Written by Dr. Marcus J. Serven
“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Matthew 12:28
Jesus Christ instructs his followers to pray in this manner, “Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:9-10). Some Bible teachers have boldly taught that the Lord’s Prayer is not for this present age, but only for a future age (i.e. during an earthly millennium). I believe that their conclusion is a mistaken interpretation of the text. Jesus is clearly instructing his listeners—in their present-day circumstances—how they should pray to God. They are not to pray “like the hypocrites” so that “they may be seen by others,” but “in secret” so that “your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matt. 6:5-6). The context is entirely contemporaneous. It is spoken for Jesus’ followers in this present age. Therefore, the phrase “Your kingdom come, your will be done, as it in heaven” must also be interpreted as a present-day reality with the expectation that God’s kingdom will progressively grow during this current age. Moreover, the implication of this prayer is that the followers of Jesus will actually participate in kingdom-activity, not only by their prayers but by their work as “witnesses” (Acts 1:8) and as “ambassadors of Christ” (2 Cor. 5:20).
The question surrounding the present-day reality of the kingdom of God is a vital one for all Christians to answer. Generally, there have been two answers: (1) that the kingdom of God is entirely in the future and begins when Jesus Christ reigns in Jerusalem during an earthly millennium; or (2) that the kingdom of God is a present-day reality that is growing and expanding while Jesus Christ reigns at the right hand of God the Father in heaven (cf. Ps. 110:1; Matt. 12:28-29; Rev. 20:1-3). In my opinion, it is the second answer that makes the most sense in the immediate context of Jesus’ instructions about prayer—that the kingdom of God is a present-day reality. Consider the wise and thoughtful exegesis that Dr. Herman Ridderbos puts forward on this subject:
“The question as to what constitutes the great change, viz., the coming of the kingdom which has begun with Jesus’ activity, finds its fundamental and unmistakable answer in the statement made in Matthew 12:28, Luke 11:20. Here Jesus speaks very emphatically of the presence of the kingdom: “If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God (Luke has: ‘with the finger of God’), then the kingdom of God has come unto you.” That the last words of this text must be rendered by the perfect “has come” is pretty well certain, in spite of the criticism of some writers. Apart from the linguistic question, it may be seen from the whole context, especially from what follows in Matthew. Jesus here answers the slander of the Pharisees who had said that he cast out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils. He shows the absurdity of the accusation by comparing the power of the devil with that of a kingdom or a town or a house, i.e., with an organically coherent unity. If one devil should cast out another, the kingdom of the devils would not stand but would fall asunder. But this does not happen. That is why there is only one explanation for Jesus’ power over the demons, viz., that by the Spirit (or the finger of God) he was able to cast them out. The opposite to Satan and his kingdom is God and the dominion that is at his disposal, viz., the kingdom of God. Its power and so its presence is the explanation of Jesus’ dominion over the demons. All this is further confirmed in Matthew 12:29 (cf. Mark 3:27) by what is said of the strong man whose house can only be looted after he himself has first been bound. In the same way the casting out of the devils proves the victory over the devil gained by Jesus and thus the break-through by the kingdom of heaven.”
— Herman Ridderbos, The Coming of the Kingdom, 61-62
Ridderbos offers a “rock-solid” exegetical explanation of the present-day reality of the kingdom of God. He doesn’t just offer his opinion, but he puts forward a clearly articulated defense of the subject based on the exegesis of several scriptural passages. This does not mean that all aspects of the kingdom of God are currently present. But that the kingdom of God “has come” [note the perfect tense of this verb, which refers to a past event but with ongoing results] while we live here on the earth (Matt. 12:28), and that in the future it will be fully consummated. This is a helpful alternative, I believe, to the wrong-headed view that the kingdom of God is entirely in the future. The truth is this–that the kingdom of God is present now during this current age (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 17:20-21), and by grace we who are alive get to participate in its growth and expansion (Matt. 5:14-16; Matt. 13:31-32; 2 Cor. 10:3-6). And that is a great privilege!
Source: Ridderbos, Herman N. The Coming of the Kingdom. Translated by H. de Jongste. Edited by Raymond O. Zorn. Philadelphia, PA: The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1962.
Dr. Marcus J. Serven, ThM and DMin
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Also, here is a related article on the “this age” and “the age to come” concept:
