Thy Kingdom Come

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Scripture: Revelation 11:15-18 (KJV)

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. 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

Devotion:

            Every Sunday, in thousands, if not millions, of places, Christians gather and worship. As part of this worship, they repeat the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples. “Thy kingdom come,” How many of that multitude of voices expect God’s kingdom to come in any real and tangible way as a result of that prayer?

            Today’s passage teaches us to live with just such hope and expectation. The apostle John faithfully records the events in the heavenly throne room. The voices he records are adamant that” the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of the Lord and of His Christ.” (A line Handel borrowed for use in the Messiah.) Indeed, all kinds of worship occur in heaven, declaring that the kingdom has come already.

            Today's culture dismisses this passage and passages like it as fables and fairy tales. They insist on their hedonistic ways of self-worship and ego glorification. The text states that the nations are furious against Jesus Christ and His coming kingdom. Yet they are impotent to stop God’s plans for renewal and reformation upon the earth. God’s will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven every day. There is no power of hell nor scheme of man that can prevent Jesus Christ from reigning over all creation.

            Our modern world continues to move as if nothing new or different will ever happen. It believes that there will be no ultimate judgment. They say there is no heaven above us and no hell below us. Bible-believing Christians know differently, however. These verses from Revelation and the whole of scripture point to God’s triumphant reign at the end of time. Are you ready for that reality?

Prayer:

            Lord, thank you for the promise of your coming kingdom. Help us to live as if it were already present on the earth. May we live lives of praise and prayer, continuously worshiping our Savior. Let those who scoff and poke fun at us continue to do so. We know that we will enter heaven one day to spend a joyous eternity with you. Amen.


|| Or, corrupt.

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