Some writers and preachers are wont to teach that the kingdom of Christ has not yet been set up. But in Daniel 2:44 we read, "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom." Four universal kingdoms, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, are depicted by an image in human form, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar as the first of "these kings," and ending with the Caesars of Rome.

Another kingdom, represented by a stone, which smote the human image upon its feet and became a great mountain, is said to depict the kingdom which the God of heaven would set up "in the days of these kings," a kingdom of small beginning, but to grow as a "stone becoming a "great mountain."

Now in these days of Augustus Caesar, "Behold, Wisemen from the East came to Jerusalem,

saying, Where is he that is born King. of the Jews? for we saw his star in the East and have come to worship him." (Mt. 2:1, 2)

And in the reign of Tiberius Caesar, "Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, and called Jesus, and said to him, Art thou the King of the Jews? . . . Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. . . Pilate therefore said to him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am king. To this end was I born, and to this end came I into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth." (John 18:33-37).

"The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God . . . Upon this Pilate sought to release him; but the Jews cried out, If thou release this man, thou art not Caesar’s friend: every one that maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. . . Pilate saith to them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have not king but Caesar. Then therefore he delivered him to them to be crucified…And Pilate wrote a title also, and put it on the cross, JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. . . The Jews therefore said to Pilate, Write not THE KING OF THE JEWS. But say, HE SAID I AM KING OF THE JEWS. Pilate answered What I have written I have written." (John 19:7-22).

"Now having risen early in the morning the first from the Sabbath" (Mk. 16:9), "he was received up after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom he had chosen, to whom he also showed himself after his death by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God." (Acts 1 :1-3)

"And Jesus came to them, and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world." (Mt. 28:18-20) "And he said to them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned." (Mk. 16:15, 16) "Then opened he their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures; and said to them, Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Ye are witnesses of these things; and behold, I send forth the promise of my Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." (Lk. 24:46-48)

"And being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me; for John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days hence." Acts 1 :4, 5)

"And when the day of Pentecost (the Fiftieth from "the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete"—(Lev. 23:15) was now come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:1-4).

"Peter, standing up with the eleven," said, "Brethren, I may say to you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet and knowing that God had, with an oath, sworn to him, that of the fruit of his loins he would set one upon his throne; forseeing this, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he left unto Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus did God raise up whereof we are witnesses. Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured forth this that you see and hear. For David ascended not into the heavens, but he himself says:

"Jehovah said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand until I make thy enemies thy footstool. (Ps.110:1).

"Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified."

"Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles, Brethren, What shall we do? And Peter said to them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins... They then that received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the teaching of the Apostles and fellowship; in the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:14-43) Thus to Peter were given "the keys of the kingdom." (Mt.16:18).

Now, the Apostle Paul says, "Giving thanks to the Father, who has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who has delivered us out of the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, in whom we have our redemption. the forgiveness of our sins." (Col. 1:12,13) Again he says "So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God." (Eph. 2:19)

Here is a growing kingdom from a few loyal Galilean fishermen called to be "fishers of men," who "went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by signs that followed" (Mk. 16:20) to "all peoples, nations, and languages."

This is he of whom Daniel speaks, who "came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him; and there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples and nations and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." (Dan.7:13, 14).

Now hear the prophecy of Zechariah concerning him: "Behold the man whose name is the Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place; and he shall build the temple of Jehovah; even he shall build the temple of Jehovah; and he shall bear the glory; and he shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both." (6:12, 13) "House of God . . . the church," "Christ . . . over his house, whose house are we," "Ye . . . the temple of God."

"For he must reign until he hath put all his enemies under his feet." "The last enemy that shall be abolished is death." "But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." (I Cor. 15:26, 27: 54)

Thus Christ reigns uninterruptedly until death is abolished, and when immortality is put on, it is "the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 1 :11), "an everlasting kingdom." (Dan. 7:27).

Paul preached the same gospel that Peter and the other Apostles did. We read, "But they heard only that he who persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed." (Gal. 1:23) And Paul says, "Though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." (Gal. 1 :8)

"The Spirit and the Bride say, Come." (Rev. 22:17) Yes, "Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." (v. 17).

"Today" is your time and opportunity, sinner. (Heb. 4:7)

H. C. HARPER.