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In teaching His disciples to pray, Jesus said, “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6.9-13). Our focus today will be on the phrase Your kingdom come and some biblical implications that revolve around it.

The kingdom for which Jesus taught His disciples to pray was the kingdom which John announced by saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3.2). It was the same kingdom which Jesus announced immediately after His baptism; He echoed the sentiments of John in saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4.17). Not to be monotonous, but it was this self-same kingdom which the apostles declared during their execution of the limited commission, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 10.7).

Reaching back into the Old Testament prophecies, this is the kingdom that Isaiah foresaw along with Daniel, Jeremiah, and others (see Daniel 2.44, Isaiah 2.1-5, and Jeremiah 31.31-34). For centuries, righteous people had anticipated the coming of God’s kingdom and had longed for its Righteous Leader (Messiah) to come to power. Shortly after the birth of Christ, an event occurred in the temple that is of interest; consider a portion of this record: “And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: ‘Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.’” (Luke 2.26-32).

Although Simeon saw the Lord’s Christ just as the Holy Spirit had promised, he did not see King Jesus. King Jesus was yet in the future. It would have been proper for every Old Testament prophet to have prayed, “Your kingdom come.” It was right for Jesus, John, and the Twelve to announce that the kingdom was at hand. Likewise, it would have been right for Simeon to pray, “May the Lord’s Christ take His rightful place on His throne as King of King and Lord of Lords.” All of this was future at the point in time that these characters came on the scene. However, there is no need for us to pray, “Your kingdom come!” The reason this is not appropriate is due to the simple fact that the kingdom has already been established. It would be proper to pray for the kingdom to increase, or prevail, or prosper, or any other wish that seeks to add glory to the King of Kings in the eyes of men.

I know that the kingdom has come because of something that Jesus said to His disciples. Here is that quote: “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” (Mark 9.1). The kingdom did come just as Jesus predicted, and some of those very people, Peter included, saw it arrive. This is why Peter declared on Pentecost that God had raised up Jesus to reign eternally on David’s throne (Acts 2.29-36). He is (not was and not will be; He IS) King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Pray for His kingdom’s increase!

Questions:

1. What statements did John and Jesus make about the closeness of the kingdom?

2. According to Daniel 2.44, when was the kingdom of God to be established?

3. What does the word Christ mean? What/who would the Lord’s Christ be (as spoken by Simeon)?

4. Who raised up Jesus to sit on David’s throne? Did He place Him there? Once seated on David’s throne, who or what can unseat (put an end to His reign) Him?

"Inspiration For You" from Randy Mitchell

Honoring A Father