Text: Matthew 6:19

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Introduction:  I remember playing on the baseball team in high school. Before every game, we would gather in a circle and put one hand in the middle and repeat out loud what is referred to as the “LORD’S PRAYER.” Do you remember the phrase in that model prayer, “Thy kingdom Come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is being done in heaven….”? At the time, I did not fully know what it meant. Did you? Do you now? Little did I know, at the time, almost forty years later, our Lord would have me to write a dissertation on the subject, while working on a PhD in Bible Prophecy. Isn’t our Lord Jesus wonderful in all of His ways? You never know what He will use in your life…all for His glory! This devotion will attempt to explain the meaning of that phrase.

When is the KINGDOM of God? Is it now or is it yet to come? Admittedly, if you are talking about God’s UNIVERSAL KINGDOM, then it is now residing (Psa 145:13).

“13Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.”

1. When will the KINGDOM of God come? (Rev 20:1-6)

“1And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

Chronologically speaking – on a time line chart- the KINGDOM will be ushered in after the second coming of Jesus Christ (not the rapture – which will be 7 years before the second coming). The KINGDOM will last for a duration of 1,000 years.

(Rev 20:1-6)

“4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

Did you notice how many times John repeats the number of years as 1,000? Six times the number 1,000 is referenced (vv 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 of Rev 20). Our Lord only needs to say it once, in order for it to be true. Why am I saying this? Because their are those who interpret the Bible allegorically (not literally). In doing so, they deny the literal 1,000 years. Yet, the Word of God – Bible Prophecy – fits like a hand in a glove.

2. How will the KINGDOM be inaugurated? (Rev 20:7-10)

“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

After the battle of Armageddon when the armies of the Antichrist will be defeated, Jesus Christ will enter the temple described in Ezekiel 40-48. By the way, Zechariah makes mention of both of these events. The building of Messiah’s Temple (Zech 6:12) and the conversion of a multitude of Jews (Zech 3:9, 12:10, 13:8, etc.)

3. What role will we play in the KINGDOM to come? (Gen 12-15; 2Sam 7:14-16, Deut 30; Jer 31; Rev 2, 3)

Since Jesus came offering the KINGDOM to the Jews and by in large, they rejected it; consequently, the KINGDOM has been postponed. However, during the millennial reign of Christ (1,000 years), He will establish and fulfill His unconditional Covenants will the Jewish People. In addition, the Church, the body of Christ, will return with Him from heaven and participate during the KINGDOM period. Right now, we are encouraged to be OVERCOMERS (Rev 2, 3).

Conclusion: Jesus taught His disciples to pray…

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

The Church plays an important role on earth now as the bride of Christ. Jesus is the Bridegroom. However, He will return as the KING of KINGS and the LORD of LORDS! Presently, as the bride of Christ, we need to be preparing for the Bridegroom to come for His bride. How? By watching and waiting, and worshipping, and working.