“Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.”—MATT. 6:10.
WHEN Jesus Christ gave his Sermon on the Mount, he included a model prayer that summarized his main teaching. He taught his followers to pray to God: “Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” (Matt. 6:9-13) Jesus “went journeying from city to city and from village to village, preaching and declaring the good news of the kingdom of God.” (Luke 8:1) Christ urged his followers: ‘Keep on seeking first the kingdom and God’s righteousness.’ (Matt. 6:33) As you study this article, look for ways to use the material in your ministry. For instance, consider how you might answer these questions: How important is the Kingdom message? From what does mankind need to be delivered? And how will God’s Kingdom provide deliverance?
Jesus foretold: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.” (Matt. 24:14) The good news about God’s Kingdom is of utmost importance. Why, it is the most important message in the world! Its establishment is good news because it means that God has set up a government in heaven to take full control of earth’s affairs. Under Kingdom rule, Jehovah’s will is going to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
What will happen to mankind when God’s will is done on earth? Jehovah will “wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.” (Rev. 21:4) People will not get sick or die because of inherited sin and imperfection. The dead in God’s memory will have the opportunity to live forever, for the Bible promises: “There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15) There will be no more war, illness, or hunger, and the earth will be transformed into a paradise. Even animals that are now dangerous will be at peace with humans and with one another.—Ps. 46:9; 72:16; Isa. 11:6-9; 33:24; Luke 23:43.
With such marvelous blessings resulting from Kingdom rule, it is no wonder that Bible prophecy speaks of life at that time in these comforting words: “The meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.” But what about those who cause trouble? The Scriptures foretell: “Just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more.” However, “those hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will possess the earth.”—Ps. 37:9-11.
For all of this to happen, the present system of things with its conflicting governments, religions, and commercial systems will have to be removed. And that is exactly what the heavenly government will do. The prophet Daniel was inspired to foretell: “In the days of those kings [now existing] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom [in heaven] that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these [present] kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite.” (Dan. 2:44) God’s Kingdom—a new heavenly government—will then rule over a new earthly society. There will be “new heavens and a new earth . . . , and in these righteousness is to dwell.”—2 Pet. 3:13.
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