"Thy Kingdom come..."

       When these words are recited in responsive readings in church, what comes to mind? For over thirty years in the ministry, I have noticed how many tend to "blank out" literal meaning of our language when it comes to "spiritual" sounding phrases, biblical language.

        It is as if when biblical language is used, words suddenly take on an utterly meaningless, esoteric, "other-worldly" sense, like they don't really convey the same sense to our minds that those same words might if spoken by the layman.

        For example, if one were having a conversation with Prince Charles of Great Britain, and said to him, "I hope you are King, one day," hastening to make sure he understands you wish no ill towards his mother, Queen Elizabeth, both would understand precisely what was meant. If one said, "I believe your reign will be the most magnificent in the history of Great Britain, " it would be equally understood, if a little pretentious.

        But when we utter those same words toward God—asking that His prophesied Kingdom come to this earth, do we really know what we are asking?

        Just what is the Kingdom of God? Is it merely a figurative phrase which means, in some vague "spiritual" sense, "heaven," where God lives? Are we merely intoning an oft-repeated phrase which means something like "right on, Lord," in the same way an Englishman might sing, "Rule Britannia?"

        As the story goes, a little girl was being instructed by her Sunday school teacher about the three Hebrew children and the fiery furnace; how the astrologers came in before king Nebudchadnezzar and said, "O king, live forever. " The teacher asked, "And then what happened, Susan?" The child furrowed her brow, thought a moment and then with sudden inspiration said, "So right away, the king lived forever!" Is "Thy Kingdom come... " spoken like that? Like a childish fantasy, or a spiritual mystery?

        Most professing Christians believe they go immediately to heaven when they die. Then why pray for God's Kingdom to come to this earth, if that's what we are really doing when using the Lord's Prayer as our outline for prayer? Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God" (Matthew 5:3). But why did He also say, virtually in the same breath, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5)?

        Jesus spoke continually of His coming Kingdom. He uttered many parables about it, showing it's character and nature. Many prophecies portray His coming Kingdom—some in fine detail, even to the point of answering such questions as "Will there be cities in God's Kingdom?" and, "What happens to those who remain alive, as human beings, when Christ comes?"

        So, why not investigate this fascinating subject without preconceived ideas, traditions, or casually-assumed concepts? Let's take a careful look at what the Bible actually says about this wondrous Kingdom of which Jesus spoke so often, the Kingdom He said we are to pray for!

        John the Baptist was characterized as a type of Elijah, who was to "prepare the way" for the coming of the Messiah. John's ministry was a great one, coming to the attention of tens of thousands. His preaching was fiery, impassioned, urgent. Thousands were moved to repentance, receiving baptism, calling out to God to forgive their sins. Notice what Matthew recorded, "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, ‘Repent ye; for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaias, saying, 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight' " (Matthew 3:1-3).

        John's message was about the Kingdom of God. He preached about the imminent appearance of the Messiah, saying the One who would follow Him was much greater than he; that he was "unworthy to loose the ratchet of His shoes. " He said Christ would powerfully stir them, sifting the wheat from the chaff; bringing to light the innermost thoughts of the heart, calling upon God's people to repent. John portrayed Jesus Christ as a coming King, who would one day rule over all the earth.

        Christ's message was also about the Kingdom of God. Millions have been taught to revere Christ; we have heard impassioned evangelists telling us to "receive" Christ. Many have supposed the "gospel" (which is merely a strange sounding "religious" word to most) is a story about Jesus Christ; mostly concerned with His person, what He did, His miracles, His parables, His examples; His life's ministry, death, burial, and resurrection. The word "gospel" seems synonymous with "religion," as in "gospel singers," and "gospel music. " Many assume the Gospel is a "story about Jesus."

        But, notice, "And from that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, 'Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!' " (Matthew 4:17). Jesus was a Preacher. His message? It was a good news announcement (the meaning of the word "gospel") about the Kingdom of God. Notice again, "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people" (Matthew 4:23).

        Matthew's account refers to Jesus' message as the "Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven, " while Luke's parallel account calls it the message about "the Kingdom of God. " The two terms are interchangeable—the message was about God's great government; His law-abiding, reigning Kingdom, which Christ prophesied would come to this earth. Is the Gospel, then, only a message about the person of Christ, or does it include much, much more? Make no mistake. The Gospel indeed includes a message about Christ. He is absolutely central to the Gospel; He is its focal point, the Messenger who brought this wondrous message to earth from His Father, and Who is its central character. Yet, there may be another aspect to the Gospel many have missed: the story about the Kingdom of God.

        What is that Kingdom? We speak of the "Kingdom of Great Britain," or this or that kingdom of history, and we know we speak of a political entity consisting of certain peoples ruled by a monarch. Each such kingdom must consist of at least four things: (1) a King, or Sovereign; (2) territory, over which that Sovereign reigns; (3) subjects, or citizens living within that territory; and (4) laws—a system of government through which the Sovereign rules.

        Using the four main parts of every kingdom, let's see some Bible examples which will help us obtain the meaning from the words, "Thy Kingdom come."

        No doubt, you are familiar with the annunciation of Christ's impending birth. It is a favorite story at Christmas, recited in thousands of church services. "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her and said, 'Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord [The Eternal] is with thee: blessed art thou among women.'

        "And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

        "And the angel said unto her, 'Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be Great, and shall be called The Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: And He shall reign over the House of Jacob for ever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end' " (Luke 1:26-33).

        Is this mere "spiritual salt and pepper" to flavor a verse in the Bible, or does this annunciation from a powerful archangel mean exactly what it says? David sat on the throne which God said would "never depart from Judah," the throne promised to Abraham's seed as an eternal inheritance resulting from His faith in God.

        The throne of David was reconfirmed to David as a perpetual throne, which God said would never pass from this earth. The question concerning just where this throne may be today is one which should properly require a full book, or perhaps several, to explain. However, this has already been done in the past. Suffice it to say, God swore by Himself that David's throne would remain in perpetuity, with a member of the same lineage—the seed of David himself seated upon that throne until Christ should return to this earth in glory, as King of kings.

        A strange prophecy in the 22nd chapter of Isaiah about Shebna, the treasurer of Judah during the reign of Hezekiah, confirms this, as does the prophecy of Ezekiel 21:25-27 concerning the many "overturns" of this throne, until it would reside in a distant land far from its original setting, and there be "no more overturned, " until "He come whose right it is."

        The point is, the archangel said Christ would "inherit the throne of His father David, and of His Kingdom there would be no end."

        That Jesus Christ is prophesied to come back to this earth is absolutely cast in concrete, so far as Scripture is concerned. There are literally dozens of references to that fact. Notice the first message to ever come to earth when Jesus was taken up following His resurrection: "...Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven [the sky]? This same Jesus, Which is taken up from you into heaven [God's throne], shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1: 11).

        Christ said, "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to His works" (Matthew 16:27).

        During His last supper, Jesus promised....... I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:3). When Christ comes again, He is coming back to this earth. Notice a few striking proofs: "Behold, the Day of the LORD [Jehovah, or Yawveh] cometh ... then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations ... and His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east ... and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with the..." (Zechariah 14:1-5).

        John saw visions of the coming Kingdom of God on the Isle of Patmos, at the very end of the first century. His famous "Apocalypse" (Revelation) contains many references to Christ as King of the coming Kingdom. "And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war ... and the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Revelation 19:11-15).

        One of the major promises Jesus Christ gives to those who become His fellow-servants is co-rulership over the nations of this earth during His one thousand year reign. He said, "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers; even as I received of my Father" (Revelation 2:26). And again, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne" (Revelation 3:21).

        John also saw a vision of the millennium—the one thousand year reign of Christ—in which it was made clear that those who repent, who live lives of overcoming, as Christ said, shall join with Christ in administering God's great government. He wrote, "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them ... and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4).

        Jesus Christ came to this earth for many reasons. He came to bring a message from God the Father called the Gospel. The word Gospel merely means "good news" or "happy announcement." The good news is that mankind will not perish from this earth in a thermonuclear blast, that God will step in to save mankind before that ultimate disaster occurs. The good news is, we can repent, beg forgiveness of our sins, turn to God's way of life, live a life of overcoming, and have opportunity to share with Christ in setting aright the chaotic turmoil on this earth; to abolish from earth sickness and disease, poverty, squalor, crime, drug abuse, wars; every evil.

        Christ also came to call and train His disciples, delivering the Gospel to them, commissioning them to carry on after His return to His Father; to preach the Good News of the coming Kingdom of God in all the earth as a witness unto all nations (Matthew 24:14).

        He came to disqualify Satan as present evil world ruler (Ephesians 2:2; II Corinthians 4:4), and to qualify as future Ruler of earth (Revelation 3:21). Christ came to live a perfect life, condemning sin in the flesh, proving it is possible for humankind, with the power of God, to resist Satan, overcome the world, and conquer human nature. He came to die for the sins of the world, to become the Savior of mankind. He came to fulfill many Old Testament prophecies concerning His Messiahship, and to proclaim many prophecies concerning the end of the present world civilization (Matthew 24; Luke 21; Mark 13).

        Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the soon-coming KING of God's great Kingdom for which we are to pray.

        The second main part of every kingdom is territory. We have already seen many biblical proofs that the territory of God's coming Kingdom is on this earth, which is why Christ instructs us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come." Notice several additional proofs:

        "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God' (Revelation 21:1-3).

        Conditions to become extant on earth are described in vivid detail in Isaiah 11: "But with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked ... The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Eternal, as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:4-9).

        There is simply no mistaking the import of these verses. God's Kingdom will rule on this earth. There are no bears, adders, poisonous snakes, lions, wolves, and goats in heaven. This passage plainly describes the conditions to prevail on earth after the beginning of the millennial reign of Christ.

        Notice further, "The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain [biblical symbol for God's government] of the Eternal's house shall be established in the top of the mountains [over all other physical nations, great and small], and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

        "And many people shall go and say, 'Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Eternal [Jehovah, or Yawveh], to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths:' for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Eternal from Jerusalem.

        "And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:1-4).

        Micah prophesied, "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Eternal shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall flow unto it. "And many nations shall say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the house of the Eternal, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths:' for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Eternal from Jerusalem.

        "And He shall judge among many people and shall rebuke strong nations afar off: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Eternal hath spoken it" (Micah 4:1-4).

        Angels, as if voicing the exultation of the saints who are to inherit God's Kingdom are heard to sing… "and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth" (Revelation 5: 10).

        It is plain, then, that the Bible teaches the Kingdom of God will reign right here on this earth for one thousand years following the six thousand years allotted to mankind. Christ is the King of His Kingdom; the earth is His territory, where He will rule.

        And the subjects of His Kingdom? First, those who are begotten of God's Spirit; who are the children of God. Notice, "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive, and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds [this earth's atmosphere] to meet the Lord in the air [this earth's atmosphere]: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:16-17). And we shall be with the Lord where the Lord will be, which is right here, on this earth.

        Notice further, "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the Firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's, at His coming" (I Corinthians 15:20-23).

        Notice again the scripture we read in Revelation, "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment [rulership; power to reign as co-rulers with Christ] was given unto them, and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4).

        Clearly, the citizens of God's Kingdom are, first of all, the divine family of God; Jesus Christ, as the Author and Beginner of life, the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Under Christ, the saints of all history. He said, "And ye shall see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of God..." to the people of Palestine. Christ is called the "Firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29), who shall also be resurrected to eternal life at His Second Coming. As we read in I Corinthians the 15th chapter, it will be "each man in his own order," Christ, who is the Firstfruits, and "afterwards, those that are Christ's at His coming."

        Those who are to be subjects of this great world-ruling Kingdom are the remnants of all nations on this earth—perhaps billions of human beings. Notice: "And the Eternal shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be One Lord, and His name One ... and men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction, but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited" (Zechariah 14: 11).

        Later, God says, "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Eternal of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles" (Zechariah 14:16).

        Christ is the King; the earth is His territory, and the nations of this earth are His future subjects. Obviously, the nations are not subject to Christ today. This is not a world of God's design. He has allowed mankind the free moral agency to select his own governmental systems, economies, religions. God is not the author of this world's societies. But He will be, in the future.

        The fourth part of every kingdom is the legal system by which it rules—Its' system of government, or the laws regulating such kingdom. As we have already seen in several scriptures, God says "The law shall go forth out of Zion. " God's laws consist of the Ten Commandments as Christ magnified them, plus many other statutes and judgments.

        The Bible is a book of law in one sense, a legal document proposing a covenant between God and ourselves. It spells out the great rewards for obedience; proposes that God become our God, and we become His people. It proposes eternal inheritance in His Kingdom for our willingness to humbly submit to His rule of law in our lives. Jesus Christ greatly enlarged upon the Ten Commandments, making them infinitely more binding, exalting the strict letter of the law to a spiritual plane, in His famous Sermon on the Mount. The laws of God are summarized in the great commandment, "Thou shalt love the Eternal thy God with all thy heart, and all thy mind, and with all thy soul, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

        The "Golden Rule" is perhaps a hackneyed phrase to most. But it is, after all, the very basis of God's system of law. We literally are expected to live by "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" and not by bread alone (Matthew 4:4). It is God's will in our lives that we should "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

        God's perfect laws will be enforced during the millennial reign of Christ. And what a happy, joyous time that will be!

        You see, God's perfect laws are the laws and principles that produce everything we really want; success, happy marriages. healthy children; peace in our land, good weather, good health, long lives, thrills, excitement, enjoyment, fulfillment When we break His laws, they break us. We don't need to "know" about gravity and inertia in order to be severely punished if we are involved in a fall from heights, or an automobile crash. These inexorable laws take their toll whether we know of them or not. And so it is with God's laws.

        God's spiritual laws are hidden, unseen. Few seem to know they are breaking God's laws involving human relationships when their marriages fail, when true friends are turned away, when reputations are destroyed. Few seem to know we are breaking God's laws involving our health, our physical well-being, when we eat fatty foods, accumulate too much cholesterol in our veins, and develop heart disease. Anciently, God commanded Israel "Thou shalt not eat the fat. " It has taken science thousands of years to begin telling us the same thing.

        When we pray for God's Kingdom to come, we should think on the marvelous world that will be in the future—the world of God's love, His laws which are set in motion for our good. Think of a world without hunger, without disease, without war! Christ will impose His government over all this earth so there will be no such thing as crime, no more desertions of mates and abandonment of one's own precious children; no more divorce and broken homes. No more drug addiction, no pornography! When you study the scriptures about God's great Kingdom, contrasting it with conditions on this earth today, it becomes very meaningful to pray—and to really mean it when you pray, "Thy Kingdom come!"

        We are familiar with such terms as "the plant kingdom" or the "animal kingdom." We speak of the "kingdom of man." The Kingdom of God is not only the coming government of God to be put in place on this earth under Christ as world ruler. It is also the governing, ruling family of God, for God is reproducing after His own kind, enlarging His family, begetting tens of thousands, ultimately millions, of additional children to be born into the family of God.

        The nations of this earth are original families grown great, into nations. Many political entities are "melting pots" of various races, as America, Britain, and others, but it was not always so. Many of the nations of the "third world" still represent original tribes; family groups grown great into a political, geographical entity.

        The Kingdom of God is not only futuristic, in the sense of Christ' coming Kingdom to rule on this earth; it is also the growing FAMILY of God, into which Christ says we can be born.

        Now do you see? There is a great deal implied when we pray for God's Kingdom. Christ said "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17-23). He said, "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye might be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:36).

        And what a beautiful prayer! When we pray for God's Kingdom, we are asking God to hasten an end to every possible evil; to hasten the glorious, utopian reign of Jesus Christ on this earth! We are showing God our earnest desire for world peace; for an end to war, human tragedy—for an end to death!

        When we pray "Thy Kingdom come," we are once again expressing our loyalty toward God, our trust in His promises, our belief in Jesus Christ as King of kings, our confidence He will return to this earth in triumphant glory, to bring world peace at last!

        Finally, we are praying for God to hasten the day when we shall be given His ultimate promise—eternal life! The greatest event in all history will be the moment of the establishment of God's glorious KINGDOM on this earth. No wonder Jesus said we should continually pray for that day!