Live in Harmony With the Model Prayer/ Part I

Before Jesus ascended to heaven,his apostles asked:  "Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?"   Jesus' answered showed that it was not the time for them to know when God's Kingdom would start ruling. He told his disciples to focus on the important witnessing work that they needed to do. (Read Acts 1:6-8)  Nevertheless, Jesus taught his followers to look forward   tot he coming of God's Kingdom. So Christians since the days of the apostles have been praying for it to come. 

When the time approached for God's Kingdom in the hands of Jesus to start ruling from heaven, Jehovah helped his people to understand the timing of events .  In 1876, an article written by Charles Taze Russell was published in the magazine Bible Examiner. That article, "Gentile Times: When Do They End?" pointed to 1914 as a significant  year.  The article linked the "seven appointed times of the prophecy with "the appointed times of the nations" spoken of by Jesus." -Dan 4:16; Luke 21:24.



In 1914, war broke out between nation to Europe-a war that spread and engulfed the whole world.  By the time it ended in 1918, terrible food shortages had been experienced and there was a full epidemic  in which more people died than were killed in the war.  Thus "the sign" that Jesus  had given to identify his  invisible presence as earth's new King started to be fulfilled.  (Matthew 24:3-8; Luke 21:10, 11) Ample evidence points to the year 1914 as the time when "a crown was given" to the Lord Jesus Christ He "went out conquering and to complete his conquest." (Revelation 6:2) He cleansed the heavens in a war against Satan and his demons, who were hurled down to the vicinity of the earth. Eve since, mankind had experienced  the truthfulness of these inspired words: "Woe for the  earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing that he has a short period of time." - Revelation  12:7-12.

The prophecy recorded at Revelation 12:7-12 explains  why the birth of God's Kingdom basically coincided with the beginning of the disastrous events that continue to plague mankind.  Jesus, the King of God's Kingdom, began to rule amid his enemies.  Until his conquest is complete and he has brought an end to wickedness on earth, we will continue to prat for God's  Kingdom to come.At the same time, we must live in harmony with such  prayers by sharing in the fulfillment of a most amazing feature of "the sign."  Jesus foretold:  "This good news of the Kingdom will be preached throughout in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." -Matthew 24:14. 

Next time: Live in  Harmony With the Model Prayer/Part I - "LET YOUR WILL TAKE PLACE . . .ON EARTH"

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015