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Overland Monthly / OV049 - The Divine Program (X. The Kingdoms of this World Supervised)
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OV49 THE DIVINE PROGRAM X—The Kingdoms of this World Supervised
BY C. T. RUSSELL Pastor Brooklyn Tabernacle
THE CIVILIZED portion of the world, about
one-fourth, according to population, is styled Christendom, which
signifies ChristÂ’s Kingdom. The coined gold and silver of Christendom
bears similar witness to God as the recognized ruler of earth. Upon our
own coins we read "In God we trust." Upon the British coins we read
that the King or Queen, whose image it bears, reigns over the kingdom
or empire by the grace of God; and so with the German, the Russian, the
Austrian and other coins. These legends have so long prevailed that
they attract little notice and rarely are questioned. However, as soon
as we begin to exercise the gray matter of our brains on the subject,
we are in trouble. We ask, Are the great armies of Christendom
maintained as a protection against the heathen world? Are the great
navies for the repulsion of heathen foes? Are the mighty Dreadnaughts
costing approximately $10,000,000 each for construction and millions
more for maintenance, necessary for the protection of these Kingdoms of
God against the heathen kingdoms not yet subjugated to his law? The
answer comes: No! all these armaments and military preparations by land
and by sea and through the air and under the sea are costly methods
used by Christian nations to protect themselves from each other! We
ask: How long has it been thus? Is this a new field of ungrounded fear
that has seized upon the world? The answer is: No, it has ever been
thus: for fifteen centuries the nations of Europe have been calling
themselves "Christendom," yet their lands have been soaked with
Christian blood, in fearful carnage, Christian nation fighting against
Christian nation by every devilish means and missile conceivable,
inventible, is the customary thing. What we now have is superior to
what we had in the past, merely because the inventive genius peculiar
to our day has had its influence along martial lines, as along the
avenues of peace. The situation is inexplicable, except from one
standpoint—the Bible standpoint—the Divine Program, which solves this
and every other mystery and query. From this standpoint, the
explanation is, that Christendom is laboring under a great delusion. It
is not ChristÂ’s Kingdom. Instead, according to the Scriptures, the
civilized as well as the uncivilized portion of mankind are under the
secret domination of "The Prince of this world"—Satan. The great
Adversary has deceived the world, putting light for darkness and
darkness for light. Whereas, through the prophets and apostles, and by
our LordÂ’s own words, the hope of the world centers in the
establishment of the Divine rule or reign of Righteousness, yet the
time for the fulfillment of those gracious promises and ardent hopes is
still future. It is still appropriate for GodÂ’s people to pray, after
the example given us by our Redeemer in the words, "Thy Kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven." The hope of the
early Church, voiced in this prayer, should still be the hope of GodÂ’s
people. They should all know that the reign of Sin and Death, which has
prevailed on earth for these many centuries, will continue to prevail
until the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power and great
glory.
When he shall "take unto himself his
great power and reign," he will put down sin and error in their
multitudinous forms and establish righteousness
OV50 and Truth, peace, love and joy. And
this glorious event, the Second Coming of Christ in Kingdom glory, must
await the Divine "due time," when the elect Church shall have been
completed, tested, proven, found faithful, glorified. This is the
thought before the ApostleÂ’s mind when he graphically declares, "The
whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until
now...waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God." The great Son
of God, Captain of our Salvation, and all of his brethren under him,
soldiers of the cross, are soon to be glorified together on the spirit
plane by the First Resurrection, as a Royal Priesthood—a Priest with
regal power.
A Masterpiece of Deception.
Fidelity to our subject demands that we
inquire how, when and where this deception was foist upon GodÂ’s people
and the entire civilized world. Who fabricated this story, that the
nations of the civilized world are the kingdoms of Christ? The answer
is, that this great deception is from Satan, our great Deceiver, of
whom the Apostle said, "The God of this world hath blinded the minds of
all them that believe not." It is safe, also, to assume that to some
extent this great Adversary has partially blinded the minds of
believers. This is the sentiment in the prophecy, "Darkness covers the
earth; gross darkness the heathen." Again the Apostle says, I pray God
for you (The Church) that your eyes being opened, ye may be able to
comprehend with all saints the length and breadth and height and depth,
and to know the love of God, which passeth all understanding (#Eph 3:18  .)
The intimation here, again, is that the opening of the eyes of
understanding of Christians is gradual and proportionate to their
saintliness and holiness of heart. That the deceptions of Satan are
world-wide and include all classes is set forth in the assurance given
us that when he shall be bound by Christ for the thousand years of his
Millennial reign, it will be that "he shall deceive the nations no more
until the thousand years are finished." In seeking for the truthful
answer to the query, we must not feel aggrieved if, perchance, we find
that our own ancestors were amongst those whom Satan deceived and who
ignorantly became his servants and tools in the establishment of the
thought that the civilized kingdoms are the Kingdoms of
Christ—"Christendom."
The Deception Gradual and Logical.
Those who claim that the present
condition of things was concocted by priests and knaves who
premeditated the deception with which we have since been struggling are
mistaken. Those who elaborated these views were undoubtedly as honest
and sincere as ourselves. They were the victims of circumstances, and,
more particularly, the victims of the great DeceiverÂ’s plot whereby he
continually lay in wait to deceive the LordÂ’s people, as St. Paul
foretold. (#Eph 4:14 ; #2Co 2:11.)
Truly the Apostle has declared that "we
wrestle not against flesh and blood," but with wicked spirits in
influential positions. —#Eph 6:12 .
The method by which the Adversary misled
our forefathers was a cunningly deceptive one. A century after the
Apostles fell asleep in death, persecution was still raging, and the
looked-for Second Coming of Christ to glorify his Church, and to
establish her as his Bride and joint-heir in his Kingdom, to bless the
world, had not yet come. The strain of tribulation was telling upon the
hopes of the Church. There were queries as to whether or not a mistake
had been made in the understanding of the promises respecting our
LordÂ’s Second Coming, the end of this age and the inauguration of the
New Kingdom Age. Now was the time for the Adversary to gradually and
persistently work in the erroneous thought and becloud and obscure the
Truth and cut off the Church from the real Scriptural hope and give to
her another hope, through which the great Deceiver could more
particularly lead her astray on other doctrines and practices. The
subtle suggestion was that it was not the Divine intention that Christ
should come a second time in the flesh. This conclusion was quite
correct; but to it was added the further suggestion that Christ
intended that his faithful followers under his direction should first
convert the whole world—should first accomplish all
OV51 the work of the Millennial Kingdom.
The further suggestion was, that the Lord himself would not participate
in this Millennial reign, except through a substitute or vicar, who
would represent him in all the work of the Kingdom and fulfill all the
prophetic promises of blessing the earth, uplifting mankind, etc. At
the same time, the dominion of earth was so manipulated by the Prince
of this world (God not interfering) that the persecutions of the Church
by the civil Government of Rome ceased; and the Roman Government
gradually decayed. At the same time, formalism, going hand in hand with
worldly prosperity, lifted up the Church nominal in the eyes of the
world and in its own eyes. Gradually the Church seemed to be nearing
the point where she could reign over the kings of the earth. The
ChurchÂ’s power increased as the civil power weakened, until finally the
Church nominal was the mightiest organization in the world. Then
possessed of the reins of spiritual control, she asserted her
authority, and told the civil kings of the earth that her superior
control was as the representative of God and his Kingdom, which it was
foretold would rule the world. She called upon kings to recognize her
authority and to conduct their kingdoms in accordance with her decrees.
She threatened their princes and nobles and kings that, if they did
otherwise than obey her commands, she would exercise her suzerain
authority. She told the civil kings of earth that if her commands were
not obeyed she would inform their peoples that they were no longer
bound to support them, and would indicate others to be their rulers
instead—others who would hearken to the voice of the Church, to the
voice of Christ speaking through the Church. Meantime, slowly,
gradually, artfully, under the great DeceiverÂ’s seductions and
temptations, the simplicity of the apostolic order was lost, or,
rather, it was merged into a larger system, believed to be necessary,
and in Divine order, for the new conditions prevailing. The Elders of
the various congregations of the LordÂ’s people, the pastors and
teachers, were no longer styled overseers or bishops, but this term was
applied from a loftier standpoint of one commissioned to have an
apostolic oversight of many congregations. Gradually, too, a still
higher order was recognized, called archbishops or higher bishops, and
still another higher order styled cardinals. And to perfect the system,
a Head was demanded by the Church—an elected Head, called a pope, a
papa, a father. Whoever occupied the office of pope was recognized as
the personal representative of Christ, so that similar honor was
demanded for the popes as was recognized as due to Christ; and the
popeÂ’s ex cathedra utterances were recognized as the infallible
utterances of Christ.
He was styled "the vicar of Christ," or
ChristÂ’s substitute on the throne of earth. In the triple crown worn by
the popes, emblazoned with jewels, was his title, Vicarius Filii Dei,
Substitute Son of God. When we remember that all this came about
gradually, during a period of long centuries, we cannot wonder that our
forefathers in all of these arrangements verily thought that they were
doing God service and fulfilling his will, as foretold in the
prophecies. We cannot, therefore, chide or censure them specially for
accepting and handing down to us this wrong theory, that then and there
GodÂ’s Kingdom was set up in the world. Rather we must sympathize with
them and with ourselves and be the more on guard against the deceptive
influences of our Great Adversary, Satan. So that, while getting rid of
some of those errors, we may not be misled by our foes into other
pitfalls and snares. Our only safety is, as the Scriptures point out,
in a closer walk in the footsteps of our Redeemer, in humility, in
love, in devotion to God and to each other, waiting for the true
Kingdom of GodÂ’s dear Son, the promised Kingdom, which shall be
established at his Second Coming. That Kingdom shall bless all the
families of the earth; that Kingdom shall put down all sin and disorder
and bring in everlasting righteousness, and, to the willing and
obedient, everlasting life.
Both Protestants and Catholics Deceived.
We are not to think of this matter as being a deception upon the Catholics merely.
Indeed, in former days we, represented by our forefathers, were practically all Catholics. When the so-called
OV52 "Reformation" took place in the
fifteenth century, those who then protested, represented by Luther,
Zwingli, Melancthon, Calvin and others, accepted the same general
teaching, namely, that GodÂ’s Kingdom was established in the earth and
was to conquer the world. These reformers merely disputed that the pope
and his associates were the Head of the Church and representatives of
Christ. Certainly Luther did, even if it were but jocularly, say of
himself, "Here goes the German pope." Henry VIII, as the Head of the
Church of England, surely set himself forth as the Head of that
religious system or Church. Surely in similar manner, the Czar of
Russia is the Pontifex Maximus of the Russian or Greek Church. The
"Reformation," therefore, was not a recognition of the deception which
Satan had forced upon our forefathers, but, instead, it meant a
splitting of the one so-called Kingdom of God, Papacy, into numerous
Kingdoms of God, or sects, which between them recognize the various
royal families of Europe. The root evil still persists to this day. It
is high time that, in the light of our day, we should see clearly that
all the so-called kingdoms of Christendom are merely "kingdoms of this
world," which, deceptively and under delusion, are claiming to be the
kingdoms of GodÂ’s dear Son.
Only those who recognize these facts are
properly prepared to appreciate and to rejoice in the prospect of the
soon-coming of the Kingdom of Christ and its reign of Righteousness
under the whole heavens, in fulfillment of the Word of the Lord "by the
mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." —#Ac 3:19-21.
Present Conditions Foretold.
Looking back we find in DanielÂ’s prophecy
delineations which prophetically foretell in brief outline the history
of the world empires, showing us what has been; what is, and what is to
come; portraying the fact that all the "kingdoms of earth are kingdoms
of this world," and that the great Kingdom of GodÂ’s dear Son will be
established upon the ruins of present institutions. The ruin of present
empires is clearly indicated as due in the near future, and as coming
to pass as the result of increased knowledge and increased ambition,
operating in conjunction with the selfishness of fallen human nature.
Of that "day of wrath," its character and its place in the Divine
Program we shall have more to say anon.
GodÂ’s Kingdom in Israel.
True, there was a time when God had a
Kingdom or dominion in the world, as we read David, King of Israel,
"sat upon the throne of the Kingdom of the Lord." And "Solomon sat upon
the throne of the Kingdom of the Lord, in the room of his father
David." But that Kingdom is not the one for which we wait and for which
we pray, "Thy Kingdom come." That was merely a figure, a picture in
some respects of the coming Kingdom. David, the beloved Prophet,
represented typically The Christ; and Solomon, the wise, the rich, the
great, typified Messiah and his Kingdom in other respects. When the
time came to abolish the typical Kingdom of Israel, the Lord indicated
that his promise that Messiah should sit upon the throne of Israel
would nevertheless be fulfilled, though the delay would be
considerable. To the last regular king successor to DavidÂ’s throne the
words were addressed, "O thou profane and wicked Prince whose time has
come that iniquity should have an end! Remove the diadem! Take off the
crown! This shall not be the same! I will overturn, overturn, overturn
it, until he comes, whose right it is, and I will give it unto him."
That Davidic crown has been overturned ever since. No rightful heir of
David has ever worn the crown. The nation was under other rules and
subject to other empires until its final destruction in A.D. 70. For
instance, the Herods of our LordÂ’s day were not Israelites, but of the
family of Esau, and even then they had only a provisional Government,
the real control being vested in the Roman Emperor. The lesson then is,
that when MessiahÂ’s Kingdom shall be established, it, under the terms
of IsraelÂ’s New (Law) Covenant, shall be established with Israel and
not with other nations. All nations will then approach the Lord by
coming under the terms of his grace, and mercy embodied in that New
(Law) Covenant,
OV53 which will then operate towards
Israel. All peoples, when exercising faith and obedience to the
regulations of the Millennial Kingdom, in so doing will become
"Israelites indeed," circumcised in heart and be counted children of
Abraham, as it is written, I have constituted thee a father of many
nations. The facts, then, are that ZedekiahÂ’s crown, removed six
hundred and six years before Christ, has not yet been accepted by
Messiah. His dominion has not yet been established in the earth! The
long intervening period of twenty-five hundred and fifteen years marks
a period in which God has had no Kingdom in the earth, no special
dominion of an outward kind, such as mankind could recognize, and such
as they have been called upon to honor and obey. Notice further, that
God had stated to the Jews that if they would be disobedient to his
Divine arrangements, he would punish them "seven times" for their sins.
This is repeated over and over again. The "seven times" may properly be
understood to be seven years (symbolical) three hundred and sixty years
long. The seven times thus reckoned would total twenty-five hundred and
twenty years as IsraelÂ’s period of Divine disfavor without a king. We
have seen that twenty-five hundred and fifteen years of this period
have already elapsed, and thus five years remain before they can have
earthly dominion. As the time draws near, what do we see—the Jews and
the whole civilized world standing up and looking to Palestine and
requesting for reinstatement as a nation. (This same presentation has
been set forth orally and in print for more than thirty years: long
enough before the Zionist movement.) Their hopes will be more than
realized, but not entirely in the manner anticipated. The Kingdom that
is coming to them at the close of their period of waiting will be a
blessed Kingdom—that of Emmanuel the seed of Abraham, Messiah.
2520 Gentile Times 2520.
But now behold! When the crown was taken
from Israel in ZedekiahÂ’s day 2515 years ago, God declared through
Daniel the Prophet that the dominion of the earth under certain
limitations would be left in the hands of the Gentiles, and that
they.would rule the world until those times or years would be
fulfilled. Our Lord Jesus called attention to this prophecy and
foretold that "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until
the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (#Lu 21:24.)
As Jerusalem is still thus trodden down of the Gentiles, it is evident
that the "Gentile times" are not yet filled full. In GodÂ’s revelation
on the subject to Daniel and to Nebuchadnezzar, he indicated that the
Dominion of the Gentiles began with Nebuchadnezzar, the great image of
Gentile power, and that this image would control was shown in brief.
NebuchadnezzarÂ’s Government was the Head. Following it came the
universal empire of the Medes and Persians, Cyrus being one of these.
Next in turn came the Empire of Greece,
Alexander the Great being its principal representative. Next in turn
came the legs of iron, representing the strength of the Roman Empire;
next in turn came the feet and toes of the image, of iron and clay
mixed, representing the rule of Christendom, a commingling of the civil
power as represented by the iron, and the ecclesiastical authority, as
represented in the clay.
The whole period of the domination of
this great image was symbolically pictured in the seven years of
NebuchadnezzarÂ’s madness, at the conclusion of which he praised the God
of Heaven and acknowledged him as the Emperor and Ruler of earth. The
madness of the man is a fitting picture of the madness of the universal
Gentile Governments and the carnage which they wrought in the earth.
The seven years or seven times, namely, twenty-five hundred and twenty
years, correspond exactly to IsraelÂ’s "seven times." Thus we see that
"the times of the Gentiles" will be fulfilled and they will lose their
empire, at the same time that IsraelÂ’s seven times of tribulation and
down-treading will terminate, and they shall come into favor and
association with Messiah and his Kingdom.—Daniel 2 and 4. In
conclusion, we may all thank God that the Divine Program contains a
blessing for humanity under a heavenly rule and Government, for their
uplifting out of sin and death conditions, that is far
OV54 more hopeful, far more blessed, than
anything that we have at present or that could possibly come to us
through the Governments which ignorantly style themselves the Kingdoms
of God, the Kingdoms of Christ—"Christendom." We are not in this
finding fault with these earthly Governments. On the contrary, we
believe that poor humanity in its fallen condition is doing as well as
it can do. It is struggling against the world, the flesh and the
Adversary and against the ignorance, superstition, etc., in which they
were immersed and against their own weaknesses and imperfections of
mind and morals and selfishness. God would have humanity learn the
lesson that our very best efforts to rectify the great disaster of sin
and death, which came upon us through Father AdamÂ’s disobedience, must
prove futile. Our help cometh from God.
Thank God for the provision for our
assistance—that it has already been made by the death of Jesus, who
died the Just for the unjust, that he might bring back to the Father in
due time, through this Kingdom of Righteousness, all who will. We
rejoice, moreover, that the Church now being called out to
joint-heirship with their Redeemer in that Kingdom is to be so highly
honored and used in connection with the great Divine Program, and we
exhort all those who have heard the "call" to accept it, and all those
who have accepted it to strive to "make their calling and election
sure."
IS IT FOR ME?
IS it for me, dear Savior, Thy glory and Thy rest?
For me, so poor and humble, Oh! shall I thus be blest?
Is it for me to see Thee In all Thy glorious grace, And gaze in endless rapture On Thy beloved face?
Is it for me to listen To Thy beloved voice, And hear its sweetest music Bid even me rejoice?
A thrill of solemn gladness Hath
hushed my very heart To think that I may really Behold Thee as Thou
art; Behold Thee in Thy beauty; Behold Thee face to face; Behold Thee
in Thy glory And rest in Thine embrace.
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