The Original Gospel

As the year 2024 winds down, and we are about to usher in the year 2025, many take this time to reflect on the past year, and contemplate the next!

The familiar ‘Lord’s Prayer’ includes the sentence, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” But what does this mean?

Jesus had already said in the previous chapter “Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth“, so it’s not surprizing that our prayers should include an appeal for God to bring that kingdom to earth! But as we explore the Bible we find this ‘kingdom on earth’ is a repeated theme from Genesis to Revelation!

When God first made Adam he said in Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Sounds like a kingdom!

The vision in Daniel 2 included the destruction of the kingdom of men, to be replaced by God’s kingdom – “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” (verse 44)

Habakkuk 2:14 “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.”

The disciples were clearly in anticipation of a kingdom on earth – and understood it to be the re-establishment of God’s previous kingdom in Israel. Acts 1:6 “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” and in verse 11 they are told it will come… “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

“Thy Kingdom Come”

The next to last words of the Bible? Jesus says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20

So as we look forward to a new year, may it be the year of our Lord’s return. May you find time to explore the Bible more intensely, discover the original Gospel message – and be found ready and watching for our Master’s coming.

Here is the chart we used in Thailand to explain these impmortant teachings. Please check out all the references given on the chart.