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The UK Bible Students Website Christian Biblical Studies
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THY
KINGDOM COME
References are to the New International Version, UK
edition
‘This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in
heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as
it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also
have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
the evil one”.’ (Matthew 6: 9-13.)
In this model prayer which He taught to His disciples, Jesus directs their attention first to the Kingdom of God, ‘Your kingdom come’. And, as if by way of explanation as to what He means, follows it with ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’. This is a clue sufficient to inform us that this longed-for kingdom will be global. This is supported by direct Scriptural assertion, such as Jeremiah 31: 33-34, Isaiah 45: 22-25, and Habakkuk 2: 14.
Jesus said that His death on the cross would
be the means whereby the attention of all mankind would be directed toward Him
and eventually come to accept Him as Saviour (John
12: 32-33). This is supported also by the words
of the Apostle Paul in Philippians
2: 8-11.
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