Kingdom Principles

The Original Kingdom Concept

The Bahamas, where I live, was once part of the United Kingdom of the British Empire. When the British seized the Bahamas from the Spanish, all 700-plus islands immediately became the personal property of the king of England. They did not become the property of the British government; there’s a difference. These islands became the personal property of the British sovereign. All of us who grew up under that arrangement understood that all the land was known as crown land, meaning it belonged to the one who wore the crown. As a matter of fact, during those years, it was not uncom mon for the king or queen of England to give an island as a birthday present to a son or daughter or niece or nephew. Since the islands were crown land, the monarchs, on their own prerogative, could give them away at any time to anyone they wished as personal gifts. As a matter of fact, this land could be given to any citizen as a per sonal gift of the government at the authority of the king, and many people in our colony received large parcels of land for personal use. The same is true in God’s Kingdom. God owns the earth and everything on it; the earth is His crown land. As an ancient poet wrote: The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters (Psalm 24:1-2). Because God owns the earth, He can do with it however He pleases. And it pleased Him to give it to man. Again, in the words of the ancient poet: The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth He has given to man (Psalm 115:16). Don’t make the mistake of equating this with ownership. Crown land given to someone by the king remains crown land. At any time the king can take it back and give it to someone else. That is the king’s prerogative. So when God “gave” the earth to man, He did not

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