THE KINGDOM OF GOD



1] What is the True Gospel?

When Jesus Christ came to earth He brought a message of good news – the true gospel. The word gospel is a very religious sounding name but all it means is “good news”. What was that good news? In his booklet “Your Awesome Future” Herbert W. Armstrong writes the following:

"[In Mark 1:14 we read:] Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel ...." What gospel? "... the gospel of the kingdom of God ...." That is the gospel Christ proclaimed. The message He brought was the message about the Kingdom of God…

“Jesus said, 'I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent' (Luke 4:43). Jesus commissioned His disciples to teach the Kingdom of God. 'Then he called the twelve disciples together, and...he sent them to preach the kingdom of God...' (Luke 9:1-2). 'But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women' (Acts 8:12). 'And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom...' (Matthew 4:23).

“Jesus' parables concerned the Kingdom of God. To His disciples, in explaining the parable of the sower, He said: 'Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God' and then He explained to them the parable. Again, 'Then said he [Jesus], Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it?' (Luke 13:18) -- and then came a parable. 'And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven...' and then follows the parable of the leaven (Luke 13:20-21).

“One of His most important parables is recorded in the nineteenth chapter of Luke: '... he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear' (Luke 19:11). Then He gave the parable of the nobleman going to a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return -- the picture of Christ's ascension to heaven, where the coronation ceremony shall take place, and His return to earth to rule all nations, as King of kings and Lord of lords, in all the supreme power and glory of the great God” (p.11-12).

So what is the Kingdom of God? Well, there are four things that are necessary to constitute a kingdom:

1] TERRITORY, with a specific location and definite boundary lines ruled by
2] a KING or Supreme Ruler or government ruling over
3] CITIZENS or people who live in that territory and
4] LAWS and a form of government.

In relation to the Kingdom of God, what is the territory it will rule over, who is it's King, who will it rule over and what is its laws and form of government?

In Daniel 2 we read about a great dream that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon had. God, through the prophet Daniel told him what the dream was and its interpretation. Daniel told him: “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the WHOLE EARTH” (Daniel 2:31-35).

Daniel then told Nebuchadnezzar that the gold, silver, brass and iron represented the Babylonian empire and three great empires that would follow him (Persian, Greek and Roman empires). As we saw in the last lesson the ten toes would represent a final resurrection of the Roman Empire at the time of the return of Jesus Christ.

Daniel then said, “And in the days of these kings [the final revival of the Roman Empire] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold” (Daniel 2:44-45).

We see in verse 35 that the Kingdom of God will fill the WHOLE EARTH. That will be the territory that it rules. Revelation 19:15-16 shows that Jesus Christ will be the King over this Kingdom of God that rules all nations after His second coming and He will be assisted by those who overcome in this age (Revelation 20:4). All people of all the nations of the earth will be its citizens who will be ruled by Christ (Revelation 15:4). The laws will be God's commandments, statutes and judgments (Ezekiel 36:27). After the millennium and Great White Throne Judgment period the territory of God's kingdom will expand indefinitely and fill the whole universe (Isaiah 9:7, Hebrews 2:8).

In the future Christ will be the King over all nations and ruling this earth with God's laws. The kingdom cannot be here now in the church because only 3 of the 4 components are here now. As christians we voluntarily subject ourselves to God's law with Christ as our High Priest and King. What is missing is territory.

The apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:50 adds another dimension to our understanding of what the Kingdom of God is. He wrote: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.“

What was Paul talking about when he said that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God and that only when we become immortal can we inherit that kingdom?

Well, we often talk about the mineral kingdom, the plant kingdom and the animal kingdom. The Bible also reveals an angel kingdom, created by God and composed of spirit, not matter. And then, high above all, is the very CREATING Kingdom - the GOD Kingdom, or, in other words, THE KINGDOM OF GOD!

Herbert W. Armstrong always explained the gospel of the Kingdom of God as DUAL –:

Firstly, the good news of the coming FUTURE world-ruling government of God with Christ as king and
Secondly, the governing Family of God.

The other half of the gospel is how we can be born into the God kingdom - the Family of God. This process of how we can be born into the Kingdom of God is also called salvation which is made possible through Jesus Christ and the forgiveness He has made available to us.

The phrase "gospel of the Kingdom of God" appears a lot more often than phrases such as the "gospel of salvation" or "gospel of grace" but salvation and grace are a part of that good news. Salvation - being born into the Kingdom - is also an important component of the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

As members of the church are begotten but not born into God's family or the God kingdom, the church, in a sense, is the Kingdom of God in embryo which will be born at the resurrection at Christ's return. At that time Christ will rule all nations as King of kings and bring the Kingdom to this earth. At this time the prayers of so many will be answered who have so earnestly prayed: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

2] How will peace come upon the whole world?

Wars and violence are constantly going on around this world. How exactly will peace be brought to the whole world when Christ returns to earth? What actions will be done to make it a reality? In his book “Mystery of the Ages” Herbert W. Armstrong answers this question this way:

“Christ and the governing kingdom of God, then set up as the governing family, will bring about the coming utopia by two basic courses of action.

1)    All crime and organized rebellion will be put down by force -- divine supernatural force.
2)    Christ will then set his hand to reeducate and to save or spiritually convert the world…

“This most glorious event in all earth's history -- the supernatural majestic descent to earth, in the clouds, of the glorified all-powerful Christ -- will at long last put an end to the subtle, deceitful, invisible rule of Satan… No longer will Satan be able to broadcast through the air into the spirit in man. No longer shall he be able to inject into unsuspecting humans his satanic nature -- which we have been misled into calling human nature.

“But that does not mean that the acquired satanic attitude will disappear from human minds immediately. The multiplied millions shall have acquired it. And even though Satan will then be restrained from continuing to broadcast it, what has been acquired as habit will not be automatically removed. Yet God has made us humans free moral agents. He has given us control over our own minds, except as we may be blinded by Satan's pull of evil by deception.

“But no longer will earth's mortal humans be deceived! Now the all-powerful Christ, and the immortal saints ruling under him, will begin removing the scales that have blinded human minds. That is why I say complete utopia cannot be ushered in all at once.

“Multiple millions will still hold to the attitude of rebellion -- of vanity, lust and greed. But with Christ's coming shall begin the process of re-education -- of opening deceived minds -- of undeceiving minds, and bringing them to a voluntary repentance. From the time of Christ's supernatural takeover, and Satan's banishment, God's law and the word of the Eternal shall go forth from Zion, spreading over the whole earth (Isaiah 2:3)” (p.268, 254-255).

This change of heart will be made possible as people are brought to repentance and receive God's spirit. In Joel 2:28 we read: “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on ALL FLESH.”

God says to His people Israel after they return from captivity to the land of Palestine: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them” (Ezekiel 36:26:27).

At first some nations will be resistant. In Zechariah 14:17-19 we read: “And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.”

For those of us in the church today, the Feast of Tabernacles is the highlight of the year but to Arabs, having to keep “Jewish” festivals will be something that they will resist at first. God will have to discipline them until they come around and see the wisdom of obeying Him.

Today the Jews and Americans are hated by many nations, particularly the Arab nations. This will all change in the millennium when all nations will praise them as they live by God's way of life. The Gentiles nations will see how well they are blessed because they are following God and eagerly seek their guidance. “Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you'” (Zechariah 8:22-23).

In the World Tomorrow no one will be deceived as the vast majority of mankind is today. All nations will know the truth of God. There will be no more religious confusion. No more Hinduism, Islam, tribal religions of Africa, America and the aborigines of Australia or Roman Catholicism. All arguments over religion will cease! Eyes will be opened to the truth.

Let's look at a couple of very inspiring scriptures that show how wonderful this will be in the Kingdom of God or the World Tomorrow as Herbert W. Armstrong liked to call it. In Isaiah 11:9 God says, "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea."

Jeremiah 31:34 says: "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

So what will the government structure of the World Tomorrow be like? In Mystery of the Ages Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:

“King David, resurrected, immortal, in power and glory, will be king…over all twelve nations of Israel (Jeremiah 30:9; Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24-25). Each of the original twelve apostles will be king, under David, over one of these then super-prosperous nations (Matthew 19:28). Under the apostles, each now king over a great nation, will be the rulers over districts, states, shires, counties or provinces, and over cities [Luke 19:11-27]” (p.277).

Herbert W. Armstrong also speculated about a few other possibilities as to who will have authority over what based on their experience in this life. nd the apostle Paul may work together over the Gentile nations. Joseph may look after the economic system of the World Tomorrow which we will look at a little later. He also felt that Noah might be given the responsibility of the relocation of national racial groups within the boundaries that God had originally set (Deuteronomy 32:8-9, Acts 17:26).

For those of us who qualify for the first or better resurrection (from the point of view of the exciting opportunity to help fix this world up in the millennium - Hebrews 11:35), there are a number of verses that describe different aspects of our role in the millennium. Let's look at a few of those.

In Isaiah 1:26 our future job is to be judges and counsellors. A judge settles matters of dispute between people and counsellors give guidance and support to people in need of wisdom and help.

In Isaiah 30:20 those in God's family will be known as teachers teaching God's way of life. In Isaiah 32:1 it talks about Christ ruling as King and princes ruling with justice. As Jesus Christ can see into people's hearts He will be able to rule and judge with complete equity (Isaiah 11:2-4).

In Isaiah 49:22-23 our future job is to also be foster fathers and nursing mothers. There will be a great number of orphans after the Great Tribulation. Those of us who are in God's family at this time will be foster fathers and nursing mothers to these many orphans.

In Jeremiah 3:15 the term pastors is used and in Jeremiah 23:4 the word shepherds is used. We will gently tend to the people who survive into God's kingdom like a shepherd tends sheep and we will feed them God's word to help them live a happy and peaceful life.

Obadiah 21 says that saviours (plural) will come to Mt Zion. Along with Jesus Christ we will help save this world from the terrible time ahead and help save people from their sins as we teach them God's laws.

Finally, in Revelation 5:10 our future job is to be kings and priests in the World Tomorrow. A king is a ruler and a priest is a teacher of God's laws and way of life. By teaching and enforcing God's way of life (Psalm 149:5-9, Revelation 19:15) in a fair and just way peace will come upon the whole world.

3] What terrible things will be no more in the Kingdom of God?

When God's kingdom is brought to this earth so many terrible things in this world today will be taken away and be no more. Let's look at a few of those things. In his book “Mystery of the Ages” Herbert W. Armstrong writes:

“Can you realize that every unhappiness, every evil that has come to humanity, has been the result of transgressing God's law?

“If no one ever had any other god before the true God; if all children were reared to honor, respect and obey their parents, and all parents reared their children in God's ways; if no one ever allowed the spirit of murder to enter his heart, if there were no wars, no killing of humans by humans; if all marriages were kept happy and there were no transgressions of chastity before or after marriage; if all had so much concern for the good and welfare of others that no one would steal -- and we could throw away all locks, keys and safes; if everyone told the truth -- everyone's word were good -- everyone were honest; if no one ever coveted what was not rightfully his, but had so much outgoing concern for the welfare of others that he really believed it is more blessed to give than to receive -- what a happy world we would have!

“In such a world, with all loving and worshiping God with all their minds, hearts and strength -- with all having concern for the welfare of all others equal to concern for self -- there would be no divorce -- no broken homes or families, no juvenile delinquency, no crime, no jails or prisons, no police except for peaceful direction and su ion as a public service for all, no wars, no military establishments” (p.253).

In the World Tomorrow there will be no war. The war machines of Russia, America, the Arabs and all nations will be dismantled. The awful atrocities of conflicts in places like the Middle East, Northern Ireland, and R will be no more. Leaders have sent countless young men to their deaths to fight in wars all throughout history leaving countless widows in their wake. In the World Tomorrow war will no longer consume the strength of young men.

Can you imagine a world where words like tank, battleship, bomb, warhead and holocaust are only in the vocabulary of historians? Can you imagine what kind of economy could exist if not one penny was spent on defence? And the greatest minds were devoted to efforts of peace, not war?

The prophet Isaiah wrote about the following about this wonderful world soon to come: “Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:3-4).

In the World Tomorrow the millions of starving people in Africa and Asia will then know the abundance that we have enjoyed in our Western nations. Once they are re-educated in God's principles of agriculture and they have beautiful farmland and rain in due season they will be able to feed themselves well (Amos 9:13).

There's just so much poverty in these nations because of corrupt leaders and the breaking of many of the basic laws of God and sound principles of agriculture. Wouldn't it great to have an active part in turning that completely around? That will be the job for many of us in the World Tomorrow. Just as God did with Israel, many of us will go into these countries and teach them basic laws of hygiene, health, sexual chastity and agriculture as well as how to live peaceably with others.

God's laws such as the Jubilee year law, gleaning and the land sabbath will go a long way towards eliminating poverty in the World Tomorrow. In the World Tomorrow everyone will have an inheritance of land from God. The earth is God's (Psalm 24:1) and land itself in God's system cannot be sold and horded by individuals, companies and governments.

When a person in ancient Israel mismanaged their finances to the point they had to sell their inheritance they didn't sell the land but the productivity of the land. If it was 40 years to the next Jubilee then it sold for 40 years worth of productivity; 30 years to the next Jubilee meant it could only be sold for 30 years worth of productivity as opposed to what the market would pay. This would also deflate inflation.

The land could be bought back or redeemed at any time by the person whose inheritance it was or by his immediate family. The rights of the poor had precedence over those rich profiteers who bought it off them in that they could buy the land back at any time and have it restored to them. The Jubilee law (Leviticus 25:8-17) helped equalize the wealth of the people where land reverted back to those whose inheritance it was rather than the unfortunate aspect of our society today where the gap between rich and poor is growing ever larger.

In our society today most of the poor have no land with which to grow crops to live off and make a living. In God's system everyone has land with which to grow food for themselves and make a living from. If they mismanage their finances God has provided for that situation with the law allowing them to redeem it at any time when they get their finances in order again and, failing that, it automatically reverted back to such a person or his family in the Jubilee year.

Along with the Jubilee law God has provided another means to support the less fortunate in our society through the laws of gleaning and the land sabbath. Whatever was missed the first time when people harvested the land of its crops they were to leave for the poor (Leviticus 19:9-10). Also, every seventh year farmers were to rest their land from being harvested and whatever grew of itself was to be for the poor and their animals (Leviticus 25:1-7).

In the World Tomorrow sickness and disease will be no more. "Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb [mute] shout for joy" (Isaiah 35:5-6).

How would you like it if you had the power to heal people who are suffering with things like a completely hunched over back, who are blind or deaf or whatever like Christ and the apostles did in early New Testament times. In the World Tomorrow we will have that power to completely change their lives by healing them of those sort of terrible afflictions. What would it be like to empty out all of our hospitals and cure all the people in mental institutions?

In the World Tomorrow there will be no more crime. Just think how wonderful the World Tomorrow will be when all this world's sufferings and evils will be no more. Turn on the six o'clock news and what do you see – bad news after bad news – violent murders, rapes and child abuse, terrible accidents, corruption at the highest levels of government. Won't it be wonderful when that will all be something of the past and there will only be good news on the news each night?

Imagine getting rid of the drug problems that plague our nations and stopping the drug lords of Columbia and other places. What about getting rid of the pornographic industry and cleaning up Hollywood where there's no more movies that come out with gratuitous sex and violence?

“In God's kingdom, commands of his will be obeyed. They'll become the standard for regulating commerce, business, finance, and the entire economic structure of the world. And all will be on the giving basis. Christ said: 'Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again' (Luke 6:38). The giving standard will be followed in God's rule on this earth -- not the grasping, conniving, striving, deceitful, clandestine, furtive, scurrilous, devious, cheating and lying chicanery that is commonplace in today's business world” (Mystery of the Ages, p.265-266).

Natural disasters will be a thing of the past. Can you imagine a world where hurricanes never blow ashore and tornados never touch down? Where earthquakes never occur? Can you believe a world where drought need never affect a crop? Where hunger is unheard of? Where floods never destroy homes? Where rain falls in due season? Where food supplies are more than adequate to support the population of the entire world? Air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution will all be gone. It will be an incredible world and we have only covered the tip of the iceberg.

4] What other positive changes will there be in the World Tomorrow?

Now that we've looked at some of the terrible things that won't be anymore in the World Tomorrow let's look at some of the many other wonderful things that there will be in this coming utopia. In his book “The Wonderful World Tomorrow – What It Will Be Like?”, Herbert W. Armstrong writes:

"Today - the greatest and most awesome problem of all is the population explosion. Growing populations in all nations are rapidly outstripping the ability of the world to sustain them. And the areas of the greatest rise in population are the underdeveloped parts of the world - the 'have-not' nations of poverty, illiteracy, disease and superstition. Remember, not more than 10 percent of the earth's surface is tillable, or arable, land. And now the latest U.N. figures indicate the world will double in population in just 34 short years.

"The daily, ominous pressure of people is one of the truly incomprehensible problems today. But God has the solution, and how simple it is. Simply make most of the earth cultivatable. Reduce the bare, snow-swept and craggy mountains, raise up some of the deep, arid desert valleys, change the world weather patterns. Make all the deserts green and fertile. Open up huge slices of the earth, like the Kalahari Desert, the Lake Chad basin and the Sahara in Africa, the Gobi Desert in Asia, and the great American deserts. Make green and verdant the vast wastes of Mongolia, Siberia, Saudi Arabia and many of the Western states in the U.S.

"Thaw out the deep ice packs and snowdrifts, the permafrost and tundra from the vast, almost limitless expanses of Antarctica, North America, Greenland, Northern Europe and Siberia. Make level the awesome Pamir Knot, the huge giants of the Himalayas, the Atlas, Taurus, Pyrenees, Rockies, Sierras and Hindu Kush - level the immense sweep of the Andes, and all the other forbidding, towering, virtually uninhabitable mountains of earth. Then, provide good, gentle rainfall, in right balance, just at the right season. And what happens? Multiple millions of acres of unbelievably fertile, productive, wonderful farmland suddenly become available - just waiting to be discovered, and pioneered.

"Impossible? In the hands of man - certainly. But look what God promises. 'Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the [Eternal], and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the [Eternal], and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

"'When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the [Eternal] will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains [artesian wells] in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah [acacia] tree, and the myrtle and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree [cypress] together: That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the [Eternal] hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it' (Isaiah 41:14-20)” (p.69-70).

How much different would the map of the world look like in the World Tomorrow? What would happen if God reclaims a vast amount of land that is covered by the immense oceans of the world (Isaiah 11:15, 60:5)?

What if, instead of only 29% of the earth's surface being dry land, 60% of the earth's surface was land? Say, put three or four continents the size of Australia in the Pacific and another one or two in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans? What if Antarctica was thawed out and we could plant forests and fertile plains all over it? What would it be like to open up the Artesian Basin underneath the deserts of Australia and turn those deserts into beautiful rich farmland?

Have you ever envied the pioneers of yesteryear like Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo or Captain Cook just to name a few? Well, the achievements of the pioneers of tomorrow, you and me, who are being trained today will pale into insignificance anything accomplished in past ages. Farmland will have to be opened in new areas where no man has set foot. With Christ's guidance beautiful cities are going to be built that will boggle the mind of today's architects and town planners.

In Ezekiel 36:10 God says: “I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.” This utopian world won't be created agic wand where it is transformed instantly. The pollution and nuclear radiation in this world will probably be removed supernaturally but God says that will cities rebuilt. There is value in doing it manually like this. Those who rebuild the cities will be able to take pride in and value what they rebuild with Christ's guidance.

Jeremiah 23:7-8 says that the exodus of the Israelites back to Palestine after Christ's return will be much greater than the one that occurred in Moses' day. When Israel came out of Egypt they numbered around 2 to 3 million people.

Amos 5:1-3 implies that our modern-day Israelite nations will be decimated in the Great Tribulation to where only 1/10 of Israel survives into the millennium. If we combine the peoples of America, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, NW Europe and the Jews in Palestine there would be around 350 million people. A tenth of that would leave us with 35 million people which is still over 10 times the number of Israelites who came out of Egypt plus they will come from all corners of the earth rather than just out of one country. It will be an enormous exodus!

There are some fascinating parallels between the first exodus out of Egypt and the greater Exodus to come. When God brings back Israel a second time they will come from many directions including Europe and North Africa. Just as God parted the Red Sea for Israel during the first exodus God says that He will part the waters of the Nile for those coming from North Africa as they make their way to Palestine (Isaiah 11:11-16). God will bring Israel out of modern Babylon just as He did with Israel out of Egypt. God will cause water to come out of the rocks for them who thirst just as he did at Horeb during the first exodus (Isaiah 48:20-21).

Before entering Palestine God will first bring Israel into the wilderness and prepare them for entry into the Holy Land (Ezekiel 20:33-37). At Mt Sinai God proposed the old covenant to ancient Israel. When God brings modern Israel into the wilderness for a time before they move into the Holy Land He will propose to them the new covenant to which they will agree to (Jeremiah 31:31-34). This time around God will give Israel the Holy Spirit and they will have the heart to be able to live God's way and keep the terms of the new covenant.

God says that He will purge out the rebels from Israel. Just as there was the rebellion of Korah during the first exodus there will be one this time which God will put down (Ezekiel 20:38).

Like in the days of the British Empire they will go into other nations (Isaiah 14:1-3), help rebuild their cities, develop their civil infrastructure and teach them God's values. Israel will finally fulfil their destiny and become a model nation of kings and priests (Exodus 19:4-6). The Israelite nations are gifted at administration and leadership. The English-speaking nations have also excelled in developing inventions and technology which helped lead the world into the industrial revolution and now the computer age.

Despite their faults these talents enabled Great Britain to be a blessing to the nations of the world (Genesis 12:3) and help build the civil infrastructure and raise the standard of living amongst the Gentile nations who came under the British Empire. Similarly, America (along with Britain) has helped feed the developed nations with their agricultural abundance.

What stability we do enjoy in the international arena is due to the overwhelming power and deterring threat of a superpower like America that defines international stability as a national interest. When their God-given talents of inventiveness and administration are used to glorify God they can truly be that model nation God intended Israel to be.

We read in Zechariah 14:14-16 that everyone, including Arab nations, will have to keep the Feast of Tabernacles in the World Tomorrow. How awesome will it be when the whole world keeps the Feast? Imagine thousands upon thousands of feast sites over the whole world. Can you imagine a whole tenth of the world's income going towards a gigantic week-long festival/party?

The prophet Zephaniah was inspired to tell us in Zephaniah 3:9 that God will provide one language which will be the language for the whole world in the millennium. He wrote: "For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent."

This doesn't necessarily mean the abolition of all other national languages but God's new language, which will probably be easy to learn and completely phonetic, will be the primary language in all nations. Wales is very much a bi-lingual country. English is the primary language but alongside English they have preserved Gaelic as a secondary language which they teach to all school children along with English. Also, most of their street signs have the names of the street in both English and Gaelic.

This arrangement where English (the international language of the four countries that form the United Kingdom) is the primary language and the national language of Wales is preserved as a secondary language may possibly be the sort of arrangement we'll see in the World Tomorrow.

"Jeremiah wrote about the restoration of God's way, 'The sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying, 'Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever' (Jeremiah 33:11). For most of human history the joy of brides and bridegrooms has only turned to sorrow. Sickness, poverty and war have epitomised vast segments of human history. But in that world to come, the joy of the wedding will live on and on. Husbands and wives growing in love as each year goes by.

"They will have healthy and happy children. And they will know how to rear them. Notice what Zechariah saw as God revealed the future to him: 'The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there' (Zechariah 8:5). Without fear of serious accident kidnapping, mugging, abduction and the host of modern atrocities that plague our societies, children will play openly—free from harm from man or beast. And verse 4 tells us, 'This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with cane in hand because of his [and her] age' “ (Plain Truth, Feb.1984, article: 'Yes: A Brighter Tomorrow Is Coming!').

Huge, overcrowded cities, cut off from the natural beauty of surrounding countryside, will not exist. The problems of poor planning, decaying buildings, pollution, inadequate resources, lack of educational, cultural and recreational activities, crime and unhappy people will gradually be solved as new cities are built throughout the world.

Life will be challenging and exciting where you won't be stuck to a 40 hour a week routine. With most people working on the land there'll be exciting opportunities to travel or study during the land Sabbath each seven years (Leviticus 25:1-4). Imagine every seven years half of the world's people having a year-long holiday together. Where would you love to travel with money being no object? Europe, America, Canada or the West Indies?

People won't be anywhere near as burdened with the twins problems of not enough time or money to do what they really want to do, whether it be spending time with their families, learning new things, taking up certain hobbies or travelling anywhere in the world that they'd like to.

What would your social life be like in the World Tomorrow if distance was no problem and you could instantly transport and catch up with friends on the other side of the world? Can you imagine point-to-point transport like in Star Trek?

Can you imagine watching God's home videos of the great events of the Bible history like the creation of the earth and Adam and Eve, the parting of the Red Sea and Christ's crucifixion and resurrection? God will probably have a version of virtual reality every bit as good as the holodeck on Star Trek where it feels like you're actually there?

What about meeting and inviting over for dinner some of the famous people of history such as the great explorers or musicians or King David, Abraham or the apostles or even Jesus Himself?

The economy and standard of living will be fantastic. Imagine full employment and paying only your tithes and no tax. In this world newly married couples have to go up to their eyeballs in debt when they buy a home. Imagine being given a couple of acres as your inheritance from God as a wedding gift.

In Amos 9:13 we read, "Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that sows seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt." Imagine the rich, tasty food, the juicy succulent fruits and the beautiful sweet wine that the Bible talks about when the goodness will be restored to our farmland and farmers live God's way.

Can you imagine the kind of buildings, transportation, communications and conveniences we would have if the greatest minds in the world were devoted to serving mankind and living God's way? How good will the literature, architecture, landscaping and entertainment be in the World Tomorrow?

God will change the nature of animals so there will no killing and devouring in the animal kingdom that reflects Satan's system of competition. Imagine no more venomous creatures and wild animals no longer being dangerous.

God says through the prophet Isaiah that in the World Tomorrow that “the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9).

What kind of animal would you like to have as a pet in the World Tomorrow - a polar bear, a playful dolphin or penguin, a Siberian tiger or maybe Bambi? I don't know about you ... but I love venison. Imagine you're out swimming and suddenly you hear this music - dum dum … dum dum dum dum… - "Oh, there you are Jaws. I was looking all over for you".

What will it be like to be a God being? Try and think of it for a moment. Here we are made of the dust of the earth. Imagine never getting sick, never getting tired, being full of power, energy, intelligence and able to travel across the galaxy in seconds. Imagine no longer being troubled by the pulls of the flesh and no longer being able to sin.

Can you imagine what will the first resurrection will be like when we will be beamed up to meet Christ in the clouds? All of a sudden we will have ALL of the emotions, ALL of the sensory powers, ALL of the knowledge and ALL of the power of God! Suddenly we will see all the angels that encompass us and the earth. We will be able to hear the awesome angelic choirs and literally see Satan and the demons put into the abyss.

It'll be better than Superman for we will be faster than a beam of light, more powerful than a million nuclear warheads and able to leap across the galaxy in a single bound! Even our little old ladies in the church will be like that one day so, you young people out there, I wouldn't want to mess with them if I were you.

Can you imagine living opulently from time to time like some of the kings of Europe in their magnificent huge castles and enjoying all the finest things of life? Imagine what it would be like to live the high life like the rich and famous? Imagine finding out the answers to some of the great mysteries of the universe such as who built the pyramids and how they did it, the Colonel's 11 secret herbs and spices and what women really want?

In an article called “Your First Day in the Kingdom” Steven Collins writes the following about this wonderful time when we will be born into God's family:

"Now you understand what life is REALLY supposed to be like. Human life was so limited compared to what you now experience that you marvel you were ever so limited and frail. You now comprehend what Christ said in Matthew 19:17 when he said, 'If you will enter into life, keep the commandments'. The human experience was so pale compared to this that you understand why Christ did not refer to it as real 'life'. Now you experience what it is like to no longer be bound by time and space, and yet have perfect love and self-control in all you do...

"Christ then turns to you and you are given a white stone with a new name written on it which no one knows, except you and Jesus Christ (Revelation 2:17), symbolising the unique and special relationship you will have with your Saviour for all eternity! Other names are given you (Revelation 3:12) by which you will be known to the rest of the family of God. You are now clothed in white raiment, glorious and brilliant, and Christ summons an angel who brings forth a crown, more glorious and beautiful than anything you can remember. You realise it is for YOU! The crown is designed to represent both you and the particular rulership you are being given.

"You kneel before Jesus Christ, the very being who died for you and made all this possible, and as He places the crown on your head, you see the scars in His hands and the realisation of what He went through for you becomes very, very personal. You remember the stone in your hand with your personal name on it, and a bond is sealed between you and Jesus Christ which will last an eternity. You marvel how your responsibility of rulership is so uniquely designed for you, or is it that you were uniquely designed for the responsibility now given you.

"You rise a crowned Son of God, and with the shouts of joy and welcoming ringing in your ears, you return to your position to witness the remainder of the ceremony, knowing that each other individual is experiencing the same kind of personal feelings about their crowning as you did.

"As the ceremony ends the entire newly-crowned assembly of the Sons of God follows Jesus Christ to begin their collective and individual responsibilities in the Kingdom of God. You now realise that purpose is far greater than healing the earth and its environment, and caring for human needs. The overriding purpose is to prepare and assist all other humans now alive or ever shall be alive or resurrected to come to repentance and to Jesus Christ so that they, like you, can have their personal coronation ceremony as you have just had. You are absolutely determined that none will miss out of what you are now experiencing, and you realise it is the same determination with which God the Father and Jesus Christ were determined to bring you into the Kingdom of God.”

The major task that we will have in the millennium will be to help Jesus Christ with the spiritual conversion of the whole world and bring them into the Family of God.

“Eventually thousands of millions will be spiritually converted! The great 'autumn harvest' of humans will be gathered into the Kingdom of God—born again as divine members of the ruling Family of God during the Millennium. By the end of the thousand years, the great Family of God will be ready for the final step in God's Master Plan. Even greater joy and accomplishments lie ahead after the Millennium!” (Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course – Lesson 23, p.14).

5] What will happen after the Millennium?

What happens at the end of the millennium? The last generation of the millennium will live over into a time which may actually last for many years before the Great White Throne Judgment period occurs when Satan will have been let loose and can invisibly broadcast his moods and feelings of selfishness and rebellion around the world.

Herbert W. Armstrong speculated that the reason Satan is given this short period of time is because God cuts his 6000 years to deceive man short before Christ returns. If God does allow the tribulation to begin and end before the 6000 years is up, this may help to explain why Satan is let loose for a little while after the millennium (Revelation 20:3). God may cut short the 6000 years by 5 or 10 or 20 years or whatever and give that time to Satan after the millennium to be allowed to deceive mankind for a brief time for a specific purpose God has in mind.

The people of the world at this time will have known nothing of Satan's deceptive power and could be spiritually lukewarm. They will receive a taste of what it takes to fight those sinful urges to shake them out of their spiritual complacency. Some of the nations of Gog and Magog however will give into Satan's spirit of rebellion and mount a rebellion against Jerusalem which God will defeat (Revelation 20:7-9). At this time Satan and his demons will be cast into the lake of fire and they will deceive mankind no more for the rest of eternity (Revelation 20:10).

After these events will then come the Great White Throne Judgment period. All who have died without being saved up to Christ's return will be resurrected and judged according to their works (Revelation 20:4-5, 12-13, Ezekiel 37:1-14).. A period of trial and testing will have begun. They will be judged according to what's written in the books – the Bible. Isaiah 65:20 indicates everyone will live at least 100 years.

Will the earth fit everybody who is resurrected at this time? If God makes 60% of the earth's surface land in the World Tomorrow and there are approximately 60 billion people that means there would be, on average, a spacious 5 acres for every family of four. Imagine the joy that so many will have to be able to see loved ones again at this time who died so long ago. The challenges of preparing for this resurrection and dealing with so many people who have been influenced so much by Satan's way will be enormous.

With Jesus Christ ruling the whole world at this time and those of His spirit-born family helping teach all mankind the right way to live, everyone will finally have a equal and fair chance at receiving salvation which very, very few will reject in the end. Those incorrigible people who still rebel against God will die in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15). One would have to be truly rebellious to reject salvation after a full 100 years when God's kingdom is here on earth and Satan is no longer around to deceive them.

After the Great White Throne Judgment period we read in Revelation 21 about how God the Father will come and dwell with mankind on earth and bring New Jerusalem with Him which He has been preparing for just this moment.

We are told in the Book of Revelation that the New Jerusalem is absolutely massive. It is 1500 miles by 1500 miles in area. The New Jerusalem will literally be two thirds of the area of Australia!

And it's also a staggering 1500 miles high! That height would put its peak some five times higher than the standard orbit of the space shuttle which orbits in space about 300 miles above the earth! Can you imagine taking an elevator ride up to the penthouse suite of the New Jerusalem? That's a pretty long trip in a standard elevator! Imagine the view of the whole earth from the balcony of the top penthouse.

The walls of the New Jerusalem will be 20 stories high or to put it in terms that young people might understand, the walls of the New Jerusalem will be as tall as Godzilla. You would gather from that, that to God, size really does matter!

Mainstream Christianity would have us believe that when we die we go to heaven for all eternity playing harps or whatever, yet the Bible tells us that what God has planned for us for the rest of eternity is far more exciting!

The universe is currently in a state of decay. It is running down and is eagerly awaiting our birth into God's family so it can be set free from that decay (Romans 8:18-23). Once we are finished fixing up planet Earth, the whole universe with its billions and billions of stars and planets awaits us. God is in the creating business and we will join the family business of creating and beautifying the entire universe for all eternity with God the Father and Jesus Christ.

Once we're finished with beautifying the earth we come to the ultimate - creating our own CUSTOM-MADE PLANETS! Can you imagine that? Have a think of what you would like on your own custom-made planet. Maybe beautiful islands like Hawaii, Tahiti or beautiful coastlines like the Gold Coast or Norway's fjords or spectacular snow-capped Alpine mountains and gorgeous landscapes with sparkling rivers, magnificent waterfalls and superb lakes.

Imagine creating beautiful paradises on planets like Mars, Venus, Mercury and our own moon? Given that there is so solid surface on the gas giants such as Jupiter and Saturn and that they are just balls of gas with a solid inner core, it's obvious that God didn't create them to be inhabited. They were probably created to be spectacular backdrops for their respective moons we may terraform and make habitable one day.

What about creating some spectacular, colourful nebulas and star clusters like some of magnificent ones that the Hubble Space Telescope has photographed? By the end of the Great White Throne Judgment period there may be approximately 200 billion members in God's family. If you think that's a lot, scientists estimate there are about 400 billion billion stars in the universe.

Divide the number of stars by the number of God members and you have a galaxy or two for everyone on average. God has created all these solar systems with planets to one day be inhabited. We will be the ones to help populate those solar systems way out there.

After the New Jerusalem has come down it says in Revelation 22:2 that the leaves of the tree of life will be for the healing of the nations. For people to be healed they must be sick. Now why would there be sick people after the New Jerusalem comes to earth? This indicates the possibility that we might create more people who will be mortal before becoming immortal after Project Earth is finally complete after the Great White Throne Judgment period.

If we do raise up new people on other worlds what will it be like down the track? Can you imagine tens of thousands of years from now if we've raised up several generations of new people who have subsequently created people on other worlds and they meet those of us in the church now? They will think it's an incredible privilege to meet someone who is, not just from the first world, but someone who was actually one of the firstfruits on Earth! One day we really will have the "Intergalactic Church of God".

As life's pressures build we need all the encouragement we can to get through life and dreaming about the wonderful things God has prepared for us helps us keep our mind on the big picture and give us that encouragement. Paul wrote in Romans 8:18 that the sufferings of this world are NOTHING compared to the wonderful future God has prepared for us.

This subject means a lot to me personally. When I was a teenager in the 1980's I was absolutely frightened to death by the prospect of nuclear war between Russia and America with the cold war still going on and that fear was hightened even further by shows such as the Prophecies of Nostrodamus and the Day After.

I picked up my first Plain Truth when I was 14 years old and the article that got me hooked onto the truth of God was an article on the World Tomorrow that appeared in the 50th anniversary issue. It was this precious truth that brought me into the church so that's why it means so much to me.

Our young people in the church should be a lot more actively encouraged to dream about the World Tomorrow and have that big picture because the more real it can become to them I feel they'd be a lot less prone to giving up and leaving the church and have more enthusiasm to live God's way.

All wonderful these things we've looked at in this lesson are why overcoming, repentance as well as baptism are all important – they are our passport to the World Tomorrow and being a part of that better resurrection!

It says in 1 Corinthians 2:9 that, “Eye has not seen, nor ear has heard, nor has entered into the heart of man the things [of the World Tomorrow] which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Our ultimate destiny could be summed up in the following words. "Space - the final frontier! These are the voyages of the God family. It's bold eternal mission - to create new worlds and new life forms and to boldly go where no man has gone before!"

“With God's great master plan of seven thousand years finally completed -- the mystery of the ages finally revealed, and with the re-creating of the vast universe and eternity lying ahead, we come finally to THE BEGINNING!” (Mystery of the Ages, p.296-297). What a truly wonderful future God has planned for all of us in the Kingdom of God in the millennium and beyond into eternity!

Summary

1] What is the True Gospel?

·   When Jesus Christ came to earth He brought a message of good news – the true gospel. The message He brought was the message about the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14, Matthew 4:23, Luke 4:43, 9:1-2, Acts 8:12).
·   There are four things that are necessary to constitute a kingdom: TERRITORY, with a specific location and definite boundary lines ruled by a KING or Supreme Ruler or government ruling over CITIZENS or people who live in that territory and LAWS and form of government.
·   In the future Christ will be the King over all nations (Revelation 19:15-16) and ruling this earth (Daniel 2:31-35, 44-45) with God's laws (Ezekiel 36:27). After the millennium and Great White Throne Judgment period the territory of God's kingdom will expand indefinitely and fill the whole universe (Isaiah 9:7, Hebrews 2:8).
·   The gospel of the Kingdom of God as DUAL –: First of all, it is the good news of the coming FUTURE world-ruling government of God with Christ as king and second, it is the governing Family of God.
·   The other half of the gospel is how we can be born into the God kingdom - the Family of God (1 Corinthians 15:50). This process of how we can be born into the Kingdom of God is also called salvation which is made possible through Jesus Christ and the forgiveness He has made available to us.

2] How will peace come upon the whole world?

·   Christ and the governing kingdom of God, then set up as the governing family, will bring about the coming utopia by two basic courses of action. First, all crime and organized rebellion will be put down by force -- divine supernatural force (Isaiah 2:2-4, Psalm 149:5-9 Zechariah 14:17-19) and, second, Christ will then set his hand to reeducate and to save or spiritually convert the world (Isaiah 2:2-4, 11:9 Jeremiah 31:34, Ezekiel 36:26:27, Joel 2:28).
·   King David, when he is resurrected, will be king over all twelve nations of Israel (Jeremiah 30:9; Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24-25). Each of the original twelve apostles will be king, under David, over one of these then super-prosperous nations (Matthew 19:28). Under the apostles, each now king over a great nation, will be the rulers over districts, states, shires, counties or provinces, and over cities (Luke 19:11-27).
·   Different aspects of the role of those of us who qualify for the first or better resurrection in the millennium are described in the Bible such as judges and counselors (Isaiah 1:26), teachers (Isaiah 30:20), foster fathers and nursing mothers (Isaiah 49:22-23), pastors (Jeremiah 3:15) shepherds (Jeremiah 23:4) saviours (Obadiah 21) and kings and priests (Revelation 5:10).

3] What terrible things will be no more in the Kingdom of God?

·   In the World Tomorrow there will be no war (Isaiah 2:2-4). The war machines of Russia, America, the Arabs and all nations will be dismantled.
·   In the World Tomorrow the millions of starving people in Africa and Asia will then know the abundance that we have enjoyed in our Western nations (Amos 9:13).
·   God's laws such as the Jubilee year law (Leviticus 25:8-17), gleaning (Leviticus 19:9-10) and the land sabbath (Leviticus 25:1-7) will go a long way towards eliminating poverty in the World Tomorrow. In the World Tomorrow everyone will have an inheritance of land from God.
·   In the World Tomorrow sickness and disease will be no more. "Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb [mute] shout for joy" (Isaiah 35:5-6).
·   In the World Tomorrow there will be no more crime. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing without fear of serious accident kidnapping, mugging, abduction and the host of modern atrocities that plague our societies (Zechariah 8:4-5).
·   Natural disasters such as earthquakes, droughts, floods and hurricanes will be a thing of the past.
·   In the World Tomorrow with all loving and worshiping God with all their minds, hearts and strength -- with all having concern for the welfare of all others equal to concern for self -- there will be no divorce -- no broken homes or families, no juvenile delinquency, no crime, no jails or prisons, no police except for peaceful direction and su ion as a public service for all, no wars and no military establishments.

4] What other positive changes will there be in the World Tomorrow?

·   Today the greatest and most awesome problem of all is the population explosion. Growing populations in all nations are rapidly outstripping the ability of the world to sustain them. In the World Tomorrow God will simply make much more of the earth cultivatable (Isaiah 41:14-20, 60:5).
·   With Christ's guidance beautiful cities are going to be rebuilt that will boggle the mind of today's architects and town planners (Ezekiel 36:10)..
·   The exodus of the Israelites back to Palestine after Christ's return will be much greater than the one that occurred in Moses' day (Jeremiah 23:7-8).
·   Like in the days of the British Empire they will go into other nations (Isaiah 14:1-3), help rebuild their cities, develop their civil infrastructure and teach them God's values. Israel will finally fulfill their destiny and become a model nation of kings and priests (Exodus 19:4-6).
·   Everyone, including Arab nations, will have to keep the Feast of Tabernacles in the World Tomorrow (Zechariah 14:14-16).
·   God will provide one language which will be the language for the whole world in the millennium (Zephaniah 3:9).
·   With most people working on the land there'll be exciting opportunities to travel or study during the land Sabbath each seven years (Leviticus 25:1-4).
·   God will change the nature of animals so there will no killing and devouring in the animal kingdom that reflects Satan's system of competition. Imagine no more venomous creatures and wild animals no longer being dangerous (Isaiah 11:6-9).
·   The major task that we will have in the millennium will be to help Jesus Christ with the spiritual conversion of the whole world and bring them into the Family of God. Eventually thousands of millions will be spiritually converted (Isaiah 2:2-4, 11:9 Jeremiah 31:34, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Joel 2:28)! By the end of the thousand years, the great Family of God will be ready for the final step in God's Master Plan.

5] What will happen after the Millennium?

·   The last generation of the millennium will live over into a time which may actually last for many years before the Great White Throne Judgment period occurs when Satan will have been let loose and can invisibly broadcast his moods and feelings of selfishness and rebellion around the world. They will receive a taste of what it takes to fight those sinful urges to shake them out of their spiritual complacency. Some of the nations of Gog and Magog however will give into Satan's spirit of rebellion and mount a rebellion against Jerusalem which God will defeat (Revelation 20:7-9).
·   At the time this rebellion is put down Satan and his demons will be cast into the lake of fire and they will deceive mankind no more for the rest of eternity (Revelation 20:10).
·   After these events will then come the Great White Throne Judgment period. All who have died without being saved up to Christ's return will be resurrected and judged according to their works (Revelation 20:4-5, 12-13, Ezekiel 37:1-14).. A period of trial and testing will have begun. They will be judged according to what's written in the books – the Bible. Isaiah 65:20 indicates everyone will live at least 100 years.
·   After the Great White Throne Judgment period God the Father will come and dwell with mankind on the earth and bring the New Jerusalem with Him (Revelation 21-22). We are told in the Book of Revelation that the New Jerusalem is absolutely massive. It is 1500 miles by 1500 miles in area. The New Jerusalem will literally be two thirds of the area of Australia! And it's also a staggering 1500 miles high! That height would put its peak some five times higher than the standard orbit of the space shuttle which orbits in space about 300 miles above the earth!
·   The universe is currently in a state of decay. It is running down and is eagerly awaiting our birth into God's family so it can be set free from that decay (Romans 8:18-23). Once we are finished fixing up planet Earth, the whole universe with its billions and billions of stars and planets awaits us. God is in the creating business and we will join the family business of creating and beautifying the entire universe for all eternity with God the Father and Jesus Christ.
·   All wonderful these things are why overcoming, repentance as well as baptism are all important – they are our passport to the World Tomorrow and being a part of that better resurrection!


Further Reading to Learn More about the Kingdom of God

·    UCG booklet – The Gospel of the Kingdom
·    UCG booklet – You Can Understand Prophecy
·    UCG Bible Study Course – Lesson 6: “What is the Gospel of the Kingdom of God?”
·    Mystery of the Ages (Herbert W. Armstrong) - Chapter 7: “Mystery of the Kingdom of God”
·    Old WCG booklet – The Wonderful World Tomorrow – What It Will Be Like
·    Old WCG booklet – Your Awesome Future
·    Old WCG booklet – What is the True Gospel?
·   Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course – Lesson 4: “The Coming Utopia – Wonderful World Tomorrow”