THY KINGDOM COME

THY KINGDOM COME

“Thy kingdom come . . . . in earth, as it is in heaven.       “ -Matt. 6:10

        Centuries before the first Christian disciples were taught to pray, "Thy kingdom come," this petition had been often upon the hearts of godly men and women in Old Testament days. In fact, apart from the great prophecies of the Old Testament, there could have been no basis or inspiration for such a prayer. For in this hope for the coming of the Kingdom were gathered all the best and highest aspirations of that elect people, who historically had been made the channel of divine revelation. It was in the spirit of the Old Testament prophets, therefore, that the ancient petition was laid in a new way upon the lips of the men who by grace would become members of the royal family of the Mediatorial King. To them He said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matt. 5:17). And later when His chosen apostle to the Gentiles had been brought before King Agrippa to answer the charge of apostasy from Old Testament revelation, his reply was, "I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come" (Acts 26:22). Whatever light has been shed upon the coming of God's Kingdom, in its original source, has come from the prophets of the Old Testament.

This Universal Kingdom Is Not Exactly Identical with That Kingdom for Which Our Lord Taught His Disciples to Pray (Mediatorial)

        His kingdom ruleth over all.  -Ps. 103:19

        Thy kingdom come.      -Matt. 6:10

        In its universal and providential sense, the Kingdom of God had already come, and the will of God was being done, in every place including even the earth. For, as we have seen above, this Kingdom "ruleth over all" (Ps. 103:19), and its sovereign God "worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" (Eph. 1:11). This rule of God, in fact, had always existed and never had been abrogated or interrupted. The duty of man, in relation to such a Kingdom, was to acknowledge its reality and bow to its sovereignty; not to pray for its coming in any objective sense. There should be no confusion as to this distinction.

        What then was the Kingdom for which Christ bade His disciples to pray? The infallible key to the meaning of the petition, "Thy kingdom come," must be found in the clause which follows: "As in heaven, so on earth" (Matt. 6:10, ASV). Although this clause is immediately connected with the petition, "Thy will be done," it no doubt qualifies all three of the petitions which precede it.' The disciples are to pray for the hallowing of God's name, for the coming of God's Kingdom, and for the doing of God's will - all this to be done "on earth" as it is being done "in heaven." Although the Kingdom of God was already ruling over all (universal), there was nevertheless a profound difference between the exercise of its rule "in heaven" and "on earth." This difference arises out of the fact that rebellion and sin exist upon the earth (anarchy), sin which is to be dealt with in a way not known in any other place in the universe, not even among the angels which sinned. It is here that the great purpose of what I have named the Mediatorial Kingdom appears: On the basis of Mediatorial redemption it must "come" to put down at last all rebellion with its train of evil results, thus finally bringing the Kingdom and will of God on earth as it is in heaven. When this purpose has been fully accomplished, the Mediatorial phase of the Kingdom will disappear as a separate entity, being merged with the Universal Kingdom of God (1 Cor. 15:24).

        This is substantially the view taken by the discerning Adolph Saphir in his very able and spiritually helpful treatment of The Lord's Prayer. Commenting on the clause "Thy kingdom come," he says, The petition refers primarily and directly to the Messianic kingdom on earth, of which all Scripture testifies. The King of this kingdom is the Lord Jesus, the Son of David; the subjects of it are Israel and the nations,-the chosen people fulfilling the mission which, according to the election of God, is assigned unto them, of being the medium of blessing unto all the nations of the earth; the center of the kingdom is Jerusalem, and the means of its establishment is the coming and visible appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ. When we pray 'Thy kingdom come,' our true meaning is, 'Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!'

        Referring to the same petition in the Prayer, Ellicott finds that "Historically, the prayer had its origin in the Messianic expectations embodied in the picture of the ideal king in Isaiah 11: 1-6; Isa. 42:1-7; Daniel 7:14. It had long been familiar to all who looked for the consolation of Israel. Now the kingdom of God that, in which He manifests His sovereignty more than in the material world or in the common course of history, had been proclaimed as nigh at hand. The Teacher of the prayer knew Himself to be the Head of that kingdom." Here Ellicott seems to distinguish between the already existing divine kingdom in nature and history and that kingdom for which men are taught to pray.

        This distinction is also supported by the Greek text of the Prayer. In each of the petitions concerning God's name, kingdom, and will, the Greek verb is not only in the emphatic position but also aorist imperative in form, thus indicating "single or instantaneous" action. Thus, in harmony with all Old Testament prophecy, the prayer taught by our Lord suggests not only that His kingdom is to be prayed for, but also that its coming to the "earth" will be a definite crisis in history, not a long and gradual process of (evolution). This is in sharp contrast with the Universal Kingdom which has always been present in the world, on earth as well as in heaven.

“Come, Lord Jesus, Come quickly.” Enough is enough.