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The Kingdom Complete

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Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Apr 26, 1877

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 3, No. 17.

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The Kingdom Complete.

By James White

In a kingdom there are, necessarily, a king, subjects, territory, and government. The Sacred Scriptures speak of these component parts of the eternal kingdom of glory in plainest terms. Christ will be King, the immortal just will be the subjects, the whole earth restored from the curse will be the territory, and the holy city, Rev. 21:10–25, will be the metropolis and seat of government.
When Pilate inquired of Jesus, “Art thou a king?” he answered, “To this end was I born.” John 18:37. The import of this reply of the Son of God is more clearly seen by the light of these prophetic words: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever.” Isa. 9:6, 7.
The prophet takes in at a glance, as briefly expressed, the birth of Christ, his wonderful teachings, the might of his miracles, and his future reign as the “Prince of Peace,” which will have “no end.” The Jews applied the entire prophecy to their limited ideas of the coming of the Messiah. And most Christians of our time extend it but little beyond the work of grace in the present age. But the burden of the prophecy is certainly the future kingdom. It evidently touches the stream of time at the birth and life of Christ, and passes along down to the establishment of the immortal kingdom, and out to the eternal sea of Christ’s glorious reign.
The cheering declaration of the angel to anxious Mary is nearly a repetition of the words of the prophet, in announcing Christ as the King in the endless reign of future glory. After stating that his name should be called Jesus, he adds: “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest. 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.” Luke 1:32, 33.
Christ now reigns in the kingdom of divine grace in behalf of sinful men. But at the close of human probation he will deliver up the mediatorial kingdom to the Father, when the reign of grace and mercy for a lost world will end. “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet.” 1 Cor. 15:24, 25. He will then receive from the Father the eternal kingdom of glory. Says Daniel: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Chap. 7:13, 14. And the prophet speaks of the immortal and eternal subjects of this kingdom in these words: “But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” Verse 18.
But it is not until all the wicked of the earth shall be destroyed from off it that the immortal kingdom of glory will fill the whole renewed earth, which will be the eternal inheritance of the saints. Then will be fulfilled the words of David: “For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Ps. 37:10, 11. And it is to this same glory and reward that Christ points in his sermon on the mount, when he says: “Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.” Matt. 5:5.
The prophet Daniel is assured by the angel that “the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.” Chap. 7:27. And the great God, in response to the earnest prayer of Moses who was leading the children of Israel to the land of Canaan, the type of the kingdom of glory, says: “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.” Num. 14:21. Isaiah takes up the promise of the future reward and glory in these words: “The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Chap. 11:9. And another prophet repeats the promise in still stronger language: “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Hab. 2:14.

FITNESS FOR THE FUTURE KINGDOM.

But in order to enter the future kingdom of glory we must first be in the kingdom of grace, sharing all its blessings and privileges. The faithful John bears testimony which has direct bearing on this subject. He looked forward to the new heaven, and the new earth, and the holy city in the glorious restitution where there will be neither pain, sickness, sorrow, nor death, as the eternal kingdom of the redeemed. And yet he declared himself, while in the present state of tribulation, as being in the kingdom of Jesus Christ. “I John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle, that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev. 1:9. The beloved John was in the kingdom of grace.
And Paul, in delineating true Christian experience in his epistle to the Colossians, speaks of deliverance from the power of darkness, a redemption through Christ’s blood, and a translation into his kingdom which can apply only to the present probationary state. He sets forth the emancipation from the bondage of spiritual darkness into the light and liberty of the sons of God, and the attainments which believers may reach in fullness of spiritual understanding and of strength in order to a moral fitness to be partaker of the eternal inheritance, in words that should stir the soul and burn their way to every Christian heart.
“For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son; in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Col. 1:9–14. The words delivered, translated and redemption, may usually express transition to the immortal state; but in the foregoing quotation they express the power and work of grace in connection with the forgiveness of sins.
The moral fitness for the next life must be attained in this life. The last change to immortality is not a moral change. It is simply an exchange of the corruptible body for one that will be incorruptible. This is expressed by the apostle thus: “For our conversation is in Heaven from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.”
The exchange of the sinner’s vile nature for the glorious character of the Son of God must take place during the period of probation, while Christ pleads his blood before the Father on the sinner’s account. If this change does not take place while Christ is our mediator, the change of the vile body will not take place at his second advent. Now the sinner may, in obedience to the law of the Father, and by faith in the blood of the Son, attain to the moral fitness for the inheritance of the saints in light.
Our robes of character must be made pure before Christ lays off his garments of mediation, and puts on his kingly robes. Now we may wash and be clean; but when Christ’s mediation for sinners shall cease, it will then be said, “The time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22:10–12. And Peter exhorts: “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent, that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” 2 Pet. 3:14. This washing of the soul from the stains of sin demands diligence. Paul says that “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing.” Eph. 5:25–27.
And John sees the washed and glorified multitude, who had pressed their way to Christ and Heaven through the moral darkness of this world, and had come out of great tribulation into the kingdom of glory. “After this, I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” Rev. 7:9, 10. “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Verses 13, 14.
J. W.