God's Kingdom on Earth-Past and Future.

Israel in the past was constituted God's Kingdom on Earth. God was their unseen king, who ruled through his priests and judges. When Israel asked for a visible, human king, like the nations around them, God granted their request (1 Samuel 8:4-9), and Israel became a kingdom. When the last king of Judah was dethroned, the kingdom of God on earth was suspended until God would send His Son, the true king of Israel, to occupy the throne of Israel, and rule for God on earth. The prophet Daniel tells us that this will happen in its fullness at some time yet future and will bring to an end the world-wide misrule of the earth by human kings: "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever." (Daniel 2:44).

This is confirmed by the apostle Paul: "In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed." (Acts 17:30-31).

Jesus tells us that this should be our continual prayer:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven...
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory
Forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:9-13, NIV footnote).

King
Kingdom of God
Kingdom of Heaven