A Description of the Kingdom of God 34

A Description of the Kingdom of God, 34

But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. (Daniel 7:18)

Daniel asked "one of them that stood by" what the vision meant. Daniel "asked him the truth of all this."

The answer reveals the perfect Oneness of the King and Queen of the Kingdom of God.

Who is the "one like the Son of man"? The answer is given: "The saints of the most High."

Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7:22)

"The saints of the most High."

And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. (Daniel 7:27)

"The people of the saints of the most High."

All dominions will serve and obey God because God is ruling in His saints.

Obviously the "one like the Son of man" is the saints. Yet, the inheritance belongs only to Christ. Therefore God considers Christ and His saints to be One.

This vision is a strong indication of the fact that much of the rule of Christ throughout the thousand-year period (and perhaps forever) will be through His saints, they being one with Him.

When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe . . . . (II Thessalonians 1:10)

The creation will be delivered, not by the Son of God directly, in many instances but by the Son working through the sons.

For the earnest expectation of the creature [creation] waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19)

The error that always is made by the flesh is that of looking here and looking there for the Kingdom.

But the Kingdom of God in the present hour is not a place to which we can go. The Kingdom of God is the transforming of what we are by the forming and dwelling of Christ in us. The Kingdom is in us. We enter the Kingdom as the Lord Jesus creates us in righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God. This is why Jesus makes the demands on us that He does.

The Kingdom of God is not made up of "saved" flesh and blood, a saved animal creation. The Kingdom of God consists of new creatures—creatures that are of the substance of eternal life. Only as we pass from being flesh and blood descendants of Adam to being life-giving spirits descended from God do we enter the eternal Kingdom of God.

A living soul and a life-giving spirit are different in kind, not just in degrees of righteousness, holiness, and obedience.

The human personality looks for an external paradise (Heaven) to which it can go after it has satisfied its inclinations in the present world. No doubt this is part of the reason that the Gospel of the Kingdom has been buried under the traditions of men for the past hundreds of years.

To the Prophet Daniel was given the Gospel of the Kingdom.

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. (Daniel 2:44)

To be continued. A Description of the Kingdom of God 35