Conquests and Kingdoms And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. -Ezekiel 37:24-25-
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he Lord chose a people in antiquity and separated them from the rest of the world. He did so not to exclude the rest of His children, but to protect that which had been given to those who were worthy and willing to accept His gospel. This people, set apart by their covenants with the Lord, were organized into the kingdom of God on earth. Theirs was a kingdom of God at the first, with the great Jehovah at its head. He was their king, the Prince of Peace, and it was He who led the camp of the Israelites in their battles of righteousness. He led them through a sea of enemies not to mindlessly destroy their brethren, but to sanctify the land in preparation for the building up of His kingdom there. Had the Israelites kept their covenants and obeyed the commandments of the Lord, theirs would have been a never-ending kingdom of peace and happiness, forever and ever.
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