The Government of God

by John Taylor

The kingdom of God, as I have already stated, is the government of God, whether in the heavens, or on the earth. Hence Jesus taught his disciples to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven." And when the kingdom of God is established on the earth, and prevails universally, then will the will of God be done on earth, and not till then; then will the reign of God exist on the earth, as it now does in heaven. It is this reign we are speaking of, a reign of righteousness. But whenever God's laws are established, or his kingdom is organized, and officers selected, and men yield obedience to the laws of the kingdom of God; to such an extent does God's kingdom prevail. John preached the kingdom of God, or, heaven nigh at hand. Jesus said, the kingdom of heaven is within you. Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a husbandman who sowed wheat, and when he went to his field, he found tares also. Matt. xiii. Now what was this field? The field was the world, or in other words, God's rightful possession, where he ought to govern; the good seed are the children of the kingdom, or those who receive and obey the laws of the kingdom of heaven. The tares are the children of the wicked one; or those who rebel against God and his laws. The tares are to be gathered out of his kingdom, and burned; and then are the righteous to shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Again, the kingdom of Heaven is likened unto a treasure that a man found in a field, and sold all his possessions, in order that he might possess himself of that field and treasure; and a pearl of great price, for which a man did likewise; thus Abraham, Noah, Lot, Moses, and many of the Prophets purchased this treasure at the sacrifice of all things. And why? They discovered the pearl, the treasure, and had respect unto the recompense of reward; enduring as seeing him who is invisible. And what was it all for? For the purpose of obtaining present blessings, earthly enjoyments, the pleasures of sense? No! they all died in faith not having received the promises; but having seen them afar off; they knew of the treasure, and sold all for it; they "looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Wherefore it is said, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city. They looked for a reign of righteousness—the government of God—they were inspired with the same hope as that of all the Prophets who had prophesied since the world begun, viz., the hope of the restitution of all things. John the Baptist, and Jesus would have introduced the kingdom; but the people would not have it; still, as the apostle John says, to as many as did believe, "to them gave he power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." John i. 12. They became sons of God. Yes, say some spiritually, and I say literally too. They made a literal covenant with God to keep his laws; they were administered to literally by officers of the kingdom of God; they believed literally; were baptised literally, and received the gift of the Holy Ghost literally; and became literally the servants or sons of God. But what was their hope? Was it in this world? Yes, but not at the present. They expected the promise of Jesus to be fulfilled to them: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." And they looked, with Peter, and all the ancient Saints, for a new Heaven and a new Earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. They looked with Paul, and the Saints to whom he wrote, for a kingdom, not ariel or visionary, but one "which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God."

The world, as we have before stated, although it belongs to God, has never been under his control. His vineyard has brought forth briars and thorns; tares have been sown in his field; but there has been some wheat, and that wheat represents the children of the kingdom, who have kept his laws and observed his ordinances; and wheresoever the laws of his kingdom have been observed, in the same proportion has his kingdom prevailed. Christ, therefore, organized his kingdom with Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists, etc.; officers and administrators of his laws, which laws were given by the Lord; they baptized for the remission of sins, laid on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and introduced members into the kingdom of God on earth, and as they were empowered to bind on earth, and in heaven, to seal on earth, and in heaven, these persons, not only became members of the Church here, but also of the kingdom of heaven, and participators in all its blessings here and hereafter. They were now Sons of God; but it did not fully appear yet what they should be, only they should be like him. If he conquered death, so should they; if he overcame, so should they; if he sat down upon his Father's throne, he would give to them that overcame, power to sit down upon his throne, as he overcame and sat down upon his Father's throne. And if Jesus comes to reign on the earth, he will also bring his Saints with him, and they shall live and reign with him. These things are spiritual, but they are literal; they are temporal, but they are also spiritual and eternal. Hence with God all things are temporal; all things are spiritual; and all things are eternal. These are only our phrases to specify certain ideas, which ideas in themselves are very often incorrect: we have bodies and spirits, but it takes both to be a perfect man. We talk about time and eternity,—what is time? A portion of eternity; eternity was, before time was, and will continue to exist when time shall be no more. Spiritual and temporal things are only so, as we form ideas of them. What is our body?—temporal, material? Yes, matter; but the matter of which it is made is eternal, and it will yet be spiritual like unto Christ's glorious body. What is our spirit?—material, spiritual and eternal also? But more subtle and elastic than our corporeal bodies.

Having said so much on this subject, we now come to some of our questions. "The kingdom of Heaven is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy, in the Holy Ghost." What are we to understand by this? that righteousness composes a kingdom? Righteousness is an attribute, a principle, a state of being, not a government; peace and joy are the result of this attribute. God is righteous, and consequently righteousness flows from him. There may be also a righteous man; but we do not say that God is a kingdom, or that a righteous man is a kingdom, but that the kingdom of God is a righteous kingdom. You can say a righteous kingdom, a kingdom of righteousness; but you cannot say righteousness is a kingdom. A kingdom may be governed by righteous laws; its laws may be righteous, its administrators righteous, its people righteous; but to say righteousness is a kingdom, is nonsense. The kingdom of God is a righteous kingdom; it is made up of higher enjoyments than eating and drinking; it is more refined and elevated; it is a kingdom of holiness, virtue, purity; of "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost,"—principles that exist in part now, as far as the kingdom extends. When the kingdom of God is universal, it will, like the kingdom in the heavens, be all "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost;" yet, it will have its laws, officers, and administrators, and will be a literal, tangible thing. The Spirit of the Lord shall be poured upon all flesh; the will of God will be done on earth as it is in heaven, and the joy and peace which result from righteousness, will be experienced by all the world. What did Jesus mean, then, when he said, "The kingdom of Heaven is within you," or "among you" (marginal reading.) Luke xvii. 20, 21. There certainly must be some mistake here, for Jesus was speaking to Pharisees, whom he had denounced as corrupt men, hypocrites, whited walls, painted sepulchres, etc. Now, who will say they had the kingdom of God within them? The kingdom of God was among them. And it did not come with observation, nor with ostentation or pomp; they might have seen it, but their eyes were blinded, that they could not see; their ears were stopped that they could not hear. Many of us suppose that if we had lived in their day, we should have recognized it among the miracles, signs, and powers that were manifested by him. But Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and know me, and follow me, but others do not." If any man do his will, says Jesus, "he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." John vii. 17. But if they do not, what then? They have eyes, but see not; ears, but hear not. The God of this world blinds their eyes, lest the light of the gospel should shine in upon them. Jesus says, "Except a man be born again; he cannot see the kingdom of God." And "except he is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into it." John iii. 3 and 5. It therefore cometh not with observation; the Scriptures are clear on the point, and show to the last that when God's kingdom shall be more fully established on the earth, the inhabitants of the earth will be as ignorant of it as the Jews were, that Jesus was the Messiah; for the nations of the earth, with their kings, will yet be gathered together against the people of the Lord, to battle, when the Lord himself will go and fight against them, and there will be one of the most terrible slaughters that ever took place on the earth. It cometh not with observation. It is a righteous kingdom, and righteous men can see it, and appreciate it, and those only.

I have demonstrated, in a preceding chapter, to which I refer my readers, more fully on this subject, that the kingdom of God would be literally established on the earth; it will not be an ariel phantom, according to some visionaries, but a substantial reality. It will be established, as before said, on a literal earth, and will be composed of literal men, women, and children; of living saints who keep the commandments of God, and of resurrected bodies who shall actually come out of their graves, and live on the earth. The Lord will be king over all the earth, and all mankind literally under his sovereignty, and every nation under the heavens will have to acknowledge his authority, and bow to his sceptre. Those who serve him in righteousness will have communications with God, and with Jesus; will have the ministering of Angels, and will know the past, the present, and the future; and other people, who may not yield full obedience to his laws, nor be fully instructed in his covenants, will, nevertheless, have to yield full obedience to his government. For it will be the reign of God upon the earth, and he will enforce his laws, and command that obedience from the nations of the world which is legitimately his right. Satan will not then be permitted to control its inhabitants, for the Lord God will be king over all the earth, and the kingdom and greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven will be given to the saints. This may properly be called the day of reckoning, the time when the world's accounts will be settled; when things that have been going wrong for ages, will be put right; when injustice and misrule will no more be permitted; when the usurper shall be cast out; when the rightful heir shall possess the kingdom; when unrighteousness will be banished, and justice and judgement bear sway; when the wicked shall be rooted out of the earth, and the saints possess it; when God's designs shall be accomplished on the earth, and men resume their proper position. It is the fulfilment of the promises of the Lord to his people, or in scriptural words, "The dispensation of the fulness of times, when God will gather together all things in one." Satan has had his dominion, and has deceived, corrupted, and cursed the human family; but then his dominion will be destroyed, and he will be cast into the bottomless pit; men will no longer be under the influence of his spirit, be decoyed by his wiles, or imposed upon by his deceptions. Religion, and the fear of God, will no longer be painted in dismal colours, or be dressed in the sable drapery of sanctimonious priests, or sacerdotal gloom; nor yet in the forbidding costumes of hermits, monks, and nuns. But, stript of all this religious masquerade, and superstitious mummery, the fear of God, and the observance of his laws, will be looked upon in their proper light. God will be seen, feared, and worshipped as our Father, Friend, and Benefactor; his laws will be kept as being those framed by infinite wisdom, and the most conducive to the happiness of the human family. Virtue, truth, and righteousness, will appear in their native loveliness, beauty, simplicity, glory, and magnificence, for God alone will be exalted in that day.

Chapter XI.

The Establishment of the Kingdom of God upon the Earth.

How will the kingdom of God be established? We have already shown very clearly, that none of the means which are now used among men are commensurate with the object designed, and that all the combined wisdom of man must, and will fail, in the accomplishment of this object; that the present forms of political and religious rule cannot effect it; that philosophy is quite as impotent; and that as these have all failed for ages, as a natural consequence they must continue to fail. We have portrayed the world broken, corrupted, fallen, degraded and ruined; and shown that nothing but a world's God can put it right.

The question is, what course will God take for the accomplishment of this thing? and as this is a matter that requires more than human reason, and as we are left entirely to Revelation, either past, present, or to come, it is to this only that we can apply. We will enquire, therefore, what the Scriptures say on this subject. It is called the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven. If, therefore, it is the kingdom of heaven, it must receive its laws, organization, and government, from heaven; for if they were earthly, then would they be like those on the earth. The kingdom of heaven must therefore be the government, and laws of heaven, on the earth. If the government and laws of heaven are known and observed on the earth, they must be communicated, or revealed from the heavens to the earth. These things are plain and evident, if we are to have any kingdom of heaven, for it is very clear, that if it is not God's rule, it cannot be his government, and it is as evident that if it is not revealed from heaven it cannot be the kingdom of heaven. That such a kingdom will be set up is evident from the following, "And in the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people." Dan. ii. 44; and again, "I saw in the night visions, and behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds of Heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days; and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away; and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Dan. vii 13, 14. From the above we learn two things: First—that God will set up a kingdom which shall be universal; and, that that kingdom shall not be given into the hands of other people; and secondly—that the Saints of God shall take possession of that kingdom. The Angel which announced to Mary the birth of Jesus said, "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his Father David; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end." Luke i. 32, 33.

It may not be improper here to notice an opinion that has very generally prevailed throughout the Christian world, that Christ's kingdom was a spiritual kingdom; that it was set up at the time our Saviour was upon the earth; and that Christianity as it now exists, is that kingdom. After what I have already written on the subject of a literal reign and kingdom, this would seem superfluous; but as this opinion is almost universal in the Christian world, my readers must excuse me, if, in this instance, I digress a little. Several writers in the Catholic church, as well as the Rev. David Simpson, M. A., Bishop Burnett, the Rev. John Wesley, and many others among the Protestants, have advocated the above opinion. The substance of their ideas is as follows: that Daniel, by the figure of an image of gold, silver, brass, iron, clay, in chap. ii.—and by the figures of the four beasts, in chap, vii., represented a spiritual kingdom; that this kingdom was set up in the days of the Saviour, and his disciples; that Christianity, as it now exists, is that kingdom, and that it will become universal over all the earth. They state that the four great empires, the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman, are represented by the head, breast, belly, and legs of the Image, and by the four Beasts, in chapter vii; and that the kingdom of God was to be set up under the dominion of the fourth, which, as they correctly state, was the Roman. They state, moreover, that the declaration and prophecy of the Angel to Mary, above quoted, were also fulfilled in the first coming of the Messiah; in his preaching, in his gospel, and in the organizing of the church, etc. Many other passages are made to bear the same signification, which it would be foreign from my present purpose to notice. I have referred to the above, as some of the most prominent. Now, with all deference to the gentlemen who have written on this subject (and education, respectability, and talent, entitle their opinions to some respect) I must beg leave to differ from them, and consider, that in trying to support a favorite dogma, they have been led into error; for it seems to me that nothing can be more foreign to the meaning of these scriptures than the above interpretation. Now concerning the four great monarchies being represented as above, I consider it is perfectly correct; but to state that the kingdom was to be set up under the fourth monarchy, or under the dominion of the fourth beast, is stretching the thing too far; and putting a construction upon it which it evidently will not bear. The text reads, "in the days of those kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom." The question is, What kings? I am answered, during the reign of one of the four; and that as Christ came during the reign, and dominion of the Roman empire, it evidently refers to that. But let me again ask a question, Under the reign of what kings was this kingdom to be set up? Under the reign of the fourth? Verily, No. Let Daniel speak for himself. After describing the fourth kingdom, which was the Roman, which is compared to iron, and which in the Image was represented by the legs, he then refers to other kingdoms and powers, as being compared to iron and clay. There were also feet and toes, as well as a body, which were compared to powers or kings. This is clearly exemplified in the seventh chapter of Daniel, for after speaking of the four kings, he describes ten horns, of which the ten toes in the Image above referred to, are typical. Those ten horns, he says, are ten kings. It was, then, in the days of those kings, or while those kingdoms should be in existence, that the God of Heaven should set up a kingdom; and not during the power of the fourth kingdom; to which, with any degree of truthfulness, the figure could not apply in either case. But again, it could not apply to the first coming of our Saviour for the following reasons:—

First.—The stone hewn out of the mountain without hands was to smite the Image on the toes; whereas, according to the interpretation of the divines before referred to, the toes were not yet in existence, for they state that this kingdom was set up during the fourth monarchy, which was the Roman, and which is represented in the legs of the Image. Now, as the powers composing the feet and toes were not yet formed, how could the little stone smite that which was not in existence? For it will be observed that after the whole Image was made, the stone was hewn out of the mountains without hands which smote it.