Les Feldick Bible Study

Do average believers understand what they are praying when they say 'thy kingdom come'?

No. The average churchgoer or believer can voice 'thy kingdom come' without having the foggiest notion of what they are really requesting. They are asking for the promised earthly kingdom, the kingdom over which Christ offers Himself as King, which heaven will come down to earth to fulfill.

Les explains that Matthew 6 contains what is commonly called the Lord's Prayer, though he prefers 'the disciples' prayer,' because the Lord gives it as an example for the disciples to use, not as His own prayer; the real Lord's Prayer is John 17. In Matthew 6:10, the petition is 'thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.' Les says the average churchgoer or believer voices these words without the foggiest notion of what they are really talking about. Every time the prayer is uttered, the person is actually requesting the Kingdom promised ever since Abraham, the Kingdom over which Christ is offering Himself as the King, and it will be here on the earth. Many assume that when this earth passes away and time as we know it ends, believers go up to heaven to spend eternity, but Les says that flies in the face of Scripture; heaven is going to come down to earth. He points to Isaiah 11 as one of the most obvious Old Testament descriptions of this Kingdom on earth, the Kingdom the twelve were instructed to pray for and over which Christ will one day rule and reign. Isaiah 11:1 speaks of a rod coming out of the stem of Jesse—Jesse being David's father—and out of David comes this Branch, a reference to the Messiah, Christ.