Your Kingdom Come…

Your kingdom come…

The British Empire, The Roman Empire, The Spanish Empire, The Russian Empire, The Caliphates, Chinese Dynasties, Mongols, Aztecs, Greeks, Macedonians, Egyptians, Mayans, Babylonians, Huns, Assyrians, Napoleon, Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Michael Jackson. These all have at least two things in common; first, they ruled or attempted to rule, the world. Some reigns lasted for over 1,000 years, some for only a decade; some ruled over the entire known and some only over small countries threatening to conquer everyone around them. The second thing they all have in common is that their power, glory, and rule was temporary; their reigns ended.

Today, many of us live under a similar empire with its official beginnings in 1776 when the founders declared independence from the British Empire. This modern empire holds lands and territories worldwide. It influences nearly every foreign nation and is involved in many foreign disputes. It wields economic influence on the worldwide economic system in a way unlike any other empire that came before it. It consumes vast quantities of the world’s resources and implicitly controls the economic well-being of nearly every person on the face of the earth. Of this, there is little debate.
But the one thing the citizens of this empire are unwilling to admit is how similar it is to every other empire and ruler who has graced the world stage before it; its glory will fade, its power becomes impotent, and its kingdom will be reduced or taken by another; it will someday end. The only questions remaining to ask are when and how.

Your kingdom come…

Anyone who is even a tiny bit knowledgeable about the Bible will know that the Jews at the time of Christ were looking for the Messiah to come and free them from foreign rule. For them, the Messiah was a world conqueror who would return the Israelites to their homeland, creating an eternal dynasty. But between them and their prophetic dynasty stood the Romans who were, at the time, the empire in control of their fate. They had already endured the controlling grasp of former empires—the Babylonians, the Assyrians, and the Egyptians—and survived, now it was just a question of when the Romans would fall and their kingdom begin. Their prophets and poets told them that one would come who would rule the nations with a rod of iron and would place all other kingdoms under his feet. God was going to make of them an empire to rule all empires. But sadly, they had searched the scriptures and arrived at the wrong conclusion.

Your kingdom come…

The Gospels tells us that when Jesus began his ministry he said these words, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The Gospels also tell us that when Jesus’ ministry entered its third year, the Pharisees asked Jesus when the promised kingdom would come. Jesus responded by saying, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” (Luke 17:20-21) God’s kingdom—the kingdom of heaven—is not like former fading empires; God’s kingdom is within those who love him and obey his commandments.

A brief survey of Matthew—the gospel that speaks most directly about the kingdom of heaven—will reveal much about the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is for the poor in spirit and those who have been persecuted for righteousness sake; it is for those who teach the commandments of God and practice the will of God. The kingdom is like a man who sowed good seed; it starts small, like a mustard seed, and grows very large; it spreads like yeast in a lump of dough; its value is beyond measure and like a treasure hidden in a field, a pearl of great price, a net catching all kinds of fish, and like the owner of a house who brings out new and old treasures. The kingdom of heaven is for those who become like children; it is for those who humble themselves; it is for those who forgive; it is for tax collectors and prostitutes; it is for any who produce spiritual fruit. It is like a king preparing a banquet for any who will come; it is like wise virgins prepared for the coming of the bridegroom; it is for the sheep; it awaits us when Jesus returns; it is within us.

Your kingdom come…

An attempt was made in the 1500s to combine the spiritual kingdom and the material kingdom by enacting rules and regulations over the citizenry of the city of Geneva. This was, by all accounts, a failure. It failed for the same reason every attempt at producing an empire fails—an unredeemed human heart will always inevitably produce destruction. And there is no human kingdom that can redeem the human heart; only God can reclaim the hearts of humanity; only God has the power to transform a sinful wretch into a glorious son of God. It is for this reason that Jesus told us that the kingdom of heaven is within us. It does not lie in a structure of government, a charismatic leader, or an intricate philosophy; it lies in each person who is a citizen of heaven, and it comes to us when we begin to act like citizens of heaven through the power of God.

To pray for the coming of God’s kingdom is to pray that God would change our heart into a heart that finds its allegiance with God alone; it is to pray for complete transformation and conversion. It is to pray that we become meek, righteous, and merciful; that we become pure in heart and a peacemaker; that we become salt and light in a tasteless and dark world. It is for this, not for a brick-and-mortar kingdom, that we pray when we pray,

Your kingdom come…

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