The Kingdom of God (Part 2)
(Daniel 7:27) “Then the Kingdom (sovereignty), the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.”
In the previous study we saw that the Kingdom of God is now but not yet. The Kingdom of God was revealed in the person of the Messiah our Lord Jesus. All who believed in Him and received Him He gave them the power to become the children of God and members of His kingdom (John 3:3) (John 1:12-13). It was not an earthly physical kingdom that could be seen but one that was a spiritual kingdom where He indwelt them by His Holy Spirit.
The Kingdom of God spiritually is now being revealed through the Body of Messiah corporately and the Messiah is present with His Body through the Holy Spirit living in believers (Luke 17:20-21) (Romans 14:17).
In relation to Israel and the prophecies of the prophets it is clear that the Kingdom of God is also a physical kingdom and one that will be inherited by the remnant of Israel at the end of the age and be visible to the nations that have survived the Second Coming of the Messiah our Lord Jesus. This is the kingdom that is now but not yet.
To look at this aspect of the Kingdom of God we need to turn to the prophecies of Daniel. Both are the one and the same kingdom. So we can say the kingdom is now but not yet. Let’s now consider the Kingdom of God related to the end-times including the 1,000 Messianic Kingdom.
Daniel 2:31-45
In these verses we are told about the dream King Nebuchadnezzar had concerning a huge statue, an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. This was the dream that Daniel was able to relate to the king and interpret it as well. The statue represented four successive empires.
The head of the statue was made of pure Gold (Babylon). Its chests and arms were made of silver (Medio-Persia). Its belly and thighs were made of bronze (The Greco-Roman Empire). It legs were made of iron (The Islamic Empire). Its feet were made partly of iron and partly of baked clay (Islamic infiltration into the west which cannot assimilate any more than iron and clay can mix).
Then we are told that a rock was cut out but not by human hands as it was one that God had cut out. It stuck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them breaking the entire statue into pieces at the same time and they became like chaff on a thrashing floor. The wind swept all of the pieces away without leaving a trace, but the rock that stuck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth (Vss.31-35).
In his interpretation of the dream Daniel spoke about the Empire of Babylon followed by the empire of the Medes and the Persians that conquered Babylon. Following the Persian Empire was the Greco-Roman Empire. Initially Greece but also extended to the Roman Empire that followed the Greek Empire.
These three empires, Babylon, Persia and Greco-Rome could assimilate as they had the same deities’ only with their names changed. Rome was able to assimilate much of the Greek culture, ideology, military tactics and governance from the Greeks.
However this fourth empire represented by the two legs of iron was the Islamic Empire, an empire that could not assimilate with any other culture but crushed and broke all others before it. It was also a divided kingdom which Islam has been from virtually its inception with the Sunni and Shiite divide. It was the Islamic Empire that ended the Roman Empire. It will be primarily an Islamic Empire that the Messiah will destroy when He comes back (Vss.39-43).
See “It Was for Me the Day of Vengeance”
And so Daniel tells us “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. “The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy” (Vss.44-45)
One thing we see is that both Israel (the Woman) and its spiritual offspring (the Body of Messiah) have endured to this day. The Jews are back in their land of Israel after 2,000 years of exile. Since the day of Pentecost the Body of Messiah has been proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom as a global body of new covenant believers united as one by the blessed Holy Spirit. Israel and the Body of Messiah are like two sides of the same coin, their difference is recognised but they are one in Messiah.
So that rock that smashed all of the empires at once initially happened when the Lord Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected. His kingdom was established in people’s hearts and they went out to preach the gospel of the kingdom to all of the nations and today the same message of the kingdom is being proclaimed.
In light of the message of the gospel it crushes all other religions and ideologies and philosophies especially in light of the physical resurrection of the Lord Jesus! He is the only man resurrected from the dead and never to die again and one who had personal witnesses to His resurrection.
From the Jewish perspective and clearly affirmed in the prophets, at the end of this present age the kingdom of God will be extended to a physical kingdom on earth with Israel as the chief nation among the nations and the Messiah with the redeemed of all the ages reigning on earth (Revelation 5:9-10). The prophets affirm this!
Today Israel is back in their land which is a partial national restoration but not spiritually restored. Their complete spiritual and national restoration is still to come in the future.
See “An Indestructible Kingdom”
Daniel Chapter Seven
In Bible prophecy beasts are empires and horns the rulers over these empires. In this chapter Daniel had another dream. It concerned the same empires we saw in Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. However this time these empires were called beasts.
See “The Beasts in Bible prophecy”
The fourth beast empire is the same empire in Daniel describing the two iron legs of the statue (Daniel 2:33, 41). The main focus in this chapter is the fourth beast, an end-time empire with ten horns (kings or rulers) out of which a little horn came that uprooted three of the ten kings, and the description Daniel give us of this horn clearly points to the Antichrist himself (Vss.1-8).
We are told that the thrones of judgement were set in place and the Ancient of Days our Triune God took His seat and His awesome eternal indestructible power and countenance and the hosts of heaven are described.
The boastful horn the Antichrist and his beast empire were destroyed and slain and thrown into the blazing fire. The surviving nations will remain but be powerless (Vss.9-12). This will happen at the Second Coming of the Messiah our Lord Jesus.
In his vision Daniel also saw one like the son of man (the Lord Jesus) coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.
This is the Messianic reign in the age to come lasting for 1,000 years and then transitioning into eternity (Vss. 13-14). So then His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
As we review the rest of this chapter it is clear that it is related to the end times. The same indestructible kingdom is mentioned.
Now in the interpretation of the dream we are told that the four great beasts that arise in the world are four successive empires, however it is the saints of the Most High who receive the kingdom and possess it forever and ever (Vs.17-18). Once again we see the final and fourth beast empire and the horn mentioned earlier in this chapter, namely the Antichrist himself (Vss.19-20).
Now we notice something else about this horn and his beast empire. We are told that he was waging war against the saints which in light of both Testaments describe the persecution of faithful believers both in Israel including the faithful Body of Messiah.
It is interesting to note that the Islamic Jihadist mindset says “We kill the Jews on Saturdays and we kill the Christians on Sundays.” In the time of Great Tribulation the beast empire of the Antichrist will persecute Jews and Christians. The word “saints” is used in both Testaments to refer to all those who are faithful believers whether Jew or gentile, not just to the Jews exclusively (Revelation 13:5-8).
We are also told that the Antichrist was waging war against the saints and defeating them until the Ancient of Days came in the person of His Son the Lord Jesus who at His Second Coming would pronounce judgement on the Antichrist and his beast empire in favour of the saints of the Most High. Then we are told that the time came when they possessed the kingdom, being the Messianic kingdom of God on earth in the age to come where the saints will co-reign with the Messiah. Only then will there be Kingdom Dominion (Vss.21-22).
Then a further explanation was given to Daniel concerning this fourth beast empire, a kingdom that will in fact appear on earth different from all the other empires existing at that time on earth. This end-time empire will devour the whole earth trampling it down and crushing it (Vs.23).
Of the ten kings of this fourth beast empire three will be subdued by the king (Antichrist) who is different in that he has power over these kings. These ten kings are mentioned in the Book of Revelation having equal authority within the beast empire but giving their power and authority to the leader of the fourth this beast empire and its horn.
Together they will wage war against the Lamb, being our Lord Jesus and Israel’s Messiah, but the Lamb will overcome all of them because He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings- and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers (Revelation 17:12-14).
Now coming back to Daniel Chapter seven we see described again the same ten kings mentioned in Revelation and once again we are told of the three kings or horns that will be subdued by the main horn.
This horn, the Antichrist, we are told once again will speak against the Most High and oppress the saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to his power for a time, times and half a time (three and a half years, 42 months and 1,260 days. (Vss. 24-25) See also (Daniel 12:7).
He will, like Antiochus Epiphanes did, seek to change the Torah with its laws and customs and seek to impose pagan laws and customs on the Jewish people while at the same time persecuting faithful new Covenant believers.
We know from Revelation Chapter 12 that Satan the enormous red dragon living in the Antichrist along with the seven heads and the ten horns and seven crowns on their heads will not be able to eradicate Israel (the woman) or defeat the Jewish Messiah who has already defeated him (Revelation 12:1-6,13-16).
In a rage against the Lord Jesus and the nation of Israel and the Body of Messiah Satan goes off to make war by going after the rest of her spiritual offspring being the faithful Body of Messiah spiritually grafted into the Commonwealth of Israel, those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 12:17).
In Revelation Chapter 12 we also see believers overcoming Satan by the Blood of the lamb, by their word of testimony and not loving their lives so much as to shrink from death (Revelation 12:11). These are the same ones who John sees coming out of Great Tribulation and going to their heavenly reward (Revelation 7:14-17).
Then going back to Daniel Chapter seven we see the ultimate victory for the saints of the Most High. “But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him” (Vss. 26-27).
The Bible does not teach a kingdom now kingdom Dominion doctrine. Before the Lord Jesus returns to inaugurate the Messianic Kingdom of God the earth will be in an advanced stage of spiritual decay with the revealing of the Antichrist with his beast system of government persecuting Christians and Jews alike during the commencement of that time of great tribulation. This is not Kingdom Dominion as defined by NAR (Noe ICAL) or those who are teaching the seven mountain mandate. Only after the complete overthrow of the Antichrist and his beast system of government will the saints inherit the kingdom! Daniel clearly points this out.
The Lord Jesus said the last thing happening globally before His return will be the time of great tribulation unequalled in past history and never to be equalled again in the future. Who are you going to believe, the NAR/ICAL proponents or the Lord Jesus?
He said Himself; “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short” (Matthew 24:21-22).
So we gave seen that the Kingdom of God is here in this world at work in and through the Body of Messiah individually and corporately yet it isn’t an earthly kingdom that can be seen. However it will be openly manifested to the world as a visible kingdom on earth after the Messiah has returned, has destroyed all opposition, rescued Israel, and reigns from David’s throne in Jerusalem over the nations that survived His Second Coming (Isaiah 2:1-5) (Isaiah 9:6-7).
As we read in the gospel of Luke; “Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”(Luke 1:31-33).
This is that kingdom the prophet Daniel saw. This then is Biblical Kingdom Dominion for the saints of the Most High! So then we have seen from the Word of God that the Kingdom of God is now but not yet!
