There Was Once Peace on Earth
It isn't popular today to mention the existence of a devil. But the Bible, again and again, puts great emphasis on the presence of a real, literal devil.
Biblical revelation shows that originally this earth was a place of PEACE, happiness — a real utopia. It was then ruled by the GOVERNMENT OF GOD. That Government will be once again RESTORED (Acts 3:20-21) by Christ returning to earth in the supreme POWER and GLORY of God!
But what happened? WHY don't we have that Government now? Why is there no PEACE on earth?
When the earth was originally created, the angels shouted for joy! (Job 38:7) It was beautiful. It was PEACEFUL. It was populated by angels — not then by humans. It was governed by the GOVERNMENT OF GOD. There was a super archangel — a cherub named Lucifer (meaning "bringer of LIGHT") — one of two cherubim whose wings stretched over the very throne of God in heaven. Lucifer was thoroughly trained in the administration of the GOVERNMENT OF GOD (Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:12-17).
God governs by His spiritual Law — a Law based on the principle of LOVE. Love, first, to God with submission and obedience, and secondly to His creatures — the way of outgoing concern for the good and welfare of others. But Lucifer's heart was lifted up in vanity, because of his beauty and vast knowledge. He rebelled against God, mutinied, set out to organize his angels into an invading army and to conquer GOD — in order to rule the entire vast UNIVERSE. This removed the Government of God from the earth. But also it disqualified Lucifer as earth's ruler. However, the very principle of God's Government requires that the ruler retain office until a successor qualifies and is inducted into office.
Lucifer's name was changed to Satan, the devil. His angels became demons. As a result of this universal rebellion on earth, universal destruction and chaos struck the surface of the earth. In six days God reshaped the earth's surface (Genesis 1), creating fauna and flora — and MAN!
When Man Appeared
God formed MAN, not after any animal kind, but in God's own likeness — not of spirit composition as is God, but of material flesh and blood. The first man, Adam, father of the human race, allowed Satan's attitude of REBELLION to enter his heart, failing to qualify as Satan's successor.
When Jesus was baptized by John (Mark 1:9-11), immediately He underwent the most titanic struggle ever, in His temptation by the devil (verses 12-13; Matt. 4:1-11).
Jesus had come to qualify to replace Satan — to restore the Government of God on earth, and bring back WORLD PEACE! But, as the first Adam had undergone and succumbed to Satan's temptation, Jesus had to face and overcome this disqualified Satan.
Jesus underwent this test under the most trying and difficult conditions possible. He had been almost totally depleted of physical strength by fasting 40 days and nights — no food and no water! Yet even in this physical weakness, He was made the stronger SPIRITUALLY.
Few have ever realized the stupendous struggle that took place in that crucial temptation. Jesus resisted Satan's supreme temptations. He did it by quoting Scripture and OBEYING GOD. He proved under the maximum possible test that He would obey God's laws and administer God's GOVERNMENT faithfully. Then, in utter physical weakness but supreme spiritual strength, He proved He was Satan's Master, by giving Satan a crisp command to leave — and the defeated Satan slunk away!
Then (Mark 1:14), having qualified for the executive administration of the Government of God on earth, Jesus came into Galilee, saying, as quoted above, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand"! (Verse 15)
WHY the News Was NEW
How was the time fulfilled?
WHY was the Kingdom of God then at hand — and not before?
Simply because the wonderful news of the coming Kingdom of God could not be announced UNTIL a successor had QUALIFIED to replace Satan as earth's ruler!
At last the Kingdom of God — GOD'S GOVERNMENT over the earth — was at hand! At last, it was assured, and the time was fulfilled! The One who had qualified to rule the earth was now free to announce His coming Government!
WHY Kingdom Not Yet Set Up
Yet Jesus was not going to take over the reign immediately. There were a number of reasons:
1) God had set a definite PLAN, with a definite time-program, for working out His PURPOSE here below! It is a 7,000-year plan of seven millennial "days," of which the first seven literal days of recreation were a type. The first six of these millennia were allotted for man, of his own free volition (though swayed by Satan) to go his own way. Also, in effect, they were allotted as the six millennial "days" for Satan's "labor" of deception over humanity, to be followed by the millennial "Sabbath," in which Satan will observe enforced rest from his work of deceiving the nations, and God will teach humanity FIB TRUTH!
2) Jesus, in God's PLAN, was first to choose and teach disciples to become apostles, to carry on the proclamation of the GOOD NEWS — and to become the foundation of His Church.
3) Christ is going to set up a world government over all earth's nations only with the administration of a thoroughly trained and experienced organization. The first six thousand years of human experience has proved abundantly that man, under Satan's sway, is utterly incapable of ruling himself. Human-devised governments always have failed to bring world PEACE. Yet man, even now, seems unwilling to admit that fact. Men are still trying, in vain, to work and fight for PEACE. And that is where being "born again" comes in.
God's Government will be DIVINE GOVERNMENT, by the saints Converted into divine SPIRIT PERSONS, born of Goo! As those born of humans are human beings, so those born of the divine God will be DIVINE BEINGS, having been given IMMORTALITY! They shall be born into — enter into — inherit the KINGDOM OF GOD.
Kingdom Is a Family
A KINGDOM is a nation composed of people, as well as the GOVERNMENT of that nation. The Kingdom of GOD is composed of the divine FAMILY of God. The One Being we habitually think of as GOD is the FATHER of that Family.
Christ is a Son of God — a member of that divine FAMILY, even as we may be! That divine FAMILY is the Kingdom of God.
There are five KINGDOMS — the vegetable kingdom, the animal kingdom, the human kingdom (we are not of the animal kingdom, erroneous education to the contrary notwithstanding!), the angel kingdom — and the GOD Kingdom!
God (Heb. Elohim — the uniplural name, meaning more than one Person, forming the ONE God) said, "Let us make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness." We were made of material flesh, but in the form and shape of God, and with MINDS on a totally different plane than animal brain. The human family was made so that we might be able to receive God's Spirit, and become His children. Animals were NOT so made.
In God's wonderful plan for working out His PURPOSE here below, God has allotted the time period between Jesus' first coming in human flesh, and His second coming in power and glory, for the calling of some to receive His Spirit, and be spiritually educated and trained, through His Word, to become rulers with Christ when He sets up His KINGDOM.
The Crux of Salvation
4) In order that man might be reconciled to God, Jesus also came for the express purpose of DEATH, by His shed blood paying for us, in our stead, the death penalty we have incurred as the penalty of sin. In order that we might be given God's gift of ETERNAL LIFE, Jesus' resurrection from the dead was necessary before we could receive eternal life.
5) The PLAN called for Jesus' ascension to God's throne in heaven — the throne of the Government of God over the UNIVERSE — to become our High Priest, during these years of training and spiritual development of the heirs of God to be used in the executive administration of the Government of God when Christ does set up that Government over earth's nations.
6) Jesus could not induct Himself into the office while here on earth in human form. It was necessary for Him, as explained in the parable of the pounds (Luke 19), to go to heaven to there receive the authority of the Kingdom from God (the Father) — and to be CROWNED! The coronation ceremony will take place in heaven at God's throne, before Christ's return in POWER and GLORY!
7) Then He must return in all that POWER and GLORY and supreme authority to RULE!
Those are the reasons why Jesus did not then, immediately, set up or establish the Kingdom of God!
But even Jesus' own disciples could never seem to understand that He was not going to set up the Kingdom of God immediately. It is human to want things Now!