The personal reign of the Lord over the earth and the heavens is a grand and magnificent outlook. The saints of Old and New Testament times share in the glorious reign, and have their part in the riches, wealth, and splendor of the vast dominion of our Lord. The Church is the nearest and dearest to Christ now and evermore and occupies a very special place in His kingdom and glory.
The coming kingdom great and glorious, is in its conception, administration, and extent, absolutely without a parallel in history. The kingdom shall display the perfection of human government. It is the goal long hoped for. The Hebrew prophets wrote of it in glowing terms. Its glories and grandeur occupy more than a third of the Old Testament. Creation groans but in hope, as the glad story of His coming and reign thrills its soul. Herein is a study of profound interest. Herein lies a field of research open to all. The kingdom as a subject is only equaled by the story of the cross itself. To this latter we gladly yield the honor, and bow in lowliest homage to its surpassing greatness. But the kingdom of our Lord, unlimited in extent, righteous and good in its character, more enduring than sun and moon, and stable as the throne of the Eternal, is a theme which should occupy the attention of all, especially as the effect of vision and prophecy is about to be realized.
Speculation as to time or manner of accomplishment, imagination and guesswork, all mere word-painting, and conjectural work of every sort, must be sternly checked and effectually kept under control. God's description of the kingdom is circumstantially told in the pages of the prophets, and these testimonies unfold a marvelous story. All that is needful to know has been revealed, but how limited is our range of vision. Apply the telescope of faith to the prophetic future as it culminates in the glories of the kingdom, and its comprehensiveness and vastness may surprise you. Use the microscope to the thousands of details which lie scattered like gold dust through both the Old and New Testaments, and the result will astonish you.
The comprehensiveness of Isaiah, and the literal details in Zechariah are examples of telescopic and microscopic examination of the coming prophetic situation. The morning without clouds is about to break. The glories of the millennial kingdom are even now gilding our sky. The rainbow of prophetic promise shines with light. He is coming, and Oh, how soon our hopes may be lost in full and happy accomplishment. W. Scott