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#2.
Earth.
pp. 92 - 96
In our opening article (pages 75-79) we established the fact that Scripture speaks of
three distinct spheres of blessing but left unexamined the terms used to define them. To
this we now address ourselves and begin at the lowest, the one with which we are all
familiar, "The earth". In the near context of Matt. 5: 5, which speaks of the meek who
shall inherit the earth, we learn of a kingdom which is yet to be set up on the earth: "Thy
Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." (Matt. 6: 10). In that
prophecy of His second coming, The Revelation, one of the titles of the Lord is: "The
Prince of the Kings of the earth" (Rev. 1: 5). The extent of this kingdom is defined in
Psalm 72:: "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the
ends of the earth." And again in Psalm 2: 8: "Ask of Me and I will give Thee the
heathen, Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth, Thy possession." Yet
again, the prophet Zechariah says:
"He shall speak peace unto the heathen: and His dominion shall be from sea even to
sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth" (Zech. 9: 10).
Moreover, in The Revelation we read:
"The seventh angel sounded: and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ: and He
shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 11: 15).
This kingdom on the earth will have an administrative centre:
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall
be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all
nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up
to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us His
ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word
of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isa. 2: 3).
This is supplemented by Zechariah the prophet:
"And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came
against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of
hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be that whoso will not come up of
all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even
upon them shall be no rain" (Zech. 14: 16, 17).
It will be seen by the two later references from Isaiah and Zechariah that not only is
the city of Jerusalem represented as the capital of the kingdom, but also as the centre of
worship, and this is in harmony with the destiny of Israel, when that nation is at length
saved, for Israel is to be a kingdom of priests unto God (Rev. 1: 6). They will be made so
under the New Covenant and the blood of Christ, in fulfillment of the original purpose of