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XXVIII:-
“That the mission of the kingdom will be
to subdue all enemies, and finally death
itself, by opening up the way of life to
the nations, which they will enter by faith,
during the thousand years, and (in reality)
at their close”. (1 Cor.15:25,26; Rev. 21:4;
20:12-15; Isa. 25:6-8).
This statement concerning
the coming Kingdom is of great and particular
importance, as it outlines a feature that
is not commonly taught. Often in our public
talks, we emphasise how that the coming
kingdom shall be based on the ruins of the
kingdoms of men (cp Dan. 2:44), and how
that during the kingdom, great blessings
shall be bestowed upon a subdued earth living
under the commandments of Christ. But in
this clause of the BASF, we have the actual
mission, or end purpose of the coming Millennium.
It is not simply to end the present order
of things, or even simply to bring blessings
upon the earth. Rather, it has a higher
purpose, “to subdue all enemies”, with the
final enemy being death itself (1 Cor. 15:25-26).
Standing between two epochs—a time when
men of flesh have dominion, and a time when
only men of the Spirit shall exist upon
the earth - the Kingdom is a time of transition.
It is the means to an end, and that end
shall only be finally reached after 1,000
years of divine rule, when the last enemy
shall be no more. The words of Bro Robert
Roberts are pertinent, speaking of this
in Christendom Astray:
“The kingdom of God is itself
but an instrumentality—another step in the
march of God’s beneficent scheme—another
stage in the accomplishment of His purpose
to “gather together in one all things in
Christ” (Eph. 1:10). It only lasts for a
thousand years (Rev. 20:6). What is to be
accomplished during this period? Paul says,
“He [Jesus] must reign till he hath put
ALL ENEMIES under his feet. The last enemy
that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Cor.
15:25-26). Hence, the Millennial mission
of Christ is to subdue “all enemies,” which
he will accomplish within the period of
a thousand years” (Christendom Astray page
158)
“It will thus be seen that
the kingdom of a thousand years is but a
transitional period between the purely animal
and purely spiritual ages. It will blend
the elements of both. It will exhibit the
perfection of the eternal ages in the Lord
Jesus and the saints who will be immortal
and incorruptible, and the imperfection
of the human age in the mortal population
who will constitute the subjects of their
rule. Both will co-exist for a thousand
years, and will constitute a state of things
as superior to the present dispensation
as it will be inferior to the glory ages
beyond. The Kingdom of God will lead us
by a bridge of a thousand years from the
age of sin and death defection to the age
of restoration to the bosom of the Deity,
in righteousness and life eternal” (Christendom
Astray, page 169-170).
When Messiah first comes,
it is evident from the holy writ that many
peoples shall not welcome him. Psalm 110
contains the words of Yahweh to Messiah:
“rule thou in the midst
of thine enemies” (Psa. 110:2)
Once Messiah has established
the seat of his dominion in Zion, it will
not be the case that all nations shall subject
themselves to him and his laws. There is
first this period of ruling in the midst
of his enemies, and those enemies will be
those who reject the constraints imposed
upon the flesh by a righteous law-giver.
Psalm 2 describes this:
“the kings of the earth
set themselves, and the rules take counsel
together, against Yahweh, and against his
anointed, saying, Let us break the bands
asunder, and cast away their cords from
us ...” (Psa. 2:1-3).
Again, the Apocalypse describes
in symbolic terms the war declared upon
the Lamb, by the “ten horns” of the European
political animal:
“These have one mind, and
shall give their power and strength unto
the beast. These shall make war with the
Lamb …” (Rev. 17:12-13).
These testimonies plainly
state that when Messiah comes, the nations
at large will not immediately fall into
subjection to him. There will be a time
of war, during which Christ will reign in
the midst of his enemies—but with his dominion
growing to ultimately fill all the earth
(Dan. 2:35). The fact that Christ will be
victorious in this warfare is spoken of
in what follows for both of these citations
above:
“… he that sitteth in the
heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have
them in derision. Then shall he speak unto
them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore
displeasure … I will declare the decree:
Yahweh hath said unto me, Thou art my Son;
this day have I begotten thee … thou shalt
break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt
dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel”
(Psa. 2:4,7,9)
“ … the Lamb shall overcome
them: for he is Lord of lords, and King
of kings: and they that are with him are
called, and chosen, and faithful” (Rev.
17:14; see also Psa. 47:3).
Bringing the Kingdom Age
upon the earth will not be a peaceful affair
at all. The natural man being unable to
receive the things of the spirit of God
(1 Cor. 2:14), will by nature, be unable
to accept the imposition of Divine Rule,
and so there will be a need for severe judgments
to be meted out against the rebels:
“by fire and by his sword
will Yahweh plead with all flesh: and the
slain of Yahweh shall be many … they shall
go forth, and look upon the carcasses of
the men that have transgressed against me
…” (Isa. 66:16,24).
What an awful and graphic
picture this is! Hardly in keeping with
the humanistic spirit of our age, which
permits every man to do that which is right
in his own eyes so far as religious belief
goes. In the days to come, Yahweh alone
shall be exalted, with every vestige of
idolatry being removed:
“Yahweh alone shall be exalted
in that day. And the idols he shall utterly
abolish … in that day, a man shall cast
his idols of silver, and his idols of gold,
which they made each one for himself to
worship, to the moles and to the bats …”
(Isa. 2:17-21)
With the nations having
been rebuked (Isa. 2:4), a house of prayer
for all nations shall be elevated in the
mountains (Isa. 2:2; 56:7), and Zion shall
be established as the Global centre of worship,
education, and administration. In that day,
mortal men and women will live their lives
in obedience to the commandments of Christ
- which is, of course, how we must live
today (Rom. 13:13). During that time, the
Way of Life will be set before them, providing
them with the choice of whether or not to
enter it, and so be judged worthy of everlasting
life at the end of the Millennium.
THE
NEED FOR FAITH
It is written concerning
our God: “without faith it is impossible
to please him …” (Heb. 11:6). We see no
reason why this principle should be any
different during the Kingdom Age. Men cannot
naturally follow and obey all of the principles
of Yahweh’s righteousness, and so faith,
not works of obedience, is the foundation
upon which men may stand, and appear holy
before God. Just as righteousness was imputed
to Abraham through the faith that he manifested,
even so it is with us - and so it will be
during the Kingdom.
This aspect of things seems
to be difficult for some to grasp. With
Yahweh’s Laws being sent out via an immortal
administrative command, it is perhaps difficult
to see how the mortal inhabitants can do
anything else but obey the commands. But
the difficulty is removed when we consider
the example of the Kingdom of God in the
past, and the pernicious nature of the human
constitution. Being miraculously delivered
from Egyptian bondage, Israel saw first-hand
the power of Yahweh in dividing the sea,
in the pillar of fire, and the daily provision
of Manna to meet their need for sustenance.
Yet, how soon after did they turn aside—ten
times did they rebel against Yahweh in the
wilderness (Num. 14:22), despite seeing
all the signs and wonders performed in their
presence. They saw with their physical eyes,
but their natural sight was blinded, that
they could not perceive, or receive the
things done in their presence.
Even so
it will be in the future. Many signs and
wonders shall be shown, testifying to the
divine nature of the new world ruler, yet
many will not believe, and shall dare to
fight against the omnipotent power wielded
by the Lamb. It would appear that though
the miraculous blessings are readily apparent,
some will not believe that Christ and his
fellow-heirs are in fact, immortal. Indeed,
this will be the case at the end of the
Millennium, for then it is testified that
once the constraints are removed, men shall
seek to rebel once more, compassing the
camp of the saints (Rev. 20:7-9) - which
there would be no point in doing, if they
understood that those whom they warred against
were immortal. So it will be that then,
as now, and as times gone before, faith
will be the only means of acceptance before
the Almighty, securing a great reward for
those who have it, and whose primary goal
in life is to inherit the Kingdom, and attain
to the Righteousness of God.
Christopher Maddocks
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