What is meant by the kingdom of God? ¶ 464.

Who constitute the royal family of heaven?  Quote the apostle Peter’s words relating to this. ¶ 464.

What promise did Jesus make to this class concerning a kingdom? ¶ 465.

Where will these be associated with the Lord Jesus in his kingdom? ¶ 465.

For what kingdom did the Lord teach his disciples to pray? and is it the same spoken of by the prophets of old? ¶ 465.

Who have enjoyed and are enjoying the blessedness spoken of by Daniel the Prophet in Daniel 12:12? ¶ 466.

As these appreciate this string of the harp, what song is appropriate to them? ¶ 466.

While the saints thus rejoice, for what do they patiently wait? and to what do they look forward? ¶ 467.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER X

String 9:  Glorification of the Church

The church means a called out class, separate and distinct from all others.  The church of Christ consists of Jesus Christ the head and the 144,000 members of his body. (Colossians 1:18; Revelation 7:4) Those composing this special class are otherwise designated saints.  A saint is one who is pure, holy, blameless.  The followers of Christ Jesus are not holy or blameless within themselves, but their holiness is by virtue of his imputed merit.  This same class of Christians is otherwise designated in the Bible as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for a purpose”. (1 Peter 2:9) They are also designated new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17); therefore they constitute the new creation.  This new creation when completed will be of the divine nature. (2 Peter 1:4) Nature is determined by organism.  The nature of the church, then, will be like unto Jehovah God.  It pleased God that Jesus Christ, his beloved Son, should have preeminence in his great plan; hence he is made the head of the new creation.—­Colossians 1:18.

[469]This new creation had its beginning with Jesus Christ at the time of his baptism in Jordan when he was begotten to the divine nature and anointed with the holy spirit without limitation.  As a man, he was pure, blameless, holy.  At the age of thirty years, he was qualified under the law to be a priest, and there he consecrated himself and at that time was baptized and begotten to the divine nature; hence became a new creature there from the divine standpoint.  As a new creature he was made perfect by the things which he suffered.—­Hebrews 5:8.

[470]From the time of his baptism he was opposed by Satan the devil, who sought to destroy him.  The reason for this opposition lay in the fact that when God sentenced Adam to death he had said unto Satan:  “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel”. (Genesis 3:15) The woman here symbolized or typified the Abrahamic-Sarah