The Lord Shall be King Over all the Earth

Jerusalem will be the capital of the Kingdom and will be acknowledged as such by all nations (Jeremiah 3:17–18). It will be the centre of righteous government and of education in “the word of the LORD”. In fact, people of all nations will go up to Jerusalem from year to year to worship the king, Jesus Christ, and to learn of God’s ways:

• “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the 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 Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:2–4).

• “And it shall come to pass, that everyone that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16).

All nations will be subject to Christ’s rule (Revelation 11:15), with Israel being governed by the twelve apostles (Matthew 19:28).

There will be a Temple, “a house of prayer for all nations”, built in Jerusalem, to which all nations will come to learn of God’s ways and to worship Him (Isaiah 56:7). Most nations will come up joyfully, but those who refuse to come will suffer for their rebellion (Zechariah 14:16–17). The details of this Temple are set out in the last chapters of the prophecy of Ezekiel (40–48). From these details, we can gain a mental picture of this magnificent building in which the Lord Jesus Christ will officiate.

A word picture of this Kingdom with the benefits bestowed by the King for all mankind is portrayed in the words of Psalm 72 and Micah 4:1–5. Everyone will feel the immediate beneficial influence of Christ’s reign, as “the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever” (Isaiah 32:1,17)

The 1000 Year Reign of Christ

The Apostle Paul states that Christ is to reign on earth “till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death”. When “all things” are subject to Christ then he will deliver up the Kingdom to God: “Then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:24–28). Then truly “the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD” (Numbers 14:21).

The period of the duration of the Kingdom is given for us in the book of Revelation. There we learn that Christ and his immortal saints will reign for 1000 years, called the millennium (Revelation 20:4–6). After six thousand years of preparing a people to give honour and glory to His name, a further thousand years is set aside in the Divine plan for the King and his immortal saints to fill the earth with God’s glory. Throughout this millennium the mortal population of the earth will have the opportunity to give faithful and obedient service to God and to Christ as King.

A description of some of the changes that will take place, with the associated blessings that will be experienced by the mortal population when harmony exists between man and his environment, is given in several places of Scripture (Isaiah 11:4–9; 65:17–25; Amos 9:11–15).

This period of the 1000 year reign of Christ will conclude with a second and final resurrection and gathering to judgment of those who have lived during the period of the Kingdom. This event is described in Revelation 20:12–15. We notice that at the conclusion of this judgment “death and hell [the grave] were cast into the lake of fire” (v14), meaning they shall be finally swept away forever from the earth. Then “there shall be no more death” (Revelation 21:4), for mortality will be taken away forever from the earth (1 Corinthians 15:25–26). In Revelation 21:3–4 we read of this wonderful time: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 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”. At this time, as Paul foretold, “God will be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).

Thus the Kingdom of God on earth is the final step towards the fulfilment of that glorious purpose that God had from the beginning—to fill the earth with His glory (Numbers 14:21). Those who are His sons and daughters, having developed through the trials of life a character like His, will be there with Him. This glorified community will be then united with the Father and His Son, as Jesus himself prayed just prior to his crucifixion (John 17:20–23).

“Thy Kingdom Come”

From the above overview, we now have an enlightened understanding of this glorious Kingdom that God will establish upon the earth. According to God’s revealed timetable, He will very soon send Jesus Christ back to commence this great work of transforming the world, assisted by his faithful and immortal followers.

With faith in the sure word of God and the hope that it offers, we now can enter fully into the spirit of the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples: “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9–10).

As we now await this day that God has promised, it is our privilege and responsibility to respond to Him in faith and obedience. The apostle Peter encouraged the disciples in his day, and likewise us today, when he said: “Give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10–11).

Adapted from “The Exploring the Bible Course” by David Evans