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Although the kingdom prayed for as "the kingdom of the heavens", the petition
desired that it should "come", and the qualifying clause, "as in heaven so also upon
earth", shows that it was to come on earth. The expression then describes its character
rather than its position, and its origin rather than its goal. Its establishment depends upon
the presence of the King and so looks for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to
the earth. So writes John in the book of the Revelation, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus"
(Rev. 22: 20).
Let Thy will be done.
The kingdom of the heavens will be a place where the will of God is done, and
therefore entry into it was dependent upon this factor:
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 7: 21).
Such were viewed in a special relationship to the Lord:
"For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My
brother, and sister, and mother" (Matt. 12: 50).
The word `will', thelema with its verbal form thelo, should be considered with care
before deciding on its meaning. In the very same Gospel as the above quotations are
found, we read:
"If any man will come after me" (Matt. 16: 24).
"For whosoever will save his life" (16: 25).
"If thou wilt enter into life" (19: 17).
"If thou wilt be perfect" (19: 21).
Can any man will (in the sense of determine) to follow the Lord? Can he will to save
his life (Gr. `soul') or enter into life? Can he will to be perfect? Consider the import of
the following verse if the word thelo is to be so understood:
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . . . how often would (thelo) I have gathered thy children
together . . . . . and ye would (thelo) not" (Matt. 23: 37).
It was not that Jerusalem deliberately determined not to be gathered, but simply that
they were found without any desire for it. Behind the Greek word thelo is the idea of
desire not determination. When applied to God it is possible that it should be regarded as
strong desire, but it is nevertheless desire. A good idiomatic translation would be `want'.
(For a fuller consideration of thelo the reader should consult The Berean Expositor
Volume XXXVII pages 84-87).
In case it should be imagined that the above suggests a certain looseness with respect
to God, it must be remembered that on the other hand we have such words as `purpose',
`election' and `predestination' to give us a balanced view of His ways.