The kingdom of God developed according to the inspired records and predictions

Front matter

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THE

Preface

Section 1. It has pleased the Lord to let the human family fall into sin and misery, and then recover them by the Kingdom of God. Why He has so done is no where stated in the Scriptures ; perhaps to impress upon man the necessity of implicit obedience to positive commands as well as to the inherent laws of nature; perhaps to qualify him by experience for some other sphere of existence. The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption — the redemption of the body. The creation was subjected to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who subjected the same in hope. The earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. — Rom., 8:18-23. Who are these sons of God? As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. — Rom., 8-14. The creation, itself, shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. — Rom., 8-21. Beloved, we are now the sons of God. But it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like him ; for we shall see Him as He is. — 1 John, 3:2. When will He appear? The Heavens must receive Him until the times of the restitution of all things, as God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets. — Acts, 3-21. This same Jesus shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven. — Acts, 1:11. The whole creation, and the sons of God, must wait for their happy time till the Second Advent.

§ 2. Some of the present day, as in every past age, have pronounced revealed religion a failure. But these persons are ignorant of the Divine programmes. Christianity stands this day before the world, and in the world, just as these programmes represented it would do at this present time ; and while a commander carries out his programme, he must be acknowledged master of his situation. The God of the Bible makes covenants and keeps them; threatens wrath and inflicts it; gives promises and performs them; foretells events and brings them to pass.

§ 3. This institution was predicted. In the days of those kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, shall not be left to other people, shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and shall stand forever. — Dan., 2:44, 45. The saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess it forever, even into the ages of ages. — Dan., 7, 14, 18, 37.

The Jehova God will give unto Him (Jesus) the throne of his father, David; and he shall reign over the House of Israel forever; and of His Kingdom there will be no end. — Luke 1:31-33. At the name of Jesus every knee in Heaven and in earth shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord of all: to the glory of the Father. — Phil., 2:9-11. The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of the Lord and His Anointed ; and he shall reign forever and ever, into the ages of ages. — Rev., 11:15. We look for new heavens and earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. — 2 Ft., 3:15. Behold 1 I make all things new. — Rev., 21:5, 1.

§ 4. In the writings of the New Covenant, this institution is invariably called the Kingdom of God, and, also, the Kingdom of Heaven ; and God has ordained it to reform the world, and to govern the world when reformed. To it belong the covenants, oaths, and promises made to the Fathers, to the Jews, to Jerusalem, and to the Nations. The history of its development may be divided into four ages : the Incipient, Preparatory, Intermediate, and Consummated Ages. The Prince of this Kingdom is the Son of God, and He is also the Son of Man. The great adversary to this institution is called Satan and Diabolous; and his hostilities to this institution have been developed in four Antagonisms: the Satanic, the Red Dragon, the Wild Beast with two horns, and the Diabolian.

§ 5. In the Preparatory Age, and perhaps in the Incipient, coercive power was given to the citizens and penal laws were enforced by them, and its history is full of wars. In the Intermediate As^e the Kino^ has reserved all coercive power to Himself, and He rules the nations ; but their relation to the Kingdom is not noticed by historians. The churches have no coercive powers; but most desolating wars and woes have attended its advancement, and more are coming soon.

§ 6. In the Incipient Age, the care and government of the Kingdom was under Patriarchs of families, or tribes. After the Deluge, which had arrested impiety by destroying all the human family but eight persons, apostacy arose and increased, developing itself in Polytheism — the doctrine of many gods. Patriarchates became corrupt, or were absorbed by impious tribes, or confederacies, and the true religion of the True God was rejected by all nati(ms, if not by all individuals. To checkmate this Polytheism, the Preparatory Age of the Kingdom was set up, and covenants, oaths, and promises Avere given, which required long time to be realized, giving time for hope to expire and impiety to boast of triumphs. But at the appointed time the boasting was stopped and the hope realized. God's people possessed the land, preserved the true religion, made it known, and became powerful. Then they apostatised, the enemy triumphed, and the hope of the world appeared lost in the captivity to Babylon. IJnobserved, the cause of God permeated society among the nations, and arose to power and influence; the nations became infected by it, and proselytes were made to the true religion, while Jews were disgracing it b}^ impious conduct. The Intermediate Age was introduced, and triumphed over Jewish opposition, and brought on a struggle with Polytheism. Polytheism persecuted Christianity most cruelly and provoked its own defeat, and was forced to retire from the conspicuous conflict. But soon State-Church Monotheism became corrupt, and persecuted the true religion more fiendishly than Polytheism ever did; but the judgments of God broke the power, and light and reformation were scattered around. Another triumph of the enemy and another defeat of his power will introduce the Consummated Age of the Kingdom of God. The tares shall be gathered out of the wheat — the children of the Wicked One gathered out of the kingdom — the living saints shall be freed from corruption, soul and body, and rendered immortal; the saints asleep in Christ will be resurrected into immortalit3^ Thus freed from derangement and corruption, the saints will be active and powerful and will govern the world one thousand prophetic years. Then the earth will be blessed with peace and prosperity; the righteous will shine in the Kingdom of their Father and take the government and dominion under the whole heavens. At times this institution appeared to be lost; at one time overwhelmed by avowed enemies ; again, by usurpation of its government by apostates, and by perversion of its teachings and laws. Still it exists in despite of all opposition, while all its enemies of antiquity are destroyed and obliterated, and its later ones are doomed to extinction. Such is this institution; but a development of it, according to the divine programmes and history, I have never seen nor heard tell of, nor discovered in any catalogue of books. Such a work is a t»REFACii. 7

desideratum in sacred literature. While history has become an imperative study in schools, and the history of our country is reckoned indispensable to patriotism, the history of the Kingdom of God is unknown to most of its professed citizens.

§ 7. Now, I have endeavored to form a complete, comprehensive, and consecutive historical development of this great theme of the Bible for my own satisfaction, and am willing now to exhibit to the world this greatest, grandest, most permanent, and successful institution located upon earth. This work is not so much argumentative as historical, expecting the arrangement and narration of facts to carry the evidence of the truth with them. It is not exhaustive on most subjects, but suggests more than is expressed. It is a pioneer work and text-book, giving a comprehensive view to the reader, and enabling the student to search out a fall and complete history of the subject; and it might be enlarged to four times its present dimensions. Where we have the Sacred History, I simply show its design and appUcation to my subject and give a chronological arrangement of the Scriptures, from Townsend, so the reader may open his Bible and read the inspired narrative, poem, prophecy, or instruction along with the development. When guided by prophecy, I give what I consider the obvious import, without any argument to support my own views or condemn others, and arrange the extracts of history according to the Divine programmes; while reading plain history we are witnessing the fulfillment of prophecy. The reader must judge for himself as to the correctness of my views of prophecy and Divine teaching, but what I give for facts recorded in history are in those histories referred to, unless I have put down, by mistake, the wrong author or reference. I am liable to mistakes.

My judgment respecting future events rests upon that kind of evidence called Plausibility, and I make no pretensions to inspiration. This work is not limited to the inspired programmes, but gives, also, a condensed, comprehensive, concomitant history, and is brought down from Adam to the present day. Here is the sacred history, or prophecy, and here are the facts of history collated with them. Look at the facts and think for yourself. Within ninety years the history of the Kingdom of Grod will be the spine, or trunk line, of all history. All nations will owe the importance of their history to their contact with this history. All history must center in its history, and radiate from it. All Divine programmes due to the present time have been carried out, some are being performed now, and all will be verified in due time; and Christ's people should understand the signs of the times and act accordingly. Now, here is a book of facts coinciding with these Divine programmes, and showing in consecutive order what has passed, what is passing now, and what, in all plausibility, will yet be accomplished in this greatest of works.

§ 8. Only those who have mastered a science from its first elements are capable of solving its last, or most difficult problems, or of judging when they are correctly explained; and only those acquainted with the past development of the Kingdom of God are competent to expound its future programmes, or of judging when they are correctly explained. An expounder should have the same views, desires, hopes, fears, feelings, and interest in, and of, the Kingdom as the prophets themselves ; then they will understand and apply the scenes and symbols as Daniel and John would and did. If we discover the Scripture manner of recording facts, we may understand its way of portraying future events.

§ 9. This work will not supersede any work known to the author, but will occupy a vacant nitch in sacred literature. It is not a commentary, explaining Scripture and making practical applications ; nor a Bible dictionary of any name, treating subjects in a scientific or alphabetical order; nor systematic theology; nor an extensive ecclesiastical history. We may study the Sacred Scriptures topically, in the order we find them, without discovering the mutual relations of

8 THE KINGDOM OF GOD DETELOPEt).

the different parts aud the one great design running through the whole book. We may study thera according to their teachings, as systematized in creeds, confessions, and lectures; we may study them in chronological order, as arranged by men devoting themselves to that difficult and laborious task. Adopting Townsend' s chronological arrangement as sufficiently correct for the purpose, I found the the greatest delight and edification in studying them in their historical and prophetical development of the Kingdom of God — the greatest, grandest, most permanent, and successful institution located on earth. In day schools and Sabbath schools I became familiar with the topics of the Bible; in catechisms, confessions of faith, and lectures, — oral and written, — I learned the systematized doctrines of different denominations ; but when I studied the Bible in its historical and prophetical development of the Kingdom of God, it became a new book. The Bible is a historical and prophetical development of this Kingdom, and, to be rightly understood, must be studied from that standpoint.

§ 10. If the reader has time to read the outlines only, he may read chapter 177, which is a retrospect of the whole work ; if he can read parts only, he may look over the analysis of contents and indexes, and select his subject, or topic, and follow it through its continuations. If he wishes to understand the subject, he must read the whole work; if he has more time, he can read the Scriptures as arranged with the chapters and sections ; for more knowledge, he can read commentaries on those passages; and whether they agree or disagree with the author, he will gain more knowledge on the subject; he can read Bible dictionaries of any name, on the different topics, and the histories I have garbled, and think for himself. The Bible puts the history of the world in a nutshell, whether giving historical narratives or portraying future events, and when we have learned the Bible manner of recording and portraying, we will know how to discover the progressive work of the Kingdom, in the voluminous histories of the bustle of the world.

§ 11. All extracts of history are credited to their authors, though not marked as quotations. Sometimes I abridge, to put in smaller bounds ; sometimes one word interpolated will show the application to my subject, without any comment. But I have dealt fairly witli my authors, and never make them say what they did not intend to say; but I turn their facts, and often their figures and expressions, to subjects they never intended to elucidate or prove. It is an easy matter to classify events and shade facts to suit theories, but when historians classify and shade, without designing to prove or elucidate the Scriptures, they give the strongest evidence that what they relate in history is what the Bible portrays in scenes and symbols. The language and figures in history do often coincide with the scenes and symbols of Scripture ; therefore I prefer extracts of history to my own conceptions and composition.

§ 12. The Saviour told His disciples to make the Kingdom of God the primary object of their lives. But what is it? What its work? What its history ? How near are we to its consummation ? What its destiny ? Will these evil days never end ? Must the hope of Israel be deferred forever? Was the glorious ambassador, who taught Daniel, incompetent to teach ? Was Christ incompetent to teach His servants what he undertook to teach them ? I have followed these programmes from the first down to the present time, and found them verified by the facts of history, written by enemies; and by friends, not knowing they were doing so or intending such important work. And if verified in the past, why not depend on them for the future ? Follow me through these pages, and then think for yourself.

§ 13. The Scriptures give no means for calculating when the world will be burnt up; and it will take more than eleven hundred years yet to till up the programmes of events to transpire in relation to the Kingdom of God before the Son will deliver it up to the" Father. Bat most terrible revolutions and catastrophies are not far off, and theologians and statesmen, saints and sinners, should be apprised of them. The Frog-Spirits of the Revelations are perambulating the whole world and mustering the nations to the great battle of God Almighty. They are trying each other's strength just now and wish to destroy each other, but they always have, and always will, combine against the truth: and truth is the cause of God and His Anointed. The Fourth Wild Beast is now out of the Pit and acting without a head ; but present events may cause the ten horns of the Third Wild Beast to give him a headship. Then he will destroy the Harlot and slay the Witnesses, or slay the Witnesses first and then destroy the Harlot. The end of this Age comes after the gospel has been preached to all nations, and some whose knowledge of things entitle them to respect, say: "The Scriptures will be translated into all languages within eighteen years." Then will be distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and waves roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear and looking after those things coming on the earth. The power of the Turks, the last nation that will hold the Jews in expatriation, is drying up. Then will all the registered Jews return home, and an unprecedented time of trouble will be experienced. If we take the prophetic year at 360 days, the time of the dispersion of the Jews expires in twelve (now ten, A. D. 1887) years. The wonders of Daniel's predictions, or of his last prediction, terminates in A. D. 1927. All Divine programmes show the end of this Age to be very near. Like causes produce like effects. All the elements of revolution and catastrophe at work in the Old World are found in the New, and the same consequences may be experienced, though the New World comes not in the field of prophetic vision. We need theologians and statesmen who love truth and right more than they love fame or self and party interest.

§ 14. This work is not written in favor of any denomination in religion or party in politics, nor against any of them, but the facts and principles, deductions and conclusions, will necessarily come in contact with many dogmas and opinions of men and parties, and may cause hostility to it. This can not be helped ; we can not suppress truth because some may take offence. Truth is of God, and falsehood is of the Devil. The Son of God was manifested to destroy the works of the Devil; when the Son has finished His work, all falsehood will be destroyed out of theology and history. Truth is an attribute of God; we can not love God and hate truth. They are not wise who refuse to examine into the truth on all subjects relating to religion or to civil government. Every one mast have liberty to present his evidence, judge for himself, and be accountable for his own faith and practice. Truth should not be ignored, nor compromised with falsehood. We can not love truth and hate the evidence that sustains it, nor refuse to examine into the evidence on all important subjects that may concern us or others. Man is not a sceptic by nature, but he may become such by resisting the truth and perverting evidence. Get possession of the facts and reason for yourself.

§ 15. Resist the thought that you will be in your grave and not interested in the Advancement of the Kingdom of God, and in coming events. If there is joy in heaven over repenting sinners, the saints, absent from the body and present with the Lord, will be interested in the triumphs of the truth; and if asleep in Jesus, they will come with Him, and reanimate their resurrected, regenerated, immortal, and glorious bodies, and shine gloriously in the Consummated Age of the Kingdom. Go thy way, Daniel, for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot in the end of the days. The evil days shown to him.

§ 16. This work is divided into four ages, twenty-three periods, and one hundred and seventy-seven chapters divided into sections. Subjects are treated of, with other subjects synchronizing with them, and when not finished in one period, or chapter, or section, are continued in another, and reference is placed at the end of one and at the beginning of the other, showing their mutual relation. Thus we read, historically, the events which belong to the same times ; and when we wish, we can read any one subject by itself, by reference from section to section, from first to last, in unbroken connection.

Chapter 176 is the end of the history, and is composed of extracts from periodicals in my possession, and is brought down to the latest information in them. Chapter 177 is a retrospect of the whole work, and bears the relation to it that a map of the world has to an atlas of the world. The reader, wishing a comprehensive view of the whole subject, should read the retrospect first, and when he has read the whole work he should read it again; then he will be master of the whole subject. Had the apostles comprehended Christ's death and resurrection, they might have witnessed the whole scene with awe and intelligence, and awaited His resurrection in joyful hope; and if we understand the development of the Kingdom of God, we may witness its consummation in awe and admiration; and we know where, and how, to locate every important transpiring event.

AUTHORITIES: ABRIDGED AND QUOTED.

Ancient History — Divided into Chapters. Pablislied by the Carters.

Bush's Scripture Illustrations — Arranged according to tlie Scripture texts.

Bloomfield's Greek Testament — In two V^ols.

Benedict's History of the Baptists.

Comprehensive Commentary — In five Vols.

Dowling's History of K-omanism— Divided into Books, Chapters, and Sections; 16th edition.

Dodrig Family Expositor.

Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge.

Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History — Translated by Rev. C. F. Cruse, A. M.

Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — By Guizot; in two Yols. Oxford, Ohio. Yol. I. contains Chaps. 1-39. Yol. II. contains Chaps. 1-32.

Guthrie's Geography — In two Yols.

Harper's Magazine — A monthly.

Horn's Introduction — In two Yols.

Jones' Church History.

Josephus' Antiquities and Wars of the Jews — Divided into Books, Chapters, and Sections.

Lippincott's Gazetteer.

Leveret's Latin Lexicon.

Milner's Church History — In two Yols., divided into Centuries and Chapters.

Mosheim's Church History — In two and in six Yols., divided into Centuries, Parts, Chapters, and Sections.

Mitchell's Ancient Geography.

Missionary Magazine — Boston.

Missionary Sketches — F. S. Smith. •Napier's Peninsular Wars.

Neander's Church History — Of the first three centuries, translated by Rose. Planting and Training of the Church — Translated by Ryland.

Outline History of the Jews — In Polyglot Bible. Another Outline, etc. — In Supplement to Comp. Compre. Country.

Revolutions in Europe — By Koch and Schoell, two Yols. in one, divided into Periods and Chapters.

Rollin's Ancient History — In eight Yols., divided into Books, Chapters, and Sections.

Robinson's History of Baptism.

Supplement to the Comprehensive Commentary.

Swinton's Outlines of the History of the World.

Thalheimer's Ancient, Mediaeval, and Modern History — In two Yols. Referred to by page and section.

Townsend's Chronological Arrangement of the Scriptures — In two Yols., Old and New Testaments, divided into Periods, Parts, and Sections.

Wardan's System of Revealed Religion — In Scripture texts.

Willson's Outlines of History, Ancient and Modern — Also, American History, by the same.

Periodicals of the day.

Idex or Ages axd Periods.

Ages. — Incipient, Chap. 1-22. Splice with Preparatoi^, Ciiaps. 9-22, and Periods, 1 and 2.

Preparatory, Chaps. 23-101. Periods, 3-16. Splices with Intermediate, Chaps. 84-101.

Intermediate, Chap. 102-176. Periods, 17-22. Don't know whether it will splice with the Consummated or make a square joint. Consummated, Chap. 109:19, 20. 118 and 119.

The End. — Period 23. Seventh Seal, or New Heaven and Earth. All references

are to Chapters and Sections.

Period. — 1. Placing of the witnesses, Chaps. 9-16.

2. The Red Dragon in his First Headship assails the Kingdom of God, and is defeated. Chaps. 17-22.

3. Levitical institutions established, and the Promised Land possessed, Chaps. 23-32.

4. The Second Head of the Dragon developed with six horns, and the horns broken. 33-35.

5. Israel under kings. Chps. 36-44.

6. Israel divided, the divinity and sovereignty of Jehovah, and His fidelity to engagements, proved by the prosperity of Judah and the adversity of Israel. Clips. 45-48.

7. Partial apostacies and reformations, and corresponding adversities and prosperities. Chps. 49-51.

8. Impious rebellions, and great reformations, and the Third Head of the Dragon developed and broken. Chps. 52-56.

9. Rebellions, warnings, predictions, and captivities. Chps. 57-59.

10. Seventy years captivity. Fourth Head of the Dragon broken; the Fifth, with two horns, developed; and the first horn defeated. Chps. 60-63.

11. Captivity returned. Temple and City restored, and second horn of the Fifth Head defeated. Chps. 64-70.

12. Enlargement of the Kingdom of God. Sixth Head of the Dragon, with two horns, developed. Chps. 71-74.

13. Adversities and Conflicts. The ninth and tenth horns of the Dragon broken. Chaps. 75-80.

14. Preparation for the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Tlie Seventh Head of the Dragon developed. Chaps. 81-83.

15. Mission of Jesus Christ on Earth. Chaps. 84-99.

16. Apostolic Mission. Chaps. 100-124.

17. White Horse, or First Seal Period of the Kingdom of God in its Intermediate Age. Chaps. 125-127.

18. Red Horse, or Second Seal Period. The Red Dragon dethroned and his Seventh Head converted into the First Wild Beast. Chaps. 128-140.

19. Black Horse, or Tliird Seal Period. The Second Wild Beast with two horns developed. Chaps. 141-147.

20. Pale Horse, or Fourth Seal Period. The Third Wild Beast and the Harlot developed. Chaps. 148-158.

21. Fifth Seal Period. Safety and Prosperity of the Witnesses, and the Power of the Kingdom. Chaps. 159-176. Here history ends, and inquirers

must refer to prophecy for knowledge of the future.

Period 22.— Sixth Seal Period. Chap. 109: 16-20. Seventh Trumpet. Chap.

111:6, 7. Seventh Last Plague. Chap. 115: 11.

Consummated Age; Millenium. Chap. 109' 19, 20. 118 and 119.

Period 23. — Seventh Seal Period. The New Heaven and Earth.

Analysis of the contents, and indexes, are placed at the end of the work.

INTRODUCTIOK.

1. Sources of Ancient History. — The earliest historian known to us is Moses. There may be bricks, slabs, pillars, or superstructures of various kinds, lying in ruins, overgrown with vegetation, or buried in the earth, on which may be inscribed histories much older than Moses, but when found, we might not be able to correctly read their words, decipher their hieroglyphics, nor interpret their pictures. Moses has saved from oblivion an ancient dialogue between Job and four pious and intelligent friends; and what may yet be learned from documents preserved in countries east and north of Assyria, south and west of Egypt, and north of the Mediterranean sea, we don't know; but we must not mistake poetic fables nor phantastical pictures for authentic history.

2. Character of the Age of Moses. — When Moses wrote, about two thousand five hundred years of the world's history had rolled away, and left us without any authentic history of the times, or satisfactory record of passing events. The few rays of historic light reflected from the pages of Moses, and the customs of later ages, show us that in some places man had sunk into the lowest depths of degradation ^ ; perverted the plainest truths of tradition in others^, and reversed the whole order of creation in others. If the existence of a Supreme Intelligent Being was admitted. He was disregarded, or considered too exalted to interfere with government of the world. Man, the noblest and most honored of all creatures upon earth, was the slave of superstition, bowing down in servile reverence to the meanest reptile and vilest image ; woman, his equal, companion, and second self, was treated as an inferior order of the brute creation^; and children, the dearest objects of animal affection, were inhumanly sacrif ced to demons. Science could not, or would not and did not, counteract this immoral tendency that was brutalizing the human family till it was becoming a disgrace to the animal species, and a scorn and derision to the spirit world^.

3. Extent of Polytheism. — To what extent Polytheism had established itself among the nations beyond Chaldea or Assyria, in the north and east of Egypt and the sea, and in the south and west, we can not learn from the writings of Moses; but we find it iii Chaldea in the days of Abraham^; and Baal or Babylon became an early antagonist to the Kingdom of God ^. When Abraham visited Egypt, Pharaoh appears to have had a better knowledge of God than Abraham, but when Joseph became viceroy of Egypt, we find an established priesthood united with the civil government, and it permeated every grade of society'^. Phenicia, containing Tyre and Zidon, was an early devotee to the most cruel Polytheism-^planted colonies and established Polytheism in them ; and the Cananites practiced the same rites before the time of Moses. As a specimen of Phenician Polytheism, expressed in terras and in accordance with Grecian mythology, we will give a treaty of the Carthagenians, who were a Phenician colony: This treaty was concluded in the presence of Jupiter, Juno, Apollo; in the

14 THE KINGDOM OF GOD DEVELOrED.

presence of the Demon of the Carthagenians, of Hercules and lolaus; in the presence of Mars, Triton, and Neptune; in the presence of all the confederate gods of the Carthegenians; and of the sun, the moon, and the earth; and in the presence of the rivers, meads, and waters; and in tlie presence of all the gods who possess Carthage^. Though this treaty was made by a colony, and after the time of Moses, we may safely conclude it presents a specimen of the Polytheism of the ancient Phenicians. And it accords with what we shall tind in Egypt; and as Egypt and Phenicia planted colonies in Greece, and civilized it, we may take the Greek mythology as a fair exhibition of the Egyptian and Phenician Polytheism, under different names.