Thy Kingdom Come. But When?
by Louis Garbi
INTRODUCTION
"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth
as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10, KJV). Many
people know these words. They come from
Jesus teaching His disciples to pray. "Thy
kingdom come." These words point to a great
event. They make us wonder. When will God's
kingdom come? Will it be on earth or in
heaven? Time or eternity?
"THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS LIKE..."
The following quotes are taken from parables which Jesus told about the kingdom
(Matthew 13:24-47). He said, "The kingdom
of heaven is like..."
- "a man who sowed good seed in his field"
(vs. 24)
- "a mustard seed" (vs. 31)
- "leaven" (vs. 33)
- "treasure hidden in a field" (vs. 44)
- "a merchant seeking beautiful pearls"
(vs. 45)
- "a dragnet" (vs. 47)
An examination of these parables reveals that
they have one theme in common-the work
of God's kingdom among people on this earth.
They show the kingdom as a dominion where
we humans can know God's will, seek His
favor, find protection, and live. Also, there is
judgment stated or implied-eternal reward
for those who receive the truth, condemnation
for those who reject the work of the kingdom. Everyone who can reason is able to find
personal application in these parables. They
mean something to our relationship with God.
We can easily see from them that the kingdom has a place on earth, in our time. If we
understand God's kingdom is here, identifying
the time of its arrival is not so difficult.
"THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND"
John the Baptist preached, "Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 3:2).
Jesus preached, "Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). He also
commanded the 12 apostles to preach, "The
kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 10:7).
"At hand" means near, or something that will
shortly come to pass. The very people who
were in Jesus' presence heard Him say, "Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here
who shall not taste death till they see the Son of
Man coming in His kingdom" (Matthew 16:28).
So the kingdom came within the lifespan of
those who were contemporary with Jesus.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE KINGDOM
The coming of the kingdom is founded on the
victory of Jesus over sin and death. After His
resurrection, Jesus declared, "All power is given
unto Me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew
28:18, KJV). These are the words of a King,
and where there is a king there is a kingdom.
Jesus' victory and power give us access into this
kingdom to be a part of it. Colossians 1:13, 14
reads: "He [the Father] has delivered us from
the power of darkness and conveyed us into the
kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we
have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." To summarize:
- Jesus presides over the kingdom
("the kingdom of the Son")
- The Father places the redeemed into the
kingdom
("He has...conveyed us into the kingdom")
- Placement is upon deliverance from
"the power of darkness"
- The means of deliverance is in Jesus
("redemption through His blood")
Therefore, we have a place in the kingdom
through the blood of Christ now. "Then I
heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'Now
salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of
our God, and the power of His Christ have
come, for the accuser of our brethren, who
accused them before our God night and day,
has been cast down. And they overcame him by
the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their
testimony, and they did not love their lives to
the death'" (Revelation 12:10, 11). Faithful
men and women who lay down their lives
for the Lord do so because they are part of a
kingdom that has come.
THE NATURE OF THE KINGDOM
The kingdom is spiritual in nature. Jesus said,
"The kingdom of God does not come with
observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or
'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20, 21). It is a spiritual
kingdom which we access through the inner
man. Furthermore, when Pilate questioned
Jesus, Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of
this world. If My kingdom were of this world,
My servants would fight, so that I should not be
delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is
not from here" (John 18:36). The aims of the
kingdom are not the same as those of earthly
kingdoms or governments. Its present work
is that of redemption and bearing witness to
the truth. Its effect is per-individual. In it, we
have a place if "we walk by faith and not by
sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).
THE FUTURE OF THE KINGDOM
Some scriptures show another point of view,
pointing to the kingdom as if it has not yet
come. Let us briefly consider a couple:
- Acts 14:22- "We must through many
tribulations enter the kingdom of God."
- 2 Peter 1:11- "for so an entrance will be
supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ."
These scriptures show a pending entrance
into the kingdom, even in this kingdom age.
The Bible gives a plain statement reconciling
the seeming contradiction: "Then comes the
end, when He [Jesus] delivers the kingdom to
God the Father, when He puts an end to all
rule and all authority and power. For He must
reign till He has put all enemies under His
feet" (1 Corinthians 15:24, 25).
The kingdom has three phases. The first is
under the reign of Jesus. It began with His
conquest of sin and death. Through faith, we
enjoy the power of this kingdom, and we can
have a place in it. It endures through the judgment day. The second phase, the judgment,
is transitional; it touches time and eternity. At
that time, the Lord will say, "Well done" or
"Depart" (Matthew 25:21, 41). The third phase
is when Jesus "delivers the kingdom to God the
Father" (1 Corinthians 15:24). This will be after
the judgment, when "the last enemy that shall
be destroyed is death" (1 Corinthians 15:26).
So there is a future state of this kingdom. In this
respect, our entry is not complete.
TO BE PART OF ITS FUTURE GLORY...
It is a mistake to think this future phase (or state) of the kingdom is the only thing that
matters. Without entering the kingdom, as
it is now available, we cannot be a part of its
future glory. If we abide faithfully in the kingdom of heaven here and now, we will be able
to enjoy the fullness of the kingdom in the
presence of God the Father. "Therefore, since
we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be
shaken, let us have grace, by which we may
serve God acceptably with reverence and godly
fear" (Hebrews 12:28).