way may be prepared for His return, and through that for the
next period of evangelizing.

The kingdom period of world-wide evangelization is under radically
different conditions. Then the evil one will be removed from the scene
of action, the Holy Spirit will have been poured out upon all flesh, and
so the moral veil now upon men's eyes will be removed. The Jews, with
all their characteristic aggressiveness and perseverance, now
intensified by the Holy Spirit's presence, will be a nation of
missionaries to all the earth. The redeemed ones in their resurrection
bodies will have the blessed privilege of helping. And over all will be
the presence and supervision of the King, our Lord Jesus Himself. That
will be world-wide evangelization in earnest.

Such is a faint glimpse given in both Old and New Testaments of the
kingdom spoken of in these Revelation pages in such few words. Almost
the whole Bible lies back of those few words. What a time it will be for
this old earth! With renewed fervour our hearts repeat, "Thy kingdom
come."

The Final Crisis of Choice.

But it is made clear at once to John that the kingdom is not an end in
itself. It is a means to an end, a wonderful means to a blessed end. It
is startling to find that after that long blessed reign the evil one is
to be loosed out of his prison-abyss. This seems at first flush too
startling to be credible. But on reflection the reason becomes plain,
and reveals the strength as well as the tenderness of God's love.

All through the kingdom time there are those who are in heart opposed to
this new order of things. They long for the leeks and onions and garlic
of the old eating. There will be some yielding only a feigned allegiance
to the King.[179] That dragnet of the parable has gathered some fish
that didn't want to be caught, and want a chance to get away to their
own native waters again.[180] The tares of another parable are left in
with the wheat until the end reveals which is real wheat and which
really tares.[181]

The one thing God longs for is love. And that only is love which is the
free outpouring of the heart. He longs for love as our free choice. This
is the image of God in which we have all been made. We are most like God
in _power_, in the right of free choice. We are most like Him in
_character_ when we use our power as He uses His; when we choose what
He chooses for us. And so there must be a final time of sifting and
choosing.

Here is th