The Kingdom of GodSample

The Already/ Not Yet Kingdom of God

When Christ gives his disciples an example of how to pray, he asks that the Father’s kingdom would come to earth as it is in heaven, that his will would be done in the same way on earth as it is in heaven. This prayer is a glimpse into what we feel in our current reality. We know that God is sitting on his throne in heaven, and Christ has ascended to his right side. We know that Satan and those angelic beings who rebelled with him have been cast out of God’s presence, and an eternal fate of torment awaits them. We know that the angelic beings who remain serve God, praising him unendingly.

Yet our experience in this world seems a long ways from this perfect reality. Sin has corrupted the earthly realm. God is not perfectly obeyed here. Pain and suffering abound on earth. Instead of despairing because of this divide, Jesus’ prayer reminds us to plead with our Heavenly Father to come and establish his rightful, perfect reign on earth; to beg him to restore this place, saving all of creation from its broken state and perfecting it. Imploring God to establish heaven on earth.

As members of this kingdom, we are called to live upright and godly lives in this present evil age until the time when our Savior and King, the Lord Jesus Christ, comes with his rod of judgment to restore God’s rightful rule on earth as it is in heaven. While we wait for this time, may we be zealous in good works. May we be found loving our neighbors as ourselves, and in so doing, may those living around us catch glimpses of this kingdom; the Kingdom which is already in existence but not yet functioning perfectly on earth as it is in heaven.

The world is broken, but it is not left to this fate. People are broken, but they too are not left to this fate. What a difference could be made if God’s people would live as citizens of his kingdom now, knowing that one day all the brokenness will be removed. What does the world look like without this hope?