THE KINGDOM
I want to see a weekly hour-long television drama based on the future kingdom prophesied in the Bible in Isaiah 65:17-25, Revelation 21:1-22:5, and other places. The show stars a family of five, all of whom are very beautiful. The mother is in her third trimester of pregnancy. The oldest child is a teenager. The other child is very young. And the fifth family member is a Golden Retriever.
Here are some ideas for episodes of the show. (To avoid having to say "he/she" and "him/her" a lot, I'm going to assume that the teenager is a boy, and the young child is a girl. But I'm not in any way committed to those decisions.)
First episode: "Armageddon"
The Antichrist declares war on the Jews and vows he will not relent until each and every one of them are dead. He organizes a huge army, and they quickly move through Israel, killing everyone they see.
Finally, only a few hundred Jews remain. They have been chased into the valley of Armageddon. They look up to see that the valley is surrounded by enemy soldiers. Some of the Jews drop their weapons, fall to their knees, and cry. The situation is clearly hopeless.
The international news stations are broadcasting live around the world. We see people at home watching their televisions.
The Antichrist gives the order, and the soldiers advance into the valley. They get closer and closer, while the Jews cower in fear. Then the teenager points into the sky. One by one, the Jews begin looking upward. The soldiers, seeing this, turn to find out what everyone is looking at. The cameras all swivel to point into the sky.
We see a beautiful man floating down from the sky. He lands on the edge of a cliff overlooking the valley of Armageddon. Then he holds a small device in front of his mouth to amplify his voice. Everyone can hear what he says.
He begins quoting verses from the Bible. As he speaks, one by one, the soldiers drop their weapons and fall to the ground. Soon, the Jews are no longer surrounded by marching soldiers. Instead, they are surrounded by dead soldiers.
The man lands near the Antichrist and they fight with futuristic weapons. The Antichrist's weapons are more advanced than any weapons we have ever seen, but the other man's weapons are even better. The show ends with the man killing the Antichrist while the Jews cheer.
Second episode: "Peace"
Throughout the episode, we see that The Kingdom is under construction. A wall being built, and the father is one of the construction workers on top of the wall. We see that the wall is huge --- 200 feet thick! The twelve foundations are complete, each one decorated by a different jewel. We see one of the gates, which is carved out of a huge pearl. There are several soldiers stationed inside the gate, and the outside of the gate is blocked by a force field.
Other people are paving roads made of pure gold. Two long straight roads surround a lovely river. On both sides of the roads stand rows of trees, all alike. They are filled with fruit. These trees are seen throughout The Kingdom. There is one on the family's front lawn.
We see some people outside the gate who are welcomed by the guards and permitted to enter The Kingdom. We also see guards ushering people out of The Kingdom.
Throughout the episode, we get to know the family, and we hear them talking about how wonderful The Kingdom will be. They are also talking about something very exciting that is scheduled to happen at noon.
There is a huge clock tower that shows that it is getting close to noon. International stations begin broadcasting around the world. All of their cameras are pointed at a parapet that is high up in the front of a magnificent palace. A microphone is standing in the parapet, but there are no people there yet.
Hundreds of thousands of people are gathering in front of the palace, and others are emerging on the rooftops of the nearby buildings. The people are clearly very happy and excited about what is about to happen. The people are talking excitedly, saying things like: "I can't wait!" "What do you think he will say?" "We'll know soon!" "This is such a joyous day!" "Isn't the weather fabulous?" "It couldn't be better!"
At fifteen seconds until noon, the people begin shouting the numbers: 15... 14... 13... As they reach 5, the counting is overpowered by chants of "David! David! David!"
As the clock tower begins to gong, a man emerges on the parapet. It is the man who defeated the Antichrist in the previous episode. He is dressed gloriously as a king. The crowd erupts in cheers. King David pumps his fists into the air, and the cheering gets louder. The gonging of the clock can no longer be heard.
As the people continue to cheer, we see the father standing with many other people on the top of the wall watching an enormous television screen. We see the mother in the crowd jumping excitedly. She is holding her young child who is gazing around with amazed eyes. The teenager says something to the mother, but we can't hear it. Apparently she can't hear it either, because she mouths the word "What?" as she cups her hand to her ear. After a few futile tries, the teenager gives up. The mother shrugs her shoulders and begins cheering again.
Finally, King David signals for the crowd to settle down, and eventually they do. Then he begins to speak. "Fellow citizens of The Kingdom, I am pleased to report that the worst war in history is finally over, AND WE ARE THE VICTORS!!!" The crowd begins cheering again.
When the crowd becomes relatively quiet, King David continues speaking. "You have all seen the devastation of war. You have all suffered the loss of people you love. Your own lives have been in danger for such a long time that you're exhausted. You are sick of war. Absolutely sick of war. And I promise you here and now, that YOU WILL NEVER SEE WAR AGAIN!!!" Cheering ensues.
"This is a kingdom of peace. A kingdom of love. A kingdom of compassion and repentance and forgiveness. And, because you will drink the chemicals in the River of Life, you will all enjoy healthy lives for more than a hundred years!!!
"You will never ever see war again, because we are all completely dedicated to peace. We'll do everything we can to maintain the peace. We're ready to sacrifice anything and everything in the interests of peace. Our desire for peace supersedes any other desire we might have.
"We will not fight with each other. We will not shout at each other. We will not even argue with each other. Our disagreements will be resolved calmly. If necessary, we will agree to disagree. If possible, we will compromise. And whenever we see anybody raise their voice toward somebody else, we will intervene and play psychologist to reduce the tension. We will constantly be watching for signs of anger or distress and we will always do whatever we can to help. We are all dedicated to peace. Peace above all else.
"However, we know that there are still people who want to fight. They will be kept out of The Kingdom. We are building 200-foot-thick walls around us, and we won't stop until the walls are 1400 miles tall. That's so high that, if the international space station hadn't been destroyed, it would have to navigate around The Kingdom. No airplane will ever be able to enter The Kingdom.
"The wall will cast shadows over large portions of The Kingdom all the time. However, The Kingdom is filled with lamps, so we will have no need for the sun's light."
"Everyone is welcome to eat the fruit of the Trees of Life. They will produce different fruit every month. And the fruit is delicious and nutritious and satisfying. Nobody will ever be hungry in The Kingdom!!!
"I am determined to make each and every one of your lives wonderful. I will protect you and sustain you. And I will lead you for a thousand years!!!
The show ends with the sound of people cheering.
Rebellion
The teenager refuses to live according to the laws of The Kingdom. People try to help him assimilate, but he is completely unwilling.
In this episode, we learn that there are only five laws in The Kingdom:
- Everyone in The Kingdom must pursue peace anytime that they see conflict emerge.
- Everyone in The Kingdom must behave as though they love everyone in The Kingdom.
- Whenever anyone in The Kingdom hurts somebody, they must apologize and make amends, if possible.
- Whenever anyone in The Kingdom is hurt by somebody, they must forgive them and act as if it never happened.
- Whenever anyone in The Kingdom sees that somebody is hurting, they must actively show compassion to them.
A court convicts the teenager of violating the second and third laws and sentences him to exile from The Kingdom. He is thrilled to be free from the strict laws, but his family is filled with sorrow.
Redemption
The teenager sees that people outside The Kingdom are even more sinful than him. A pedophile frequently rapes little girls. A serial killer murders many people. A terrorist plants bombs in crowded places.
The teenager is constantly being hurt, and it becomes completely intolerable. Eventually, he repents and is welcomed back into The Kingdom.
Birth
The mother goes into labor in her seventh month of pregnancy. There are major complications, and both the mother's and baby's lives are in serious jeopardy. Thanks to the help of several people, the show ends with the newborn baby breastfeeding, surrounded by its new family.
Animals
The teenager vents his anger by kicking his dog. When he is caught, we learn that the laws of The Kingdom apply to animals too. The teenager apologizes to everyone and promises to stop abusing the dog.
Meanwhile, the dog attacks another dog. Nobody knows what will happen, and the family fears that their dog will be exiled from The Kingdom. But several people, including the teenager, come to the rescue, showing the dog love and compassion and training the dog to live in peace with everyone. The show ends with the dog approaching the dog that it attacked and apologizing by licking its cheek. It receives a lick in return as an expression of forgiveness.
In this episode, we learn that all animals and people in The Kingdom are vegetarians. The only things they eat are fruit from the trees of life.
Trauma
In previous episodes, we saw that the teenager was having nightmares and flashbacks to the war. In this episode, he's diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A doctor prescribes medication that stops the nightmares and flashbacks. But the teenager's emotions are unchanged. For example, he's still terrified to go to sleep.
When people hear about his suffering, they come to him and show him compassion and love in various ways. For example, there's a girl that he is interested in. She knows he's interested in her, but she doesn't want to be his girlfriend. However, when she hears about his suffering, she decides to ask him on a date.
At the movie, she holds his hand. During dinner, she says, "Listen, I don't want to lead you on. I like you, but only as a friend. But I want to help you feel better in any way I can --- within reason, of course." At the end of the date, she kisses him on the cheek.
When the show ends, the teenager isn't completely cured. But he's feeling much better, and he's very glad that he lives in The Kingdom.
Adultry
The father inadvertently falls in love with another woman. This conflict is resolved by the mother welcoming the other woman into their family and their house.
Manslaughter
Somebody accidentally kills the newborn baby. There are no witnesses and no evidence, so he runs from the scene of the crime. He sees the sorrow of the family, and their frustration in not finding the person who killed their baby. Eventually, he is filled with compassion and turns himself in. He pleads guilty in court and apologizes for his crime. Nobody know what the sentence will be. Nothing like this has ever happened in The Kingdom before. The jury struggles with the choice between justice and mercy. The show ends with the family finding a way to forgive the person, and they drop all charges.
King
The family goes on a tour of the palace. Due to lucky circumstances, they meet King David himself. We learn a lot about him during their conversation.
For example, the family asks him how he floated down out of the sky in the first episode. He explains that he jumped from an airplane wearing shoes that pushed air down with great force. "It wasn't magic," he says. "Just technology."
At one point, the family asks if he is Jesus. He responds, "Well, there it is. The million-dollar question. And it's so very important, isn't it? You wouldn't believe how many times people have asked me that question. There's one reporter who asks it every single day.
"I'll give you the same answer I give everyone else. There are many people who really really really want me to be Jesus, and there are many people who really really really want me not to be Jesus. Whichever answer I give will cause one of those groups to be very upset. So I choose not to answer the question."
Religion
A religious conflict breaks out in The Kingdom. Members of two religions are extremely angry with each other. King David reminds them that they are violating the laws of The Kingdom. He resolves the problem in a way that satisfies everyone.
Child
The young child was too young to remember the war. But all of the adults teach her the importance of peace in The Kingdom. She makes several mistakes, but eventually she learns how to live a life dedicated to peace.