READING • 1 CHRONICLES 29
A prayer for God’s Kingdom
When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he told them to ask for God’s Kingdom to come and for God’s will to be done on earth. This lesson asks what that prayer means and where the promised Kingdom will be.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.”
Luke 11:2 • King James Version
What are we praying for?
Many people know the words “Thy kingdom come”, but it is important to understand what they mean. The prayer looks forward to a time when God’s will is done on the earth as perfectly as it is in heaven. The Kingdom for which Jesus taught his disciples to pray is therefore connected with God’s purpose for this earth.
A kingdom has a ruler, a people and a territory. The Bible shows that God chose the land of Israel, and especially Jerusalem, to have a central place in His purpose.
A land and a city for the Kingdom
Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. The Bible also points forward to a time when it will have a much greater role, with the Lord Jesus Christ reigning as King. Jesus himself described Jerusalem as “the city of the great King”:
“But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.”
Matthew 5:34–35 • King James Version
Jesus was drawing on the language of Psalm 48. The Old Testament and New Testament belong together, and one part of Scripture continually helps to explain another:
“Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.”
Psalm 48:2 • King James Version
Mount Zion is part of Jerusalem. Psalm 2 also speaks prophetically of God’s King:
“Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.”
Psalm 2:6 • King James Version
Jerusalem in God’s purpose
God said, “But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there” (2 Chronicles 6:6). Isaiah 62:1–7 and Isaiah 65:17–25 also invite us to think about Jerusalem in the future purpose of God.
There once was a Kingdom of God on earth
The idea of God’s Kingdom on earth is not new. In the Old Testament the Kingdom of Israel was spoken of as belonging to God. In the reading for this lesson, David praised God and said:
“Thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.”
1 Chronicles 29:11 • King James Version
The same chapter describes Solomon succeeding David:
“Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.”
1 Chronicles 29:23 • King James Version
David and Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over the Kingdom of Israel, yet the throne is described as “the throne of the LORD”. The kings were responsible to rule for God and according to His law.
FEATURE
WHY ISRAEL WAS GOD’S KINGDOM
THE LAND
God had given the land to Israel and established the nation there.
JERUSALEM
God chose Jerusalem as the city associated with His name and with the royal throne.
THE LAW
God gave Israel laws by which the nation was to be governed.
THE KING
The king ruled under God’s authority and was accountable to Him.
God’s Kingdom was overthrown
King after king reigned in Jerusalem. Some tried to serve God faithfully; others led the nation into serious sin. Eventually the kingdom of Judah became so corrupt that God brought the royal line of kings in Jerusalem to an end.
Ezekiel spoke to the wicked ruler of his day and announced that the crown would be removed. But the prophecy did not end there:
“I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.”
Ezekiel 21:27 • King James Version
The throne would remain without a rightful Davidic king until the one came to whom God would give it. This creates an important Bible question: who is the promised heir?
“He whose right it is”
The New Testament answers the question. When the angel spoke to Mary before the birth of Jesus, he said:
“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
Luke 1:32–33 • King James Version
Jesus is the promised King. He is the Son of God and he belongs to the line of David. The throne promised to him is David’s throne, and the Bible consistently connects that throne with Jerusalem and the earth.
Three points to remember
Jesus will reign on the earth. His throne is the throne of David. Jerusalem will be the royal centre of the restored Kingdom of God.
“But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.”
Numbers 14:21 • King James Version
God already rules in heaven, but His revealed purpose is that His glory should fill the earth. The return of Jesus is central to that purpose.
Jesus preached the Kingdom
During his trial Jesus did not deny that he was a king. When Pilate asked him about his kingship, Jesus replied, “Thou sayest that I am a king” (John 18:37). The inscription placed above him described him as “JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS” (Matthew 27:37).
His own preaching repeatedly centred on the Kingdom of God:
“And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.”
Luke 8:1 • King James Version
The gospel is therefore closely connected with the coming Kingdom. Jesus is returning to restore God’s rule openly on earth and to reign as the promised King.
The Bible’s Kingdom timeline
PERIOD
THE THRONE
WHAT THE BIBLE SHOWS
DAVID & SOLOMON
Occupied in Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Israel was spoken of as God’s Kingdom; David and Solomon reigned on the throne of the LORD.
AFTER THE OVERTHROW
No Davidic king reigning
Ezekiel 21:27 says the overturned throne would remain so “until he come whose right it is”.
THE FUTURE
Jesus on David’s throne
Luke 1:32–33 promises that God will give Jesus the throne of David and that his kingdom will have no end.
The Kingdom and ourselves
The restored Kingdom will not be limited to the land of Israel. The Bible presents Jerusalem as its centre, but the reign of Christ will extend over all the earth. This is why the prayer “Thy kingdom come” concerns every one of us.
The hope of the gospel is not merely to know where the King will reign. It is to be accepted by him and to share in the blessings of his Kingdom. Jesus described the welcome given to the faithful in these words:
“Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:”
Matthew 25:34 • King James Version
That promise gives the prayer a personal meaning. When we ask for God’s Kingdom to come, we are also asking for the day when Christ will reign, God’s will will be done throughout the earth, and faithful men and women will share in the blessings of that Kingdom.
SUMMARY
How the Bible fits together
1
God’s Kingdom belongs on the earth.
Jesus taught his disciples to pray for God’s will to be done on earth and for His Kingdom to come.
2
Jerusalem has a special place in God’s purpose.
Scripture describes Jerusalem as the city of the great King and connects Zion with God’s appointed ruler.
3
A Kingdom of God existed before.
The Kingdom of Israel was God’s Kingdom, and David and Solomon ruled in Jerusalem on the throne of the LORD.
4
The kingdom was overthrown.
Because of persistent disobedience, the Davidic monarchy was removed, but God promised that the throne would one day be given to its rightful heir.
5
Jesus is that heir.
Luke 1 promises that God will give Jesus the throne of his father David and that his kingdom will have no end.
6
Christ will reign over the whole earth.
Jerusalem will be the centre, but God’s purpose is for His glory and rule to extend to all nations.
7
The Kingdom is a personal hope.
Faithful disciples may hear the King invite them to inherit the Kingdom prepared for them.
Chapters to read
Genesis 22 • Galatians 3
LEARN BY HEART • REVELATION 11:15
“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”
Revelation 11:15 • King James Version
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