"Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.  For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet.  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." 1 Corinthians 15:24-26

Before our Lord ascended on high and He was seen of the disciples for forty days speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. The disciples asked Him saying, "Lord wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel (see Acts 1:6)? How is it that men can embrace the notion that the Lord Christ shall sit on an earthly throne of David in the city of Jerusalem ruling and reigning over an unholy and sinful world? Could anything be more far fetched? God preached the good news of the gospel by the Spirit of Christ since there was a man on earth.  That preaching clearly promised the forthcoming of the Promised One. There was likewise promised earthly blessings to those that obeyed the Lord. The Spirit declares the good news of God's goodness and the earthly responsibly of the recipients of God's grace to manifest goodness on earth or suffer the consequences. So it is today as well. The preaching of the grace of God without the exhortation to obey the gospel would only paint half the masterpiece of God's goodness. God has a place in this world too for His people!

Today, as yesterday there are some that find it incredible that the King has His Kingdom on earth. They preach of the "millennial kingdom" which God shall bring down from heaven. That is far from the Scriptural Kingdom, according to Scriptures. That Kingdom shall not come down but rather shall be delivered up. There is a city signified in The Revelation. There we read that John saw the holy city coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride. That passage continues on to declare that the tabernacle of God is with men. And He will dwell with them and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God. God has such a tabernacle today, His Church. He dwells with His people today in them the hope of glory and the head of the Church.  It is evident God is their God for they obey Him. Today there are still women at the well that worship "they know not what" and believe they are true worshippers. They have made mountains out of their worldly services. They have fabricated their worship services. These believe that they can worship God their way until the King and His Kingdom comes down from heaven. Until the Lord descends and established that alleged millennial kingdom I suppose these believe that they have liberty to worship God any way as long as they "faithfully" worship God.  Just what is the rule of that faith and order?  If it is the Scriptures then how shall they justify their departures?  These are not they whom the Father seeketh. These are they that seek out others to worship the Father in a way that seems right to them.

Those that await this alleged millennial kingdom must be deceived. Why would our Lord fail to give his obedient children a place in this world when He has given them a place all through history? Has God blessed His people with less or more today? Now that the Father has sent His only begotten Son in the fullness of time to save His people from their sins shall he forsake the blessing that He always gave to his children in this world? When God made Adam and Eve, He planted a garden and placed them there. It would be their home as long as they were obedient to the heavenly words commanded of them. In the day that they disobeyed they were put out. Abram was called out of the Chaldees to a country that God would show him. And when Abram obeyed God, God indeed showed Abram the land. And He brought him forth abroad, and said, "Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.  And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness. And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it" (see Gen 15:5-7)? God gave Abram a heavenly hope and an earthly place to dwell. Notice how Abram believed Lord pertaining to his seed, but Abram wanted more evidence of an earthly home. God commanded that Abram "Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not."  … "And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land" (see Gen 15:9&10, & 17-18). See the blood sacrifice? That was for the assurance of an earthly blessing of the land under consideration. Notice God's depiction before Abram. A smoking furnace and a burning lamp, the same that was typified when the Lord lead Moses and the Israel out of Egypt? When these were brought out of Egypt they were not brought out to heaven and immortal glory, but rather to the promised land. Who entered into that promised land? Was it not only those that did wholly follow the Lord (see Numbers 32:11&12)?

 God has always purposed an earthly place to dwell for those that He loves. Now that God has given us a better covenant (Heb. 8:6), and a better testament (Heb. 7:22), and better promises (Heb18:6), and a better hope (Heb7:19), and assurance of a better and enduring substance in heaven (Heb. 8:6), has He left us as pilgrims and strangers in this world with no consolation in Christ, and no comfort of love, with no fellowship of the Spirit, with no mercies? Can our joy be full without the company of the likeminded whom are blessed to have the same love, being of one accord, of one mind (see Phil. 2:1&2)? I could think of nothing sadder than something like this: God has saved the elect for heaven and immortal glory because He is gracious. God loved the elect before the world began and predestinated them to be conformed to the image of His Son, But God hasn't loved the elect enough to provide a place for them in this world. So endure until the end. By and by He will lower New Jerusalem from the heavens! That is not what Jesus told the Gadarene who would have continued following him. Our Lord said, "Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee." The world had already concluded that this Gadarene was a madman. His testimony of the great things that God had done would no doubt have been received as more evidence of his insanity. But by the grace of God that Gadarene has a place that he can call his own home in this world. Everyone in that home can show what great things God has done unto them. That place in this world is His Kingdom, His Church. God has himself a family of faith in this world. He said, "Behold my mother and my brethren!  For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother" (Mark 3:34&35. I'm glad that I'm not waiting for the falling city. 12/14/2005 Elder M. Hoogasian