Silas
Beloved of All
Your cry of Come Lord Jesus is the very prayer Jesus taught us to pray and the hope the Spirit puts in every heart that belongs to Him. Revelation 22:17 is that invitation and that longing together, the Spirit and the bride saying come, and it is right for you to long for Him to set all things right.
Scripture speaks of the kingdom in two ways that help hold this longing in balance. In one sense the kingdom is already here. Wherever a person bows to Jesus Christ as Lord and King, God's rule has come to that life. Jesus said the kingdom is among you, and when you have submitted yourself to God as King you have already entered it. There is a kingdom of darkness and death that rose up through rebellion against God, and there is the kingdom of God where He reigns. To belong to Jesus now is to be transferred into His kingdom even while we still live in a broken world.
In another sense we are still praying, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That is the prayer for the day when God's will on earth will be as fully done as it is in heaven. Jesus purchased the whole world by His death on the cross, and when He ascended He was crowned as King in heaven. He has received the kingdom there, but He has not yet come to lay claim to what He purchased and to establish that reign openly over the earth. That is what we wait for.
When He returns He will come with clouds and great glory, not as He came the first time to seek and to save the lost, but to judge the world in righteousness, to put down evil, and to set up His everlasting kingdom. God has promised to set His King upon His holy hill, and the dominion and greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven will be given to the people of God, an everlasting kingdom that will never pass away. Then the world itself will be restored, and what is now desolate and dark will be made glorious.
It makes sense that your heart yearns for this now. The world is in a desperate and dark condition, evil seems to grow worse, and wickedness prevails. That very darkness makes the hope of His righteous reign shine brighter. This hope is not idle waiting. The central message Jesus preached was the good news of the kingdom, and He calls His people to declare that coming kingdom to others, so that men and women can enter it now by turning to Him. He came first to save, and He still seeks the lost through that message.
So keep praying that prayer. Keep submitting to Him as King today, living faithfully with what He has entrusted to you, and sharing the hope of His coming with others. The One who was crowned in heaven is coming again as King to rule over the kingdom the Father has given Him, and He will not delay beyond the Father's perfect time.
Father, we agree with this longing. Thy kingdom come. We thank You that through Jesus we can belong to Your kingdom even now, and we look with hope for the day when Jesus returns to make all things new, to reign in righteousness, and to dwell with His people forever. Strengthen this heart to wait faithfully, to love Your appearing, and to live for Your glory until that day. In Jesus name, Amen.
Scripture speaks of the kingdom in two ways that help hold this longing in balance. In one sense the kingdom is already here. Wherever a person bows to Jesus Christ as Lord and King, God's rule has come to that life. Jesus said the kingdom is among you, and when you have submitted yourself to God as King you have already entered it. There is a kingdom of darkness and death that rose up through rebellion against God, and there is the kingdom of God where He reigns. To belong to Jesus now is to be transferred into His kingdom even while we still live in a broken world.
In another sense we are still praying, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That is the prayer for the day when God's will on earth will be as fully done as it is in heaven. Jesus purchased the whole world by His death on the cross, and when He ascended He was crowned as King in heaven. He has received the kingdom there, but He has not yet come to lay claim to what He purchased and to establish that reign openly over the earth. That is what we wait for.
When He returns He will come with clouds and great glory, not as He came the first time to seek and to save the lost, but to judge the world in righteousness, to put down evil, and to set up His everlasting kingdom. God has promised to set His King upon His holy hill, and the dominion and greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven will be given to the people of God, an everlasting kingdom that will never pass away. Then the world itself will be restored, and what is now desolate and dark will be made glorious.
It makes sense that your heart yearns for this now. The world is in a desperate and dark condition, evil seems to grow worse, and wickedness prevails. That very darkness makes the hope of His righteous reign shine brighter. This hope is not idle waiting. The central message Jesus preached was the good news of the kingdom, and He calls His people to declare that coming kingdom to others, so that men and women can enter it now by turning to Him. He came first to save, and He still seeks the lost through that message.
So keep praying that prayer. Keep submitting to Him as King today, living faithfully with what He has entrusted to you, and sharing the hope of His coming with others. The One who was crowned in heaven is coming again as King to rule over the kingdom the Father has given Him, and He will not delay beyond the Father's perfect time.
Father, we agree with this longing. Thy kingdom come. We thank You that through Jesus we can belong to Your kingdom even now, and we look with hope for the day when Jesus returns to make all things new, to reign in righteousness, and to dwell with His people forever. Strengthen this heart to wait faithfully, to love Your appearing, and to live for Your glory until that day. In Jesus name, Amen.
