Joseph prophesied that the sceptre would not depart from Judah until Shiloh would come.  This was a reference that God's king would come from Judah.

Fifth, God brought Israel out of the slavery of Egypt and established them a nation, but as yet without a king.

Sixth, It is clear that from that time God's special dealings was with that nation of Israel.  That nation, however, rebelled against God and chose a king.  This was King Saul.  God had something else in mind, however.  He took the kingdom from sinful Saul and gave it to David, a man after God's own heart.

Seven, God made a covenant with David and promised him an everlasting dynasty, kingdom, and throne.  That's not just for a long time; it is forever.  Of course David did not live forever.  Is God defeated in His plan?  Not at all.  David's dynasty reigned until the last of Judah's kings was taken captive by the Babylonians.

Now a young man, Daniel, was among others captured by the Babylonians in the early part of the Babylonian Empire.  Daniel made a very interesting prophecy.  As an interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream Daniel outlined the history of the times of the Gentiles.  Nebuchadnezzar had seen an image in his sleep.  Using the different parts of the image Daniel gave that prophecy.  Babylon was the head of gold.  The arms and breast was of silver, and the represented the Medo-Persian Empire.  His belly and thighs were of brass, and they represented the Grecian Empire.  The legs of that beast were made of iron, and the feet were made of a mixture of iron and clay.  This had to be the Roman Empire.  The so interesting prophecy that Daniel made, however, goes beyond those empires.  In Daniel 2:44 he prophesied that in the days of these kingdoms                                                                                                                                    1. the God of Heaven would set up a kingdom. 
2. He said this kingdom would never be destroyed;
3. neither would it be left to other people,  That is it could never be defeated and ruled over by a vanquishing enemy. 
4. Rather that kingdom is promised victory breaking in pieces and consuming the prevailing empires. 
5. He also promised it would last forever.

Now some would put this off until our Lord's Second Coming.  In that case what about this over 2000 years in which Israel has not had a literal king?  Jesus fulfilled that prophecy when He came the first time and He, the God of Heaven, set up a kingdom with His disciples.  When asked by Pilate, Art thou a king then, Jesus replied, Thou saidst, and for this hour have I come.  Does that mean then that God is defeated and He must settle for a spiritual kingdom?  No, Not at all.  It is spiritual in nature for the time being until the times of the Gentiles be come in.  He will return and manifest his kingdom in a literal sense of which we shall write more later.  What are your thoughts on this?