Gospel of the Kingdom
For more than sixteen centuries Israel had waited and
prayed for the coming of Messiah's Kingdom to exalt them, and to bless the
world. The announcement that the Kingdom was at hand was a good
Message--or Gospel.
But not enough Jews were in condition of heart to be
Israelites indeed, worthy to share with Jesus in the glorious service of
His great, long-promised Kingdom. "He came unto His own [people], but
His own received Him not"--they crucified Him. But to as many as
received Him [few] He gave the liberty, or privilege, of becoming sons of
God, of passing from the House of Servants, under Moses, to the House of
Sons, under the Headship of Jesus. This was effected at Pentecost, by the
begetting of the Holy Spirit.--John 1:11-13; Heb. 3:1-6.
Not enough worthy Jews being found, the Kingdom offer
was withdrawn from them, and for nineteen centuries God has been
completing the foreordained number from saintly Gentiles. Outward signs
and the prophecies demonstrate that the Kingdom was not set up then, and
did not begin to bless the world. Instead, all the unready of Israel were
broken off from Divine favor for a time, while the Call to the Kingdom was
sent to the Gentiles, to take out of them a people to complete the
foreordained "Body of Christ." (Romans 11:1-7,11,12.) Holy,
saintly characters from every nation have been gathering for nineteen
centuries, until now the number is nearly complete and the Kingdom about
to be established.
When, therefore, the election of the Spiritual Seed of
Abraham shall be accomplished, this Gospel Age will end. Then will begin
the Messianic Age, in which Christ and the Church shall reign in spirit
power.--Revelation 5:10;20:6.
Then the blindness of Israel will be removed, and the
blessings of the New Dispensation will come to them, and through them to
all the families of the Earth, as God promised. That the Church is the
Spiritual Seed of Abraham, to bless Natural Israel and the world, is
clearly shown in Galatians 3:16,29.