God's Grace For Such a Time As This

(Daniel 2:44 KJV) And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

God is going to set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. In the book of Daniel it tells of kingdoms that have been destroyed. There were four kingdoms at the time Daniel was written: Babylon, Medes and Persian, Greek and Roman. We need to know that God will establish his kingdom on earth. Since God will establish this kingdom we can call it the Kingdom of God. We find this term predominate in the Gospels of Luke and Mark.

Good News Concerning the Kingdom

(Luke 8:1 KJV) And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,

The kingdom of God can also be called the Kingdom of heaven. We find this term predominate in the Gospel of Matthew.

(Matthew 4:17 KJV) From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The kingdom that is mentioned in Daniel 2:44 is the kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven. This kingdom will stand forever.

Israel Promised Land

(Deuteronomy 11:21 KJV) That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.

This "your" in this verse refers to ancient Israel. Notice the term as the days of heaven on the earth.

The Kingdom message is the "good news" that God will put his rule in the earth.

(Zechariah 14:9 KJV) And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

God's authority will be over all the earth.

Is there opposition to God setting His Kingdom on earth?

Satan Wants to Rule

(Isaiah 14:12-14 KJV) How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! {13} For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: {14} I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

This passage contains Lucifer's five "I will's":

1. I will ascend into heaven.
2. I will exalt my throne above the stars.
3. I will sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.
4. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds
5. I will be like the Most High God.

Here we can see that Satan will try to keep God from setting up His kingdom. Satan says he will self-exalt himself. He says he will exalt his throne. What is a throne? It is a place in which one rules, it has a location, it has an identifiable structure. A throne is a real position of governmental authority. Satan wants to exalt his throne above the stars of God. The stars of God can be either the physical stars or the angels. Satan wants to sit on the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north because this is the place in the universe where spiritual beings give account to God.

(Job 1:6 KJV) Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

(Job 2:1 KJV) Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

Satan wants to show himself to be superior above all other created beings. When he says he will ascend above the heights of the clouds he is saying he will rise above all creation and creatures. Satan ends with "I will be like the Most High God".

Most High God

(Genesis 14:18-19 KJV) And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. {19} And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

The summation of Satan's evil plan is to be like the Most High God, to end up possessing all creation. Melchizedek was a priest of the most High God, Abram of the most High God, possessor of heaven and earth.

What Satan hopes to accomplish is to possess the heaven and earth; this will make him "like the Most High God." If Satan succeeds then God would be prevented in setting up His throne (Dan 2:44). Lucifer goal is to rule heaven and earth. One who possesses something has ownership of it and there can rule over his possessions.

Has there been other opposition to God setting up His kingdom?

Man's Kingdoms

(Genesis 1:27-28 KJV) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. {28} And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

God gave authority to Adam and Eve to bring forth God's dominion over all the earth. In Chapter 3, we see that man joins Satan. Lucifer won man's loyalty. Man is born of Adam's loins therefore our natural loyalty is to Lucifer. Adam and Eve made God's word less of authority. Satan convinced them that God's word was not the final authority. For something to be final authority it cannot be in error.

(Genesis 3:4-5 KJV) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: {5} For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

What Satan really did in these verses is that he raised up in the mind of Adam and Eve a competing authority. He contradicted what the final authority said, "Ye shall surely die."

Adam chose to give his loyalty to a competing authority. Adam willfully sinned, but Eve was deceived.

(Genesis 10:8 KJV) And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

Here we see Ham's descendents. Nimrod, the beginning of his kingdom was Babel. This was the beginning of the uniting of all mankind under the leadership of one government. This was not God's plan for the kingdom on earth. God was displeased with this unification of men and brought judgment, the scattering of men due to different languages. The kingdoms of men stand in opposition to God's kingdom.

Course of this world

(Ephesians 2:1-3 KJV) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: {2} Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: {3} Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

The course of this world is according to the prince of the power of the air. Every kingdom of men follows the course of the world, which is according to Lucifer.

(2 Corinthians 4:4 KJV) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

(John 12:31 KJV) Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

(John 14:30 KJV) Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

(John 16:11 KJV) Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Man's kingdoms are all under Satan's plan.

(Luke 4:1-2 KJV) And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, {2} Being forty days tempted of the devil...

(Luke 4:5-6 KJV) And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. {6} And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

Lucifer was so confident in his 5 "I wills" that he approached Jesus to tempt him with the earthly kingdoms.

God's Response To The Opposition

The kingdom of God mentioned in Daniel 2:44 has satanic and human opposition. What was God's response to the mass of humanity that opposed God's plan?

(Genesis 12:1-3 KJV) Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: {2} And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: {3} And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Circumcision vs Uncircumcision

God called out a man called Abram and Abram departed in obedience. God separated Abram and his children for the purpose of establishing His kingdom.

(Genesis 17:4-8 KJV) As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. {5} Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. {6} And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. {7} And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. {8} And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

We see that Abram's name changes as it relates to God establishing a covenant with him.

(Genesis 17:9-14 KJV) And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. {10} This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. {11} And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. {12} And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. {13} He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. {14} And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

The sign of circumcision was given as a token of that covenant. In verse 14 we see that the uncircumcised were cut off from his people. The difference between the circumcised and the uncircumcised is noted here. It is through the circumcised people that God will establish his kingdom on earth.

In these verses we need to note three things:

1. They, Abraham and his seed, will be God's people. (The uncircumcised are not God's people.)
2. The circumcised will have God of heaven, not Lucifer as their God.
3. They will dwell in the land forever.

Friends and Enemies of God

The Gentiles took the wrong course; they are following Lucifer's plan.

(Genesis 22:15-18 KJV) And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, {16} And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: {17} That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; {18} And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Here we see that the circumcised will possess the gates of their enemies (the uncircumcised).

Note these key words in this passage:

The friends and enemies are set within the confines of God setting up His kingdom on earth.

(Isaiah 41:8 KJV) But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

(James 2:23 KJV) And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Abraham was a friend of God. The purpose of God was to show His faithfulness in setting apart Abraham.

There is a threefold provision in Abraham and his seed:

1. They will be God's people.
2. God will be their God.
3. They will dwell in the land.

God established other covenants with His people and they all contain these three elements: people, God, land. The other covenants include the Mosaic covenant, the New Testament, the everlasting covenant. All the covenants relate to God's contract with Abraham and his seed. But that does not mean that Israel obeyed God. That is why God gave Israel a New Covenant, because Israel broke the old.

We are the image of Adam. When Adam sinned he lost the image of God, but God is still faithful to His purpose to establish His kingdom of heaven on earth.

1. God wanted to have the kingdom of heaven on earth.
2. There was opposition to that purpose.
3. God chose Abraham to bring in this kingdom.

Is Jesus Christ a minister of the circumcision?

(Romans 15:8 KJV) Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:

In the four Gospels we see Christ ministering to Abraham's seed, the circumcision. Paul tells us how to view the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, as minister of the circumcision. So we are not to follow Christ as in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. (Those four gospel accounts are the record of God fulfilling His plan through Abraham to set up His kingdom on earth.)

(Matthew 1:1 KJV) The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Matthew describes Jesus as the Son of David, the son of Abraham. It is to show that as the son of David He is a rightful heir to the throne that God contracted to set up His kingdom.

(2 Samuel 7:16 KJV) And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

Matthew stresses "son of Abraham" because what good would a throne be without a country to put it in. Christ is the rightful heir to the throne in the kingdom on earth. Christ's earthly ministry is consistent with Daniel 2:44 and all the other covenants that were made, that a kingdom would be established on earth.

Gentiles, the uncircumcised, not included in earthly ministry of Christ

(Matthew 15:22-24 KJV) And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. {23} But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. {24} But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Why did Jesus not answer the woman? Because she was a Gentile woman, an enemy of God. Jesus knew His purpose, He knew what He needed to confirm-the truth. At that time, an uncircumcised Gentile could only be blessed of God through the nation of Israel; one had to become a Jew in order to receive anything from God. He had a purpose in mind-setting up His Kingdom on earth.

(Luke 13:11-12 KJV) And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. {12} And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

Here this woman did not ask anything of Jesus. In fact, Jesus called her to him. This woman was a friend of God. As a daughter of Abraham, Jesus went to her and loosed her from her infirmity. 

Summary

The Kingdom message is the focus of the four gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These four gospel accounts show Jesus as a minister of the circumcision, the friends of God. His earthly ministry was to confirm, to the nation of Israel, God's promise to Abraham to set up an earthly kingdom. 

The Gentiles were considered enemies of God during this time.