Thy Kingdom Come 

     When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He began to give them the pattern of prayer in which the numerous aspects of the plan of God could be arranged. They were being given so many new concepts that they could hardly put the whole picture all together.

     What were the disciples to make of this request, “Father…Thy kingdom come?” The church of God today prays “Father…Thy kingdom come.” We look for it. We expect it. We pray for it. For the most part, the world, on the other hand, is very confused about the Father’s Kingdom. They certainly do not expect Jesus Christ to soon establish the Father’s Kingdom on this earth in place of all of their worldly kingdoms.

     For example, the Roman Catholic church believes that it has been given the keys to the kingdom - making it the kingdom of God on earth with the authority to bind and loose the Commandments of God. They combine Matthew 16:19 with the Acts 15 conference to justify using Catholic church authority to institute teachings contrary to Scripture and God's Laws. For Catholics and Protestants alike, this usurping of authority has resulted in the elimination of Godly institutions like the Sabbath, Holy Days, etc., that actually point to the soon coming Kingdom of God, ruled by Jesus Christ.

     “Thy kingdom come” is future tense. It is something we look forward to. This world is not yet ruled by God. Christ will establish the Kingdom of His Father on the earth at His return. He will rule the earth with the spirit-born saints for one thousand years – completing the seven thousand year plan of God for mankind. The rulership of God the Father through Jesus Christ will result in peace and prosperity on the earth, with salvation open to all mankind.

     “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. …they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” (Revelation 5:10, 20:6)

     We have already seen in the introduction of this booklet how the disciples expected their nation to rise and dominate all other kingdoms of that time. Jesus had indeed qualified to replace Satan and rule the Kingdom of God on earth. At that point in their training, however, the disciples could only have concluded that Jesus was beginning a popular uprising against the local Romans, which uprising would grow to encompass the entire civilized earth.

     Jesus was the messenger sent by the Father to announce the true gospel of the Kingdom of God. This deceived world prefers a substitute gospel message, which is a false gospel. During the course of the disciples’ lives and throughout the history of the church, many false gospels would war against the true message that Jesus brought. It would take the disciples a long time to properly understand that Jesus was the Son of God and that He was the Anointed Messiah who would be King and rule over His Father’s coming Kingdom.

     “Jesus went out, and His disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way He asked His disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?” (Mark 8:27)

     In Matthew 16:16-17, Peter answered the question. Notice the twist – Peter did not answer what men were saying – nor was it Peter’s own answer. Christ explains that it was the Father in heaven who put the answer into Peter’s mind.

     “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”
From the very beginning of His earthly ministry, Jesus was preaching the good news about His Father’s Kingdom. Gospel means “good news!”

     “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.” (Mark 1:14)

     Jesus presented example after example of what the Kingdom of God was like. It would be a profitable Bible Study for all of us to look at each instance where Christ says, “The Kingdom of God is like unto…” Even with all the personalized instruction the disciples received, they would not understand the spiritual component of the Kingdom of God until after Pentecost. After their conversion, with the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit, the disciples would begin to put together a much better picture of the Kingdom of God.

     At the time Jesus was giving the disciples instructions about what the Kingdom of God would be like, they thought that He would immediately give them positions of power and rulership in it. In fact, they were soon squabbling over who would get the best positions. Starting in Matthew 20:20, Mrs. Zebedee even got into the act, asking the highest offices for her sons, James and John.

     “And [Jesus] said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask… but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two [James and John] brethren.”

     The disciples did not yet understand that the Kingdom of God would be ruled spiritually. Jesus had to explain to them that it was the Father’s prerogative to fill those spiritual positions. They surely were not able to pray effectively “Father…Thy kingdom come” at this point in their calling. This is a perfect illustration of the need to grow in grace and wisdom in order to pray as we should.

     About the year 97 AD, the Apostle John received the revelation from Jesus Christ, which God the Father had given Him - describing the establishment of the Kingdom of God - on earth. Satan will be vanquished and Jesus Christ will rule as King of kings and Lord of lords.

     “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” (Revelation 12:10)

     When we were baptized, we entered into a covenant whereby we would live according to the rules and regulations of the Kingdom of God – even now! God grants us a measure of His Spirit so that we can begin to gain the mastery of His perfect way now and one day be a part of that Kingdom of God on earth.

     Jesus came into this world for the purpose of announcing the good news of the Kingdom of God and making it possible for us to be in it. He will return shortly to establish it on this earth. Everything we say and do in our lives must be geared toward ushering in God’s Kingdom on this earth. God the Father’s plan is for us to be in His family – the Family of God – the Kingdom of God!

     “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Matthew 24:14)

     The disciples became the apostles “those sent forth” and spent the rest of their lives as witnesses of Jesus Christ – proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

     In prayer, our mindset will also be that we too are making this our ultimate goal. All of our personal hopes and desires become secondary when we pray “Thy Kingdom Come.”

Chapter 7 - God's Will