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| Earl Gillespie |
THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB.
THE KINGDOM
THE KINGDOM
The "Marriage" of the Church is prophetically
referred to by Jesus in the Parable of the "Marriage of the King's
Son" (Mt 22:1-14), and is consummated in Re 19:7-9--
"Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to Him; for
the `Marriage of the Lamb' is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And
to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white;
for the fine linen is the righteousness of Saints. And he saith unto me, write
Blessed are they which are called unto the MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB."
Notice that it does not say the "Marriage of the
Bride," but the "Marriage of the LAMB." That grand event will be
not so much the consummation of the hopes of the Bride, as it will be the
consummation of the plan of God for His Son, arranged for before the foundation
of the World. Eph 1:4. The "Marriage of the Lamb" is the consummation
of the joy of Christ as a MAN. It would not have been possible if Christ had
not been born in the flesh. Otherwise it would have been the union of
"dissimilar natures" for the "Bride" is of "human
origin." This is why Jesus took His "human nature" back with Him
to Heaven, and today we have in Heaven the MAN Christ Jesus. 1Ti 2:5.
While the "Bride" was chosen for Christ
"before the foundation of the world," the "espousal" could
not take place until Christ assumed humanity and ascended to Heaven as the Man
Christ Jesus. There have been many long betrothals, but Christ's has been the
longest on record. He has been waiting for His Bride nearly 2000 years, but He
will not have to wait much longer. Soon Heaven shall resound with the cry--
"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him, for
the Marriage of the Lamb is Come." Re 19:7.
II. THE KINGDOM
It is clear from the Scriptures that God has been trying to
set up a "visible" Kingdom on this earth ever since the creation of
man, to whom He gave dominion. Ge 1:26-28. But that dominion was lost by the
"Fall," and Satan set himself up as the "Prince of this
World." Mt 4:8-10; Joh 14:30. In the "Call of Abraham" God took
the first step toward the setting up of a visible Kingdom on this earth, which
assumed an outward form in the "Jewish Commonwealth" under Moses, but
the plan was blocked by the Jews losing their "National Existence" at
the time of the Babylonian Captivity B. C. 606, and the beginning of the
"Times of the Gentiles." But when 600 years of the "Times of the
Gentiles" had run their course, God again made a move to set up the
Kingdom, and the angel Gabriel announced to Mary the Birth of the King. Lu
1:26-33. Thirty years later the King's forerunner, John the Baptist, announced
that the Kingdom was "at hand" Mt 3:1-2), and when the King
manifested Himself to Israel He Himself made the same announcement (Mt
4:17-23), and later He sent out the "Twelve" (Mt 10:7), and the
"Seventy" (Lu 10:1-9), to proclaim the same thing. But the King was
rejected and crucified, and the setting up of the Kingdom was postponed, and the
Kingdom took on its "Mystery Form" under the name of the "Kingdom
of Heaven."
There are some who object to what they call the
"Postponement Theory," and claim that the Kingdom which was "At
Hand" was not an outward visible Kingdom, but a spiritual Kingdom, and
that it was not withdrawn but is seen today in "New Born" believers.
They base their claim on the fact that the earthly visible Kingdom of Christ
could not be set up until after He had suffered and died on the Cross as the
Saviour of men, and had risen from the dead, and ascended to the Father and
received the Kingdom, and that therefore the offer of an outward visible and
earthly Kingdom at that time was not a "bona fide" offer, and that
John the Baptist and Jesus must have meant by the "Kingdom of Heaven"
something else than an outward visible and earthly Kingdom. What are the facts?
First, that the Old Testament scriptures teach that there is to be an earthly
and visible Kingdom over which the Son of Man is to rule (Da 7:13-14;
2:34-35,44-45; Jer 23:5; Zec 14:9), and we know that at the time of Jesus'
birth there was a widespread expectation of the coming of the Messiah, and that
Simeon and Anna waited in the Temple for the "Consolation of Israel."
Lu 2:25-38. We are also told that "Wise Men" came from the East to
Jerusalem inquiring "Where is He that is born KING OF THE JEWS?" and
when they had found Jesus they worshipped Him as KING. Mt 2:1-11. There can be
no question but that Jesus was born to be a KING. It was not until Jesus was 30
years old that John the Baptist appeared at the Jordan preaching-- "Repent
ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is AT HAND." Mt 3:2. And we are told that
his mission was to "Prepare the Way of the Lord." Mt 3:3; Isa 40:3.
Prepare the way of the Lord for what? Not for the "Cross" but the
"Kingdom." John's message had no meaning to those who heard him and
were looking for the setting up of the "Messianic Kingdom," if he did
not mean by the "Kingdom of Heaven" an outward and visible earthly
Kingdom. That John so believed is evident from the question he sent his
disciples while in prison to ask Jesus-- "Art Thou He that should come or
do we look for another?" Mt 11:3. The fact that Jesus answered John's
question by a number of miracles of healing, which are the "signs" of
the Messianic Kingdom (Isa 35:1-10), and were proofs of Christ's Messiahship,
and told John's disciples to so report, is proof that both John and Jesus had
in mind the earthly Messianic Kingdom when they proclaimed that the
"Kingdom of Heaven was AT HAND." It was the "Kingdom of
Heaven," not because it was a Heavenly or Spiritual Kingdom, but because
it was not received from men, but was given from Heaven by God the Father.
While it is true that John the Baptist pointed out to two of
his own disciples Jesus as the "Lamb of God" (Joh 1:29), this was
after Jesus' return from the "Wilderness Temptation," and had been
revealed to John at the Baptism of Jesus, and does not nullify or alter the
character of his previous proclamation that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.
We must not forget that as soon as Jesus was baptised He was "immediately"
driven into the Wilderness to be tempted of the Devil (Mt 4:1-11; Mr 1:11-13),
and it was not until 40 days after His Baptism that John pointed out to his
disciples Jesus as "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world." The words "next day" (Joh 1:29) refer not to the day
after Jesus' Baptism, but the next day after the Priests and Levites had
inquired of John whether he was the Christ or Elias. Joh 1:19-28. In Joh
1:32-34, John the Baptist testifies that he knew not Jesus as the "Lamb of
God" until His Baptism. Then he knew by the descent of the Holy Spirit in
the form of a dove upon Christ that He was the "SON OF GOD."
Therefore John the Baptist knew nothing about Christ's sacrificial work at the
beginning of his ministry, and his proclamation that the Kingdom of Heaven was
at hand could have had no reference to a Spiritual Kingdom.
When Nathanael exclaimed-- "Rabbi, Thou art the Son of
God; Thou art the KING OF ISRAEL" (Joh 1:49), Jesus did not disclaim the
title. When Jesus entered on His own ministry His message was the same as John
the Baptist's-- "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is AT HAND." Mt
4:17. The repentance called for was a "NATIONAL REPENTANCE." The Old
Testament scriptures clearly teach that the Messianic Kingdom cannot be set up
until Israel as a nation REPENTS. In Mt 4:23 we read-- "And Jesus went
about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the `Gospel of
The Kingdom.'" While this was attended with "signs of bodily
healing" we are nowhere told that the "Gospel of the Kingdom"
had anything to do with the salvation of the soul, and as it is to be preached
again after the Rapture of the Church for a "witness" unto all
nations, that the time has come for the setting up of the Kingdom (Mt 24:14)
the inference is that the "Gospel of the Kingdom" has nothing to do
with "salvation," but is simply an announcement that the
"Messianic Kingdom" is AT HAND.
When Jesus sent forth the Twelve Disciples He commanded
them, saying, "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of
the Samaritans enter ye not; but go rather to the 'lost sheep' of the HOUSE OF
ISRAEL, and as ye go, preach, saying-- 'The Kingdom of Heaven is AT HAND.' Heal
the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils (demons)."
Mt 10:5-8. Note again that the works they were to perform were "Kingdom
SIGNS," and had no reference to the salvation of the soul. They did not
preach the "Gospel of Salvation," but the "Gospel of the
Kingdom." And further the "Gospel of Salvation" is for the whole
world, but the Disciples were forbidden to go to any but the "House of
Israel," thus showing that what they preached was exclusively for Israel.
That the Disciples were expecting the setting up of a visible earthly Kingdom
is evidenced by the request of James and John that they might sit, one on the
right hand, and the other on the left hand of Jesus in His Kingdom. Mr
10:35-41. If there was to be no earthly Kingdom Jesus would have disabused
their minds of that idea, but He confirmed it by saying that the place of honor
was not for Him to give, but would be bestowed by His Father. Mt 20:23.
The fact that after the miracle of the "Loaves and Fishes" the multitude was desirous to take Jesus by force and make Him a KING (Joh 6:15), reveals what they understood by the preaching of the Kingdom of Heaven being AT HAND. That Jesus prevented their doing so by escaping to a mountain is no evidence that He repudiated the idea of Kingship over a visible earthly Kingdom, but that to have received the Kingdom from them would have been wrong, for He is to receive the Kingdom from the FATHER, and not from men. Da 7:13-14. That Jesus did not deny His Kingship of an outward and visible earthly Kingdom is clear from the fact that He accepted the "Hosannahs" of the multitude when He rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy of Zec 9:9. Joh 12:12-15. And it was as "King OF THE JEWS" He was crucified. Mt 27:37. When Pilate asked Jesus-- "Art Thou the King of the JEWS?" He evaded the question, but admitted that He was a KING, and to that end had been born, but that His Kingdom was "not of this world," that is, it would be given to Him by God the Father, and therefore would be from Heaven. Joh 18:33-37.
NEXT
Continuing With
THE KINGDOM
THE KINGDOM IN MANIFESTION
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