God's Kingdom

[JM]

“It pleased God to order it in His providence, that earthly power and dominion should be raised to its greatest height, and appear in its utmost glory, in those four great monarchies that succeeded one an other, and that every one should be greater and more glorious than the preceding, be fore He set up the Kingdom of His Son. By this it appeared how much more glorious His spiritual Kingdom was than the most glorious temporal king dom. The strength and glory of Satan’s kingdom in those four mighty monarchies appeared in its greatest height; for, being the monarchies of the heathen world, the strength of them was the strength of Satan’s king dom. God suffered Satan’s kingdom to rise to so great a height of power and magnificence be fore His Son came to over throw it, in order to pre pare the way for the more glorious triumph of His Son. Goliath must have on all sides his splendid armour, when the stripling David comes against him with a sling and a stone, for the greater glory of David’s victory. God suffered one of those great monarchies to sub due an other, and erect it self on the other’s ruins, appear ing still in greater strength, and the last to be strongest and mightiest of all: that so Christ, in over throw ing that, might as it were over throw them all at once.” Jonathan Edwards