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Replying to JehovahsWitness in post #1233]
Thank you JehovahsWitness. There is a lot of meat in both passages to discuss. I may only have time to address the first one. Later today, I’ll do my best to talk about the second.
You asked:
DANIEL 2:44
How can the kingdom merely be a feeling in the hearts of believers if it eliminates and replaces all human governments?
My response: I’m not sure where you got the idea that the kingdom is “merely a feeling in the hearts of men.” I did not say it, nor do I believe it. I am not accountable for what someone else may have said.
Being in the kingdom of Jesus is not based on feelings/emotion. It is based on knowledge that comes from Scripture.
First and foremost, we know the kingdom is here now (Col 1:13, Rev. 1:9, Hebrews 12:28, 1 Thess 2:12, Luke 11:20, 2 Thess 1:5) We know that Christ is reigning over His kingdom (1 Cor 15:25). To deny its presence is to deny the word of YHWH.
Second, we know from Jesus’ very own words that the kingdom He spoke of is spiritual, not physical (John 18:36; Luke 17:20-21) And from Paul (Rom 14:17). To deny its spiritual nature is to deny the words of our Savior as well as Paul’s whom the Holy Spirit spoke through.
Can you point to a post where I wrote “the kingdom eliminates and replaces all human governments?” I ask that you please not put words in my mouth or assume to know what I think. Stick to the facts, and don’t assume.
You claimed that numerous scriptures speak of an idyllic earth with no suffering (a return to the paradise garden conditions Adam and Eve originally enjoyed on this planet earth in the flesh) ...
I asked you to quote two of your favorites passages that say what you’ve claimed above so we can discuss them.
You chose Daniel 2:44 for one of your two quotes.
44 And in the days of these kings 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.
What exactly in this passage speaks of an idyllic earth with no suffering (a return to the paradise garden conditions Adam and Eve originally enjoyed on this planet earth in the flesh)?
My goodness! You certainly are reading a lot into this verse that it doesn’t say, nor even hints at.
What is does say is the kingdom will never be destroyed. It won’t be inherited by any other people. It says it will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it will stand forever.
The prophecy does not indicate that the end result (breaking in pieces and consuming these kingdoms) would be immediate. It does not say it would be accomplished in one day, or that the establishment of Jesus’ kingdom would overthrow all governments immediately. It does not say that it would conquer in the same way earthly kingdoms conquer one another.
There is not one word about an idyllic earth.
SCRIPTURE #2 MATTHEW 6 :10 post #1195
Since Jesus said the kingdom will ensure the earth eventually enjoys the same destiny as heaven, how can the fulfillment of this allow for Satanic rule, death, hunger and human suffering ?