Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Lords Prayer, recited by billions of people since its inception, has failed to bring about the Kingdom.
Since Jesus Christ instituted the Lord's Prayer in 33 A.D., all generations of people who have lived and died praying for the Kingdom, and those currently living have yet to see the end of wickedness and the beginning of the Millenial Reign.
With the latest terror attacks in London, the destruction of the environment and the senselss slaughter all over the world, one can't help but wonder, "What would move God to act?"
In the first century, the Apostles mistakenly had the idea that the Kingdom would begin in their lifetime, while Jesus corrected them and told them "It does not belong to you" to have this knowledge.
In the book of Acts, Peter has already declared that the last days have arrived, as we see below...
Acts 2:14-21
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 " 'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
The Apostle Paul thought the last days of the earthly system had arrived, when he mentioned the "critical times hard to deal with would be here" in his letter to Timothy.
Both of these men were wrong about one thing, right about another. The last days of the system of things did NOT end, but of the Jewish system they did.
At the end of the 1st century, the persecution and execution of Jesus' disciples was commonplace.
People have lived and died for the Kingdom for 2,000 years.
People pray for this Kingdom now - I pray for this Kingdom - Catholics, Protestants and everyother Christian denomination all PRAY for this Kingdom, whether earthly or heavenly.
Yet, our own prayers may just as well be slapped in our faces. The sacrifices given by millions, perhaps billions of individual Christians overtime has not resulted in a one-world government ruled by God, it has not resulted in Paradise conditions, and it has no resulted in a world free from death, disease and famine. It has not stopped the breakdown of family life.
If God really meant for us to pray for the Kingdom, to show him that we really want it, then the objective has been met.
Still, that leaves all with the universal question - Why has the Kingdom not delivered?
Jesus PAID the PRICE. He DIED for us. The "transaction" was complete. That should have been the be all and end all of the then 4,000 year old problem to mankinds situation.
But 2 milleniums have expired, and we see no evidence of this Kingdom.
How many bleeding hearts are needed to make this Kingdom a reality?