this ideal of the future, and
thus gave a goal and a purpose to the history of the world and at the same
time centered it in Israel, the chosen people of God.

2. The establishment of the kingdom of the One and Only God throughput the
entire world constitutes the divine plan of salvation toward which,
according to Jewish teaching, the efforts of all the ages are tending.
This "Kingdom of God" is not, however, a kingdom of heaven in the world to
come, which men are to enter only after death, and then only if redeemed
from sin by accepting the belief in a supernatural Savior as their
Messiah, as is taught by the Church. Judaism points to God's Kingdom on
_earth_ as the goal and hope of mankind, to a world in which all men and
nations shall turn away from idolatry and wickedness, falsehood and
violence, and become united in their recognition of the sovereignty of
God, the Holy One, as proclaimed by Israel, His servant and herald, the
Messiah of the nations. It is not the hope of bliss in a future life
(which is the leading motive of Christianity), but the building up of the
divine kingdom of truth, justice, and peace among men by Israel's teaching
and practice.(1048) In this sense God speaks through the mouth of the
prophet, "I will also give thee for a light of the nations, that My
salvation may be unto the end of the earth."(1049) "All the ends of the
earth shall see the salvation of our God."(1050) "The remnant of Jacob
shall be in the midst of many peoples, as dew from the Lord, as showers
upon the grass."(1051)

3. Clearly, the idea of a world-kingdom of God arose only as the result of
the gradual development of the Jewish God-consciousness. It was necessary
at first that the prophetic idea of God's kingship, the theocracy in
Israel, should triumph over the monarchical view and absorb it. The
patriarchal life of the shepherd was certainly not favorable to a
monarchical rule. "I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule
over you, the Lord shall rule over you," said Gideon in refusing the title
of king which the people had offered him.(1052) According to one tradition
Samuel blamed the people for desiring a king and thereby rejecting the
divine kingship.(1053) "I give thee a king in Mine anger," says God
through Hosea.(1054) The more the monarchy, with its exclusively worldly
and materialistic aims, came into conflict with the demands of the
prophets and their religious truth, the higher rose the prophetic hope