The Government of God

by John Taylor

Secondly.—When this kingdom is set up, it is stated "it shall not be left to other people;" but we are told in Dan. vii. chap., that after the fourth monarchy which was the time, according to the aforesaid interpretation, for the setting up of the kingdom of God, a certain "horn," or king, should make war with the Saints, and prevail against them; and that "he should think to change times and laws—and that they should be given into his hand." Nothing can be more obvious than this; for this power, after the first coming of the Messiah, not only thinks to change times and laws, but "they" are actually "given into his hand," which will not be the case, when the kingdom above referred to is set up.

Thirdly.—When the kingdom of God was to be set up, it was to be "given to the Saints of the Most High;" and all nations, kindreds, people, and tongues, were to obey the Lord, which has not taken place, and never can under the present state of things.

Fourthly.—There is no more similarity between Christianity, as it now exists, with all its superstitions, corruptions, jargons, contentions, divisions, weakness, and imbecility, and this KINGDOM OF GOD, as spoken of in the Scriptures, than there is between light and darkness; and it would no more compare with things to come, than an orange would compare with the earth, or a taper with the glorious luminary of day.

Fifthly.—The kingdom of God, as spoken of by Daniel, was to become universal, which Christianity has not, and cannot, as it now exists.

Sixthly.—The Angel's testimony to Mary has not yet been fulfilled. It is stated, that "The Lord 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;" whereas he did not sit upon David's throne, nor does he now; he did not reign over the house of Jacob, nor does he now, for the ten tribes are yet outcasts; "the house of Judah is scattered and without a king," and Jesus himself, when asked to divide an inheritance, demanded, "Who made me a ruler or king." He, indeed was a king; "but in his humiliation his judgement was taken away."

From the whole of the above it is very evident that the kingdom, of which these divines speak, was not, and could not be the one referred to by Daniel, or by the angel to Mary; as we have before stated, it was a literal kingdom, and not a spiritual one only. I would further remark here, that a certain power was to "make war with the Saints, and to prevail against them until the Ancient of Days came;" and then, and not till then, was "judgement given to the Saints of the Most High."

We will now return from our digression, and after stating that the kingdom of God is a literal kingdom; that it will be great, powerful, glorious, and universal, and that it will extend from sea to sea, and from the rivers unto the ends of the earth; that all kingdoms will be in subjection to it, and all powers obey it, we will proceed to examine how it will be established. It is compared to a small stone "hewn out of the mountain without hands," and yet the God of Heaven is to set up this kingdom. Isaiah, in his eleventh chapter, to which I refer my readers, in speaking of the establishment of this kingdom, says, "In that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." 10-12. From the above it would seem, that an ensign or standard is to be raised to the nations; that the Gentiles shall seek to it; and that the ten tribes return, as well as the Jews to their land; that the dispersed of Judah, and the outcasts of Israel are to return. Now, a standard, or ensign, is a nation's colours, flag, or rallying point; it is one of those appendages to a kingdom that is always respected by its inhabitants. It is used in a variety of ways, and for different purposes; sometimes by the emperor, king, governor, or general, to signify his presence; sometimes by vessels to specify their nation; and sometimes by estates, cities, corporations, or clubs: and always by armies and navies, to represent whom they belong to. If a king had a proclamation to make, and wished to rally his subjects, or try their fidelity, he might send a flag, or standard, and all that rallied to it would be considered his liege subjects.

But here the God of Heaven sets up a standard. The world, as we have before stated, is his; it is his right to possess it. Satan has held the dominion for some time, and the Lord now comes to dispossess him, to take possession of his rightful inheritance, and to rule his own kingdom. In order to do this, he issues his mandate, makes a proclamation, lifts up a standard, and invites all to join it. Those who do may be considered as his servants, as the citizens of his kingdom; those who do not, as being in opposition to him, his government, and laws. As the Father of the human family, as the prince and king, he lifts up an ensign, and calls the world's attention. Now the only rational way for the Lord to accomplish this, is to form a communication with man, and to make him acquainted with his laws. We cannot conceive of him thundering from the heavens and terrifying the inhabitants of the earth, nor yet sending angels with flaming swords to coerce obedience. This would be using physical power to control the mind; but as man is a free agent, he uses other means to act upon his mind, his judgement, and his will; and by the beauty and loveliness of virtue, purity, holiness, and the fear of God, to captivate his feelings, control his judgement, and influence him to render that obedience to God which is justly his due; not until these means fail, will others be exercised.

As the world are ignorant of God and his laws, not having had any communication with him for eighteen hundred years; and as all those great and important events must transpire, and as the Lord says he will "do nothing but what he reveals to his servants the Prophets," it follows, that there must be revelations made from God; and if so, as a necessary consequence, there must be prophets to reveal them to. How did God ever reveal his will, and purposes to Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, the Prophets, Jesus, and his Disciples, and they to the people? God's messengers made known his will, and the people obeyed, or rejected it. If they were punished by floods, fire, plagues, pestilence, dispersions, death, etc., it was in consequence of their disobedience. As God has dealt in former times, so will he in the latter, with this difference, that he will accomplish his purposes in the last days; he will set up his kingdom; he will protect the righteous, destroy Satan, and his works, purge the earth from wickedness, and bring in the restitution of all things. The above, while it is the only rational way, is evidently the only just, and scriptural way. Some people talk about the world being burned up, about plagues, pestilence, famine, sword, and ruin, and all these things being instantaneous. Now it would not be just for the Lord to punish the inhabitants of the earth without warning. For if the world are ignorant of God, they cannot altogether be blamed for it; if they are made the dupes of false systems, and false principles, they cannot help it; many of them are doing as well as they can while, as we have before stated, it would be unjust for the world to continue as it is. It would at the same time be as unjust to punish the inhabitants of the world for things that they are ignorant of, or for things over which they have no control. Before the Lord destroyed the inhabitants of the old world, he sent Enoch and Noah to warn them. Before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, he sent Lot into their midst. Before the Children of Israel were carried captive to Babylon, they were warned of it by the Prophets; and before Jerusalem was destroyed, the inhabitants had the testimony of our Lord, and his Disciples. And so will it be in the last days; and as it is the world that is concerned, the world will have to be warned. We will therefore proceed to examine the scriptural testimony on this subject. John says in the Revelations, "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of Heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them, that dwell on the earth; and to every nation, and kindred, tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgement is come, and worship him that made heaven and earth, the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Bahylon the great is fallen." xiv. 6-8. Here, then, a light bursts forth from the heavens; a celestial messenger is deputed to convey to men tidings of salvation; the everlasting gospel is again to be proclaimed to the children of men; The proclamation is to be made to "every nation, kindred, people, and tongue." Associated with this, was to be another declaration, "Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgement is come." Thus, all were to have a fair warning, and afterwards Babylon falls—not before. From the above it is evident, that the everlasting gospel will be restored, accompanied with a warning to the world. Now, if the everlasting gospel is restored, there must be the same principles, laws, officers, or administrators, and ordinances. If, before, they had Apostles, they will again have them; the same laws and ordinances will be introduced, and the same method for receiving members into the kingdom. They will also have Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, and Evangelists. If they baptised by immersion for the remission of sins, and laid on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, they will again do the same things. If the gift of the Holy Ghost formerly brought things past to the saints' remembrance, led them into all truth, and showed them things to come, it will do the same again, for it is the everlasting gospel. If formerly it caused men to dream dreams, and to see visions, it will do the same again; if to one was given the gift of tongues, to another the gift of healing, to another power to work miracles, to another the gift of wisdom, the same will exist in latter days, for it is the everlasting gospel which is to be restored. If it put men in possession of a knowledge of God, and of his purposes, and brought life and immortality to light in former days, it will do the same again. If it dispelled the clouds of darkness, unveiled the heavens, put men in possession of certainty, and gave them a hope that bloomed with immortality and eternal life, it will do the same again. If it caused men to know the object of their creation, their relationship to God, their position on the earth, and their final exaltation and glory, it will do the same again, for it is the everlasting Gospel. In short, it is the will of God to man, the government of God among men, and a portion of that light, glory and intelligence, which exist with God and angels, communicated to mortals, and obtained through obedience to his laws and ordinances. If the Gospel formerly was to be proclaimed to all nations, so it is now, with this difference associated with it, there is to be a cry, "Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of His judgement is come." From this, then, we may expect a proclamation to be made to all people; messengers to go forth to every nation, and the same principles which once existed to be again restored in all their fulness, power, glory, and blessings. The above is the way pointed out in the Scriptures, and is the only just and rational way to deal with rational, intelligent beings; for intelligence must be appealed to by intelligence, and it would be unjust to punish the world indiscriminately, without first appealing to their reason, judgement, and intelligence. But not only will the everlasting Gospel be again restored, and be preached in its fulness as formerly, and go as a messenger to all the world; not only will there be a spiritual kingdom and organization; but there will also be a literal kingdom, a nation, or nations, a Zion, and the people will gather to that. We will here insert a prophecy of David on this subject: "But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations. Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time, is come. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof. So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord. For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth; to hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death; to declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem; when the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms to serve the Lord." Psalm cii. 12-22. Here we find, First, that a literal Zion is to be built up; Secondly, that when that Zion is built up, the Lord will come—will appear in his glory; Thirdly, that it is something which concerns the nations of the earth, and the whole world, for there shall the people be gathered together, and the kingdoms to serve the Lord.

It may be proper here to remark, that there will be two places of gathering, or Zions; the one in Jerusalem, the other in another place; the one is a place where the Jews will gather to, and the other a mixed multitude of all nations. Concerning the house of Israel, Jeremiah says, "Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, the Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers," xvi. 14, 15. According to this passage, and many others, there will evidently be a great display of the power of God manifested towards the house of Israel in their restitution to their former habitations. Another Scripture says, that "Jerusalem shall be inhabited in her own place, even in Jerusalem." Here I would remark, that there was a Zion formerly in Jerusalem; but there is also another spoken of in the Scriptures. Hence, in the passage which we quoted from the Psalms, the Kingdoms are to be gathered together in Zion, and the people to serve the Lord; and not only the Jews, but the Heathens are to fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth his glory. The law is to issue from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Again—"The Lord God that gathereth the outcasts of Israel, says, yet will I gather others unto me besides these." It is very evident from these passages that there are two places of gathering, as well as from many others that might be quoted. For example, Joel, in speaking of the troubles of the last days, says, There shall in the last days be deliverance in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem. Now, he never could say with propriety in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, if these were not two places. The ancient Zion was in Jerusalem. It would not be proper to say in London, and in London; but you could say in London and in Edinburgh, in New York and in Philadelphia, in Frankfort and in Brussels; and so you can say in Zion and in Jerusalem. But again, the Jews are to be gathered to Jerusalem in unbelief, as spoken of in Zechariah; and when the Messiah appears among them, being ignorant of Jesus, they shall ask, "What are these wounds in thy hands?" Then he shall answer, "Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends." xiii. 6. And then a fountain shall be opened for the house of David, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and they will enter into the covenant by baptism, xiii. 1. But the people of Zion the Lord will take them one of a city, and two of a family, and bring them there, and give them pastors after his own heart, that shall feed them with knowledge and understanding. Jer. iii. 14, 15. The people there are to be all righteous. It is the last Zion that we wish more particularly to speak of at present, as associated with the kingdom of God; and, as we are now searching out the manner in which the kingdom of God will be established, it is to us a matter of great importance. There are very great judgements spoken of in the last days, as the consequence of man's departure from God; these we have already referred to in part; but as we have mentioned, the Gospel must again be preached as a warning unto all nations, and accompanied with it is to be a proclamation, "Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgement is come." Rev. xiv. 7. But the people would very reasonably be heard to enquire, what can we do? What hope have we? If war comes, we cannot either prevent or avoid it. If plague stalks through the earth, what guarantee have we of deliverance. You say you have come as messengers of mercy to us, and as the messengers of the nations. What shall we do? Let Isaiah answer: he has told the tale of war, and defined the remedy. This shall be the answer of the messenger of the nations, that "the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it." xiv. 32. Yes, says Joel, when this great and terrible day of the Lord comes, there shall be deliverance in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. ii. 32. Yes, says Jeremiah, He will take them one of a city, and two of a family, and bring them to Zion, and give them pastors after his own heart, that shall feed them with knowledge and understanding, iii. 14, 15. The proclamation to the world will be the means of establishing this Zion, by gathering together multitudes of people from among all nations. For there are multitudes among all nations who are sincerely desirous to do the will of God, when they are made acquainted with it; but having been cajoled with priestcraft and abominations so long, they know not which course to steer, and are jealous of almost everything. As it was formerly, so will it be in the latter times. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and know me, and follow me, and a stranger they will not follow, for they know not the voice of strangers." Those who love truth, and desire to be governed by it, will embrace it, and enter into the covenant which the Lord will make with his people in the last days, and be gathered with them; they will be taught of the Lord in Zion, will form his kingdom on the earth, and will be prepared for the Lord when he comes to take possession of his kingdom. For "when the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory," and not before. But if Zion is never built up, the Lord never will come, for he must have a people, and a place to come to. The prophets hailed this day with pleasure, as the ushering in of those glorious times, which were to follow. Micah says, "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." iv. 1, 2. Isaiah with rapture gazed upon the scene, and in ecstacy cried out, "Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee." lx. 8-10. You will find by reading the 14th verse, that this place is to be called "The City of the Lord; the Zion of the Holy One of Israel." Here then we find, that the Lord will have a house built; that it shall be upon the tops of the mountains, and be exalted above the hills; that many nations shall go there, to learn the will of the Lord, and that the law shall go forth from Zion. That the people shall come as clouds to it; that they shall take their silver and gold with them. That God's worship will be known, and the religion of the Lord will lose its forbidding aspect. And God, and his religion, be popular among the nations of the earth.