(3) The kingdom refers to the final perfect reign of God in the new heavens and earth at the end of the ages.

(4) The reign of God is in heaven and is now, during the present age. Entering the kingdom means going to

heaven after death.

(5) The kingdom is the rule of God in the minds of the regenerate during the present time. `The kingdom of God

is within you' (Luke 17:21) is the verse to which those who hold this view appeal.

(6) The kingdom of God is expressed in the visible church of this age. This is the standpoint of the Roman

Catholic church who regards her adherents as the only true members of this kingdom.

(7) The liberal `social' kingdom of the modernist which is expressed by the `social' gospel which teaches that

God's kingdom comes in the progressive improvement of mankind socially by whatever means used. Many

`leftists' who hold this view would even look on Russian communism, though stained with blood and

tyranny, as a step forward towards this goal. Much is made of the universal fatherhood of God and the

brotherhood of man. The early Socialists regarded socialism as an integral part of the gospel. Unfortunately

for them the former idea is completely unscriptural as is the so-called ability of man to bring this perfect

kingdom into existence by his own efforts. Two shattering world wars have dealt a severe blow to this

conception and shown its utter failure, but its adherents persist and their remedy is still larger doses of

Christless socialism!

We do not propose to stay and consider the modern eschatological ideas of the kingdom, either of Albert

Schweitzer or the school of Barth and Brunner. One says that Christ was mistaken in His conception of the kingdom

and the other that Christ put the kingdom above and beyond history. Neither of these will stand the test of Holy

Scripture and we write for those who believe 2 Timothy 3:16 with its assertion that the Bible is the Word of God,

both holy and `God-breathed', and is a divine revelation in which all that can be known of the kingdom of God is

found. It cannot be too strongly stressed that this kingdom is God's - He is the Originator and Designer of it and it

will be only by His almighty power that it will come to fruition as a glorious fact.

When we start to examine the Scriptures concerning this great subject, we cannot help noticing that sometimes

there appears to be a contradiction. Certain verses stress the kingdom of God as a present reality:

`Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in

the heaven and in the earth is Thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and Thou art exalted as Head over all'

(1 Chron. 29:11).

`The LORD (Jehovah) is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of His land' (Psa. 10:16).

`The LORD (Jehovah) hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all' (Psa. 103:19).

Others regard the establishment of the kingdom as future. In Daniel 2 we have the account of the colossal image

of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. When Daniel, under the enlightenment of God, explains the meaning, he describes four

successive kingdoms, three of which were future and these were suddenly destroyed by a `stone cut without hands'

i.e. not by a human being. This stone finally became a great mountain and filled the whole earth (Dan. 2:35). This

is further elaborated in verse 44:

`In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed ... it shall

break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever' (verse 44).

Yet at the same time Nebuchadnezzar was humbled and brought to realise that `the heavens (i.e. God) do rule'

(Dan. 4:25, 26). How do we account for this? We must certainly not regard these as two separate kingdoms which

are opposed to each other. Rather it is two phases of the same kingdom. God has never abdicated His position as

the almighty Ruler of His universe in spite of the rebellion and opposition of created beings like Satan and fallen

men. As we have stated before, it is an integral part of the great purpose of the ages in Christ Jesus (Eph. 3:8-11) to

righteously eliminate sin and death from creation so that the kingdom of God which is a reality in heaven may

become manifest over the whole creation which includes the earth.

At the present time we have sin, death and open rebellion against God as far as the earth is concerned and these

must be removed before that glorious time envisaged by the prophets comes to pass when `the earth shall be filled

with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea' (Hab. 2:14), when war will be removed

and universal peace takes its place, `when nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war