339. A Forever Kingdom
Daniel 2:44 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, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
In this dream interpretation of Daniel a rock breaks up all earthly kingdoms and it grows into a mountain as a great kingdom that will never be destroyed and will last forever. The rock is Christ and the mountain is the kingdom of God. The promise came true when Jesus entered the world and, without violence or force, destroyed all worldly kingdoms and this Kingdom of God is established for eternity.
Jesus announced the Kingdom when He appeared publicly and began His Ministry. Those who believed Jesus followed Him and became a part of the New Eternal Kingdom of God, which destroys all other kingdoms. The promise comes true in the hearts of Christians. They have entered the Kingdom and the kingdom is within them. It is a strength and an encouragement for us when we remember this promise, that it has happened in Christ, is happening within the hearts of believers in Christ, and will be seen and experienced by all Christians in eternity at the Last Day.
The climax of history and of the Bible promise is summed up in Revelation 11:15: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” The beautiful and awesome description of the End of Time is promised for all believers as a wonderful event to look forward to and enjoy forever without end. We enjoy it now, but by faith, not by experience. And the present spiritual kingdom of God reigning in our hearts is obscured, befogged, and attacked by the kingdom of the world all the time. We yearn for the Day when we shall break free. And it will come. Meanwhile, we walk by faith, taking courage and comfort from the present truth of a spiritual kingdom in which we live, and walk, and have our true existence. No one else knows or sees, and we ourselves do not see it most of the time, but it is still true that the eternal spiritual kingdom of God is presently ruling our hearts and lives for good. We may not always see the good, but we do see Jesus. And He is always good. Thus it is necessary to believe this promise in order to enjoy a blessed life in the midst of sin, evil, chaos, destruction and death all around us. When Jesus comes to earth again He will forever remove all darkness and we will enjoy the blessed eternal light of God in the Eternal State.