'A MOUNTAIN FILLS THE EARTH'

When "the appointed times of the nations" ended in October 1914, "the God of heaven" establish the heavenly Kingdom by enthroning his anointed Son, Jesus Christ, as the "King of kings and Lord of lords." (Luke 21:24; Revelation 12:1-5; 19:16)  So it was that by divine power, not by human hands, the Messianic Kingdom "stone" was cut out of the "mountain" of Jehovah's universal sovereignty.  This heavenly government is in the hands of Jesus Christ, upon whom God has conferred immortality.  (Romans 6:9; 1 Timothy 6:15, 16)  Hence, this "kingdom of our Lord [God] and of his Christ"-an expression of Jehovah's universal sovereignty-will not be passed on to anyone else. It will stand forever. -Revelation 11:15. 

The birth of the Kingdom took place "in the days of those kings." (Daniel 2:44)  These were not only the kings pictured by the ten toes of the image but also those symbolized by its iron, copper, silver and gold parts. Although the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires had passed away as world powers, their remnants still existed in 1914.  The Turkish Ottoman Empire then occupied the territory of Babylonia, and national governments were functioning in Persia (Iran) and Greece and Rome, Italy. 

God's heavenly Kingdom will soon strike the symbolic image on its feet. As a result, all the kingdoms pictured by it will be broken to pieces, bringing them to an end.  Indeed, at  "the war of the great day of God the Almighty," that "stone" will strike with such crushing impact that the image will be ground to powder and the wind of God's storm will sweep it away like the chaff of the wind of a threshing floor.  (Revelation 16:14, 16) Then, like the stone that grew to a mountainous size and filled the earth, God's Kingdom will become the governmental mountain that will affect "the whole earth." -Daniel 2:35.

Though the Messianic Kingdom is heavenly, it will extend its power toward our globe for the blessing of all obedient inhabitants  of the earth.  This stable government "will never be brought to ruin" or be "passed on to any other people."  Unlike the kingdoms of dying human rulers, "it itself will stand to times indefinite," forever.  (Daniel 2:44) May you have the privilege of being one of its subjects eternally. 

Next time: A WARRIOR KING BUILDS AN EMPIRE

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999