Thy kingdom come has broad applications - Jim Croft

Thy kingdom come has broad applications 

- Jim Croft

Most everyone is familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. The first petition within it is thy kingdom come. When Jesus issued the prayer to his disciples, it is doubtful that the first thought of kingdom that came to their minds was that of the supernatural dynamics of Charismatic church services. 

At that juncture, the concept of what authentic church services might entail had not fully evolved. That would not begin until the first introduction of the Lord’s functional Church on the Day of Pentecost after his resurrection. 

 It is clear from the Gospels and Acts 1, that when kingdom was mentioned, the first thought that likely came to the mind of Jews was the restoration of the kingdom of Israel to the Jews. The ministry of Jesus gave the Jewish population great hopes of riddance of Roman occupation. 

 Political activists were among his 12 Apostles and the population wanted to crown him as King. The longing for the restoration of the kingdom to Israel was heavy on the minds of the 120 at the time of Jesus’ ascension from the Mount of Olives. The last question they asked the Master was when the kingdom would be restored to the Jews. 

Interestingly, he did not dismiss the issue as having no importance whatever in God’s plan. He told his followers that the timing of that event was in his Father’s hands. (Act 1:3, 6-7) The text does not remotely imply that it will not happen. 

I will not attempt to list all of the events that must happen to usher in the 2nd Advent of the Lord. But, I’ll try to give a thumbnail sketch pertinent to the restoration of the kingdom to Israel and the onset of the Battle of Armageddon. The restored kingdom must include every inch of land promised to the descendants of Abraham and Jacob. 

 If God does not fulfill his ancient vow about the restoration of Israel’s kingdom borders, we have no reason to believe that the Bible’s other unfulfilled prophecies are reliable. (Deut. 1:7-8) 

The Promised Land’s northern boundaries are to extend from the Mediterranean on the west and then eastward all the way to the Euphrates River. From the north to south, it must cover the territory from the middle of Lebanon; a bit of Syria; most of present-day Jordan to near proximity southward to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Israel has not had full possession of the land promised since Solomon’s day. 

Presently, hostile forces occupy the largest portions of the Jew’s homeland. Only 34% of the world’s Jewry resides in Israel. The other 66% remain dispersed in other locales. The entire acreage must be under Jewish control and they must dwell there safely for a considerable time without fear of invasion. 

The prophets declared that the Lord would gather Israel into her land for a second time. (Isa. 11:11-12) There are at least 4 biblical references to that era evolving into the Jew’s full possession of their homeland and unprecedented national peace with no fear of enemies. (Ezek 38:8, 11, 14, 39:26) 

The nature of their state of peace is exemplified by a symbolic vision. Cattle will graze with bears and little kids can stick their hands into venomous snake dens without harm. (Isa 7:6-9, 65:17-25) We have not seen much of that recently and much less Israel dwelling with no concerns about attacks. 

At some point Israel’s peace will be disrupted as the combined military forces of the nations gather to marshal a unified assault. This will take place on Israel’s Plain of Megiddo. Armageddon is the Hebrew translation for the Mount of Megiddo. (Rev 16:16-21, 19:11-21) 

In regard to a short term countdown toward any battle akin to Armageddon, there are 2 essential facts to keep in mind: It cannot happen until massive numbers of Jews are engrafted into the Church. (Ezek 20:34-38; Rom 11:17-36; Eph 2:14-16, 4:13) And, the Jews must be enjoying full peaceful possession of their Promised Land. 

I cannot claim that the Jews of Israel don’t have any culpability for getting dispossessed from settlements that legitimately belong to them by world leaders that have Islamic sentiments. God said he would uproot the Jews from their land if they disobeyed his statutes. (2 Chron 7:19-20) 

They continually do so and worse still, they refuse to acknowledge the identity of their Messiah. I suggest that you insert a new focus of prayer when you pray thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Let it be about more than legitimate kingdom perks for your household and deliverance from evil. 

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; the salvation of the Jews; and that they will soon gain full possession of the land promised to them by God. (Psa 122:6-8; Rom 9:3-5) I have done so for years and enjoy a level of blessings that I am zealous for all believers to enjoy. What say you?

Photo/ and map added by Love For His People.