📖 Biblical Definition
"Thy kingdom come" is the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer: "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:9-10). It is an eschatological cry for the in-breaking of God’s reign — both the present-tense advance through the church’s witness and the future-tense consummation at Christ’s return. The petition aligns the saint with God’s kingdom-purpose against every rival kingdom (worldly empire, fleshly self-rule, demonic darkness). To pray it sincerely is to want His reign over everything — including the petitioner’s own life, household, vocation, and nation. The Christian who prays "thy kingdom come" renounces the throne of his own life.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Second Lord's-Prayer petition: God's reign breaking in (now and consummation).
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The second petition of the Lord's Prayer (Matt 6:10). Greek elthetō hē basileia sou — "let your kingdom come." Aorist imperative: a single decisive coming. Already-not-yet structure: the petition asks both for present-tense advance of God's reign through the church's witness AND for future-tense consummation when Christ returns to rule visibly. The petition aligns the saint with God's kingdom-purpose against every rival kingdom (the world's systems, the kingdom of darkness, the personal kingdom of self). To pray Thy kingdom come is to pray against my-kingdom-come.
📖 Key Scripture
Matthew 6:10 — "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
Luke 11:2 — "When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth."
Revelation 22:20 — "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Politicized in two opposite directions: kingdom-as-progressive-utopia vs kingdom-as-Christian-empire. Both miss Christ's actual reign.
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Two political appropriations: (1) kingdom-as-progressive-utopia (the kingdom is whatever justice-program we pursue); (2) kingdom-as-Christian-empire (the kingdom comes through political dominance). Both miss Christ's actual claim: the kingdom is His reign, advancing now through the gospel and consummating at His return.
Recover the prayer: Thy kingdom come is also against my-kingdom-come. To pray it is to die a little to my own preferred outcome.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek elthetō hē basileia sou.
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['Greek', 'G932', 'basileia', 'kingdom, reign']
['Greek', 'G2064', 'erchomai', 'to come']
Usage
"Thy kingdom come; not my kingdom come."
"Already and not-yet structure."
"Aligns saint with God's reign."