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Father's throne" (Rev. 3:21).
Brethren, we are IN TRAINING, NOW, for that RULE in the
KINGDOM OF GOD.
And what PRINCIPLE of government? From the TOP DOWN.
From GOD -- it is HIS Government -- the GOVERNMENT of God the
Father. Under Him is Christ. Under Christ, over ISRAEL will be
the resurrected DAVID. Under David, each over one of twelve
tribes, the TWELVE ORIGINAL APOSTLES. Under each of them, rulers
over CITIES.
DEMOCRACY, from the bottom up -- every man doing what
seems right IN HIS OWN EYES, would never prepare you to REIGN with
Christ then. THINK, Brethren, what it would mean if you should
REBEL against God's Government as HE has placed it in HIS CHURCH
NOW, and follow the dissenters OUT of God's Church, into what
unauthorized humans have ASSOCIATED THEMSELVES into -- an
"ASSOCIATED CHURCH." I should demand PROOF that such is of GOD.
There is NO EVIDENCE. It is of MEN -- disloyal, selfish men --
swayed and deceived by Satan!
But now back more specifically to the CHURCH.
Just WHAT IS the Church of God? Let's see it as GOD sees
it, in relation to His OVERALL PURPOSE.
Remember, God's overall PURPOSE in creating and putting
MAN on earth may be stated as:
1) The RESTORATION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD UPON EARTH.
And to do this by means of,
2) REPRODUCING HIMSELF, thus producing an unlimited
number of beings begotten and finally BORN of God into the divine
FAMILY OF GOD, having developed holy and righteous CHARACTER that
WILL NOT, and therefore cannot violate or transgress GOD'S
GOVERNMENT, and, with God's GOVERNMENT, ultimately to RULE THE
UNIVERSE.
Just WHAT, then, is the KINGDOM OF GOD?
The KINGDOM OF GOD is, 1) the GOVERNMENT OF GOD, but also
it is 2) the FAMILY OF GOD, which, being the RULING Family,
governs the UNIVERSE.
As the FAMILY of God, consisting of the Father, and the
BORN (immortal spirit-composed) SONS of God, it is (will be) a
DIVINE ORGANISM.
As the RULING Family it also is the GOVERNMENT OF GOD,
organized from the TOP DOWN.
Now WHAT, then, is the CHURCH OF GOD?
Under the Old Testament there was the Congregation
(Assembly -- Church) of ISRAEL, consisting of physically-begotten