The Gospel Of The Kingdom
[Ill.u.s.tration.]
Jerusalem And The Mount Of Olives. "In the days of these kings shall the G.o.d of heaven set up a kingdom." Dan. 2:44.
1. What gospel did Jesus preach?
"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching _the gospel of the kingdom_." Matt. 4:23.
2. How extensively did He say this should be preached?
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached _in all the world_ for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matt. 24:14.
3. What shows that it has always been G.o.d"s purpose that all the world should hear the gospel?
"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father"s house, unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and _in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed_." Gen. 12:1-3. "And the Scripture, _foreseeing that G.o.d would justify the heathen through faith_, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed." Gal. 3:8.
4. How did G.o.d warn Israel against formalism?
"Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their _mouth_, and with their _lips_ do honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men: therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people: ... for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." Isa. 29:13, 14.
5. What shows that they had subst.i.tuted the ritual service of the temple for heart service?
"Thus saith the Lord, ... Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. _Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these._" Jer. 7:3, 4.
6. What national disaster did they bring upon themselves by their apostasy from G.o.d?
"So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies; and, behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, _who were carried away to Babylon for their transgression_." 1 Chron. 9:1.
NOTE.-From the earliest times it has been G.o.d"s purpose that those who receive the gospel should make it known to others. For this purpose He chose a special people and established them in Palestine, in the highway of the nations; but they shut up the revelation of the truth to themselves, and so lost it. A few, like Daniel and his companions, maintained a personal connection with G.o.d, although surrounded by spiritual declension and dry formalism, and so were chosen by G.o.d to carry out His plan that the gospel of the kingdom should be preached in Babylon. They were tested and trained in Babylon, as shown in the first chapter of Daniel, and then, being ready to make known the gospel, the way providentially opened for them by the dream of Nebuchadnezzar.
7. In interpreting Nebuchadnezzar"s dream, what kingdom did Daniel say would follow the four world empires?
"And in the days of these kings shall _the G.o.d of heaven set up a kingdom_, which shall never be destroyed." Dan. 2:44.
8. What was this kingdom to do to the other kingdoms?
"The kingdom shall not be left to other people, but _it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms_." Same verse.
9. How long is this kingdom to continue?
"And it shall _stand forever_." Same verse, last clause.
10. What words of Christ imply the gospel"s final triumph?
"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and _the gates of h.e.l.l shall not prevail against it_."
Matt. 16:18.
NOTE.-Anciently the gates to cities were places for holding courts, transacting business, and deliberating on public matters.
The word gates, therefore, is used for counsels, designs, machinations, and evil purposes. The gates of h.e.l.l mean the plottings, stratagems, and designs of Satan to overthrow the church. But none of these are to prevail.
11. What promises to David will thus be fulfilled?
"Thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever: ... thy throne shall be established forever." 2 Sam. 7:16.
NOTE.-By uniting His divinity with humanity in becoming the Son of David, Christ laid the foundation upon which He built His church, and thus established the house of David forever. The kingdom of G.o.d, the house of David, and the church of Christ are so inseparably connected in this prophecy that the establishment of either involves the establishment of the other two.
12. Through whom are these promises to be fulfilled?
"He shall be great, and shall be called _the Son of the Highest_: and the Lord G.o.d shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end." Luke 1:32, 33.
13. In order to fulfil these promises, whose son did the Son of G.o.d become?
"The son of _David_." Matt. 22:42.
14. What is this union of divinity and humanity called?
"And without controversy great is _the mystery of G.o.dliness_: G.o.d was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." 1 Tim. 3:16.
15. What did Jesus call this same mystery?
"And He said unto them, Unto you it is given to know _the mystery of the kingdom of G.o.d_: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables." Mark 4:11.
16. In what confession did the wise men of Babylon deny any knowledge of this essential doctrine of Christianity?
"And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except _the G.o.ds, whose dwelling is not with flesh_." Dan. 2:11.
NOTE.-The union of the divine and human in the person of Christ is "the mystery of G.o.dliness," or "the mystery of the kingdom of G.o.d." In the case of the seed which is sown in the field, this same principle is ill.u.s.trated by the union of the reproducing power with the material form. As the seed is thus capable of multiplying itself, so Christ reproduces His own character in believers, by making them partakers of the divine nature. At His coming He bestows upon the subjects of the kingdom the gift of immortality (1 Cor. 15:51-53), and so the kingdom will stand forever. It is quite likely that the wise men of Babylon did not understand about the incarnation of G.o.d in the flesh in the coming Messiah, but in their statement that the dwelling of the G.o.ds was not with flesh they announced the fundamental error of Babylon, both ancient and modern, and really denied the vital principle of Christianity. This was the essential secret, or mystery, of the kingdom of G.o.d, which needed to be known in Babylon, and which is still to be proclaimed throughout the world.
17. Concerning what did Daniel and his companions pray?
"Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: that they would desire mercies of the G.o.d of heaven _concerning this secret_." Verses 17, 18.
18. What would have been the result of failure on their part to obtain a knowledge of this mystery?
"That Daniel and his fellows should not _perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon_." Verse 18, last part.