My Kingdom is Not of This World
By Gilbert Beebe
Signs of the Times- November
1, 1845
Thus spake the Son of God when mantled in the flesh. He stood arraigned
at the bar of Pilate; and when, if there had been anything in the elements of
this world which could contribute to the defense or benefit of His kingdom,
they must have been called into action. All the interests of the kingdom which
He claimed as His own, centered in Him, and the destiny of the kingdom, for
weal or woe, was at that important moment hinged upon the result of what was at
that time progressing.
None of the princes of this world knew Him; He had not made a revelation
of what He was, even to those who sat empowered to deliver Him to death. He had
not labored in His ministry to make Himself familiar to the crowned heads of
the nations of the earth. He had proposed no treaties or terms of alliance with
them; not had He called on them, or any of them, to propose terms for His
acceptance; for the nature of His kingdom was so radically different from every
kingdom under heaven, that it was not possible that an alliance could be
entered into that could subserve the true interests of either party. His
kingdom truly was destined to encounter the violence, enmity, wrath, strife,
and persecution of kingdoms of men, both in her King and in the subjects of her
government.
The powers which should oppose Him in person and in His people were not
such as He was compelled to succumb to for what of power to resist, for He
reminded Pilate that he would not have had any power, if it had not been given
him; and on another occasion He declared that He was able to call on His
Father, who would instantly honor His requisition for more than twelve legions
of angels--a force sufficient to overwhelm all earthly powers engaged against
Him; but how, in that case, could the Scriptures be fulfilled? Not an
intimation was made of raising up an earthly force to resist the assaults of
the enemies of His kingdom, even if a force had been requisite, He would have
called from the heavenly world.
We may well conclude, that if in that most trying hour, when His holy
soul was pressed within Him, He had nothing to ask of the rulers of this world,
there never could a period arrive when the powers of earthly princes should be
required to defend Him or His cause. To those who tempted Him with their
questions concerning tribute money, He said, Render unto Caesar the things
which belong to Caesar, and unto God the things which belong to God; thus clearly
intimating that the governments were not only distinct from each other, but
that the distinction should be perpetual; and that the requisitions of Caesar,
or of the governments of the nations, had to do with men as citizens of the
world, and that their obligation to earthly magistrates and rulers was not
relaxed nor abolished by the administration of His laws. And again, that the
things of God were not to be rendered to Caesar, but unto God.
Things of a civil nature, relating to the natural rights of men, were to
be settled by God's own providential appointment, by human legislation; but the
things aside from a respect for and obedience to earthly potentates, in natural
matters, belonging to God, such as matters of faith, of conscience, of
religion, were not things over which the kings of the earth had any supervision
or power, and things in which His subjects were not at liberty under any
circumstances, to submit to the dictation or legislation of any other than God
Himself.
The kingdom of Jesus is not of this world. In its origin, elements,
provisions, policy, protection, government, or destiny. Its origin is heaven--
it is a heavenly kingdom. The King is the Lord from heaven; He said, "I
proceeded forth and came out from the Father;" and again, "What and
if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where He was before," etc. The
subjects of his kingdom are of the same origin, for "Both he sanctifies,
and they that are sanctified, are all of one; for which cause he is not ashamed
to call them brethren" and he said, "Thine they were and thou gavest
them me." "According as he hath chosen us in him before the
foundation of the world." etc.
The laws for the regulation of this heavenly kingdom are not of earthly
enactment. Christ the anointed of the Father, is the sole Legislator, and he,
by His Spirit, writes his law upon, and sets it up in the hearts of his
children. The elements, or component parts, viewed separately or collectively,
are all of God, and every plant that the heavenly Father has not planted shall
be rooted up.
The provision on which this kingdom is sustained, were given us in Christ
Jesus before the foundation of the world, and being prior to, could not be of
the world. Grace, mercy, peace, righteousness, and truth, with all things else
necessary for the commandment of the everlasting and unchanging decree of God,
were treasured up in the Head of the church before the world began; and all the
provisions of his spiritual house on which His poor are fed; were brought down
from the abounding and overflowing fountain from which every good and perfect
gift comes. And he will abundantly bless her provisions and fill her with
bread.
The policy of this kingdom is from above. "For our conversation is
in heaven," and it is therefore as becomes the children of God. All
earthly religions have to depend on human policy, human wisdom, and humanly
devised means; but not so with the kingdom which no man can see except he be
born again.
The protection of that kingdom is of him who is a wall of fire round
about it, and the glory in its midst. All anti-christian religious
establishments desire the arm of human government--regal power, and human means
for their protection; but not so with the kingdom of Jesus Christ; the eternal
God is the refuge of His people, and underneath them are the everlasting arms.
All provisions on which the subjects of the kingdom of our Lord are fed,
comforted, instructed, and secured, are spiritual, and therefore cannot emanate
from any but a spiritual fountain. Although the world, the flesh and Satan have
volunteered like the aliens about Jerusalem in the days of Nehemiah, to furnish
God's people with food, the order of the government forbids the traffic with
them; and it is impossible that the children of the kingdom should be fed with
any other food than that which God has graciously provided, and abundantly
blessed.
Should the government of the kingdom of our Redeemer be to any extent
divided with angels or men, whatever part or portion these should administer,
must necessarily detract so much from the power and glory of Christ. "The
government shall be upon his shoulder; and of the increase of his government
and peace there shall be no end." So stands the record of the Holy One.
The subjects of his government are forbidden to call any man, master, or
father, as their Master and spiritual Progenitor is in heaven, and nothing can
be born of the flesh but flesh; so that without being born again, no man can
see the kingdom of God. A legislature of unregenerate men who cannot see the
kingdom, would be very poorly qualified to legislate for a kingdom which is to
them absolutely invisible; and if there were none but regenerate men seated in
legislation, they being by the new birth qualified to see the kingdom of God,
would to a man, know by the same illuminating work of the Spirit, that they
could do nothing to aid in the legislative or executive departments of the
Messiah's kingdom.
The destiny of the kingdom of which we write, differs essentially from
that of all other kingdoms. The best systems of human government are destined
to crumble to the ground. In the providence of God, empires are founded,
kingdoms and republics are raised up, they reach their climax, and then
decline, and finally cease to be reckoned among the things that be; but the
kingdom of Jesus is an everlasting kingdom, and a dominion that shall never
end. It shall never be changed, superseded, or transferred to other hands. The
mountains shall depart, the hills shall be moved, the earth and the sea shall
pass away, and all the elements of this world shall be dissolved, but the
kingdom of our God shall survive them all, and flourish in eternal bloom. How
presumptuous then, for monarchs of the earth, whose transient glory is as a
withering flower, or human legislatures which God shall obliterate, to prepare
the way of the rising empire of his to reach forth the guilt-polluted fingers
of their power, to point out the course in which God requires his children to
move.
Seeing, then, that we look for such things--seeing that we have received a
kingdom which is not of this world, which cannot be moved--let us have grace
whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and Godly fear; for our God
is a consuming fire.
Please direct your comments to Mike
Krall.