Jesus Chr ist Will Reign From

Jerusalem
Excerpts taken from Dr. John R. Rice's excellent book, The Coming
Kingdom of Christ (ISBN 0-87398-116-2)

World Hates Christ Now as in His Ministry

Is this world now subject to the reign of Christ as Israel was
subject to David? The world does not love him, the world does not
obey Him. It crucified Him when He was here, and every Christ-
rejecting sinner does the same thing in his heart. Peter denied
Him, and the rest of the disciples forsook Him and fled. Do not
present day disciples do the same?

What nation is a Christian nation in all the world today, as Israel

was David's nation? Is America, with legalized booze, with the
national government a party to the booze trade? Is the will of
Christ done on earth as it is in heaven, as Jesus taught it would be
when the prayer, "Thy kingdom come," is answered? Look about
you and see if the kingdoms of this world have been taken from
Satan, "the god of this world" (2nd Corinthians 4:4), and have been
given to 'the Lord and His Christ.' No, not yet, but they will be at
His coming. -Pgs. 85,86

When Will Jesus Sit on His Throne, the

Throne of David?
So much is said about the coming reign of Christ in the Bible that
we should expect definite teaching about when Christ will sit on
His throne and reign. Thank God, we do have definite teaching in
many places on this question. For instance Matthew 25:31. There
the Saviour tells us, "When the Son of man shall come in his
glory...THEN shall He sit upon the throne of his glory." All the
argument in this world cannot change the plain, simple fact which
the Scripture expressly states: Jesus will be enthroned at His
second coming.

Some may complain, however, that the Scripture, Matthew 25:31,

refers to Jesus sitting on a throne to judge. It does tell about His
judging those that are brought before Him, the sheep and goats,
the saved and lost of the living nations on the earth when He

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returns. And that judgment will be on the basis of what they have
done toward Christ's brethren, the Jews, during the tribulation
period. We grant that. However, one must distinguish between
this judgment of the living on earth with those three groups of
sheep, goats and brethren, and the last great judgment of the
unsaved dead, mentioned in Revelation 20:11-15. No, Matthew
25:31 tells of the beginning of His kingdom when He shall sit on
the throne of His glory. Those brought before Him are the living of
the nations of the earth over whom He is to rule. In fact, in the
same context, Matthew 25:34, we are told that the Saviour will
say will say to the saints who will reign with Him: "Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34). The kingdom of
Christ begins when He will sit on the throne of His glory at His
coming. -Pgs. 93,94

Eternal Promises to the City, Jerusalem

Preachers and Bible teachers have fallen into an evil way of
spiritualizing the Word of God, explaining away the promises and
making the Bible means what it does not say. In many editions of
the Bible, men have defiled the Word of God with their opinions
which explain away the literal meaning of the inspired Book. At
the top of pages or chapters where God promised good to Israel,
men have written "God's promises to the church." When God's
Word prophesies good to Jerusalem or to Mount Zion, or
prophesies about the future of Mount Zion, such learned teachers
and preachers often say that God did not mean what He said at
all, but referred to heaven. They are wrong, utterly, foolishly,
presumptuously, wickedly wrong! The Bible says what it means
and means what it says. God has an eternal plan connected with
the literal city of Jerusalem in Palestine, which is so plainly
foretold that honest Bible students must accept it. Mount Zion is
"the southwest hill of Jerusalem, the older and higher part of the
city; it is often called, the city of David" (Young's Analytical
Concordance). The term "Mount Zion" is often used for the whole
city of Jerusalem.

If you want to understand what God says in the Bible about

Jerusalem, then remember this: always the name Jerusalem refers
to the literal city of Jerusalem in Palestine, unless the Scripture
indicates otherwise. Five times in the Bible, in Galatians 4:26,
Hebrews 12:22, Revelation 3:12, Revelation 21:2, and Revelation
21:10, the word "Jerusalem" refers to the heavenly city which will
one day come down to Palestine on the site of the old Jerusalem.

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 Hundreds of times "Jerusalem" means the city now in Palestine.
-Pg. 95

If you would understand the Scriptures and know God's plans and
promises, then take literally His promises about Jerusalem and
Mount Zion. -Pg. 95

Jerusalem, "the City of the Great King"

In the prophets and Psalms, Jerusalem is a famous theme. In
Psalm 48: 1,2,the importance of Jerusalem in the plan of God is
shown.

"Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our

God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the
joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north,
the city of the great King." -Psalm 48:1,2

The Psalmist wrote, not primarily for his own time, but looking
into the future, he was inspired to know that the time would come
when Jerusalem should be "the joy of the whole earth." Jerusalem
was "the city of the great king," but the King mentioned was not
David nor Solomon, but a coming King. Jesus Himself quoted that
phrase in Matthew 5:35 saying that none should swear by
Jerusalem "for it is the city of the great King." There would be no
blasphemy in taking the name of a man in vain. This great King is
Jesus, the Son of God, very God Himself. No one should swear by
Jerusalem, because it is the city of Jesus, the great King--not
because it is the city of king David. This proves surely that the
literal city of Jerusalem will be the center of the reign of Christ.

That coming great King will sit on His throne at Jerusalem, and
then Jerusalem shall be the joy of the whole earth. When the
Saviour returns to reign, when Israel is regathered and converted,
when Jesus sits in the literal city of Jerusalem on the throne of
David, then these prophecies about Jerusalem will be fulfilled.
-Pgs. 101,102

This excellent book and many others are available at This excellent book and
This excellent book and many others are available at
www.SwordoftheLord.comCopyright 1945 by SWORD OF THE LORD
PUBLISHERS

Copyright 1945 by SWORD OF THE LORD PUBLISHERS

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Copyright 1945 by SWORD OF THE LORD PUBLISHERSHERS