"Thy Kingdom Come"

[Published originally in January of 2000]

This phrase is contained in the so-called “Lord’s prayer,” which, in fact, is not the Lord’s prayer (as found in John 17) but the disciples’ prayer. It would hardly have been appropriate for our Lord to pray, “Forgive us our sins...and lead us not into temptation” (Luke:11:4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
See All...). Nor is it a prayer to be repeated over and over but rather a pattern for prayer for the disciples: “After this manner therefore pray ye” (Matthew:6:9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
See All...). When Jesus gave this pattern for prayer, He told his disciples, “use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (v. 7). Yet the “Lord’s prayer” is generally used exactly that way—repeated by rote with little thought to its deep meaning.

Contrary to some who preach the “prosperity gospel,” we are not to request earthly blessings for ourselves, much less riches, but only sufficient provision for each day (“Give us this day our daily bread...”); and to be kept from sin in order to live to God’s glory (“deliver us from evil...for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory”). Yet how seldom we think of His glory while we bombard Him continually with endless requests to satisfy our own desires!

“Thy kingdom come” is the heart of this pattern for prayer, and it should be the passion of our lives. Yet for how many of us is this true? Have we not largely forgotten God’s eternal kingdom in pursuit of our own temporal ambitions?

Remember the Y2K hysteria and how many Christians were caught up in it at the turn of the century, spending needless time, money, and effort to assure themselves of food, warmth, and protection? Sadly, the lives of many were all but ruined, their Christian testimony spoiled, and our Lord and His Word ridiculed as a result of their irrational fears of a mysterious “bug,” which they believed had the power to shut down the world!

More recently, word faith ministers such as Jim Bakker continue to profit from fearmongering, selling survivalist food packs that are often more expensive than the same items that could be purchased elsewhere for less. How much better to have heeded our Lord’s admonition not to be anxious, going about saying, “What shall we eat?” or, “What shall we drink?” or, “Wherewithal shall we be clothed?...for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew:6:25-34 [25] Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? [26] Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? [27] Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? [28] And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: [29] And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [30] Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? [31] Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? [32] (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. [33] But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. [34] Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
See All...).

Seek ye first the kingdom! Here we have the pattern of life to go with the prayer pattern. But what is this kingdom we are to seek, consumed by the passion, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew:6:10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
See All...)? What did Christ mean by His frequent references to “the kingdom”?

Christ referred both to the “kingdom of heaven” (found only in Matthew) and to the “kingdom of God.” Significantly, the same things are said about the kingdom of God in the other Gospels that Matthew declared concerning the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, we can only conclude they are the same.

For example, in Matthew:4:17From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
See All..., Jesus preaches, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” while in Mark:1:15And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
See All... He says, “the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” In Matthew’s presentation of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus begins with “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (5:3). But in Luke, Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with “Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God” (6:20). For further study, compare Matthew:8:11And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
See All... with Luke:13:28-29 [28] There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. [29] And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
See All...; Matthew 13 with Mark 4 and Luke 8; Matthew:18:1-4 [1] At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? [2] And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, [3] And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. [4] Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
See All... with Mark:10:14-15 [14] But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. [15] Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
See All... and Luke:18:16-17 [16] But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. [17] Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
See All..., etc.

It is generally assumed that the “kingdom” refers to Christ’s millennial reign. He promised His twelve disciples, “when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel [ten tribes were not lost after all!]” (Matthew:19:28And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
See All...). Surely this is not a spiritual but a literal reign that will be established at Christ’s second coming when His feet touch the Mount of Olives (Zechariah:14:4And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
See All..., Acts:1:11Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
See All...) as He comes to rescue Israel in the midst of Armageddon (Zechariah 12-14). Then “every eye shall see him” (Revelation:1:7Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
See All...) coming to earth “with power and glory” and the angels will “gather together his elect [i.e., the Jews, Isaiah:45:4For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.
See All..., etc.] from the four winds” (Matthew:24:29-31 [29] Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: [30] And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. [31] And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
See All...) to bring them from all over the world to Israel to share in the millennial kingdom. Having destroyed Antichrist and his kingdom at His second coming (2 Thessalonians:2:8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
See All...), Christ rescues Israel in the midst of Armageddon (Zechariah 12, 14) and ascends David’s throne (2 Samuel:7:13He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
See All...; Ezekiel:37:24-26 [24] And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. [25] And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. [26] Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
See All..., Luke:1:32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
See All...), from which He will rule the world for 1,000 years (Revelation:20:2-6 [2] And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, [3] And 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. [4] And 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. [5] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. [6] Blessed 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.
See All...).

In previous articles and books we have discussed many of the signs Christ gave to indicate the nearness of His return to earth: Israel back in her land (Ezekiel:38:11-23 [11] And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, [12] To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. [13] Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? [14] Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? [15] And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: [16] And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. [17] Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? [18] And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. [19] For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; [20] So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. [21] And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. [22] And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. [23] Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
See All...; Zechariah 12, 14, etc.), weapons capable of destroying all life (Matthew:24:22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
See All...), the technology for a world dictator to control the world militarily (Revelation:13:4And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
See All...,7), and to control all banking and commerce (vv. 16-17), etc. The fact that these signs confront us already can only mean that the Rapture, which precedes the Second Coming, cannot be delayed much longer.

There are no signs for the Rapture, which could therefore occur at any moment! This is why Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples to be ready for His sudden return which otherwise would catch them by surprise: Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.... Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh (Matthew:24:42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
See All...,44).

Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord.... Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not (Luke:12:35-40 [35] Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; [36] And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. [37] Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. [38] And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. [39] And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. [40] Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
See All...).

Because it is not intended to catch anyone by surprise, the Second Coming must be a separate event from the Rapture. Therefore, it is preceded by many signs. Referring to His second coming, Jesus declares in the Olivet discourse, “...when ye shall see all these things [i.e., the signs He has given in the preceding verses], know that it [the Second Coming] is near, even at the doors” (Matthew:24:33So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
See All...). When all signs have been fulfilled, it will be crystal clear that Christ is about to return to earth. Even Antichrist will know and will go out with his armies to repel Christ’s invasion from heaven:

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.... And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS....

And I saw the beast [Antichrist], and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet.... These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone (Revelation:19:11-20 [11] And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. [12] His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. [13] And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. [14] And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. [15] And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. [16] And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. [17] And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; [18] That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. [19] And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. [20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
See All...).

Another major sign preceding the Second Coming is a revival of the Roman Empire worldwide. This is clear from Daniel’s interpretation of the image of the giant in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2). It represented four world empires: the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman. Each of the first three had a successor, but the Roman Empire did not; it never died, and is in the process of being revived.

Rome was divided in two as the giant’s two legs foretold: politically in AD 330 when Constantine moved his capital to Byzantium, which he had captured in 328 and renamed Constantinople; and religiously in AD 1054 between Roman Catholicism in the West and Orthodoxy in the East when Pope Leo IX imperiously excommunicated Michael Cerularius, Patriarch of Constantinople.

The ten toes on the feet attached to the two legs correspond to the ten horns on the fourth beast, which Daniel:7:24And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
See All... says are ten kings. Missing from history, however, is any record of ten kings reigning simultaneously over Rome. Therefore, Rome, the fourth kingdom, must be revived with ten sub-rulers under Antichrist. That is the worldwide kingdom that Christ destroys to establish His millennial reign. Once again this is clear from Nebuchadnezzar’s image. Directly after its description of the feet and ten toes (Daniel:2:40-43 [40] And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. [41] And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. [42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. [43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
See All...) verse 44 declares, “In the days of these kings [represented by the ten toes] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.” A “stone cut out without hands” smashes the image, becomes a great mountain and fills the whole earth (vv. 34-35). These events must be future: i.e., in the days of these kings.

This stone can only be Christ, and the great mountain His eternal kingdom. The smashing of the image by the stone clearly means that Christ’s kingdom will be established by His sudden personal intervention from heaven to destroy Antichrist's kingdom—not by the church gradually taking over the world as so many teach. What folly to imagine that the church is supposed to establish the Kingdom—or to claim, as many do, that the Kingdom has already been established on earth and Christ is ruling it from heaven!

We have often warned of the solemn fact that those who expend themselves in the attempt to clean up society and to establish God’s kingdom on earth are playing into Antichrist’s hands, for his kingdom will be established prior to Christ’s millennial reign. In fact, a major purpose of Christ’s second coming (in contrast to the Rapture in which He takes His bride to heaven) is to destroy Antichrist and his kingdom: “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord ...shall destroy with the brightness of his coming....” (2 Thessalonians:2:4-9 [4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. [5] Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? [6] And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. [7] For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. [8] And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: [9] Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
See All...).

Far from the obviously evil ogre he is generally thought to be, Antichrist will be so appealing and popular that “all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him” (Revelation:13:8And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
See All...). His kingdom will begin in peace and prosperity. Tragically, multitudes are being led astray by leaders in the “signs and wonders” movement who claim to use “miracles” to establish the Kingdom; and they believe that only when they have done so will Christ then return to rule over the kingdom they have established in His name. Those who reject the Rapture and look for a “Christ” who comes to this earth to reign without first taking the church to heaven are setting themselves up to embrace Antichrist and his kingdom.

Those who believe in the Rapture cannot be enticed to look for a “Christ” who comes to rule the “kingdom” they’ve established. They expect “to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians:4:17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
See All...) above earth to be taken to heaven. Critics deride this belief as a “secret rapture theory,” but Scripture says, “the dead in Christ shall be raised...we which are alive...shall be caught up together with them...” (1 Corinthians:15:51-57 [51] Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. [53] For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. [54] So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. [55] O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? [56] The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
See All...; 1 Thessalonians:4:13-18 [13] But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. [14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. [15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. [16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: [17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. [18] Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
See All...) to be taken to His Father’s house (John:14:1-3 [1] Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. [2] In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
See All...).

The great hopes being placed in the new Millennium now being celebrated (which actually begins January 1, 2001) will only increase the satanic delusions that blind the eyes of unbelievers. With Y2K conquered, and with the new software and high-tech equipment developed, there will be an explosion of technology to bolster mankind’s belief that it no longer needs God. Ecumenism will take giant strides and fewer believers will expect the Rapture. The Pope (Catholicism denies the Rapture) has great plans for what he calls “The third millennium of Christianity.” Sadly, many evangelicals are adopting the same terminology. Ambitious plans for the new Millennium will push Christ’s kingdom even further back in the minds of many believers. [Dave’s year 2000 perspective, which has come to pass!]

Surprisingly, Christ’s millennial reign is not the ultimate Kingdom for which we are to pray. Christ told Nicodemus unequivocally, “Except a man be born again, he cannot [even] see... [much less] enter into the kingdom of God” (John:3:3-5 [3] Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. [4] Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? [5] Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
See All...). We are also told that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians:15:50Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
See All...). Yet there will be many flesh-and-blood people living during the Millennium, and among them multitudes who have not been born again of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the Bible declares repeatedly that God’s kingdom is “an everlasting kingdom” (Psalm:145:13Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
See All...; Daniel:4:3How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.
See All..., 7:27); that Christ shall reign on “the throne of his father David...over the house of Jacob [Israel] forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end (Luke:1:32-33 [32] He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: [33] And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
See All...).... Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end...” (Isaiah:9:7Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
See All...). But the Millennium lasts only 1,000 years, and its peace ends with earth’s final war.

The Millennium, in fact, is the final proof of the incorrigible self-centered evil of the human heart. No longer can anyone complain that Adam and Eve alone had the unique opportunity of living in Paradise and that if only they (the complainers) had been there, they wouldn't have sinned. Billions will live in an even better Paradise because Christ will rule it and Satan will be locked up for 1,000 years. Yet when he is at last released, Satan will “deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth,” and they will attack Jesus Christ at Jerusalem (Revelation:20:7-9 [7] And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, [8] And 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. [9] And 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.
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The true kingdom of God, with endless peace, will only arrive in the new heavens and new earth. Paul writes, “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to the Father” (1 Corinthians:15:24-28 [24] Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. [25] For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. [26] The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. [27] For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. [28] And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
See All...). Here we see that Christ did not refer to the Rapture when He said, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew:24:14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
See All...). Obviously, the Rapture is not “the end” to which Christ referred, but that which Paul explains.

May what has been for many a “vain repetition” become a passion for prayer without ceasing: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” May our hearts turn from earth to seek first the ultimate Kingdom in which heaven and earth are one in the new creation, rebellion is a thing of the past and God’s will alone is truly done because it has become the will of all creatures. And as that passion grows within us, we will find that our wills are more and more in harmony with His because “every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure” (1 Jn:3:3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
See All...). 

TBC