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(2).
A kingdom which is the kingdom of the Lord.
The kingdom that immediately precedes the Millennium and could be called `The
Pre -Millennial kingdom' is called the kingdom of the Beast! and if David's
kingdom is in any sense a type of the future kingdom of Christ, that
too had a kingdom that preceded it, a kingdom that foreshadowed the kingdom
of the Beast, namely the Reign of Saul. Many there are who mistake the rider
of the white horse of Revelation 6:2 who is followed by war, famine and
death, for the rider of the white horse of Revelation 19:11, Who is followed
by the armies of heaven. May the Lord forbid that any of His saints who are
so eagerly looking for a Pre -Millennial kingdom to be set up in the absence
of Christ, shall be deceived by the apparent `peace and safety' of that false
reign.
The Pre -Millennial Kingdom
`The kingdoms of this world' (Rev. 11:15).
`His kingdom (see the throne of the beast) was full of darkness'
(Rev. 16:10).
`The ten horns ... are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as
yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast' (Rev. 17:12).
`Agree ... give their kingdom unto the beast' (Rev. 17:17).
`And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which
reigneth (lit. having kingship) over the kings of the earth' (Rev.
17:18).
Over against the kingdom of this world, of the Beast, of the scarlet
woman (Babylon) is placed
`The kingdom ... of Jesus Christ' (Rev. 1:9),
and upon the casting out of that old Serpent, called the Devil and
Satan which deceiveth the whole world, is heard a loud voice saying
`Now is come ... the kingdom of our God' (Rev. 12:9,10).
These passages exhaust the references that contain the Greek word
basileia. No other kingdoms appear but these two. The Pre -Millennial
kingdom so far as the Apocalypse is concerned is the kingdom of the Beast.
Revelation 12:9,10 is linked with Revelation 20:1,2, for in these two
passages we have the title, `that old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan';
in the first passage he is cast down to the earth, and is said to be he
`which deceiveth the whole world', and in Revelation 20:2,3 he is said to be
cast into the bottomless pit, `that he should deceive the nations no more,
till the thousand years should be fulfilled'.
(3)
The
Marriage
of
the
Lamb
(Rev. 19:7)
This is another Millennial context. This is associated in chapter 21
with the holy Jerusalem (Rev. 21:10). This city is called `New Jerusalem,
which cometh down out of heaven from My God' (Rev. 3:12), and is there
associated with the overcomer. While the twelve apostles have each a name in
one of the twelve foundations of this heavenly city, that does not prevent
them in the regeneration from sitting on twelve thrones, judging the twelve
tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28) any more than the fact that Abraham looked for
this heavenly city, will prevent him from sitting with those that shall come
from the east and west, in the kingdom of God. Neither will the fact that
the Saviour is to sit on the throne of His father David, prevent Him from
occupying a throne in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:3) or from being seated far
above all in heavenly places. Even the writer of these lines can sit at a