Matt. 6:10 Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth. Rev. 11:15 And the seventh angel trumpeted; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.
The Lord teaches us to pray, "Your kingdom come." This means that the kingdom of God is in heaven, but the kingdom of God is not on earth. Consequently, we have to pray for God to expand the heavenly sphere to the earth. The Lord said, "If I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matt. 12:28). The kingdom of God is wherever the Son of God casts out demons. When the Lord Jesus came, we had the declaration of John the Baptist, who proclaimed that the kingdom of the heavens had drawn near (Matt. 3:1-2). Today the kingdom of God is wherever God's children cast the demons and their works out by the Spirit of God. In asking us to pray for His kingdom to come, the Lord is looking forward to the time when God's kingdom will fill the whole earth. "Your kingdom come!" This is not only a desire of the church, but also a responsibility of the church. The church should bring in God's kingdom. In order to bring in God's kingdom, the church has to pay the price to be restricted by heaven and come under heaven's rule. It has to be the outlet for heaven, and it has to allow heaven's authority to be expressed on earth. In order to bring in God's kingdom, the church has to know all the schemes of Satan (2 Cor. 2:11). It has to put on the whole armor of God and stand against the stratagems of the devil (Eph. 6:11), for wherever the kingdom of God is, the devil is cast out. When the kingdom of God rules on earth fully, Satan will be cast into the abyss (Rev. 20:1-3). Since the church has such a tremendous responsibility, Satan will do all he can to attack the church. May the church pray like the saints of old, "O Jehovah, bow Your heavens down and descend" (Psa. 144:5). Oh that You would rend the heavens, that You would come down" (Isa. 64:1). At the same time, we should say to Satan, "Depart from the earth immediately, and go to the eternal fire which God has prepared for you" (cf. Matt. 25:41). (c) Living Stream Ministry.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from "The Prayer Ministry of the Church" in the Collected Works of Watchman Nee, Vol. 22, pp. 164-165. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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