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Transcript: God’s Kingdom Began Ruling in 1914
[Text: God’s Kingdom Began Ruling in 1914. A man using drugs and alcohol, pollution, violence]
Presenter: Ever since the first humans rejected Jehovah God as Ruler, our world has been plagued with evil and suffering. But Jesus offered hope. He taught that as King of God’s Kingdom, he would restore peace and justice to the earth. But when would that Kingdom begin to rule? According to the Bible, it is ruling right now! How do we know that? Consider what happened over 2,600 years ago.
[Jesus thrown, above the rotating earth]
Jehovah God caused Nebuchadnezzar, a King of ancient Babylon, to have a prophetic dream.
[Text: Daniel 4:10-17]
In the dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw a giant tree that reached all the way to heaven. The tree was cut down, but its stump was left in the ground. After a period of “seven times,” the tree grew again. The Bible indicates that this dream would have two fulfilments.
[Text: Daniel 4:17]
The first had to do with King Nebuchadnezzar himself. He was very prominent —like the tree that reached all the way to heaven. But he was cut down for “seven times.”
[Text: Daniel 4:20-26]
This happened when Nebuchadnezzar lost his sanity for seven years. During that time, he was unable to rule as king.
[Dishevelled Nebuchadnezzar chews grass]
At the end of the seven times, Nebuchadnezzar regained his sanity and started ruling again.
[Now clean and dressed as King]
That was the first fulfilment of this prophecy. What was the second fulfilment? It had to do with God’s rulership.
[Text: 1 Chronicles 29:23]
The Bible says that kings in ancient Israel “sat on Jehovah’s throne.” In other words, they represented God and his rulership. However, most of those kings became disobedient to Jehovah and so did most of their subjects. Because of their disobedience, God allowed the Israelites to be conquered by the Babylonians, who destroyed the city of Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E.
[A timeline]
From that time on, no more kings represented Jehovah in Jerusalem. Thus, 607 B.C.E. marked the beginning of the seven times, or the period when God’s rulership would be interrupted. That period would last until Jehovah installed a new king to represent Him, this time, someone in heaven. When would that happen? In the second fulfilment of this prophecy, the seven times must be more than seven literal years. How do we know? For one thing, nothing significant relating to God’s rulership happened seven years after Jerusalem was destroyed. And centuries later, Jesus indicated that the seven times had not yet ended.
[33 C.E.]
In a prophecy about the last days, Jesus said that Jerusalem, or God’s rulership, would “be trampled on by the nations “until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled.”
[Text: Luke 21:24]
“The appointed times of the nations” are the same as the “seven times.” When would those “times” end?
[Text: Revelation 12: 6, 14] The Bible book of Revelation says that three and a half times equal 1,260 days. So, seven times is double that number, or 2,520 days. In Bible prophecy, a day can represent a year. That is the case with the prophecy about the seven times. They represent 2,520 years.
[Text: Ezekiel 4:6]
Counting forward from 607 B.C.E., 2,520 years takes us to the year 1914, the year that the seven times ended, and Jesus began ruling from heaven as King of God’s Kingdom. That began a period that the Bible calls “the last days.” Soon, Jesus will finish gathering the rest of his corulers to join him in heaven. God’s Kingdom will then undo every problem that afflicts us and our families. Imagine living there under the rulership of a King who really cares about you!
[A mom and child hug, lush vegetables, wildlife]
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