CHRIST taught his
followers: “You must pray, then, this way: ‘Our Father in the heavens, let your
name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in
heaven, also upon earth.’” (Matthew 6:9, 10) This prayer, known to many as the Our
Father, or the Lord’s Prayer, explains the purpose of God’s Kingdom.
By means of the Kingdom, God’s name
will be sanctified. It will be cleared of all the dishonor that has been heaped
upon it as a result of the rebellion of Satan and man. This is vital. The
happiness of all intelligent creatures depends on their holding God’s name
sacred and willingly accepting his right to rule.—Revelation 4:11.
In addition, the Kingdom is set up to
“let [God’s] will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” And what is that
will? It is to restore the relationship between God and humankind, which Adam
lost. The Kingdom will also serve the purpose of the Universal Sovereign,
Jehovah, to establish a paradise on earth where good people can enjoy life
forever. Yes, God’s Kingdom will undo all the damage done by original sin and
will make God’s loving purpose for the earth a reality. (1 John 3:8) This Kingdom and what it will accomplish is,
in fact, the main message of the Bible.
Superior in What Ways?
God’s Kingdom is a real government
having great power. The prophet Daniel gave us a glimpse of just how powerful
it is. Long ago, he foretold: “The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that
. . . will crush and put an end to all [human] kingdoms.” Moreover,
in contrast with human governments, which come and go over the course of
history, God’s Kingdom “will never be brought to ruin.” (Daniel 2:44) That is not all. In every respect, this Kingdom
is far superior to any human government.
God’s Kingdom has a superior King.
Consider who that King is. In “a dream
and visions” given to him, Daniel beheld the Ruler of God’s Kingdom as “someone
like a son of man” brought before Almighty God and given lasting “rulership and
dignity and kingdom.” (Daniel 7:1, 13, 14) That Son of man is none other than Jesus
Christ—the Messiah. (Matthew 16:13-17) Jehovah God designated his own Son, Jesus,
to be King of His Kingdom. When on earth, Jesus said to the wicked Pharisees:
“The kingdom of God is in your midst,” meaning that he, the future King of that
Kingdom, was among them.—Luke 17:21.
Jehovah has designated Jesus Christ to
be King of His Kingdom
Who from among mankind can match Jesus’ credentials as a Ruler? Jesus has
already proved to be a thoroughly righteous, reliable, and compassionate
Leader. The Gospels portray him as a man of action as well as one of tender
warmth and deep feelings. (Matthew 4:23; Mark 1:40, 41; 6:31-34; Luke 7:11-17) Furthermore, the resurrected Jesus is not
subject to death or other human limitations.—Isaiah 9:6, 7.
Jesus and his associates rule from a superior position.
In his dream-vision, Daniel also saw
that “the kingdom and the rulership . . . were given to the people
who are the holy ones.” (Daniel 7:27) Jesus does not rule alone. He has others with him
who are to rule as kings and serve as priests. (Revelation 5:9, 10; 20:6) Concerning them, the apostle John wrote: “I saw, and,
look! the Lamb standing upon the Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and
forty-four thousand . . . who have been bought from the earth.”—Revelation 14:1-3.
The Lamb is Jesus Christ in his Kingdom position. (John 1:29; Revelation 22:3) This Mount Zion refers to heaven. *
(Hebrews 12:22) Jesus and his 144,000 associates are ruling
from heaven. What a lofty position from which to rule! Being in heaven, they
have a broader perspective. Since heaven is its seat, “the kingdom of God” is
also called “the kingdom of the heavens.” (Luke 8:10; Matthew 13:11) No weapons, not even nuclear attacks, can reach
and topple that heavenly government. It is unconquerable and will fulfill
Jehovah’s purpose for it.—Hebrews 12:28.
God’s Kingdom has trustworthy representatives on earth.
How do we know this? Psalm 45:16 states: “You will appoint . . . princes
in all the earth.” “You” in this prophecy is the Son of God. (Psalm 45:6, 7; Hebrews 1:7, 8) Hence, Jesus Christ himself will appoint
the princely representatives. We can be sure that they will be faithful in
carrying out his direction. Even today, qualified men who serve as elders in
the Christian congregation are taught, not to “lord it over” their fellow
believers, but to protect, refresh, and comfort them.—Matthew 20:25-28; Isaiah 32:2.
The Kingdom has righteous subjects.
They are blameless and upright in God’s
eyes. (Proverbs 2:21, 22) “The meek ones themselves will possess
the earth,” says the Bible, “and they will indeed find their exquisite delight
in the abundance of peace.” (Psalm 37:11) The subjects of the Kingdom are meek—teachable
and humble, mild and gentle. Their primary interests are spiritual matters. (Matthew 5:3) They want to do what is right and are responsive
to divine direction.
God’s Kingdom is governed by superior laws.
The laws and principles governing the
Kingdom come from Jehovah God himself. Rather than unfairly restrict us, they
benefit us. (Psalm 19:7-11) Many people are already benefiting from living
by Jehovah’s righteous requirements. For example, heeding the Bible’s counsel
to husbands, wives, and children improves our family life. (Ephesians 5:33–6:3) When we obey the command to ‘clothe
ourselves with love,’ our relationship with others improves. (Colossians 3:13, 14) As we live by Scriptural principles,
we also cultivate good work habits and a balanced view of money. (Proverbs 13:4; 1 Timothy 6:9, 10) Avoiding drunkenness, sexual
immorality, tobacco, and addictive drugs helps us to safeguard our health.—Proverbs 7:21-23; 23:29, 30; 2 Corinthians 7:1.
The Kingdom of God is a government ordained by God. Its King—the Messiah,
Jesus Christ—and all his associate rulers are responsible to God to uphold His
just laws and loving principles. The subjects of the Kingdom, including its
earthly representatives, take delight in living by God’s laws. God is
thus at the center of the lives of the rulers and the subjects of the Kingdom.
Therefore, the Kingdom is a true theocracy—rule by God. It is bound to succeed
in accomplishing the purpose for which it has been set up. But when does God’s
Kingdom, also known as the Messianic Kingdom, begin its rule?
Kingdom Rule Begins
A key to understanding when Kingdom
rule begins is found in the words of Jesus. “Jerusalem will be trampled on by
the nations,” he said, “until the appointed times of the nations are
fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24) Jerusalem was the only city in all the earth that
was directly associated with God’s name. (1 Kings 11:36; Matthew 5:35) It was the capital of a God-approved earthly
kingdom. That city was to be trampled on by the nations in that the rule by God
over his people was to be interrupted by worldly governments. When would this
begin?
The last king to sit on Jehovah’s
throne in Jerusalem was told: “Remove the turban, and lift off the crown.
. . . It will certainly become no one’s until he comes who has the
legal right, and I must give it to him.” (Ezekiel 21:25-27) The crown was to be lifted off the head of
that king, and God’s rulership over His people was to be interrupted. This
happened in 607 B.C.E. when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. During
“the appointed times” that were to follow, God would not have a government on
the earth to represent his rulership. Only at the end of those times would
Jehovah give the power to rule to the one “who has the legal right”—Jesus Christ.
How long would that period be?
A prophecy in the Bible book of Daniel
states: “Chop the tree down, and ruin it. However, leave its rootstock itself
in the earth, but with a banding of iron and of copper . . . until
seven times themselves pass over it.” (Daniel 4:23) As we will see, the “seven times” mentioned here
are equal in length to “the appointed times of the nations.”
In the Bible, individuals, rulers, and kingdoms are at times represented by
trees. (Psalm 1:3; Jeremiah 17:7, 8; Ezekiel, chapter 31) The symbolic tree “was visible to
the extremity of the whole earth.” (Daniel 4:11) Thus, the rulership represented by the tree that
was to be chopped down and banded extended “to the extremity of the earth,”
involving the whole kingdom of mankind. (Daniel 4:17, 20, 22) The tree therefore represents the supreme rulership
of God, particularly in its relationship to the earth. This rulership was
expressed for a time through the kingdom that Jehovah set up over the nation of
Israel. The symbolic tree was cut down, and bands of iron and copper were
placed upon the stump in order to prevent its growth. This indicated that
God’s representative rulership on earth was to cease its operation, as happened
in 607 B.C.E.—but not indefinitely. The tree would remain banded until
“seven times” had passed. At the end of that period, Jehovah would give
rulership to the legal heir, Jesus Christ. Clearly, the “seven times” and “the
appointed times of the nations” refer to the same time period.
The Bible helps us to determine the
length of the “seven times.” It equates 1,260 days with “a time [one time] and
times [two times, plural] and half a time”—a total of three and a half
“times.” (Revelation 12:6, 14) This means that twice that number, or seven times,
is 2,520 days.
When we count
2,520 literal days from 607 B.C.E., we come to 600 B.C.E. However,
the seven times lasted much longer than that. They were still in progress when
Jesus spoke of “the appointed times of the nations.” The seven times,
therefore, are prophetic. Hence, we must apply the Scriptural rule: “A day for
a year.” (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6) In that case, the seven times of earth’s
domination by worldly powers without divine interference amount to 2,520 years.
Counting 2,520 years from 607 B.C.E. brings us to 1914 C.E. That is
the year when “the appointed times of the nations,” or seven times, ended. This
means that Jesus Christ began to rule as King of God’s Ki “Let Your Kingdom Come”
Since the Messianic Kingdom has already
been established in heaven, should we continue to pray for it to come, as
taught by Jesus in the model prayer? (Matthew 6:9, 10) Yes. That petition is proper and still
full of meaning. God’s Kingdom will yet assert its full power toward this
earth.
What blessings faithful mankind will
experience when that happens! “God himself will be with them,” says the Bible,
“and he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more,
neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have
passed away.” (Revelation 21:3, 4) At that time, “no resident will say:
‘I am sick.’” (Isaiah 33:24) Everlasting life will be enjoyed by those who
please God. (John 17:3) As we await the fulfillment of these and other
wonderful Bible prophecies, let us “keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom
and [God’s] righteousness.”—Matthew 6:33.
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