[In the first installment of this article we studied (1) the the Kingdom as propounded by God from the foundation of the world, and (2) the Kingdom as prophesied in the Old Testament.]

WE advance in our study to

THE KINGDOM PROCLAIMED.

The Proclamation or preaching of the \r\r Gospel of the Kingdom begins with John the Baptist. For years the prophets have told of the coming Reign of Righteousness but now for the first time the Kingdom is definitely preached to the masses by a servant of God. This is affirmed to be the case by Christ himself.

The law and the prophets were UNTIL JOHN: since that time the KINGDOM OF GOD IS PREACHED (Luke 16:16).

When we search the Scriptures we find that the proclamation of the Kingdom falls into two divisions, —

1. The Kingdom proclaimed as "at hand." Then an irresistible tide of rejection of the King sets in, which leads to the second division.

2. The Kingdom proclaimed during a period of transition.

The Kingdom stands connected with the person of the King. Where the King is, there may the Kingdom be manifested. When the King is at hand, the Kingdom is at hand; hence the clearness of the Kingdom preaching at the beginning of Christ's ministry when Christ, the King, was at hand. The message of John the Baptist is familiar.

Repent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is AT HAND (Matt. 3:2).

Why could John say that this Kingdom of Heaven, for which they had waited so long, was ready to be manifested? Because the King was at hand! Did they recognize the King? Did they see in the lowly Nazarene the One whose coming was to bring glory to the people of Israel? Did they accept him, — or reject Him? The whole world knows the answer.

After being baptized by John in the River Jordan and tested by Satan in the wilderness, Christ steps out into His first preaching work. His initial appeals give forth with unmistakable authority, the Kingdom message.

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is AT HAND (Matt. 4:17).

But the fact that the Kingdom was "at hand" was of such importance that its proclamation must go beyond the audiences of John the Baptist and Jesus. All Israel, in the land of Palestine, must hear the glad word, "The Kingdom is at hand." They must be given the opportunity to accept or reject the King. So the Lord sent forth the twelve apostles with the same thrilling message that He and John had been preaching.

These twelve Jesus sent forth, . . . saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles . . . but go rather to the lost sheep of the HOUSE OF ISRAEL. And as ye go, preach, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is AT HAND (Matt. 10:5, 6, 7).

But lest there be those who would claim that sufficient opportunity had not been given for Israel to bow the knee to the King, he calls seventy others and sends them out two by two into the cities which He himself is about to visit. His direction to them is,

Say unto them, The Kingdom of God is COME NIGH UNTO YOU (Luke 10:9).

Then knowing that the human heart is prone to disbelieve the message of God and that the seventy would meet with scant welcome in some cities, He tells them that to the city which rejects them, they shall say,

Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the Kingdom of God is COME NIGH UNTO YOU (Luke 10:11).

How strikingly significant is this and how full of grace. The city may spurn the messengers of the Lord, yet He provides that they shall hear, without fail, the wondrous words, "The Kingdom is nigh!" C But the question may be raised, "What about the passage which says, 'The Kingdom of God is within you'?"

In the first place the Savior did not say "within you," but "among you" or "in your midst" One might well hesitate before asserting that the text of either the King James version or the Revised version of the Bible was faulty, but in this instance scholarship¹ and common sense agree on rendering the word "among." It is because of this wrong translation that a popular idea has grown up that the Kingdom of God is within each one of us and that our responsibility is to work out daily the beauties of the Kingdom within. Such an idea destroys the need of Jesus Christ as a Savior. Beside, the Lord does not speak these words to everyone but to a limited class, — the Pharisees. How absurd on the very face of it to suspect Him of saying that the Kingdom was "within" them of all people. Here is the passage:

And when He was demanded of the PHARISEES, when the Kingdom of God should come, He answered THEM and said, . . . The Kingdom of God is AMONG you (Luke 17:20, 21).

The meaning is so clear in the light of the passages which we have been studying that it is amazing that question has ever arisen. The Savior was simply saying to them "The Kingdom is at hand, for the King is nigh, yea in truth, He is among you this day."

But the leaven of rejection was already working in their hearts, and when the Lord saw that this rejection had fully set in, He spoke a parable showing that He would go away and that His departure would be followed at once by an additional rejection of His kingdom and an interval of postponement after which He promised to return.

He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself A KINGDOM, and to return.

But his citizens hated him, and sent a message AFTER HIM, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us (Luke 19:12, 14).

Jesus Christ, "the nobleman/' has gone to the very throne of God in the "far country," there to receive by divine right "a Kingdom." He plainly states that it is His purpose "to return." His return will mean the setting up of His Kingdom. But in the parable, as soon as "the nobleman" had gone away to the "far country," His citizens were filled with hate and sent after Him the message, "We will not have this man to reign over us." It at once appears that the parable is a prophecy of a further rejection of the Kingdom taking place after the rejected King has ascended into the "far country."

This brief period is described in the book of Acts and comes before us as

The Kingdom Proclaimed During Transition.

The Book of Acts stands at the close of one dispensation and the beginning of another. The old covenant is being set aside, the new brought in. The Kingdom is not preached as being "at hand," for the King has gone into the "far country," but with such clearness is the gospel of the Kingdom declared that there arises a great persecution at Jerusalem, Stephen is stoned, James is put to the sword, Peter and Paul are imprisoned. It is a repeated rejection of the King. It ends in the last chapter of the book by God completely turning from the Jew to the Gentile.

This period of transition in the proclamation of the Kingdom is set forth by the Holy Spirit in the Acts in three divisions.

1. The Kingdom offered to the house of Israel in Palestine, — but rejected.

2. The Kingdom offered to the Gentiles in Pales tine, — but rejected.

3. The Kingdom offered to the house of Israel outside of Palestine, — but rejected.

The message of Acts is a message which says to the Jew, "God will give you Christ Jesus to be your King! Believe on Him!" The answer which comes leaping back is, "We will not have this man to reign over us."

This brings us to the period which we have already seen suggested in the Lord's parable.

THE KINGDOM POSTPONED.

While the King is away, the Kingdom is in abeyance. As to the length of the interval of postponement, the Scripture has nothing to say, except this one thing, — it will be a long time. For in another one of the Lord's parables which in its teaching has the same scope as the one already quoted we find these words:

For the Kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. AFTER A LONG TIME the Lord of those servants cometh and reckoneth with them (Matt. 25:14, 19).

We of this age live in the "long time" which intervenes between the Kingdom proclaimed and the Kingdom Perfected. The postponement of the Kingdom continues during,

1. The church age.

2. The period of Satan's masterpiece, — the Kingdom imitated or plagiarized.

The manifestation of the Kingdom will be when Jesus comes. We deal first with

The Kingdom in the Church Age.

The church, which is said to be the body of Christ or "the mystery/' is not the Kingdom, but is part of the Kingdom; the angels of God are not the Kingdom, but they will participate in its glories; the Jews are not the Kingdom, but in fulfilment of God's covenant they will share the blessings of that coming time; the nations are not the Kingdom, yet it is for them that the Kingdom was "prepared from the foundation of the world." All of these companies are essential to the making up of the Kingdom over which Christ shall rule. The church is one of the groups of believers who shall enter with great joy into the marvels of the Kingdom.

Today, the believer in Christ, upon believing, is brought into instantaneous relation to the Kingdom by translation. As far as his position before God is concerned, he is taken up into heaven, where the King and the Kingdom are. In his condition he continues his earthly walk. The words of Paul on the subject are these,

Giving thanks unto the Father, . . . who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and HATH TRANSLATED US INTO THE KINGDOM of His dear Son (Col. 1:12, 13).

Here is a glorious statement of the believers present position before God. It hints that we have a relationship of the greatest intimacy to the Kingdom. Does it mean that God in His tenderness is planning that we shall in any wise share in the reigning and glory of that Kingdom to which Christ is heir? God's answer to this query is unmistakable.

. . . . . . We are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and JOINT HEIRS WITH CHRIST (Rom. 8:16, 17).

Do ye not know that the saints (believers) shall JUDGE THE WORLD? (1 Cor. 6:2.)

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall YE ALSO APPEAR WITH HIM IN GLORY (Col. 3:4).

How the sufferings and agonies of our present state should dwindle into insignificance in the glory of such promises.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with THE GLORY WHICH SHALL BE REVEALED IN US (Rom. 8:18).

If we suffer, we shall also REIGN WITH HIM (2 Tim. 2:12).

The faithful shall reign with Christ in the Kingdom. It is indeed a heaven-given privilege to abandon the life to Him "who hath CALLED YOU UNTO HIS KINGDOM AND GLORY" (1 Thes. 2:12).

What a blessed calling is ours. Called into a perfect salvation through His loving kindness; called to priceless redemption through His blood; called into inspiring service by His Holy Spirit; and called into His Coming Kingdom as our Blessed Hope.

Matchless revelation, winsome grace.

1) Rotherham's Emphasized Bible. Margin of King James Version. Margin of Revised Version. Berry's Literal Translation of the Greek N. T.