WHEN will our Lord's Prayer, "Thy Kingdom come" be answered? Or is the prayer introduced over 2,000 years ago, to be said forever? Where will the kingdom come from? And how will it come? The answers to these questions, which are often asked, are no mysteries but revelations of tremendous significance in our age. The truth, though still hidden from many people, is that God Almighty has set up His Kingdom in fulfillment of prophecies. And whoever is blessed with this understanding now prays with joy, Thy Kingdom has come!
NOT Thy Kingdom come!
God, through His holy prophets, had clearly expressed His purpose to establish a universal, righteous and everlasting kingdom long before the advent of Jesus Christ. The teachings of Christ were predominantly centred upon the promised kingdom. And he knowing its glories and blessings, taught his disciples to pray for it: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." - Matthew 6: 10.
It is because many people do not understand the meaning of this aspect of the Lord's Prayer in regard to God's Kingdom that they are longing to go to heaven. Jesus was quite aware that the Kingdom would surely come to this earth, hence he asked his disciples to pray for it. And if God's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven, why should some people think it is only in heaven they cau find God's Kingdom and tberefore scramble to go there?

When Jesus Christ was demanded of the Pharisees as to the time the Kingdom of God would confe, he told them that it would not come with observation-that is, the setting up of the kingdom would not be marked with flourish of trumpets or any kind of public demonstration to attract the attention of the world. But he added: "The Kingdom of God is within (among) you." (Luke 17: 20,21) He said the Kingdom was among them because he being its appointed king was in their midst.
The Omnipotent and all-wise God Who knows the end from the beginning, had since ancient times inspired men to give prophetically, an outline of the various stages of His purpose that would culminate in the setting up of His Kingdom. This perfect, kingdom would serve as the panacea or remedy for all the woes of mankind. It was in pursuance of the same divine purpose that it became necessary that Jesus Christ, who bad been foreordained by the Almighty Father to be the Sovereign of that Kingdom of eternal glory, should come to this evil world for the redemption of sinners. Jesus told Pilate: "My Kingdom is not of this world." And when Pilate asked, "Art thou a King then?" Jesus answered promptly: "Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I, into the world, that I should bear withness unto the truth." - John 18: 36. 37.
Jesus Christ, after his resurrection, declared: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew, 28: 18) When he ascended to heaven, Jehovah, his Father asked him to sit at His right hand until He would make his enemies his footstool. And the Psalmist old testify to this prophetically in Psalm 110: 1. (See also Matthew, 22: 44; Acts 1- 2: 34, 35 ) Jesus was not intoxicated by the immeasurable powers or authority with which he was vested over the entire creation of God, nor did he attempt to exercise his powers is in taking vengeance upon his enemies. As an obedient son, he waited patiently on God's to time. And when the time came he was brought before our Heavenly Father, the Ancient of Days, and was crowned as King of God's Kingdom. (Daniel 7: 13, 14; Psalm, 2: 6) It was then, in fulfilment of prophecies, the Father commanded him: "Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies." -Psalm, 110: 2.

Following the coronation of Jesus Christ there was war in heaven between him and the devil. (Revelation 12: 7-12) He with his holy angels conquered Satan and drove him with his wicked angels or demons from heaven to the earth. The proclamation by a voice in heaven shows that God's Kingdom had since then been established in heaven. Said the voice: "Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them." (Verses 10-12) But turning to the earth, the voice said: "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Verse 12).
The devil exercises vile influence over men. He, in an outburst of anger, having been hurled down to this earth with his demons, caused World War I (1914. 1918) with the aim to destroy all flesh so as to defeat the purpose of God towards mankind, but Jesus Christ in exercise of his power made the war to cease for the sake of his elect-the Anointed Christians in particular, and the "other sheep" in general. (Matthew, 24: 7, 22) The anger of the nations that was clearly txpressed in that global war was an indisputable proof that Jesus Christ, according to the holy Scriptures, had been coronated in heaven and given power to reign. As it is written: "...Because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and bast reigned. 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." - Revelation 11: 17,18.
After World War I, Jesus Christ, according to his promise, came in spirit to the earth to raise the dead saints, which include his early apostles, to meet him in heaven (John 14: 1-3; 1st Thessalonians 4: 13-16) and to set up his kingdom on earth by choosing through his angels the remaining ones of the saints or anointed Christians to preach the gospel of the kingdom. - Matthew, 24: 31,14; 2nd Timothy 4: 1.
The signs of the times which have fulfilled prophecies of the Bible prove beyond every shadow of doubt that God's Kingdom has truly come. Some may ask to know as to why, if the kingdom has come, there are still evils and troubles in the world. But the truth, which no one can gainsay, is that it is in the midst of this evil world, God promised to set up His Kingdom.

World Empires
It is revealed in the Bible that seven main empires or kingdoms of men would dominate the world in their turns at different times. History confirms the authenticity of the Bible on this issue. These empires, which were brought into focus by divine revelation and prophecy, were those of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and Britain.
The Bible further shows that these kingdoms of men would in due course come together in a union to form a world body. This body or organisation described as "beast", though not an empire or government, would be the eighth and it would go into destruction.
These wonderful facts about world empires came within the purview of the revelation of Jesus Christ to John the apostle in the island of Patmos. As it is written: "And there are seven kings (kingdoms): five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." - Revelation 17: 10, 11.

1. The Egyptian Empire
2. Assyrian Empire
3. The Babylonish Empire
4. The Medo-Persian Empire and
5. The Greecian Empire

Interpretation: The "Mountain of the Lord's house" symbolises the Kingdom of God belonging to Jesus Christ and the saints who constitute the spiritual house or temple of God. (Luke 12: 32; 22: 28-30; 1st Corinthians, 3: 16,17; Hebrews 3: 6, etc.) The "mountains" are symbolic of Satan's entire organisation-his visible and invisible realms. And the "hills" means worldly societies or human organisations of any description-formed for social, cultural or charitable purposes or as secret cutts or suchlike.

That we are now in the last days is proven by the physical facts we have seen and which are in accord with Bible prophecies. The high increase of knowledge and the abundance of easy means of transport everywhere are ready instances. (Daniel 12: 4,8-10) Also, the rising of nations against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms, as was seen in World War I together with the incidents of famines, earthquakes and epidemics such as the Spanish Influenza that followed the war and events of World War II are concrete proofs that we are now in the last days or end of the world in which God promised to set up His Kingdom. - Matthew, 24: 3-8.
Since Jesus Christ has taken up his power to reign and his kingdom has been established in heaven, while the devil and his wicked associates were driven from there to this earth, it is evident that God's Kingdom (the Mountain of the Lord's house) has been set up on top of the mountains (Satan's organisation). Of the increase of God's Kingdom on earth there will be no end, and it will by a gradual process grow above all worldly unions and clubs, (for men of goodwill towards God everywhere will flee into it) and outshine or surpass them all by reason of its stand for truth and righteoumess. - Isaiah 9: 7. See also Psalm 145: 10-13.

"All nations" - that is, all persons of goodwill toward God in all parts of the world shall flow into the Lord's Mountain because they know that i1 is a place of refuge in these perilous times when the devil is filled with fury-he being at the end of his tether. And such people of goodwill always look to Zion, the capital of God's Kingdom in beaven, for direction. Thus it is further written: "And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of tbe LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways. and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from (spiritual) Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many (sinning) pebple: and they shall. beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning- hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. " - Isaiah 2: 3, 4.
These things are happening in our time but those who have no faith or spiritual understanding cannot appreciate them.
Furthermore, Jesus Christ said: "Wben ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in tbe holy place, (whoso' readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains," - Matthew, 24: 15, 16.

League of Nations
The "abomination of desolation" that Jesus Christ prophetically referred to found fulfilment in the same League of Nations that was formed in 1919 after the First World War. Daniel, as Christ truly stated, spoke of it as "the abomination that maketh desolate". (Daniel 12: 11) It is an abomination because it was an ungodly organisation that was characterised by deceit and hypocrisy and yet was glorified and extolled to the skies by the world. Jesus did say: "For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God." - Luke 16: 15; see also Proverbs 6: 16-19; 11: 20.
The League of Nations stood in a holy place in that it was acclaimed as "the political expression of God's Kingdom on earth". But it is true that it was an hybrid of an organisation where atheists, agnostics and all sorts of sceptics mixed up in an unholy union with others of different and divided faiths. Those who set their hopes on the League were disappointed in that it failed woefully to preserve world peace.
The desolation or waste the League caused many countries, especially in Europe to suffer during the Second World War is now history. The failure of that international body is a clear manifestation of tbe vanity of human wisdom and of how futile men's endeavours can be where God is relegated to the background. God's word is always true. It was Jeremiah who said: "The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?" - Jeremiah 8:9,
Jesus Christ foreknew that God's Kingdom would be set up on earth in the last days hence he warned that those in Judea should flee into the Mountains symbolising God's Kingdom organisatigns all over the world, when they see the "abomination that maketh desolate". Judea -under reference does not mean the literal land of Judah. The word Judah or Judea means praise or praise if Gcd. Judea spiritually, as used by Jesus Christ means the people who love truth and righteousness and who are inclined to serve and praise God in any part of the world. This is the time such ones should seek to identify the Lord's established Kingdom so as to flee into it for safety and protection in obedience to Christ's warning.
There is need for men generally, but especially the anointed Christians to have a good understanding of these important facts so that they may teach the people aright. That is why Jesus gave this advice: "Whoso readeth, let him understand."

Mustard Seed
As to how the Kingdom of God would come Jesus Christ did not leave his followers in doubt but showed that it would begin as a little thing to be looked down upon by men; especially sceptics. Yet it would grow to become a very mighty organisation. He said: "The Kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is tbe least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is' the greatest among herbs. and becometh a tree, so 'that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof."-Matthew, 13: 31, 32.
By interpretation, the "mustard seed" represents, collectively or individually, tbe remnant of anointed Christians whom Jesus Christ (the sower) promised to choose through his angels from different parts of the world for tbe propagation of the saving gospel of the established Kingdom. (Matthew, 24: 31) The "field" in which the seed is sowed is the world. The mustard seed is the least of all seeds precisely as the Kingdom of God begins in a small manner that it cannot be compared to other organisations of men. Yet it grows to become the greatest among herbs; that is, God's Kingdom will gradually progress to be greater than all human societies in the long run, being tbe Lord's spirtual plant. It will become a tree, that is, a mighty organisation witb branches on which "birds" typifying lovers of truth and righteousness will take shelter.
The process of gradual growth must apply to every "true" anointed servant of Christ in these last days. Concerning them it is written: "A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation; I the LORD will hasten it in his time." Isaiah 60: 22.
It must be understood, therefore, that any church organisation that is preaching the truth, nothing but the truth of the saving gospel of Christ without compromise, is the Kingdom of God in any part of the world. Without mincing words nor fear of criticism, we say with all sincerity and by strength of faith that the God's Kingdom Society (GKS) is God's Kingdom in Nigeria. Jesus Christ said: "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, (in truth, of course -Psalm,. 145: 18) there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew, 18: 20) And where Christ the King is, in spirit, there his Kingdom, undoubtedly, is also.
God's Kingdom will be not only in heaven, we repeat, but will also be on earth for men to dwell in. David stated: But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." (Psalm, 37: 9, 11.) And Jesus said: Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." -Matthew, 5: 5.

God's Kingdom has come, but it is when the Kingdom is fully established after the destruction of Satan the devil and all his followers that there will be no more evil of any kind on earth. Then the whole creation or God shall forever be in "the New Heavens and New Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness". "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away:" - Revelation 21:1-1; see also Isaiah 65: 17-25; 2nd Peter 3: 13.
Whoever reads this Sermon with an open mind and understands the prophecies explained along with their physical fulfilments will appreciate the fact that God's Kingdom has come to serve as a place of refuge and deliverance for His people in this dangerous age. Blessed are they that believe.

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