In spite of all this, we must not make the mistake that many have done, that at the end of the Old Testament

Israel was cast off by the Lord. God's providential care was still over the apostate nation, for, as we have seen, they

were declared by God to be an eternal nation, at the very centre of His kingdom plan for the earth, and the specific

gracious promises given to the patriarchs concerning the seed and the land, cannot be fulfilled without them. No

amount of spiritualising will give an adequate fulfilment of these wonderful promises and moreover we see at the

end of Ezekiel's prophecy the glory of the Lord returning to Israel in exactly the same order as it left (Ezek. 43:1-7).

The prophet describes a temple that will yet be built and in it God declares that His glory will fill it (43:5) and He

adds concerning it:

`... the place of My throne, and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of

Israel for ever ...' (verse 7).

One thing should be abundantly clear and that is that God's earthly kingdom can never be established by human

effort. It awaits the time when the Lord Himself will write its laws in the hearts of its citizens through the New

Covenant made with Israel and Judah (Jer. 31:33) and when its Ruler will be none other than the Messianic King,

Christ Himself, perfect in character, wisdom and power. This will mean that God will once more intervene in

human affairs, just as He did at the exodus of Israel from Egypt and mount Sinai when the kingdom commenced. If

this is not true, then there is absolutely no hope whatsoever for this world. The Lord Jesus foretold a time of

unparalleled trouble world-wide, such as had never been experienced before and would never again be repeated,

declaring that unless God intervened, there would `no flesh be saved' (Matt. 24:15-22). In other words, man would

annihilate himself, and we know only too well that he now has the ability to do just this.

However He assures the disciples there will be divine intervention, and that is nothing less than His return to the

earth `with power and great glory' (verse 30). At long last the One Who is `King of kings and Lord of lords' will

bring the nightmare of man's sinful dominion to an end and for the first time since the fall of Adam mankind will

know what perfect rule and justice is, for `He will reign in righteousness' the world over.

CHAPTER THREE

It is a significant fact that, as the nation of Israel declined and slid backwards from the Lord and the truth committed

to them, the witness of the prophets grew, and in the darkness around them their testimony to the earthly kingdom of

God shone with increasing brightness. One thing is certain - God never leaves Himself without a witness.

However, when we examine the major and minor prophets of the Old Testament, we are confronted with such a

wealth of material, that it is not possible to give an exhaustive treatment of it in this volume. All we can do is to

note its main features and then ask ourselves, is this the kingdom that is carried forward into the New Testament, or

is something entirely different presented there?

Perhaps the most concise summing up of the divine purpose revealed in the prophetic Scriptures of the Old

Testament is found in Jeremiah 31:10:

`... He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock'.

There is abundant warning to Israel of God's judgment for their sin and backsliding. This meant that they would

lose the unique position they had been given as being the first nation on earth in the great kingdom purpose. But this

was to be for a limited if unspecified time only, for their forgiveness and restoration to that former position was

ensured by the New Covenant of grace and the unconditional promises made to the patriarchs concerning the seed

and the land with which we have dealt in previous chapters. Gentile nations are also dealt with, but only as they

come into contact with Israel and impinge upon the plan of God through them.

In considering the testimony of the Old Testament prophets concerning the kingdom of God and its future, we

must remind ourselves that this kingdom is not just spiritual or just material, but a blend of both, the spiritual side

being first and foremost. G.H.N. Peters expresses this in these words: