Thy Kingdom Come

I might never have discovered the significance of the teachings of Christ about the Kingdom of God had I not undertaken a project to write on a subject about which I had not previously obtained sufficient knowledge. As a consequence of my decision to widen my knowledge on the subject I decided to list first all the verses in the New Testament dealing with the words “Kingdom of God”.

To my surprise I found more than 100 verses in the four Gospels alone which refer to kingdom, nearly 80 of which speak of either the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God, terms which are used synonymously.

Traditionally, we think of a kingdom in terms of a principality, nation or country which is ruled by a monarch and which has at its head either a king or a queen. Although the Old Testament records the endeavours of the Israelites to establish a kingdom and country for their people wherein lived a nation that would be obedient and faithful to the edicts of God as revealed by his servants the prophets, yet these attempts were largely unsuccessful. The people lacked the desire and commitment to obey the commandments that they received. The kings of Israel were few who maintained their faith and who set a good example to their people.

From the very beginning of time God has sought to gather a people together who would accept his laws and commandments and who would under his tutorage and guidance become his chosen people. None who would do so were to be excluded from this group of people and he promised to be their king and to love and protect his people.

At the time of Enoch who lived prior to Noah, God gathered those who would receive his servants the prophets and listen to and obey his directions as given by them. Because of the faithfulness and righteousness of a number of the people of his time a city was established by Enoch and God was with his people. In due course of time the city was taken to heaven, with the promise that it would one day return again to the earth.

Throughout history God has sought again to bring about the establishment of his kingdom so that all who would receive him and accept his laws and commandments might have equal opportunity to be sanctified and perfected through him. By so doing they would be eligible to share his glory and become gods.

All the prophets who were raised up by God were instructed in the matters of his kingdom and taught to sanctify all those who would receive him. This was as true in the times of Moses as it is true today.

We read from the revelation give to the prophet Joseph Smith that: “Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God.

But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fullness of his glory.

Therefore, he took Moses out of their midst and the Holy Priesthood also; And the lesser Priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel;

Which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron until John, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother`s womb.

For he was baptized while he was in his childhood, and was ordained by an angel of God at the time he was eight days old unto this power, to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord before the face of his people, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is given all power. ” D&C 84: 23-24

The significance of this may be summarised in the following statement made by the authors of the Doctrine and Covenants commentary:

“One who wants to hold an office in a kingdom must take upon himself certain obligations as a citizen. He must be naturalised, if his citizenship is not one of birthright. He must enter into certain covenants (or make oaths) as to loyalty, morality, etc. The rule is the same in the Kingdom of Heaven. We enter it through baptism and the laying on of hands, taking upon us the obligations of citizens in that Kingdom, and receiving the Holy Spirit which permeates it. Then we are qualified for appointment to such offices as the King may call us to take charge of.”

Without the authority of the higher priesthood the higher ordinances of the gospel could not be administered to the children of Israel and the people could not be sanctified and the kingdom could not be perfected nor could its citizens enjoy the presence of God, for which reason they were not permitted to enter into the promised land - a similitude of the kingdom of heaven.

In the time of the prophet Daniel reference was made to the future establishment of the kingdom of God on the earth: Daniel prophecies concerning a future time:

“And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Daniel 7: 14

To clarify to whom the kingdom should be given he wrote:

“But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.” Daniel 7: 18

And again this same matter is emphasised twice in these words:

“Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” Daniel 7: 22

And again in these words: “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” Daniel 7:27

As if to emphasis the importance of these prophecies Daniel again confirmed the words of the Lord God as follows:

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”

The prophecies of Daniel were given at a time when the children of Israel were still in Babylon, where they had been taken captive and remained for 70 years. That the prophecies given by Daniel did not concern the return of the Jews to Jerusalem at the end of that time period neither concern the building up of the city of Jerusalem prior to the birth of the Saviour is clear since history reveals that neither of these kingdoms yet in the future at that time remained and were both destroyed again after they had been rebuilt.

It is an extraordinary fact that the terms kingdom of heaven and kingdom of God should be repeated so often in the scriptures. Never does God repeat himself in his teachings unless the matter is of the greatest importance and for him to do so gives great emphasis of the importance of his teachings on the matter of the establishment of his kingdom.

The genealogies of Matthew and Luke trace back the lineage of Jesus Christ through history until Adam. They both show that he was a direct descendant of King David and as such was the legal heir to the throne of Israel. By birth he was a king. But during his mortal life and ministry he never sought to establish a kingdom of the earthly variety and he constantly avoided creating situations that would have incited the crowds who followed him to rebel against their Roman masters and to unseat the wicked King Herod. Indeed his last words on the matter as spoken to Pontius Pilate give clear understanding on this matter. When questioned by Pontius Pilate “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” John 18: 36.

He did not deny his kingship but refused to be made a king of an earthly kingdom after the manner of men. He did not say that his kingdom was not in this world but he said for the sake of all those who would understand that his kingdom is not of this world. Likewise, it is expected that while we as his followers and saints are living in this world we are expressly taught that we should not be of this world – i.e not to participate in the wickedness of this world.

During his mortal life and ministry he taught of his kingdom continuously and sought to establish his kingdom teaching his disciples to go into all the world and to baptise all those who would receive him as their Saviour and king, who would live by his teachings and precepts and receive his servants.

The ability to understand his teachings on the subject depends largely on the spirit with which we read these scriptures and to understand them we also need certain keys of knowledge with which to ascertain their true meaning and significance.

In his first teachings known as the Sermon on the mount, Jesus addressed the everyday concerns that we all have – what to eat or drink and what clothes to wear and then counselled us saying that these concerns were all known to our Heavenly Father and that we should trust in him and “…seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness,” promising that if we do so that “all these things shall be added unto you.” Matt. 6: 33. For most of us it is just these daily concerns that occupy our time and our minds yet to prove his point the Saviour sent out his disciples without purse or scrip – without money or knapsack i.e. without change of clothes. They were to rely wholly on the Lord for their support and trust in him to provide for their daily needs.

In the measure that we live by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God we need have no fear for our daily needs. As Pres. Monson has so beautifully put it,”When we honour God, God honours us.” We exercise faith in Him and he provides what we need. Brigham Young once related: “For me to travel and preach without purse and scrip was never hard. I never saw the day, I never was in the place, nor went into a house, when I was alone, or when I would take the lead and do the talking, but when I could get all I wanted. As an illustration he related his experiences in England in 1839. He and his companions had left home, (i.e. from America) sick and without money. Some time after their arrival in Preston, England, they decided to begin the publication of a magazine, under the name of the Millennial Star, with Parley P. Pratt as editor. The Star was printed and paid for with borrowed money. Three thousand hymn books, five thousand Books of Mormon, and thousands of tracts were also printed. Brigham Young remained in England a few days over a year. During that time he paid out $380, expenses incurred by the establishment of the Church in London, in addition to the means expended for the printing. When he left, he had paid the debt. He had books, for the mission to the value of $2500, and money to pay for the passage home. “And that,” he said, “though I had not a sixpence when we first landed in Preston and I do not know that one of the Twelve had.”

It is important for us to understand that the establishment of the kingdom of God is a matter of concern for every individual. It begins and ends with each one of us. If we are to establish the kingdom of God then we must do so starting first with ourselves and then with our families, and build up the kingdom by inviting all to accept it and join us in it. In this respect the kingdom of God is within us while it is also a church, a worldwide community and the government of God as administered by his prophets and apostles.

We live in the last dispensation of time – the dispensation of the fullness of times – a dispensation in which the fullness of the everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored and the kingdom of God established once again on the earth. It is ironic that in the world famous and by Christians everywhere, most often recited prayer, the Lord`s Prayer, is included the plea “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”.

Little does mainstream Christianity realise that their prayers for the kingdom of God to come have already been answered and that it is indeed already on the earth – or that their prayers for it to more perfectly be on earth as it is in heaven are also being answered as we, the members of Christ`s true church and kingdom, answer the call to serve, to live in accordance with his teachings and obey his commandments and thus to cleanse our lives and establish his kingdom on an individual and personal level.

We should all be thankful that the prayers of so many are being made unwittingly by others on our behalf and indeed on behalf of all those who accept the true gospel of Christ.

The Jews who rejected Christ were infuriated by his teachings concerning his kingship and saw this as a direct challenge to their authority.

The coming of a Messiah who would save his people, has been a fundamental part of the teachings and beliefs of the Jewish people since ancient times and continues until this present day. That Jesus Christ was rejected by them as their Saviour is a matter of historical and scriptural record as are also the sufferings endured by generations of Jewish people since that time as a consequence. The statement made by Jesus before his death gives added pathos to the subsequent events of history: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not.” Luke 13: 34. Well might we ask ourselves to what place he would have gathered them if not into a kingdom established by himself where they could be under his protection and blessing, like the city of Enoch of old times.

The Jews waited not only for a Messiah but also for God to establish them as his people. Their belief, however, that this was to be a kingdom of the earthly kind led them to seek a conquering Saviour who would save them from their mortal enemies. Had Christ been ready to lead them to battle against the invading forces of the Roman Empire, the Jews of his time would have rallied around him and taken up arms with little hesitation. But instead of a roaring lion they received a lamb – the lamb of God. Instead of worldly supremacy, revenge and insurrection he taught humility, submission to the will of God and the doctrine to love ones neighbour. Instead of an eye for an eye, he taught us not to judge others and to forgive one another of our sins.

His teachings form the basis of all the laws and commandments on which his kingdom is founded – not a kingdom of war and strife but a kingdom of peace and goodwill, not a kingdom of self interest but a kingdom of selflessness, not a kingdom based upon personal desires and perceptions but one of truth and virtue, a kingdom not of self righteousness, but of righteousness. Obedience to the laws of any kingdom or nation is the responsibility of every citizen thereof and obedience to the laws and commandments of the kingdom of God are the basis for membership in his kingdom.

Christ, with his atoning sacrifice redeems us from the kingdom of this world and from the chief architect and the promulgator of all evil and opens us the way into the kingdom of heaven where we may one day become its fully fledged citizens.