Keys of the Kingdom

most preachers and religionists speak of thekingdom of god. but just what is this kingdom—and when doesit appear? is it in heaven? is it the british empire?—the universalchurch?—or the millennium? is it “in the hearts of men” or merelythe “good within each person”? millions believe these popular ideas—yetthey are all wrong! in fact, none of them are even close to right! unnecessary confusion and disagreement reignbecause god’s word is ignored. soon you will understand the kingdom of godas never before—and as almost no one else

does! here then is part one of the bible explanationmade plain! the world to come. the restored church of god presents davidc. pack. author of 80 books and booklets. editor-in-chief of the real truth magazine. read by countless and growing numbers in everynation and territory of the world. in a violent age full of bad news. answering life’s greatest questions straightfrom the bible, and announcing the wonderful

good news of the world to come. and now, david c. pack. in 1966, as god began to call me into histruth, i had the opportunity to meet with my united states congressman from ohio. all applicants to the u.s. naval academy wererequired to have a personal interview with their congressman before possible acceptance. at the end of the interview, my congressmanasked if i wished to ask him any questions. here was a highly respected, long-time memberof congress—for 26 years, until 1973—giving me the opportunity to ask him any question.

i had only one. i was learning about a coming, world-ruling,supergovernment to be established at the return of jesus christ. i asked the congressman his opinion of oneworld government, if it were in the hands of men. his answer was immediate and emphatic, “ido not believe it would work, but if i did, i would shout it from the housetops,” hesaid. he went on to express various concerns. since that time, more and more people havesuggested that one world government is the

only way to save civilization. but many questions arise. who would bring it? what laws would it administer? how would they be enforced? would sovereign nations relinquish their authorityto it? would it succeed, or eventually oppress andenslave all mankind? these questions always stop thinkers, planners,leaders and politicians in their tracks! jesus declared, “repent you, and believethe gospel.”

before proceeding, we must ask, just whatis the gospel? most “gospel believers” never concernthemselves with what it is they believe. the truth of the gospel has remained hiddento the vast majority of professing christians. ever since the first century there has beena conspiracy to deceive would-be christians about the meaning of the gospel. as a result, most believe the gospel is aboutthe person of jesus. certainly, jesus’ role is enormous, buthe is not the gospel. the bible shows that jesus christ is preachedin conjunction with the gospel. some others proclaim a “gospel of salvation”or “grace.”

still others a “gospel of miracles” ora “social gospel,” or one about “foods” or “healing” or “faith.” some talk of “gospel music.” these are all manmade ideas—and not whatthe bible says! notice what mark recorded! “jesus came into galilee, preaching thegospel of the kingdom of god.” that is the gospel jesus preached. it was in this context he said, “repentyou, and believe the gospel.” what gospel?—the “kingdom of god.”

verse one refers to “the beginning of thegospel of jesus christ.” the gospel of jesus christ was about the kingdomof god—not something else! one must believe and understand that gospelto be saved. no counterfeit or substitute will do. the truth of this subject is so importantthat god inspired the apostle paul to warn ministers and christians of all generations. let’s read: “i marvel that you are sosoon removed from him that called you into the grace of christ unto another gospel: whichis not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of christ.

but though we [an apostle], or an angel fromheaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, lethim be [get this!] accursed. as we said before, so say i now again [herepeats], if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, lethim be accursed.” this is a strong statement! so there is the true gospel, with all othersfalse. plainly, paul never taught a different oradditional gospel, as some allege. in fact, god used him to be the one to warnagainst ever allowing such false teaching. he even pronounces a curse on any man, angelor even apostle—note the reference to “we”—who

violates this command. a powerful scripture! paul further explained the apostles were entrustedby god to preserve the true gospel. notice: “but as we were allowed of god tobe put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but god.” this is a responsibility not to be taken lightly. true ministers teach what god commands, notwhat “pleases men.” since jesus said the gospel was about thekingdom of god, and men do not know what god’s kingdom is, they have concluded it may bea particular denomination or christianity

collectively—or a “warm feeling” inthe “hearts of men”—or the millennium—or british empire, among others. some have even concluded the gospel of thekingdom is not for mankind today! what incredible ignorance! the masses are deceived by the god of thisworld, who uses his ministers as instruments to spread the most popular false gospel, thatof the person of jesus, instead of jesus’ message about god’s kingdom. paul also warned, “for such are false apostles,deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of christ.

and no marvel; for satan himself is transformedinto an angel of light. therefore it is no great thing [or it’snot surprising] if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness…” this is a shocking scripture. satan has ministers who appear to be god’sministers. paul next describes the work of such men. notice: “but i fear, lest by any means,as the serpent beguiled eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from thesimplicity that is in christ. for if he that comes [speaking of false preachers]preaches another jesus…or if you receive

another spirit…or another gospel, whichyou have not accepted… [and it continues]” if christ is the gospel, then why are “anotherjesus” and “another gospel” shown as separate problems? people need to wake up to the deception—themass delusion—of a supposed christianity that denies virtually all the truths of thebible! god’s plan for mankind is staggering—incomparableto anything human beings have devised to replace it. the world ignores plain, clear, unmistakablescriptures found throughout the bible about god’s kingdom.

this series explains the astonishing truthso many ignore! like a newscaster far ahead of his time, jesuscame with an announcement about a complete change in the way the world would one daybe governed. world peace, happiness, harmony, universalhealth and prosperity would come. everywhere he went, jesus spoke about thekingdom of god. it was the subject of most of his parables. when commissioning his 12 apostles, he sentthem to preach the kingdom of god. he later sent 70 more disciples, commandingthem to preach god’s kingdom. paul preached this same “kingdom” messageeverywhere he went (carefully read this list

of verses). the terms kingdom of god and kingdom are foundscores of times through the new testament. yet nearly everyone has lost the knowledgeof—and meaning of—what this kingdom is! “gospel” is an old english word meaning“god spell” or good news. so is “kingdom,” which simply means government. in other words, christ preached “the goodnews of the government of god.” peace, happiness, health and abundance wouldcertainly be good news for a mankind that has not known it for 6,000 years. jesus’ disciples asked him what would bethe sign of his coming and of the end of the

age. first, he warned his servants of future generations,that there would be deception from many, he said, who would come “in his name,” saying,“christ was christ”—meaning they would put emphasis on jesus’ person not his message. but he also foretold that “this gospel ofthe kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shallthe end come.” we are now in the time of the end. remember, if the kingdom of god had been preachedthroughout the centuries—from christ’s time to the present—proclaiming it todaycould not be a sign we have reached the last

days. impostors and false leaders suppressed thepreaching of the true gospel until 1934 when herbert w. armstrong began fulfilling thisprophecy. the restored church of god is today preachingthis gospel—but for only a little longer. when jesus spoke of the “kingdom,” whatdid he mean? the kingdom of god has two separate aspects. many speak of salvation—the belief in anafterlife. some have supposed the gospel is exclusivelyabout “receiving eternal life” or the popular, but unbiblical, idea of “goingto heaven” upon death.

of course, the bible says much about salvation. actually, salvation is directly related to—isone aspect of—the kingdom of god. the other is about government. when the kingdom arrives, it will be a world-rulinggovernment. the bible describes this government in detail. prior to jesus’ birth, an angel appearedto his mother, mary. let’s read: “the angel…said…you shall...bringforth a son, and shall call his name jesus. he shall be great, and shall be called theson of the highest: and the lord god shall give unto him the throne of his father david:and he shall reign over the house of jacob

forever; and of his kingdom there shall beno end.” while on trial, jesus told pilate, “my kingdom[his government] is not of this world.” pilate asked, “are you a king then?” jesus responded, “to this end was i born,and for this cause came i into the world.” jesus christ was born to be a king—but whereand over what? the world to come will continue after thisbrief message. discover more from david c. pack! visit our website worldtocome.org. see the world to come broadcasts, read andorder books, booklets and articles, all free

of charge. to continue learning about the topics coveredin this broadcast, visit worldtocome.org today! now back to david c. pack. here is what the prophet isaiah foretold aboutchrist: “for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shallbe upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called wonderful, counsellor, the mighty god,the everlasting father, the prince of peace. of the increase of his government and peacethere shall be no end, upon the throne of david, and upon his kingdom, to order it,and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever.”

obviously, heaven is not awaiting either god’sgovernment or peace. when christ establishes his government, itwill usher in peace and justice for all nations on earth! david’s throne is on earth. the apostle peter spoke of “…when thetimes of refreshing shall come from the presence of the lord [here on earth]; and he shallsend jesus christ [to earth], which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven mustreceive until the times of restitution [or restoration] of all things, which god hasspoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”

of course, heaven has received christ “until”this restoration. imagine! every one (“all”) of god’s true servantshave preached that christ will return to restore “all things.” prior to satan’s rebellion, god’s governmentwas present on earth. for thousands of years, god’s servants haveforetold its restoration in detail. i have studied all of the old testament prophetsmany times and seen that each did announce, in one way or another, the coming kingdomof god and restitution of all things. the prophet daniel understood the kingdomof god was a literal government that would

one day rule real people and real nationson earth. he held no illusion that the kingdom was mere“sentimental fluff” or a “warm feeling” in the “hearts of men.” god used him to explain much special understandingabout how and when god’s kingdom would arrive. all that daniel was shown was to be “closedup and sealed [it says] till the time of the end.” i repeat, we are now in that time—and thereare many proofs of this. you will want to read our eye-opening bookletare these the last days? daniel understood and spoke the same gospeljesus preached—and it is critical we understand

what he said. in chapter 2 of his book, daniel was speakingto the chaldean king nebuchadnezzar about matters that had come to the king in a dream. nebuchadnezzar was the king of a vast empire—babylon—thathe ruled about 600 years before the time of christ. it was god’s purpose to reveal, throughthat worldly human king, that there is an almighty living god who rules the entire universeand all kings, governments and nations on earth are ultimately subject to him. the humanly wise king nebuchadnezzar had noknowledge beyond the existence of other human

kings and their many false gods. it was the true god’s intention to revealthe existence of his government and that it rules the entire universe. he intended to make plain his supreme purposeof bringing that government to earth in the latter days. this astonishing prophecy details many thingsabout the restoration of his government—including the time sequence for its arrival. the first verses of chapter 2 describe theimage of a giant man. the image is constructed in four distinctparts.

verses 34 and 35 then describe a supernatural,it says, “stone that smote the image [and] became a great mountain, and filled the wholeearth.” now notice this stone “was cut out withouthands.” this is because god, not men, had formed it. the “stone” shatters the image and replacesit, and goes on to encompass the whole earth. this can only be describing god’s governmentcoming to earth. and we will see this more clearly. again, daniel is merely announcing the same“kingdom” message that jesus preached. you do not need to believe me, because thisis what your bible states in a series of verses

no one must interpret for you. verse 37 plainly states, “you, o king, area king of kings: for the god of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, and strength,and glory.” now verse 38: “you [nebuchadnezzar] arethis head of gold.” we must always let the bible interpret thebible. this is what it just did. verses 39-40 go on to describe three successivekingdoms that would follow nebuchadnezzar and babylon. these verses show historic world empires depictedby different metals in the image.

these were literal kingdoms: first, the chaldean-babylonianempire of gold; second, the medo-persian empire of silver; third, the greco-macedonian empireof brass, and fourth, the roman empire, made of iron mixed with clay in its final appearance. the record from history is that these fourkingdoms (or empires) did rule successively. the fourth kingdom will one more time ruleand influence the world just before—and up to—when god’s kingdom is established. god expressly reveals to us now that he isthe one who establishes and removes—and establishes and removes, again and again—earthlygovernments (or kingdoms). many ask, “but what is a kingdom?”

preachers and theologians have tried to spiritualizeaway the meaning, because they have not carefully examined god’s definition—or what thebible says. this is found in verse 39, which refers tothese kingdoms, notice, “which shall bear rule over all the earth.” this cannot refer to the nebulous idea ofa kingdom in the “hearts of men”—or some kind of church or churches. it speaks of rulership by governments withauthority over literal nations—and literal people. will you let preachers tell you otherwise—orwill you believe the bible definition of a

kingdom? and remember, these kingdoms “bear ruleover all the earth”! note two important aspects of the toweringimage. first, the metals decrease in value descendingfrom the head to the legs and feet. so the quality of each succeeding kingdomor empire is less in value than the preceding one. second, the metals increase in strength descendingthe statue’s body. in other words, the power and scope of eachsucceeding kingdom/empire is greater than the one before it.

finally, notice the two legs represent a dividedkingdom. the roman empire was indeed divided, withcapitals at both rome and constantinople. the 10 toes are part iron and part clay. iron cannot mix with clay, so this picturesinstability. when the feet break, the entire man will collapse. careful study must be made of revelation 13and 17 and daniel 7, with daniel 2, to fully understand the succession of these four kingdoms.together, these four chapters present a powerful and sobering prophecy about latter-day events—thatwill affect you and me in our lifetime! this booklet, who or what is the beast ofrevelation?, is vital for you to understand.

something incredible happens “in the daysof these kings." christ’s arrival removes all doubt aboutexactly what the kingdom of god is. also, god tells us when it will arrive: “and[here it is] in the days of these kings shall the god of heaven set up a kingdom, whichshall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people [god willnever allow human beings to seize control. let’s continue.], but it shall break inpieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” god—not men—will establish the greatestworld-ruling empire of all time. and he will never allow men and their opinionsto disrupt it, for it will “stand forever.”

this promise is sure. it will happen—whether men believe it ornot! my job is to report it to you, not make youbelieve it! jesus christ was born to be a king—to ruleall nations of earth forever with the help of other spirit-composed kings. this is the central theme of the entire bible:“and out of his [christ’s] mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should smitethe nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron…and on his thigh a name written,king of kings, and lord of lords.” have you been told about these passages—anyof them?

i never learned or even heard of them in thechurch of my youth—and yet, here they are, available with unmistakable clarity. we are out of time, but part two presentsmuch more. do not miss it! in the meantime, you will want to read ourthorough booklet what is the kingdom of god? you will be amazed at plain, biblical meaningalmost no one knows. until next time, this is david c. pack saying,“goodbye, friends.” this program was made available by restoredchurch of god members and donors from around the globe.

explore our vast library of literature andother world to come programs, which are all made available free of charge. to order literature featured in this program,call toll-free 1-855-828-4646. that number again: 1-855-828-4646.

Share this :