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THY KINGDOM COME

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Please also visit Matthew 24.

(All Scriptures are from the New International Version unless specified.)

"When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come" Luke 11:2 KJV. What did Jesus mean when he taught his disciples to pray "Thy kingdom come"?

PROPHECIES OF THE COMING KINGDOM

Isaiah 2:2-4 "In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.' The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. ...They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore."

Isaiah 2:2-4

1. in the last days

2. mountain of the LORD's temple will be established

3. raised above the hills (superior to others)

4. all nations will stream to it (heterogeneous population)

5. the word of the LORD will go from Jerusalem.

6. nation will not take up sword against nation (peaceful nature)

Daniel 2:31-45 "You looked, 0 king, and there before you stood a large statue-an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. "This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. You, 0 king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. "After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. [Although there are two parts to this section of the image (chest and arms) it only indicates one kingdom.] Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. [Although there are two parts to this section of the image (belly and thighs) it only indicates one kingdom.] Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron-for iron breaks and smashes everything-and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. [Although there are two parts to this section of the image (legs and feet) it only indicates one kingdom.] Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set UP a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever."

You are that head of gold (Kingdom of Babylon Daniel 2:38)
After you, another kingdom will rise (Medo-Persian kingdom Daniel 8:38)
Next, a third kingdom (Grecian kingdom Daniel 8:21)

· Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, (Roman Empire Daniel 2:40-42)

· As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.

(The Roman Empire was divided into 10 provinces, evidently corresponding to the 10 toes. Rome was a kingdom of iron [ruled with an iron hand] but it was also a kingdom that never took up a kinship with its people. "The people will be a mixture and will not remain united" Daniel 2:43.)

In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a (mountain) kingdom that will never be destroyed.

History clearly shows that the kingdom that followed Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian kingdom was the kingdom of the Medo-Persians. And the kingdom that followed next was the Grecian kingdom. And the kingdom that conquered the Grecian kingdom was the Roman Empire.

Daniel 2:31-44

1. The event will come about in the days of the Roman Empire

2. At that time God will set up His kingdom

3. The kingdom will never be destroyed

4. The kingdom will be made up of all nations

5. The kingdom became a huge mountain

Matthew 3:1-2 "In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." What does the word "near" mean?

W.E. Vine's Expository Dictionary defines the original word to mean near or nigh.

Webster defines the word near as close by.

The New Testament in Modern Speech renders it "close at hand".

The New English Bible translates near as "it is upon you!"

The exact word that John used when he said the kingdom is "near" is used 43 times in the New Testament. Notice some of the references.

Matthew 26:45-46 "Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

Luke 15: I "Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. (The original text says near him.)

Luke 15:25 "When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.

Matthew 3:2 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Matthew 4: 1 7 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Matthew 10:7 "The kingdom of heaven is near."

Mark 1: 15 "The kingdom of God is near."

Luke 10:9-10 "The kingdom of God is near you."

Luke 21:31 "...you know that the kingdom of God is near.”

Mark 9:1 "...some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power."

Mark 9:1

1. The kingdom had not yet come

2. The kingdom would come in the lifetime of some of the Apostles

3. The kingdom will come with power.

Some have suggested that the Apostles thought that the kingdom was to come in their life time, but th,ey were wrong. Jesus plainly said that the Holy Spirit would teach them all things (John 14:26) and that the Spirit of truth would guide the Apostles into all truth (John. 16:13). Did Jesus lie? Of course not. Could the Apostles have miss-understood Jesus? Absolutely impossible! They could not have miss-understood at this point because they were writing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

SUMMARY OF PROPHECY PASSAGES

Isaiah 2:2-4

1. In the last days-- Acts 2: 16-17 "...this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: "'In the last

days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people."

2. "...mountain of the LORD's temple will be established" "... the rock that struck the statue

became a huge mountain..." The World Almanac Book of Facts, 2001 p5 shows that there are

1,974,181,000 people today that claim to the Lord's followers.

3. raised above the hills (superior to others) -- This is the largest organization on earth and offers

more than any other religion.

4. all nations will stream to it (heterogeneous population) -- Acts 2:5-6 "Now there were staying
in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven". ,

5. the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Acts 1:8 "...you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

6. Nation will not take up sword against nation (peaceful nature) -- Heb 12: 14 "Make every effort
to live in peace with all men."

Daniel 2:31-44

7. The event will come about in the days of the Roman Empire -- Luke 2: 1 "In those days Caesar

Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

8. At that time God will set up His kingdom

9. The kingdom will never be destroyed -- Heb 12:28 "Therefore, since we are receiving a
kingdom that cannot be shaken..."

10. The kingdom will be made up of all nations.

11. The kingdom became a huge mountain,

Mark 9:1

12. The kingdom had not yet come.

13. The kingdom would come in the lifetime of some of the Apostles.

14. The kingdom will come with power. ---Acts 1:6-8 "So when they met together, they asked him, 'Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?' He said to them: 'It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;...'" Acts 2:1-4 "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them" WHEN THEY RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT THEY RECEIVED THE POWER. WHEN THEY RECEIVED THE POWER THE KINGDOM CAME. THEY RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST THEREFORE THE KINGDOM CAME ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST.

THE KINGDOM IS HERE

Rev 1:6 "...and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God." (Past tense - we are already the kingdom.)

Rev 1:9 "I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom". (Present tense - he was in the kingdom.)

Coli: 13 "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son." (Past tense - we are already in the kingdom).

Daniel 2:35 "But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

Isaiah 2:3 "Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob.

Luke 1:33 "...and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

1 Timothy 3:15 "...God's household, which is the church of the living God..."

Matthew 16: 18-19 "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;

Matthew 4: 17 'From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Ephesians 5:5 "For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person-such a man is an idolaterhas any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Matthew 13:41)

The kingdom of God (of Christ, of heaven) cannot be observed with the human eye.

Luke 17 :20-21 "Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."

Rom 14: 17 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit..."

Ephesians 1 :22-23 "And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body..."

Ephesians 5:23-24 "Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.

Acts 2:30-31 "..he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ..."

Acts 20:28-29 "Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood".

Revelation 5:9-10 "...with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth. "

A close study of all the parables show that the kingdom is the same as the church and that they are both here now.

The church came into existence on the day of Pentecost. Before that day all the passages pointed to it in the future. After that day the passages referring to the church point to the past or present.

Acts 1:9 "After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight."

Daniel 7:13-14 "...son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed".

Acts 2:34-36 "The Lord said to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.'" (NT:2962 kurios (koo'-ree-os); from kuros (supremacy); supreme in authority, i.e. (as noun) controller; by implication, Mr. (as a respectful title): (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

SOME SUGGEST THAT THE LAND PROMISED TO ABRAHAM HAS NOT YET BEEN GIVEN THEREFORE THE KINGDOM IS STILL IN THE FUTURE.

Genesis 15: 18-21 "On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates-- the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites. "

Josh 21:43-45 "So the LORD gave Israel ALL the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of all the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed; everyone was fulfilled."

Nehemiah 9:8 "...you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous".

Joshua 23:15-16 "But just as every good promise of the LORD your God has come true, so the LORD will bring on you all the evil he has threatened, until he has destroyed you from this good land he has given you. If you violate the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the LORD's anger will bum against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you."

Some teach that due to the fact that the Jews rejected Jesus he was unable to fulfill his desire to set up his kingdom. With the event of the crucifixion the prophetic clock stopped ticking. Jesus sat up His church as a kind of stop-gap effort to remain on earth until he returns and actually sets up the kingdom.

Matthew 28:17-18 "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority (KJV power) in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Jesus had the power, he could have set up his kingdom when he first came. Why would we think that if he failed the first time that he could succeed the next time? The Jews did not reject him as being their earthly king. John 6:14-15 "Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself'.

Deuteuteronmy 18:20-19: 1 "But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death." You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?" If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him." If the prophecies of the kingdom did not come true as prophesied, Isaiah, Daniel and other prophets are worthy of death.

The church and the kingdom are the same so therefore the church is not an afterthought but rather part of God's plan throughout all the ages.

We should be thrilled that the long awaited kingdom is now established and we have the privilege to enter it.

John 3:3-6 "In reply Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God
unless he is born again." "How can a man be born when he is old?' Nicodemus asked. 'Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!' Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. “

Romans 6:4 "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that,
just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

If you find this sermon to be at all controversial, PLEASE read my comments on the Contact Us page.