The Kingdom of God
1. The Kingdom of God defined
The Kingdom of God is where God reigns, where His rules are followed, where His will is expressed
perfectly. If this were not so, then God could not be said to fully reign there.
When we look at the physical world around us, we perceive that there is pain, physical suffering,incompleteness, disease and death. This has been called the “problem of pain”. Many have used thisobservation to refute that there is a good god, since God would appear to be the author of suffering, or atleast to allow it.
The truth is not that God’s will is evil, but rather that the world does not perfectly express God’s will.
We know this because God’s reign is consummated with the creation of a New Heavens and New Earthwhere there is no more suffering and death – where He wipes away every tear from our eyes – where His
perfect will is realized.
What this means, by implication, is that our physical world is currently ruled by another, and its
deformities, diseases and suffering are the engineered works of that other. The New Heaven and NewEarth are the answer to the “problem of pain”, and explain that the origin of this suffering, disease anddeath is not God.
So the Kingdom of God, is the restoration of the reign of God over the physical world.

2. Christ and the Kingdom of God
When the New Testament refers to the Kingdom of God, it refers to the reign of the Messiah. This beganwith Christ’s death and resurrection when all authority in heaven and on earth was given to him. But it
will be consummated with the millennium when Christ uses his authority to establish a government onearth, then later with the New Heavens and New Earth, when the dead are resurrected by Christ to a newlevel of physical life, and the Heavens and Earth are restored.
The Resurrection of Christ showed that He is the first fruits, the firstborn – a first instance of a New
Heavens and Earth – demonstrated in His elevation to a higher level of physical existence – his conquestof death.
It seems that the heavens and earth are restored by Christ.
It’s as if God was invading His own creation that had fallen into enemy hands - establishing a footholdand foundation for His Kingdom through Christ – then gathering His people – those wanting to follow
His commandments – and recruiting others to His cause. People are allowed to take sides - the Wheat
and the Tares. Then, at an appointed time God destroys the enemy and establishes His kingdom on earth.

3. Daniel and the Kingdom of God
A. The Kingdom of God Follows the Demise of the Globalist Empires
Daniel’s vision of the golden statue shows that it consists of a sequence of globalist empires – that is theBabylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman.
“You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue – an enormous dazzling statue, awesomein appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly andthighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.”“This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. You, O king, are the king of kings. The
God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory .. You are that head of gold.
After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next a third kingdom, one of bronze, will ruleover the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron – for iron breaks and smashes
everything – and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others.”
Similarly, in Revelations, the Beast is an amalgamation of the empires in Daniel, but is identified moststrongly with the Roman Empire.
B. The Beast is Associated with a Currency – GoldIn Daniel, theses empires are represented as a statue made of precious metals (currency). Similarly, inRevelations the Beast is identified by the number 666. In the Old Testament the only occurrence of 666
is in reference to the gold of Solomon.
C. The Destruction of the Globalist Empire is Brought about by a Rock
These empires in Daniel are shattered by a rock – which may be a reference to the meteor in Revelations
that ends the kingdom of the beast.
The rock that shatters the statue in Daniel is not cut out by human hands, implying that the end of thebeast is not brought about by human agency, but rather by a natural or supernatural agency.
“While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet ofiron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken
to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept
them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled
the whole earth”
A “rock not cut out, but not by human hands” suggests that the rock was cut out - unnatural – perhaps
having straight edges, but not made by human beings. It appeared unexpectedly. The Rock strikes thefeet, meaning that it impacts what was the Roman Empire – mainly effecting Europe. Most likely it will
strike Western Europe – which consisted of 10 kingdoms or 10 toes.
When the rock struck the feet of the statue, the whole statue crumbled because the globalist empire has
its foundation in Europe. The feet are the foundation of the statue, just as Europe is the foundation of theglobalist empire. Once Europe is gone, the globalist empire crumbles.
This rock grows into a mountain. Once again, this references Revelations, where a rock, like a “burningmountain”, impacts the earth.
The idea of a mountain suggests the mountain upon which Moses received the Law, and Mountain ofthe Lord where people go to worship God.
D. After the rock destroys the kingdom of the Beast, the Kingdom of God is Established
Daniel states that the Kingdom of God is established after the destruction of the Kingdom of the Beast.
“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, norwill it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it willitself endure forever.”“… The great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain,
and its interpretation is sure”
Revelations goes into more detail. After the meteor impacts, the Abyss is unlocked, and entities arise.
They torment people for 5 months. These entities take possession of the armies of the Kings of the Eastand their leaders, and a third of the population is killed by the resulting atrocities.
Perhaps a devastated and disarmed Europe proves too tempting for the Kings of the East (possibly China,Russia and maybe India). They launch a huge ground invasion numbering many millions. They cross theEuphrates and gather at Armageddon – where they are met in battle with Christ and defeated.
Then Christ assumes global government – establishing the Kingdom of God.

4. Daniel, Atonement and Resurrection
23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; forthou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression,and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlastingrighteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and tobuild Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: thestreet shall be built again, and the wall, even in troubled times.
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people ofthe prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with aflood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shallcause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall makeit desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Counting from the date of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, Daniel is told that there will
be seventy weeks of years –• to repent (finish transgression and make an end of sin)
• atone for sins, (make reconciliation for iniquity)• until the last prophet (to seal up vision and prophecy)
There will be 69 weeks until the Messiah comes. Then the Messiah will be killed, and the people ofthe prince that shall come (the Romans) will destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, and bring to an end thetemple sacrifices and oblations
Fulfillment
The decree to rebuild Jerusalem was issued in 457 B.C., and 69 x 7 years later brings us to 26 A.D. –the date when Jesus the Messiah commenced his ministry. Jesus preached repentance (an end to sin)and forgiveness (atonement for sin), and he was the last prophet. He was cut off (put to death bycrucifixion)
After His death, Vespasian, the prince of the Roman people, destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple,
raising both to the ground.
The final destruction of Jerusalem took place during the 7 year war between the Jews and the Romans,in the midst of which, after 3.5 years, the Romans destroyed the Temple causing the cessation ofsacrifice and oblation. The 7 year war ended in 74 A.D. with the slaughter of the remaining Jewish
survivors at Masada.
Atonement
That the Messiah came to atone for sins is evident also from the timing of His ministry – at the end of
70 sevens of years.
Many years before the Jewish Captivity, Moses had recorded God’s commandments – one of which
was the keeping of the Sabbath and the seven-year sabbatical cycle.
"At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Everycreditor shall cancel the loan he made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment fromhis fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD's time for cancelling debts has beenproclaimed. If a fellow Hebrew, a man or woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years,
in the seventh year you must let him go free." DEUT 15 v 1-12
"If you buy a Hebrew servant he is to serve you for 6 years but in the seventh year he shall go
free, without paying anything." EXOD 21 v 2The Commandments also established a Year of Jubilee. Every seven sabbaths of years - or seventimes seven years, a special year of ATONEMENT was to be proclaimed throughout the Land. It
was a special year of LIBERTY when each person was to return home to his family and property.
"Count off seven Sabbaths of years - seven times seven years - so that the seven Sabbaths ofyears amount to a period of 49 years. Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenthday of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land.
Consecrate the 50th year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all it's inhabitants. It shallbe a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his ownclan." LEVITICUS 25 v 8
So the prophecy itself indicated that the Messiah came to atone for sins by setting the arrival of theMessiah at the end of a period of seventy ‘sevens’“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there will be atime of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time yourpeople - everyone whose name is found written in the book - will be delivered. Multitudes who sleepin the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.”
This passage adds some extra details. This will be a time of resurrection to everlasting life. After Jesus’resurrection He was given all authority in Heaven and on Earth, and with such authority, theestablishment of the Kingdom of God would be a future certainty.