THE reign of God is already universal, ageless, rich with blessing to the obedient of every tongue, in every land. But when people speak of God's kingdom, or the kingdom of heaven, and conceive it in terms of "the kingdom of the earth," they would have war in heaven, and some thrust out of the kingdom, even as by war on earth there are expulsions and exile, obliterations of advantage and the sustainment of discord.
Every war, it is said, plants the seed for future warfare. The kingdom of heaven cannot be the home of the Pharisee who holds his neighbor in disdain and covets his possessions. When we speak of the reign of God we find an illustration from the analogy of John when he said, "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." We rejoice in the light of day, but as we reside on the turning earth its opaqueness comes between us and the sun, and we say of the darkness, It is night. In common speech we declare that the setting sun has gone, but on the morrow will rise. But the sun changes not in its light-giving and its beneficence. And in the spiritual realm we can continuously be the children of the light; we can dwell unchangingly under the reign of God.
Is the universality of the kingdom becoming known? Is the reign of God being recognized? To some extent, yes. It was thought in the early church that the revelation of Jesus was for the chosen people, the Jews. Paul was looked upon as a disturber because he preached the gospel to people of other nationalities. His visit to Jerusalem, after an extended tour, precipitated a riot in which he would have been killed but for the intervention of Roman law. Peter was enlightened by a vision before visiting Cornelius, and so perceived that the light was not limited to the Jews. On his return he explained how the enlightenment of the Holy Ghost had been under his ministry imparted to those who were Gentiles, whereat the record is concerning those who had been objectors, "When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."
