KINGDOM BIBLE STUDIES

"Behold, thy King cometh," the Old Testament declares (Zech. 9:9). Time and again in the Word of God we find prophecies of a glorious and universal Kingdom ruled by a great and eternal King. So well was this understood in the time of Christ that even John the Baptist, after introducing our Lord to His public ministry, asked, "Art Thou He that should come? or look we for another?" (Lk. 7:19). The promised King did appear, but His own people wouldn't receive Him. One of the most profound and awe-inspiring statements of all scripture was penned by the apostle John in Jn. 1:11-12, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God."

TO Him, hidden in the bosom of past ages, all the scattered rays of prophecy pointed. IN Him, manifested in the fullness of time, man received a revelation of the program of God, and saw converging rays of prophecy meet and find fulfillment. It was the quickening, illuminating influence of the Holy Spirit in men of pure minds and sincere hearts that made those men see that Jesus was indeed God's Christ and that He was the promised King. Those touched by the Spirit of God gladly received Him and believed that He came forth from the Father. What revealing light of revelation it was that made Philip say to his brother Nathanael, "WE HAVE FOUND HIM of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph" (Jn. 1:45). Andrew went seeking his brother Peter and upon finding him said with confident assurance, "WE HAVE FOUND THE MESSIAH" (Jn. 1:41). Nathanael, upon hearing the simplest statement from the lips of Jesus, declared with evident amazement, "Thou art the Son of God; THOU ART THE KING OF ISRAEL" (Jn. 1:49). Surely it was no persuasive arguments from Jesus that evoked this remarkable response, for He had simply inferred that He knew who Nathanael was. No, it was something far more convincing than that. It was the inner quickening of God's presence and glory that revealed Him as Lord and King.

The kings have had their day, it is said, but there is one King whose day is shining brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. Following World War I most of the vaunted thrones of Europe were toppled, and today there is only a meager handful of kings left ruling in the world. Most of the world has concluded that government by kings is a failure. But now that most of the kings are gone, the people are no better satisfied with the governments which have succeeded them, while the world lies torn and bleeding as a result of a cruel struggle which continues between opposing ideologies. Is such a world willing to try another King? There is no doubt about it - the kings of this world have failed, and we freely acknowledge that the governments which have taken their places are quite unsatisfactory, for the hearts of the people are filled with fear as they consider the possibilities of what may yet befall them. It is just such conditions as these which call for a new ruler.

Frequently one hears the opinion voiced that the only thing which now will save the world from utter ruin, and the race itself from destruction, is a beneficent SUPERMAN, an authoritative one who would be wise-enough to map out a new and better course for the people, order his plans put into effect, and have power to enforce his edicts. Convince the world that such a ruler is on hand and he would probably be universally proclaimed! Not a single one of all the kings - the kings who have had their day - ever possessed these qualities.

A king qualified to take over in this chaotic world of today would need to fulfill the prophetic picture given to us by king David, "Give the king Thy judgment, O God, and Thy righteousness ... He shall judge Thy people with righteousness, and Thy poor with justice. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, Thy righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, He shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor ... in His days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth" (Ps. 72:1-8).

Nearly two thousand years ago a man journeyed up and down in the land of Israel whom His followers believed was destined to be the world ruler which the prophecies had foretold. He didn't have an army. He never tried to exalt Himself at the expense of others. He held no position of power or influence in the government or any human institution. He was noted for His kindness and compassion. He loved all, and was sympathetic and merciful even toward the erring. One of the most revealing observations made concerning Him states, "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him" (Acts 10:38).

But the world was too evil to appreciate so noble a character. He was hated by the rulers of His day, and charges were brought against Him aimed at His life. One of the charges was that HE CLAIMED TO BE A KING. He was brought before a Roman governor for trial, and was asked, "Art Thou a King?" to which He replied, "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world" (Jn. 18:37). In stating this, He knew that He was sentencing Himself to death, because such a claim would be considered treason against Caesar. This kindly, sympathetic, understanding, merciful, healing, delivering, and wise minister to the people was an Israelite, and when the governor realized he could do nothing more to save His life, he permitted his soldiers to place a crown of thorns upon the prisoner's head, and showing Him to the people, he cried, "BEHOLD YOUR KING!" But they shouted back, "Crucify him, crucify him!" (Jn. 19:15).

While this King of earth voluntarily surrendered Himself to His enemies, His manner of life and death and the power of His resurrection none the less changed the course of the world. Him who, being the holiest among the mighty, and the mightiest among the holy, lifted with His pierced hands empires off their hinges, and turned the stream of history out of its channel, and still governs the ages. They crucified Jesus, but He told His disciples that He would come again, and taught them to pray for the Kingdom which He would establish when He came. Today, while the world is perishing because of its own misguided and selfishly inspired judgment, its one hope lies in the fulfillment of the promise made by King Jesus that He would come, and in coming, would do for the world what it cannot do for itself. The brightness of that hope springs perennial within the breast of every elect saint of God and radiates forth as a beacon in the dread darkness of the night for all mankind.

In lands in which royalty is still recognized, where it is not just acknowledged but has also really gripped the hearts of the people and sways the emotions, the days on which the royal ruler visits this or that place are always great days and festive occasions for its citizenry. And of all these days, that of the coronation of a new king has ever been one of the most outstanding. Long before the arrival of the king or queen in the capital of the land where the sovereign will be crowned, the city presents a scene of feverish activity, of hustle and bustle, to give all its thoroughfares a truly festive appearance. The hearts of the people are filled with a genuine desire to render due honor to the new monarch, and they vie with each other to make the most of the opportunity. When the day arrives the national flag is everywhere in evidence, and many streamers along the way give the city a gala appearance.

And when at last the hour comes for the king to enter the city and to parade through the main aveneues, thousands upon thousands of his faithful subjects crowd the thoroughfares to greet him and to give expression to their joy and fealty. With His coming the glory of the scene is greatly heightened. He comes clothed in royal apparel, decked with all the regalia of his high office, and riding in a vehicle worthy of such an exalted personage. In the eyes of the admiring multitude he is every inch a king, and therefore truly worthy of their obedience and honor. A bodyguard of stalwarts accompanies the royal conveyance; bands play the national airs, which strike a responsive chord in the hearts of the multitudes that line the streets; and following contingents of military forces represent and symbolize the strength of the nation. All this serves to enhance the glory of the king. That day is in a very special sense HIS DAY and, just because he is the king, it is also a day of national rejoicing. And the people feel that they have a share inits glory and in the happiness which it engenders.

The history of civil royalty and rulership in this world shows that men do not regard a candidate for the throne as fully qualified unless he has received the endorsement of heaven. In the ancient monarchies, rites were performed, the oracles' approval was secured, and signs appeared, which were regarded as the evidences that the gods favored the candidate. Among the barbarous nations, strange and mysterious apparitions and observances imposed on the superstitious the impression that the one who stood forth as their chief was the chosen one of the Great Spirit, who invisibly controlled the destinies of men. However it has been abused and deceived, it is the inbred instinct of humanity to look for heaven's endorsement upon the person whom it would crown king.

Jesus Christ has been chosen by heaven to this high office. The collected wisdom of the universe has cast its vote, and elected Jesus Christ to be King over this earth. "A crown was given unto Him" (Rev. 6:2). "We see Jesus ... crowned" (Heb. 2:9). "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns..." (Rev. 19:11-12). God says to the earth, "Behold My servant, whom I have chosen; My beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased: I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall show judgment to the nations" (Isa. 42:1). Addressing His chosen, the Almighty says, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever" (Heb. 1:8). Heaven has declared, "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end" (Isa. 9:7). The voice of omnipotence proclaims, "I have set My King upon My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rodof iron ... be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth" (Ps. 1:6-10).

The choice of heaven, praise God! is ultimately to be the choice of the whole earth. He whom the Almighty Father has selected to be King over this earth, is enthroned and crowned, and every knee in the whole earth, yea, in the entire universe is going to bow in ratification of heaven's choice. This glorious One, who is the well-beloved of heaven, in whom the great Godhood is well-pleased, about whose feet the swelling feelings of the innumerable angelic throngs roll in great billows of delight, this Person we are to crown in this earth as its supreme Sovereign. Blessed be His glorious name forever, and let the whole earth be filled with His glory! Amen and Amen.

The revelation of Christ to the human heart as a King will always be subsequent to the revelation of Him as the Saviour. There need not necessarily be a long interval between these two revelations, indeed the sooner the one occurs after the other the better; but the Saviour must ever be discovered first, and in the joy of that discovery the soul will be led on to find the King.

When Gideon had achieved the liberation of his countrymen from the yoke of Midian, we are not surprised at hearing that they offered to him a throne. It was natural that they should say, "Rule over us," when his prowess had by divine assistance rescued them from the pitiful bondage of their enemies. It is even so in the history of our own spiritual progression in God. As we make proof of His power to save, and earnestly desire that He should carry on His saving work to its final triumphant conclusion, we begin to feel that He will be the better able to do this, the more completely we surrender ourselves to His control. If He is merely a Saviour, called in at a moment of emergency, He will show Himself on such occasions strong to save. But if He can once become our King, then He will exert His regal power in making such transformations within the little kingdom of our own nature as shall secure our permanent safety and well-being.

Thus we begin to long for His reign within; earnestly to desire that every lofty imagination may be cast down and every fleshly desire subdued, so that He may have His will, and ours be lost in His. And then we begin to find out that there is a vast difference between the conditions of the discovery of the Saviour and the conditions of the quest of the King, and oftentimes great searchings of heart will follow ere we can make up our minds at all costs and hazards to start upon this quest and to accept this allegiance.

What then are the conditions of this quest? What is required of those who would find the King? I answer you by referring you to the most significant narrative of the visit of the shepherds and the wise men to find Him who was born King of the Jews. While each of these momentous occurrences deserve far more attention than we can give them at this time, it will be our purpose now to consider in passing a few of the wonders of these truly awe-inspiring events. God grant that, as we explore for this moment its available depths, our spirits may be edified and our desire increased for the glory and power of His coming to us both as Saviour and King.

We may learn not a little by considering the points of contrast between these two beautiful stories, each of which contains the account of a great discovery. In each case the Christ was the object discovered, and in each a great joy of discovery crowned the efforts of the discoverers, and in each case a supernatural sign led to the discovery; but in almost all other respects the two cases were diverse, and we may learn significant and eternal things from this discrepancy.

To the shepherds, plain and simple men, the revelation was explicit and clear: "And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David A SAVIOUR, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger" (Lk. 2:9-12). These simple shepherds were left to no finely-drawn inferences, no dubious enquiries, no prolonged perplexities. They had but to believe a testimony they could not doubt, and to obey in faith a very intelligible instruction, and the Saviour was found. They had no difficulties to face, no long investigation to make, no arduous and weary search; they were exposed to no sort of hardships, or toils, or dangers, to no risks, or even inconveniences. It was but a short journey they had to take, and there was nothing to prevent them from taking it immediately, and none to dissuade them from going straight to the place where Jesus lay. All that was required on their part was decision and haste, full determination of heart and will to see at once the wonderful thing which had come to pass, which the angels had made known unto them.

What does all this teach us? Surely the lesson lies on the surface. We cannot fail to learn from all this, that when once the awakened soul begins in earnest to seek a Saviour, the way that leads into His presence need be neither difficult nor long. No weary quest, extending over months or years; no very heroic effort, no astonishing self sacrifice, is necessary when we seek the Saviour. Only let the enlightened mind act with decision and quickness, and the blessed discovery will soon be made, and we shall return praising and glorifying God for the wonders of redeeming love!

There is yet another point of contrast between the conduct of the shepherds on this occasion and that of the wise men when they found the new-born King. When they came to Jesus we do not read that they brought any kind of offering whatever. Does it not seem almost strange that they didn't? It would have been such a natural thing, we may suppose, that in going to meet the Saviour of the world these men, if they had no silver or gold, should at least have brought an offering from the best of their flocks. But it never seems to have occurred to them to do so. And why not? Surely they were not stingy! For our sakes no doubt, my brethren, was this written, that for all time it might be clearly known that the Saviour is God's free gift to man, and that He receives no gift in exchange for this; that when a man or woman seeks the Saviour he or she must come with empty hands, not to purchase, but to gladly receive God's unspeakable gift in His Son Jesus Christ. Those who seek the Saviour with a gift, be it money, or good works, or self righteousness, or even tears - nay, or even religiousness, must of necessity seek Him in vain until they learn to leave the gift behind, and simply accept God's free gift of salvation without money and without price.

But when we turn to the other story of the visit of the wise men, all is changed. These did not make their long and tiresome journey in search of a Saviour - for after Jesus had been born the wise men came from the east to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He that is born KING of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to WORSHIP HIM ... And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and WORSHIPPED HIM: and when they had opened their treasures, they PRESENTED UNTO HIM GIFTS; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh" (Mat. 2:1-2,11). Ah, the wise men brought their best and most precious gifts, and laid them at the new-born Monarch's feet; for nothing is too rich or costly to offer to a King. And they who seek the King come not so much to receive as to give. True, they do receive; for to gain HIS SOVEREIGNTY WITHIN is no small acquisition; but still we may say that this benefit to themselves is not their first object. "We are come to worship Him," was the cry of the wise men, and even such is the consuming desire of every elect saint who seeks to find the King.

Just consider what this revelation meant to them, situated as they were, if they responded to it. No doubt those distant lands of theirs had an established religion, to which they would be expected to adhere, but this they forsook, when they recognized the superior claims of another God and King. No man, not even today, can break away from cherished traditions and the religious bias of his family and peers without exposing himself to much hostile and criticism and loss. He who chooses such a course must be prepared to sacrifice reputation, popularity, friendship, yes, even, in some cases, life itself.

And then there were all the toils and dangers of the way - dangers by mountain pass and swollen rivers, by sultry desert waste or pathless jungle; dangerous by roving gangs of thieves, through whose territory they may have had to pass who swarmed in all those half-civilized regions, and by whom they had to pass carrying with them considerable treasure. And then the weary toil, a journey of some two years. See them struggling on, the sun blazing over them by day, while the cold wind chilled them to their very marrow by night; as day by day and week by week they crept on by slow stages, ever wandering further and further from home and fatherland, and ever drawing nearer and nearer to that great unknown, the thought of which was the one motive power that still urged them on.

Fear not, oh, my Christian brother; only let us not pause to calculate consequences. What are all these outward trials, the strippings, purgings and processings, as compared with the inward glory which the discovery of the King induces in our consecrated hearts? Surely we cannot lose by His sovereignty! If He asks us to give up all that we have, it is only that He may enrich us with His VASTER ALL.

Stay for a moment, dear reader, and reflect. Let us trace the analogy. To the superficial observer the discovery of the King does not seem as clearly a necessity as the discovery of the Saviour. You know the old story: "Jesus is my Saviour, Healer, Baptizer, Sanctifier, and thank God - I rejoice over this more than anything else - He is my COMING KING." Is it not because we have not been sure whether we wanted this Man to RULE over us? We do not mind Him ruling over Castro and the devil and the millennium, but we have not wanted to be totally conquered and ruled by Him. That is why we have kept Him coming. The Lord wants to be King NOW. We only begin to know Him when we find Him as Saviour; but this first revelation, while it sets at rest our personal anxiety about our own salvation, and unleashes a flood of blessings and benefits from His gracious hand, and bids us "fear not," and is designed to awaken our desire to know HIM more and more, but only as we respond to this desire and follow on to know Him in deeper measures can we grow up into the fullness of God.

Wonderful as it is to be forgiven, justified, born again, healed, delivered, prospered and blessed, as we follow on to know the Lord there follows a very definite crisis in our spiritual experience. We are brought face to face with the questions: Who is to be master - Christ or self? What am I going to live for - to enjoy His blessings and please myself, or to fulfill His will? Do I want to be blessed and prospered and get to heaven at last - or do I want to be conformed into His image and suffer with Him that I may reign with Him? Do I want God to bless me with good things, or do I want Him to rule over me, break me, subdue me, subject me, and process me until it is none of me and all of Him? Is it His benefits I want, or is it His nature?

We have made poor work of our attempts at self-government. Why not give Him the scepter and the throne, and let Him rule supreme? The more the mind dwells upon this possibility, the more desirable does it seem, until at last there rises from the heart, kindled into passionate desire, the cry of a great need - "Where is He that is born KING?" that from this day forth our lives may be one long offering, and all we have and are be laid gladly and willingly at His feet. He Himself is as willing to reign over us as He was willing to save us; and when once the "other lords" have been renounced, and all is cheerfully laid on the altar, we see that faith has as good a right to claim Him as King as ever she had a right to trust Him as Saviour. And in both cases alike, AS WE BELIEVE SO IS IT DONE UNTO US.

He becomes King to us. But He wants to be more than that. You first have to know Him as King. We have sung through the years a little chorus that goes like this: "Oh King of glory, We bow before Thee - Take Thy throne and reign within our hearts." We first have to know Him in His Kingship, in His authority, in His government. We have to first know Him as King. But why does He desire us to know Him as King? Why does He desire to set up the throne of His Kingdom in our hearts? So that He can make US to become kings!

With these thoughts in mind, let us look at the KINGDOM OF GOD as it is described and emphasized in the New Testament. It is natural, then, first of all, for us to take a look at the King of this Kingdom, Jesus the Christ. Unfortunately, the average church member does not think of Jesus as becoming a King. In thinking so loosely, we rob Jesus of one of the main phases of His ministry, that of being a King on this earth - the King of the Kingdom of God. Mind you, He is not GOING to be King; He is King now, for He has already ascended to the throne of the majesty on high and been given ALL POWER IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH. This is why He can say to His footstep followers, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne" (Rev. 3:21).

With overwhelming awe the prophet Isaiah wrote, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth GOOD TIDINGS OF GOOD, that PUBLISHETH SALVATION; that saith unto Zion, THY GOD REIGNETH!' (Isa. 52:7 ). It is the purpose of all who are chosen of the Lord to minister to His elect of Israel, that they BRING GOOD TIDINGS, PUBLISH PEACE, and that they say unto Zion, THY GOD REIGNETH. Therefore, we publish the glad message to all the inhabitants of Zion: THY GOD REIGNETH! He does not hope to reign someday but HE IS REIGNING PRESENTLY. God is not trying to do something, He is doing it with the power and authority of His Kingdom reign. There remain some things which are not yet "put under Him" (Heb. 2:8), but He must reign until every enemy is subdued. The purpose of the reign of Christ is to subdue and put down all other rule, power, and authority. Christ is not waiting until all the enemies are destroyed before He begins His reign. Rather, HE IS REIGNING NOW and the purpose of His reign is to destroy all enemies. This is the positive declaration of God's infallible Word: "FOR HE MUST REIGN TILL HE HATH PUT ALL ENEMIES UNDER HIS FEET" (I Cor. 15:25). Christ is reigning presently and His reign shall continue until all enemies are destroyed and God is All-in-all. Let it be known and understood by all: "THY GOD REIGNETH."

He is the great King of kings and Lord of lords. There are some whom I have heard from time to time speak of Christ as Prophet, Priest, and soon-coming King - as if to deny by this that Christ has any Kingdom at all at the present time. Such ignorant statements always leave me cold. What could be farther from the teachings of God's Word, which teaches that Christ already rules and reigns over His Kingdom and that we are already a part of that Kingdom? How unmistakably inspiration declares that the Father "hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son." Already it has taken place, already we have been translated, already we are in that Kingdom, already the Christ has a Kingdom and is its King. The word "kingdom" is derived from the two terms "king" and "dominion" - KING'S DOMINION. It exists wherever the dominion of the Christ rules and holds sway over the hearts of men. Christ is the great King right now, ruling all things for the well-being of His subjects and bringing absolute perfection and completion to His plans which He ordained before the foundation of the world. He is the King of the ages and invincible. He shall yet arise in power and glory in His completed and perfected body - the MANIFESTED SONS OF GOD - and reveal Himself as the great conquering King, initiating the mightiest of all campaigns, bringing deliverance to the whole creation, reconciling all things unto Himself, and then shall all know the glory of His Kingdom as every tongue confesses and every knee bows and all in that day declare that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD - Jehovah of hosts, the Lord of glory, the King of the universe!

"When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy messengers with Him, THEN SHALL HE SIT UPON THE THRONE OF HIS GLORY" (Mat. 25:31). Darkened minds picture our Lord soaring down out of the skies on a great cumbersome throne, all dazzling white (Rev. 20:11), like a king arrayed in all his trappings in the natural. But we should remember that "the words I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (Jn. 6:63); we should remember that prophecy is given in prophetical language, in highly figurative speech, the symbols bespeaking SPIRITUAL REALITIES. A throne means dominion and power and authority. White denotes righteousness. So a white throne denotes righteous dominion. Of course our Lord has a throne; in fact, He has many thrones. Those thrones are the hearts of His own faithful saints. That is where He reigns, both now and forevermore.

The throne of God is not established in a geographical or astral LOCATION. "Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye build unto Me? and where is the place of My rest?" (Isa. 66:1). God is not a limited physical being that can sit on a tangible throne in one restricted locality somewhere in the universe. God is spirit and God is everywhere and thus His throne is a spiritual throne and is everywhere. The one great truth that all theologians agree on is that God is omnipresent spirit who is everywhere and who fills the whole universe. And our scientists tell us that in that universe there are more worlds out there than all the individual grains of sand on all the beaches of all the world. You cannot put a God who is that great and everywhere present and bottle Him up in a physical throne in one limited spot. NO! He is everywhere and His throne is everywhere. The throne of the God who is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent SPIRIT is not a material one, but bespeaks the REALM OF HIS SUPREME AND UNIVERSAL AUTHORITY AND RULERSHIP; and our Lord Jesus Christ has been exalted to the glory of that rulership. The THRONE of God is a sphere of power and authority, a position of eminence, a condition and a state of being. It is the assumption of the almighty power and universal dominion of the Father. It is the dispensing of HIS POSITIVE ENERGY FORCE into His creation. Exalted to that high realm Jesus no longer walks in a limited physical body, for He now indwells the Church, which IS His body, the FULLNESS OF HIM THAT FILLETH ALL IN ALL (Eph. 1:22-23).

Consider for a moment, what the angelic messenger said to Mary, the mother of Jesus. "Thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great ... and the LORD GOD 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" (Lk. 1:31-33). Jesus was BORN TO RULE. He was born to REIGN over the nations of earth. Remember what He said to Pontius Pilate? "Pilate therefore said unto Him, Art Thou a KING then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a KING. TO THIS END WAS I BORN, and for this CAUSE came I into the world..." (Jn. 18:37).

The ascension of Jesus was the supreme political event of world history. He ascended not to a place but to an office. He departed from the arena of humiliation and suffering to enter into His glory. He, in one moment, vaulted from the status of despised Galilean teacher to the cosmic King of the universe, rising over the heads of Pilate, Herod, and Caesar Augustus. The ascension catapulted Jesus to the right hand of God where He was enthroned as King of kings and Lord of lords. The implications of this event for the saints and for the world are staggering. It means that though we suffer persecution and the scorn of hostile power structures - though we groan under the demeaning status of an unwelcome minority - our candidate sits in the seat of sovereign authority. The Kingdom of God is not a future age, an unrealized dream or religious fantasy. The investiture of our King is a "fait accompli." His reign is neither mythical nor illusory. It is spiritual, powerful and real. At this moment the Christ of God REIGNS in the seat of imperial authority. To be sure, the Kingdom is yet to be consummated - that is future. It has, however, been inaugurated - that is past. He reigns in power, possessing all authority in heaven and in earth - that is present. His Kingdom is invisible but no less real. He left it to His body on earth to make His invisible Kingship visible.

I have said - and I entreat the reader's attention to it - that the Kingdom of God is a present reality. And may I hasten to add - the rule of Jesus Christ upon the throne of David is no less a present fact. Hear these words of truth and wisdom from the apostle Peter's Pentecostal sermon. "Men and brethren," says Peter, "let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David. Being a prophet, and knowing that God hath sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins he would RAISE UP CHRIST TO SIT ON HIS (David's) THRONE: he seeing this before SPAKE OF THE RESURRECTION of Christ. This JESUS RATH GOD RAISED UP, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore BEING by the right hand of God EXALTED, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this. Therefore LET ALL THE HOUSE OF ISREAL KNOW ASSUREDLY, that God HATH made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both LORD AND CHRIST" (Acts 2:29-36).

Here it is stated as explicitly as words could do it, that the promise to David of Christ's succession to his throne HAS RECEIVED ITS INTENDED ACCOMPLISHMENT - that God HAS raised up Christ to sit upon his throne, in the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus, as the fruit of David's loins, to the throne of power; and that His first regal authority from the throne of Israel was to send down the Holy Spirit, as had that day been done. Should any reader have missed the full implication of this the first time around I invite him to return to the scripture above and read it again reverently and prayerfully.

Christ's session on David's throne is inseparably linked to the coming of the power and glory of the Spirit at Pentecost. In a certain sense Jesus lacked the authority to dispatch the Spirit prior to His ascension. The very first act of regal authority He exercised after His enthronement was to endow His body on earth with power from on high. His disciples were given a great commission, a mandate to penetrate the whole world bearing witness to the Kingdom. These were and are to be the authentic witnesses of Jehovah. But no border was to be crossed or mission undertaken until first the Spirit fell. The disciples returned to Jerusalem rejoicing for the purpose of waiting; waiting for Pentecost. When the new King of Israel sent the Holy Ghost, the power of the Kingdom was unleashed on the world.

So-called "fundamentalists" scoff at the notion of Christ's NOW sitting on David's throne, and even many precious saints who are pressing forward into the deeper things of God ask a great many questions as to the points of analogy between the throne on which sat the humble son of Jesse in the midst of his subjects in Palestine, and the celestial seat of the Redeemer's present power. In whatever SENSE the seat of Christ's present rule is termed DAVID'S THRONE, the FACT, I will venture to say, is indisputable. That CHRIST IS NOW ON DAVID'S THRONE is as clearly affirmed by Peter in this sermon as words could do it. Let any one read his words again, and see if it be possible to make any thing else out of them. "David," says the apostle, "knowing that God would raise lip Christ to sit upon his throne, SPAKE OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST: This Jesus HATH GOD RAISED UP." "Christ's resurrection," says Peter, "was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by David, that He would sit upon his throne." "MESSIAH THE PRINCE" already sits enthroned on high, in the person of the crucified but risen Jesus, ready to dispense, not the poor honors of an earthly sovereignty - for the rule of David's Successor is not like the rule of David himself - but "repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified "both LORD" to RULE, "and CHRIST" to POUR OUT HIS LIFE INTO YOU!

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, THY KING COMETH unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass" (Zech. 9:9). "On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet Him, and cried, Hosanna: BLESSED IS THE KING OF ISRAEL that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Jn. 12:12-13). Here we are given a picture of Jesus as He neared the end of His public ministry on the earth, fulfilling the Old Testament prediction that He would ride into Jerusalem triumphantly on the colt of an ass and that people, the common, humble and meek people who heard Him gladly - not the unbelievers and money-changers, who hated Him and conspired to put Him to death - would accept Him as their King. Wouldn't it have been thrilling to have been there on that occasion and heard the mighty chorus of this humble throng of people as they cried, "BLESSED IS THE K-I-N-G OF ISRAEL! Truly, then, this is the King of the Kingdom - Jesus, powerful, mighty, bold, just, loving, humble, kind, merciful, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, the lily of the valley, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the rose of Sharon, the bright and morning star, the King of Israel!

If you study the characteristics of the little donkey upon which Jesus sat, you will understand the characteristics of a ministry that is used as a vehicle for the Kingdom, a vehicle to convey and carry the King into Jerusalem. Jerusalem in the Old Testament typifies God's spiritual people in the New Testament. We know that because of what Paul taught in Gal. 4:25-26. "For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. BUT JERUSALEM WHICH IS ABOVE IS FREE, which is the mother of us all." The apostle, writing to the Hebrews, made this wonderful statement, "But YE ARE COME unto mount Zion, and unto the city of theliving God, the HEAVENLY (SPIRITUAL) JERUSALEM" (Heb. 12:22).

YE ARE COME unto mount Zion. A traveller by train has often reached a place without knowing he is there. A guard or a friend has to tell him. Often it is because he had expected the journey to last longer. So deep is there in us the spirit of perfection by effort and attainment, by what we see of our outer man and feel, that the rousing call is needed continually. Here you are, sooner than you thought, in very deed, come to mount Zion! "YE ARE COME unto mount Zion." Come, let us walk about Zion, and go round about her. Beautiful in elevation, nestled in the high places of God, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion. God has made Himself known in her palaces for a refuge! And may God, in the power of His Holy Spirit within us, reveal to us what it means, that we ARE COME UNTO MOUNT ZION.

In Rev. 14:1 the Seer of Patmos saw a Lamb standing on mount Zion, and with Him an hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written in their foreheads. Zion represents the very highest position attainable by grace. Such are the ruling class in the capital city of God's celestial city, the New Jerusalem, prefigured by king David who dwelt on the natural Zion of old. Israel was the whole nation, all the people of God; Jerusalem was the capital city, the seat of government, those anointed with power and the Holy Ghost; and while Jerusalem comprised all the ruling class, yet in Jerusalem there was only one who, with his household, dwelt on mount Zion. He was the king. His was the highest pinnacle of glory and power attainable. But that Zion was only a shadow of the true mount Zion to which we are come, for turning to Ps. 132:13-14 we read, "For the Lord hath chosen Zion; He hath desired it for His habitation. This is My rest forever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it." And Paul, speaking of the greater house of living stones, the body of Christ, the sons of God tells us, "For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them" (II Cor. 6:16).

David was king over fleshly Israel. Christ is King over spiritual Israel. David dwelt on the natural mount Zion. Therefore Christ dwells in the spiritual Zion. Zion is the realm of HIS LORDSHIP, HIS KINGSHIP. And this spiritual Zion is composed of all who as members of God's Christ have reached the very highest pinnacle attainable in Jerusalem and Israel. Spiritual Zion is composed of the "little remnant", the ones who have followed the Lamb all the way, and have reached the very highest pinnacle of majesty in the spiritual realm, the sphere of HIS LORDSHIP AND KINGSHIP. And that mount Zion is in reality our dwelling place, where the powers of the heavenly world rest upon us and work in us. Glory!

"Ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the HEAVENLY JERUSALEM." Read the description of the heavenly Jerusalem in Revelation 21 and 22. "Behold! the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. The Lord God almighty and the Lamb are the temple thereof. The glory of God did lighten it, and the light thereof is the Lamb. The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein; and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it: and the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it. And His servants shall do Him service; and they shall see His face." The New Jerusalem is a spiritual company upon whom the glory and life and power of God rests and through whom His government is administered to the earth. This is the glory to which Jesus has brought you in, when you were born from above. In the power and experience of that heavenly life the Holy Spirit enables you to live. This Jerusalem, this heavenly life from above, is the mother of us all. This is the Jerusalem from which the Lord has even now uttered His voice (Joel 3:16). This is the Jerusalem from which the Word of the Lord goes forth to all the earth (Isa. 2:3; Mic. 4:2). This is the Jerusalem from which living waters go forth to restore life and blessing to the whole world (Zech. 14:8). "And everything shall live whither the river cometh" (Eze. 47:9). This is the city which Abraham looked for, which hath the foundations in the strength of God. We have come to it! Of this city we are now citizens. In it we live, and in it we have been brought into the Holiest, the very center of the city, the very presence and glory and power of God. We are come to the HEAVENLY JERUSALEM.

This Jerusalem is the throne of the King. David put his throne in Jerusalem, on the hill of Zion. Melchizedek, too, was the King-Priest of Jerusalem. (For more on Melchizedek, see link below). "He will sit on the throne of His Father David." Wherever Christ sits, wherever He rules, wherever He reigns, wherever His dominion holds sway and His authority is supreme - there the throne of David is, His Lordship over our lives. The throne of David is IN US. The throne was in Jerusalem. We ARE the New Jerusalem people - can we not see by this that the throne of Christ is within us? Jesus Christ in me, and in you, occupies a throne, a realm of authority and dominion in our lives.

When Jesus came into Jerusalem it pointed forth to a time when the presence of the King and His Lordship would be conveyed into our midst by the Spirit. There is something that is radically missing from most Christian's lives, and from most Churches, and that is a great sense of His Lordship. We sing, "He is Lord," but we have no conception of the full weight and significance of that word - He is Lord. If you want to know what He does in the city, what He comes there for, then meditate deeply upon the joyful and impressive shout of the multitude on that long ago day. "Hosanna: Blessed is the KING OF ISREAL that cometh in the name of the Lord!" There is no way to hear the message of the King and the principles that put that message into operation in the home, in the church, on the job, at school - there is no way to hear that message - and remain the same. There is no way you can come into contact with the King and not change! It is my deep conviction that His presence and His power and His ministry and His authority is being restored in the midst of His elect, under His dealing hand, within that blessed company that has received the call to sonship.

When Jesus was revealed by the resurrection as the Son of God with power, from that point on no one ever spoke to Him as Jesus - He was the L-O-R-D Jesus! What does the word "Lord" mean? In the days of Jesus, the word "lord" (kurios - with lower case letters) was what slaves called their masters. When it appeared in capital letters - THE LORD - it meant the Caesar of Rome. As a matter of fact, when public employees or soldiers met each other they used to greet one another by calling out "Caesar is the Lord," and the other responding "Yes, the Lord is Caesar." This presented a problem for the Christians. They insisted to the contrary that Jesus Christ is THE LORD. Caesar did not mind other men being called lords as long as the term "THE LORD" was reserved for him. But the Christians reserved the term for Jesus. They placed Jesus high above the emperor. They said, in effect, "Caesar, you can count on us for some things, but when Jesus and you are in the balance, we will choose Jesus, because we have submitted our lives to Him. He is the first One. He is THE LORD - the One who possesses supreme authority in our lives." That was the reason Caesar persecuted the Christians.

The Gospel that we have in the Bible is the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. The Gospel that presents Jesus as King, as Lord, as First One, as the Maximum Authority. Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." What does this mean? I am the king of my life; I am seated on the throne; I make the decisions; I do it "my way." But when the Lord Jesus comes I must abdicate my throne and let Him sit on the throne. Now everything must be done HIS WAY. This introduces a new lifestyle - the life-style of the KINGDOM OF GOD.

Most people are Christians because they want to go to heaven and escape hell. If all the preachers and teachers one day called a press conference and told their people, "We have discovered that there is no heaven or hell," how many would stay in the Church after that? Most of the people would ask, "Why are we coming then?" They were coming for heaven, not because JESUS IS LORD AND EVERYBODY MUST SUBMIT TO HIM. In the hour in which we live the vast majority of Christians are more miserable than most other people in the world. They are only enduring this life in order to eventually get to heaven where they imagine they will spend the next billion trillion years or so singing, strumming harps, and dancing. I am quite sure that if such people would admit the truth, they would admit that even a thousand years of singing, shouting, playing harp music while dancing about in white robes would become very boring, to say the least. I find that most of these people can't endure five hours in a meeting even if the glory is falling all around! Most of them start examining their watches about noon on Sunday morning! The problem is that their theology leaves them with nothing constructive to do all eternity to do it in! They know nothing about the KINGDOM OF GOD. A Kingdom denotes rulership and advancement of all kinds. It means WORK and RESPONSIBILITY and a place of ministry and authority to bless.

He is the great King of kings and Lord of lords. The Lord our God is the King, and His Kingdom shall rule over ALL. And praise His name, He is even now bringing forth in the earth a KINGDOM PEOPLE - the firstfruits of His redemption - who are discovering His Lordship over all of their lives. When all hell assails us, when the power of death all around crowds in upon us, when the pressures of this world would frustrate and vex and suffocate us, when our own passions and emotions and self-will would drown us in a sea of carnality and ungodliness, then HE STANDS UP WITHIN US AS KING - in Kingly authority. When the world, and our own flesh, would tear us apart and smash our lives and our hope of sonship upon the rocks, HE IS THERE, the still small Voice, the deep inner consciousness that all is well, that He, the Lord of glory is with us still, and all is secure in His loving hands, for He ordained our path and made provision for the hour. He is Himself the provision, the indwelling Christ, the anointing, the authority inherent in the Spirit moving in our lives.

Thank God, in every situation and circumstance of life HE IS PRESENT TO SUBDUE ALL THINGS unto Himself, thus reigning as King over our domain. As surely as we are God's Israel, so certain is it that He is enthroned within our hearts upon the throne of His father David, and upon His Kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and justice from henceforth even forever. Blessed be the KING!

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