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[Note: \u00a0<\/strong>This MS is available in larger font on our Brief Articles 3<\/strong> page<\/span><\/p>\n Ten centuries before Jesus\u2019 birth, God, through the prophet Nathan, told David that He would set one of David\u2019s seed upon his (David\u2019s) throne in an eternal kingdom (2 Sam. 7:12\u201313).<\/span><\/p>\n Five centuries later, Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that in the days of the Roman Emperors, God would set up an indestructible kingdom that would stand forever (Dan. 2:44).<\/span><\/p>\n Rome ruled the world at the time the angel Gabriel told Mary she was to conceive by means of the Holy Spirit, and that her son, who would be Divinely named Jesus<\/em>, would be the Son of God. Gabriel also stated that God would, in Him, fulfill Nathan\u2019s promise concerning David\u2019s throne and an everlasting kingdom (Luke 1:26\u201335).<\/span><\/p>\n The clear implication of Gabriel\u2019s message was that the establishment of Jesus\u2019 everlasting kingdom would coincide with His initial appearance among men. Such was the unquestionable understanding of Jesus Himself.<\/span><\/p>\n The kingdom came \u201cwith power\u201d in the lifetime of Jesus\u2019 contemporaries (Acts 2:1\u201347). As people obeyed the Gospel after Pentecost, they were \u201ddelivered…out of the power of darkness, and translated…into the kingdom of the Son…\u201d (Col. 1:13; cf., Acts 2:37\u201338, 41). To deny that the kingdom came in the first century is to affirm that Jesus was mistaken when He declared\u2014and commissioned others to declare\u2014that it was near them and that it would come in their lifetimes. Jesus could not be the Savior of mankind if He made a mistake.<\/span><\/p>\n [Note:<\/strong> I wrote this article for and it was published in The Lighthouse, <\/em>weekly bulletin of Northpoint Church of Christ, Denton, TX, December 2, 2007, of which I was editor.]<\/span><\/p>\n Attribution:<\/strong> From www.thescripturecache.com<\/em>; Dub McClish, proprietor, curator, and administrator.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Views: 1[Note: \u00a0This MS is available in larger font on our Brief Articles 3 page Ten centuries before Jesus\u2019 birth, God, through the prophet Nathan, told David that He would set one of David\u2019s seed upon his (David\u2019s) throne in an eternal kingdom (2 Sam….<\/p>\n\n