One day the disciples of Jesus asked "Lord, teach us how to pray." Jesus responded by reciting what is known as "The Lord’s Prayer" saying, "Our Father, who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily needs, and forgive us of our debts as we forgive those who are indebted to us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever. Amen."(Matthew 6:9-13)

Notice that Jesus first revealed "who" to pray to -"our Father." Then He revealed where the Father and His Kingdom is -"in Heaven." Now notice the very first thing we are to ask of the Father in prayer, - "Your Kingdom come" which is followed by the "why"-that the Father’s will would be done on earth as it already is in Heaven. How the prayer ends is also significant, - "For Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever. Amen."

The "Kingdom" comes from and belongs to the Father by which He exercises His "Power" to fill the earth with His "Glory." Glory is the full nature of something, in this case the Father’s Nature and the very Nature of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Scriptures tell us that God is love. But God’s Glory is His Nature. The Father wants to fill the earth with the Glory of His Divine Nature. Not merely the Shekinah smoke or cloud that filled the Temple, not merely the visible manifestation, but the true Nature that impresses the very Image of God on everything and everyone it touches. It is prophesied that one day the earth will be filled with the Glory of the Lord, -"And blessed be His glorious Name forever; And may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen." (Psalm 72:19)

"Kingdom" means "King’s domain." A king’s domain is the place or territory in which he rules. His kingdom is the governing influence which impacts the place and people with his personal will, purpose and intent -producing a culture, values, morals and lifestyle that reflects the king’s desire.

Many in this modern era are not so familiar with a kingdom. In America our government is a Democratic Republic where the people vote to fill offices. Our country has three branches of government, the Legislative, Judicial and the Executive. The Legislative proposes and makes laws, the Judicial ensures what laws are Constitutionally legal, and the Executive signs and carries out the laws. With the exception of Judges who fill the Judicial branch, all others are elected offices.

A kingdom is first a person, the king and is called a monarchy. In a true monarchy the king’s word is law. The king owns everything, including the citizens who are subjects to his will. A good king cares for and protects his subjects. A king produces a culture which he believes to be superior to all other cultures. Most kings have sought to expand their kingdom beyond the boundaries of their own country. The kings of England colonized the world to such an extent that it was said, "The sun never sets on the British Empire." This was to demonstrate the vastness of the Empire’s rule-somewhere the sun was always shining on a British Colony. Of all the countries in the world only 22 have never been invaded by an English king. In each Colony was established a reverence for the Bible and the need for Jesus.

During my Gospel crusades in Kenya I could easily see that it had once been an British Colony though they had been independent since 1963. More than fifty years later English language and English names were still extant. Christianity was the recognized religion of the state and each citizen had been Christened with a Christian name. The king of England’s objective was to make his Colonies like England. In Kenya as in England we had afternoon tea -though as an American I preferred coffee. When the Governor of Kenya heard the people say "Long live the king!" he knew he had completed his goal of bringing the kingdom of England to Kenya. The Monarchy had successfully impressed the image of his kingdom and the people lived out his culture. Once Kenya was British the colony had the power of the British Empire behind it. If it were attacked by a foreign power the Empire would quickly come to it’s defense. Once a Colony, the state is dependant upon the Empire. Many Monarchies sought to bring their rule and culture to other nations -Spain, France and Portugal to name a few. All imperial empires sought to shape their Colonies into their own image.

Daniel Chapter 2 gives us a panoramic view of man’s kingdom’s being destroyed and replaced by God’s everlasting Kingdom. In a dream Nebuchadnezzar saw a great statue of a man. It had a head of gold, arms of silver, belly of bronze and legs of iron. Through Daniel God revealed the meaning to the king saying, "You, O’ king are the head of gold. But after you will come another kingdom of silver. Then afterwards one of bronze, and finally one of iron." Great Babylon fell to the Medo-Persian Empire, which fell to Alexander’s Greek Empire, which was divided after his death and gave way to the Roman Empire. This fourth great world-ruling Empire would fall but rise again in the last days. This is pictured by the feet being composed of a mixture of iron with clay. In his dream Nebuchadnezzar saw a Stone come down from Heaven and strike the statue on it’s feet -because this Empire is who is in power when the "Rock of Ages"-Messiah, comes in wrath to destroy the works of man and to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on the earth. The statue is crushed and the wind blows away the debris, but the Stone becomes a great Mountain, God’s Kingdom that covers the entire earth. Even so, it will not reign in every person’s heart-some will resist. (Zech.14) And even after a thousand years nations will rise up against the Lord and His saints. (Revelation 20) So merely an established Kingdom on the earth is not enough for true peace and reconciliation -God’s Kingdom must be received into the heart.

This is a prophecy of the coming millennial reign of Christ. During this time Jesus foretold that His servants would rule the nations with a rod of iron, -"He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron." (Revelation 2:26-27) We understand that these nations are those who have survived the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord. They will be composed of flesh and blood, so though they will be ruled by the Kingdom of God, they will not be citizens of the Kingdom, -"Now I say this brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." (1 Corinthians 15:50)

The Jews of Jesus’ day believed that the Kingdom of God was the restoration of the nation of Israel. Israel had been under foreign rule and domination for more than 600 years. Before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost even the Lord’s Apostles believed that this was the meaning of the coming of the Kingdom of God, -"So when they had come together they were asking Him saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6) But Jesus told them that it was not for them to know and that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. At this time the Apostles were still confining the Gospel of the Kingdom to the restoration of the nation Israel. They were still thinking in the natural -that being natural descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob they were rightful heirs of the Covenant of Promise.

Nicodemis, a prominent Jewish Rabbi had this belief when he came to Jesus secretly at night. He believed that Messiah would come to restore the Kingdom of God to Israel, and he wanted to know if Jesus was the long anticipated Messiah. He began by telling Jesus that all of the Jewish Leaders knew that He was a man sent from God because no man could perform such miracles unless God was with him. Before Nicodemis could even ask the burning question, Jesus answered saying, "Nicodemis, unless you are born again you cannot see the Kingdom of God." In effect, Jesus was explaining that it was not enough to be born of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to inherit the Kingdom of God. The Lord’s statement greatly confused Nicodemis as he asked how one could enter again into his mother’s womb to be born again. But Jesus explained that one must be born again of the Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God. It is not the natural seed who are heirs, but the seed of the Spirit who are heirs. Israel, as in the twelve tribes represent the flesh, those born of Jacob. But the true heirs are those born of the Spirit, and like Isaac, are heirs according to the Promise given to father Abraham.

It is not the natural but the Spiritual who is the true Israel of God,- "For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel (Jacob); nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but, ‘Through Isaac your descendants will be named..’ That is, it is not children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the Promise are regarded as descendants." (Romans 9:6-8) Romans 3 says that a Jew is not one who is one outwardly, but who is one inwardly -"and his praise is not from men but from God." Jew comes from the name Judah which means "praise." Paul is stating that true praise (true Jew) is not an outward work of men but an inward work of God -meaning one born again of God. Paul told the Galatians that though in the flesh they were Gentiles, in Christ they were Abraham’s children and heirs of the Promise. At the end of this epistle Paul refers to the Galatians as the "Israel of God."

This is not "replacement doctrine" taught by some -that because Israel failed God replaced her with the Church. There is a natural Israel and a spiritual Israel -children of the flesh and children of the Spirit. All the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us beginning with righteous Abel, are children of the Spirit -spiritual Israel to whom the Promise was made. People of every tribe, tongue and nation in whom God’s Kingdom reigns, -"Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a Kingdom and Priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth." (Revelation 5:9-10) Notice that the saints are the Kingdom that began with righteous Abel.

In Luke 17 we find again that the Jews believed that the Kingdom of God was the restoration of the sovereignty of Israel, -"Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the Kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, ‘The Kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is in your midst.(within you)" They were still thinking that the Kingdom of Heaven is merely a outward, future thing -but Jesus said it was already here even now.

As to Nicodemis, Jesus was saying that the Kingdom of God is first a spiritual Kingdom established in the hearts of men -consisting in the subjection of their wills to the will of God, and the conformity of their minds to His Laws. This is only made possible by being born again of the Spirit by which we enter into the Covenant of Promise, -"And the Holy Spirit testifies to us saying, ‘This is the Covenant that I will make with them . . .I will put My Laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them. And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." (Hebrews 10:15-17)

Though Satan is the god of this world at this present time, God has establish His Kingdom in the hearts and minds of His Church who are the sons of the Kingdom, - "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the Kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one." (Matthew 13:37-38) It began with a seed, the Promised Seed which is Jesus. (Gal.3)

And as we learned in the parable of the sower, the sons of the Kingdom are God’s "good seed" sown upon the earth to proclaim the everlasting Gospel in order to grow the Colony. Notice how Jesus compares His Kingdom to a mustard seed, -"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, to that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." (Matthew 13:31-32) Obviously, the Kingdom of Heaven is to grow upon the earth bringing the will and glory of the Lord, His culture. Likewise, Jesus as King of the Kingdom referred to Himself as a grain of wheat, -"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly. I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies it bears much fruit." (John 12:23-24)

The Church is God’s Kingdom on earth today, -"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14) These are born again Christians in whom the Kingdom-God’s will, reigns in their hearts and minds. These are the "sons of the Kingdom who have received the impressed image of God’s glory/nature and who live out the culture of Heaven upon the earth. Again, you can hear it in the Lord’s prayer, "Your Kingdom come." Lord, bring the Kingdom because it’s not fully here, but we want it to be. Bring Your Kingdom -bring Your reign in my life, in the lives of others, and in the world. May Your reign one day cover the whole world.

The Kingdom is God’s reign, not realm. Through colonization it creates a realm where God reigns. Jesus unfolds the teachings of the Kingdom as being both present and still future. The chosen saints are set as sons of God to serve as His Administration both now, during the Millennial reign, and beyond in the new heavens and the new earth, -"He predestined us to adoption (i.e. "be set") as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will. . .He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to the kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth." (Ephesians 1:5,9-10)

When you think about it, the good news of a future millennial reign has no power to save one soul. This Kingdom will exercise the power to rule carnal people but will not wash away sins. Nor can an outward reign change the hearts of men. Since Jesus taught His disciples His message and sent them forth to preach it to all nations, we should examine carefully from Acts through Revelation what they emphasized, and how they defined the Gospel of the Kingdom. Paul reminded the Corinthians of the Gospel, -"Now I make known to you brethren the Gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, (a Gospel of "salvation") . . . For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, (what Paul received directly by the risen Christ) that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. . .and last of all. . .He appeared to me." (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)