[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Signs of the End-Times: 3 World Superpowers Emerging

History has seen many superpowers rise and fall. Since World War II and the fall of the Soviet Union, the United States of America was left as the last remaining superpower—a nation capable of extending its power and influence to any part of the globe, seemingly at will.

But times are changing. The old international order is crumbling. Alliances are shifting. And new leaders, nations, and organizations are seeking the throne for themselves.

Political scientists pour over reports and analyses, trying to figure out who will come out on top, yet they all ignore the one source that reveals the future configuration of the world in detail: God’s word.

The Almighty Creator of heaven and earth REVEALED the identity of Earth’s final superpowers millennia in advance in the prophetic pages of your Bible.

World War II left civilization with three national powers recognized around the globe as superpowers: the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union. However, that conflict was exhausting for the British, and their power to influence world affairs quickly declined—a decline revealed in the starkest terms in the Suez Crisis of 1956. The Cold War that followed World War II ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, leaving the U.S. as the sole remaining superpower—able to project its influence and power to any location on the face of the earth and unquestioned in its military and economic dominance among the nations of the world.

But, my friends, times change. Yesterday’s great empires become today’s backwater nations and, in some cases, tomorrow’s historical footnotes—mere memories of interest only to academics studying the relics of the past.

The Fall of the United States

Today, the United States is riven by ideological differences and seems continually fractured into smaller and smaller angry fragments, each finding it harder and harder to live within the same country with the others.

As the U.S. seeks to get its own house in order, nations such as China see an opportunity to exert influence and project their own dominance in directions that the American government would once have never allowed. European nations, such as Germany, who have long looked to the United States and its backing of NATO for a sense of security against the Soviet Union, and later Russia, no longer have confidence that the U.S. has their backs. And alliances that stood for generations are now disintegrating, even as long-time enemies—such as Israel and many Arab nations—reconsider their options in a world where all the old variables are taking on new values.

And all of this is happening in a world that has grown more dangerous than ever—one in which the massive deployment of drones in the Ukraine-Russia conflict has changed the face of warfare, not to mention the potential impact of advanced biological weapons and the wildcard represented by artificial intelligence.

The structure and shape of the world is changing right before our eyes.

Will the United States remain the superpower for years to come? Will a rival to the U.S. eventually rise to the top? Or even replace it?

Who will be the next superpowers?

Well, the answer to that question doesn’t have to be a mystery, because there is a source of knowledge and understanding that the political prognosticators of our day rarely consider. Yet it is the only one that has been right each time and every time in its predictions. And that is the word of God—the Holy Bible.

The prophecies of the Bible are like history written in advance—and are inspired by the only One who KNOWS that future with certainty. Look with me in Isaiah 46, beginning in verse 9, where the prophet records God’s challenge to mankind.

Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure… (Isaiah 46:9–10).

What He says is going to happen DOES HAPPEN, WITHOUT FAIL, EVERY TIME.

3 World Superpowers Arise in End-Time Bible Prophecy

If we want to be able to identify the superpowers of the future, we need only to look to God, the One who reveals the future, and see what He says in His word.

So, where do we look?

Well, in World War II, the superpowers were easy to find. You only had to look at where the conflict was raging the hottest, and there you saw them engaged in battle.

So to identify the END-TIME superpowers, we need only look where the greatest END-TIME conflict will take place before the return of Christ. And God’s word is utterly clear on that location: the Middle East and the land of Israel.

We see the centrality of Israel and Jerusalem in end-time conflict made plain in Bible prophecy. For instance, look in Zechariah 12:2:

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for ALL peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though ALL NATIONS OF THE EARTH are gathered against it (Zechariah 12:2–3).

What a testimony to God’s word that Israel was re-established as a nation in 1948. And as prophecy foretold, it remains at the center of world affairs.

God long ago prophesied that the nations of the world would not be able to solve the challenge of Israel and Jerusalem—and no, even current peace treaties, agreements, and alliances will not solve it.

So if Jerusalem, Israel, and the surrounding region represent the stage for the final acts of mankind before Christ’s return, then the three final superpowers are the actors who will occupy that stage in the end-times.

The King of the North, the King of the South, and a 200-Million Man Army

Now, many biblical prophecies combine to give us the details of the end-time scenario. For instance, in Daniel’s book of prophecy, we see that a dominating economic and military power he calls the King of the North will storm through the Middle East. It will be provoked by a rival power he calls the King of the South.

The King of the North will press against the King of the South, entering its territory conquering and pillaging, until it is troubled by NEWS it hears of incredibly MASSIVE ARMIES on the other side of the Euphrates. After much conflict, the river Euphrates is miraculously dried up, allowing these two powers, the King of the North and the massive force from the East to meet on the hill of Megiddo—at what is called in Hebrew Armageddon—and they gather there for what God calls in Revelation 16:14 “the Battle of that Great Day of God Almighty.” The devastation unleashed by these military forces in their conflicts leading up to the final battle is prophesied to kill “a THIRD of mankind” (Revelation 9:18).

In today’s terms, a third of humanity would be more than TWO BILLION PEOPLE.

The conflicts to come between these superpowers will be horrific—so horrific that Jesus Christ warns all of us in Matthew 24:22 that “no flesh would be saved” alive unless “those days were shortened” by God’s intervention. And we should thank God that He will intervene.

So, who are these superpowers—the King of the North, the King of the South, and the massive armies from the East?

Who Are Kings of the East? 200-Million Man Army Explained

First, we have to recognize that such compass directions in prophecy—north, south, and east—are determined from the perspective of Israel and Jerusalem, the land of the prophets.

With this in mind, the massive forces from the East are perhaps the easiest to find candidates for.

Revelation 16:12 refers to these as “the kings from the east,” implying a multinational coalition of some sort.

Revelation 9:16 describes the armies from that region, on the other side of the Euphrates, as being two-hundred million strong. There are very few nations in the world that could muster such an army in the foreseeable future. Of them, there are two obvious candidates: China and India—both of which lie east of Israel and of the Euphrates River. Combined, these two nations contain more than one-third of the ENTIRE POPULATION OF THE WORLD—one out of every three human beings on earth.

These facts, along with their geographic position, make them strong candidates for being contributors to the collective armies of the East. No doubt, other peoples east of the Euphrates River will contribute, as well—such as Iran (or Persia in Bible prophecy), portions of modern Russia, North and South Korea, and Japan. All are candidates as additional partners in this combined eastern superpower, creating one of the largest military coalitions the world has ever seen.

Who Is the King of the North in Bible Prophecy?

Next, let’s consider the King of the North. This terrifying individual is more commonly known as the Beast of Revelation.

In Daniel 2, we read of a great prophetic image that symbolized four successive world powers, beginning with the Babylon of Daniel’s day. The fourth world empire pictured by the legs of iron in that image is the Roman Empire and its various successive revivals throughout history—such as the reigns of Charlemagne, Napoleon, and Mussolini. The feet of the image made of iron and clay symbolize the final, end-time revival of the Roman Empire that will exist in power at the time of Christ’s return. We read of these feet, beginning in Daniel 2:41:

Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay (Daniel 2:41–43).

This end-time power will be “partly strong and partly fragile” because its component parts do not naturally adhere together, just as iron and clay do not.

As this very ministry has explained for the better part of a century, the current seeds of what will become this Revived Roman Empire can be found in today’s European Union and will be led by a resurgent Germany.

Now, to be frank, we’ve been ridiculed for this stance over the years—after all, since World War II, Europe has relied heavily on the United States for military support and protection, and Germany has been so burdened by its past in World War II that it seemed almost too ashamed to build a massive military presence. But as the Apostle Paul says in the book of Romans: “[L]et God be true but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4). And as usual, current events are catching up to prophecy.

Spurred by conflict between Russia and Ukraine and their concern that the United States is turning its back on them, Europe and Germany have suddenly begun taking dramatic actions to seize their own military destiny.

In 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced:

“We are in an era of rearmament, and Europe is ready to massively boost its defence spending,” and proposed mobilizing up to 800 billion euros—almost one trillion U.S. dollars—in defense spending (“Press statement by President von der Leyen on the defence package,” ec.europa.eu, March 3, 2025).

For Germany’s part, the office of German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced in December 2025:

“We are sending a signal to the (NATO) alliance and our partners: Germany is leading the way. We are fulfilling our obligations to the alliance and accepting our responsibility for security and peace in Europe” (“German lawmakers approve billions in military expenditure,” dw.com, December 17, 2025).

Now this was after the German government had just authorized 50 billion euros to be spent on military upgrades. Earning much of that money will be Germany’s biggest defense contractor, Rhinemetall—the same major manufacturer of arms for Germany during both World War I and World War II, and which is now expanding arms factories across Europe and building new ones.

Once again, the forges of war are igniting across Europe.

But what of the prophecy that the kingdom of the north, the revived Roman Empire, will be a mixture of iron and clay that has difficulty adhering? Truly, unity in the European Union HAS historically been a huge challenge, and it remains so today. What force will be able to bind these nations together to truly empower the King of the North, the coming Beast of Revelation?

That binding power will come from a common religion, and an unholy alliance of church and state.

Who Is the King of the South in Daniel 11?

We’ve identified two of the three end-time superpowers: the collection of a massive military force powered by nations east of the Euphrates, and a revived Holy Roman Empire centered in Europe. But what of Daniel’s prophesied King of the South?

Again, we look to Jerusalem and the Holy Land to understand directional references. The prophesied Kings of the East are just that: nations and peoples that lie east of Jerusalem. Now, if you draw a horizontal line at Jerusalem, you’ll notice that Europe lies above that line—in latitudes north of Jerusalem on the globe.

So what nations do we see south of Jerusalem?

Some have sought to identify the King of the South with Iran, given the frequent trouble that nation has sought to cause for modern Israel. But look at our map. Iran (or Persia as it is called in Scripture) is not south of Israel, but east.

Remember: Don’t try to interpret the Bible based on current events. Eventually, current events always catch up to the Bible, as the late evangelist John Ogwyn writes in Revelation: The Mystery Unveiled!

We have to let the Bible interpret itself, rather than trying to read our own preconceived notions or current world events back into the text. Only in this way can we see Bible prophecies in their proper context.

That is, don’t try to cram the news into the Bible. The Bible interprets itself. And in the case of the nations behind the King of the South, we see details in Daniel’s prophecy if we’ll simply read them. For instance, turn to Daniel 11, and let’s begin reading in verse 40.

At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels (Daniel 11:40–43).

Daniel 11 pictures the wrath of the King of the North against the King of the South being directed at nations of northern Africa.

It is worth noting that today’s League of Arab States lies primarily south of Jerusalem, and key nations of these Arab states, such as Egypt, face the wrath of the European King of the North in the years to come.

Now does that mean that the current Arab League is the prophesied King of the South? Of course not. With the topsy-turvy nature of alliances today—not to mention the historic volatility of relations between Arabic nations—much can happen in the years just ahead. But the Islamic nature of the nations south of Jerusalem, plus the historic conflict between so-called Christian Europe and Islamic peoples, as in the Crusades, is a detail worth noting as these end-time conditions come together. And rest assured, there will be a unified power of nations south of Israel that will be powerful enough to provoke the European superpower to great wrath—as these three leviathans of end-time prophecy compete for global dominance.

The Final Superpower at the End of the Age

So in the last days leading up to the return of Christ, we see a counterfeit-Christian, European superpower, a massive military superpower alliance to the east of Israel and the Euphrates, and an Islamic superpower involving nations of North Africa and others.

But note—what’s missing in all of this? Or, perhaps more accurately, WHO is missing in all of this?

After all, can you imagine a major conflict involving superpowers today that does NOT involve in some way the United States? Where is the U.S. in this great, end-time conflict?

In short, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other British-descended nations will find themselves to be superpowers no longer—utterly bereft of power and influence on the world stage and, frankly, subjugated nations, crushed, dissected, and replaced by the very nations we’ve discussed today.

I know that is hard to believe given the dominating prominence of the U.S. today. But let there be no doubt. God’s word is sure. These three powers—the King of the North, the King of the South, and the armies of the East—will rise. And in today’s headlines, we see seeds of their rise to power being planted.

But in reality, there is a FOURTH superpower to consider—one we’ve barely mentioned, but one which is prophesied to crush those that we’ve discussed today.

We read of it in Daniel 2.

We read there earlier of the revived Roman Empire that was symbolized by the feet of a statue, composed of iron and clay. This statue was seen by Nebuchadnezzar in a dream—a dream explained to him by the prophet Daniel.

In this dream, this final, carnal, end-time worldly superpower is destroyed in a spectacular manner.

You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth (Daniel 2:34–35).

Daniel later explains to Nebuchadnezzar that the stone from heaven, cut without hands, that would crush the worldly superpowers of this world is the Kingdom of God that will come with the returning Jesus Christ.

And the reign of Christ will spread to the entire earth. But unlike the superpowers of today, Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, will not seek to enrich Himself or selfishly control the world for His own benefit. Rather, He will bring the peace, joy, and true prosperity that all people and nations have always desired but could never achieve.

In fact, as we close, let’s turn to Isaiah 19:24 and look into a small window at the peace the world will enjoy under that final superpower.

In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

When you understand that Assyria in prophecy is modern Germany, you see that this is a beautiful picture of nations, once connected with the King of the North and the King of the South, now working alongside the people of Israel, with all three of them claimed as His own by Almighty God and His Son.

What a glorious day of peace Jesus Christ will bring to this world, when all human superpowers—past, present, and future—will be replaced forever by the Kingdom of God for all eternity.

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

What Is Your Top Priority? (Matthew 6:33)

What is more important to you? Your car, your hobby—perhaps golf, hunting, or fishing? For some it would appear to be their politics. Is it something more personal and substantive, such as your career? But what about family? Is there anything more important than family?

Think about it. What is the most important thing, person, or persons in your life?

While you may give a quick answer, have you considered the implications of this question?

On this Tomorrow’s World program, we’ll explore whether your professed answer is the same as indicated by your actions. And while many profess one thing, their actions tell a very different story. And consider this—is there a single correct answer?

When I was still a teenager I, along with some of my friends, really wanted to know, what is it all about? What is the purpose of life? We may not have asked the question that way, but we were looking for what it was that made for a happy and successful life.

My friend Bob one day told me, “I think what I want in life is kicks.” Now that may sound [like] a strange way of putting things, but what he meant was that he was out to have as much fun as he could. And he was—and is—hardly alone in that.

King Solomon and the Pursuit of Pleasure | Ecclesiastes 2

The pursuit of fun is a powerful pull.

An ancient king thought similarly to my friend, but in a far more calculated and sophisticated manner.

This king experimented with every pleasure a man can enjoy to find the one which would satisfy and bring lasting happiness. He pursued pleasures as if doing a scientific experiment.

Here is how he put it in the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes 2:1–3:

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity. I said of laughter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives (Ecclesiastes 2:1–3).

All Is Vanity | Ecclesiastes 2 Meaning

As with Solomon, wine, women, and song were the pursuits of most of my friends. My generation was that of the hippies, love-ins, marijuana, LSD, and rock and roll. And weirdly, in contrast to that, it was also the generation of “Jesus freaks,” but definitely not the Jesus found in the Bible. Many men wore long hair mimicking what they erroneously believed to be the style of Jesus. Upside-down and broken crosses in a circle—peace signs—were everywhere. What a bizarre time—mixing war protests, love, peace, drugs, sex, and Jesus. Thankfully, the real Jesus rescued me from that craziness.

Now that antiestablishment generation has grown up and become the establishment.

Many have moved to more traditional values—work, family, and hobbies. Yet many are still looking for the meaning of life.

I remember visiting a man in the hospital one time who had suffered a heart attack. He could see that his life was moving toward the inevitable, and he asked me in a very serious tone, “What’s it all about?” As I recall, he was in his mid-sixties, and he still didn’t know why he was on earth. What was the purpose of his existence?

Man’s Search for Meaning: Why Pleasure Isn’t Enough

How about you? Do you know why you are here? Does God exist? And if so, why did He create us?

Is there life after death? And if so, what can you expect when that time comes?

The late Lee Iacocca tells a joke about a famous actor in the first half of the last century.

[W.C. Fields] was a lifetime agnostic and yet he was discovered reading a Bible on his deathbed. “What are you reading that for?” someone asked him. “I’m looking for a loophole,” he replied (Talking Straight, p. 70).

Sadly, too many find themselves in the same place. They’ve lived a life, whether full or empty, but devoted little time to searching for the real meaning of life. They hope there is life after death but have little or no idea what and where they will be. Most have been taught they will go to heaven or hell when they die, but according to the Bible, neither is true.

A Different Gospel and a Different Jesus (2 Corinthians 11)

The teachings of Christ and His apostles were supplanted almost immediately, and those deceptive doctrines continue down to our day and are deeply ingrained in mainstream Christianity.

Jesus’ message—proclaimed for three-and-a-half years prior to His crucifixion and resurrection—has been virtually lost in churches claiming His name.

What is most important to you? Your family? Your career? Your local sports team? Your health? Your political party and/or your religion?

The answer is not found in what you profess, but in what you do—how you live, how you spend your time and money. The person who proclaims that he or she lives for pleasure is probably the most honest.

The person who says that he or she lives for God—though no doubt sincere and well-meaning—may very well be the least honest. Or to put it more kindly, simply self-deceived. But why is that?

Plainly stated, he may believe God exists, but God is not real to him or he would live differently. The Apostle Paul confronted the church of God at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 11:3–4.

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it (2 Corinthians 11:3–4).

In light of this, I must seriously ask: Do you get it?

Now I don’t mean to insult or demean anyone, but it’s evident that the majority of you who follow Tomorrow’s World don’t get it. Notice that Paul said the Corinthians were deceived in three ways. They were accepting:

• A different Jesus
• A different spirit
• A different gospel

To put it more bluntly, he said:

• You Corinthians don’t know the real Jesus.
• You worship Him in a manner different from the way that pleases Him.
• And you have substituted a different message from the one He brought.

Now that’s a serious problem. How could this happen?

Satan Disguises Himself as an Angel of Light

The answer is given later in this same chapter—deceiving ministers and teachers had infiltrated the Church. Notice it in verses 13–15:

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works (2 Corinthians 11:13–15).

Just how important is it to know the true Gospel of Jesus Christ? Paul twice pronounced a curse on anyone who teaches a different gospel. Here it is in Galatians 1, beginning in verse 6:

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:6–9).

Just as in Paul’s day, the Gospel of Jesus Christ—the good news that Jesus proclaimed—is not being preached today. Are we to believe, as so many seem to, that the death, burial, and resurrection—which are immensely important—somehow do away with Jesus’ three-and-a-half-year ministry? Why is it that His proclamation is not taught in mainstream Christianity?

Yes, we hear about a little Lord Jesus away in the manger, and about Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, and it truly IS good news that He came to give His life in exchange for ours. We must never de-emphasize that, but why does professing Christianity neglect Jesus’ message? After all, it’s not obscure but found repeatedly throughout the New Testament.

What Is the True Gospel Jesus Preached?

Jesus tells us that He was sent to proclaim a special message—and that message was the Kingdom of God. Notice it in Luke 4:42–43:

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, “I must preach [notice it] the kingdom of God to the other cities also, [why?] because for this purpose I have been sent” (Luke 4:42–43).

Now if He was sent to preach the Kingdom of God, why is that message neglected by His followers today? Now here’s another significant statement from our Savior—found in Matthew 24:14:

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14).

Christ’s Gospel is not what most people think. He didn’t spend more than three years talking about His crucifixion and resurrection. Yes, he did give a few references of it (vague enough that His followers didn’t get it) but the message He proclaimed—the Gospel, which means “good news”—was that of the Kingdom of God. That’s very different from telling people all they need to do is repeat the sinner’s prayer and they’ll go to heaven when they die. And no, the Kingdom of God is not a trip to heaven for retirement and eternal bliss. But I digress.

What does Mark tell us was the beginning of Jesus’ Gospel? Notice it in Mark 1:1:

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Notice that it says “the gospel of,” not “the gospel about.”

“Of” denotes possession. It is Jesus Christ’s Gospel, the good news He brought, as is clearly seen in verses 14 and 15:

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14–15).

The Kingdom of God Defined

But what is the Kingdom of God? Do you know? The people of Jesus’ day understood that the message that He was preaching was about a very real kingdom. What they did not understand was the timing of it—when it would come. They thought Jesus had come to set up the Kingdom in their day. And as a result, He gave them what is known as the Parable of the Minas. In it, He describes Himself as a nobleman who gives His servants a unit of money to work with while He went to a far country—heaven. But He would return and call His servants to account for what they did while He was away.

Notice this in Luke 19, beginning in verse 11:

Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come’” (Luke 19:11–13).

But what is the reward He gives His servants upon His return? It’s not getting wings and floating on clouds in heaven in eternal retirement. Or as some believe, looking into the face of God for eternity in some kind of celestial drug trip—the unscriptural doctrine known as the beatific vision.

In the Parable of the Minas, notice it in verse 16:

Then came the first, saying, “Master, your mina has earned ten minas.” And he said to him, “Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.” And the second came, saying, “Master, your mina has earned five minas.” Likewise he said to him, “You also be over five cities” (Luke 19:16–19).

Note that Jesus was to go to a far country—in other words, heaven—to receive a kingdom and to return. We read of this coronation ceremony in heaven in Daniel 7:13–14:

I [that is, Daniel] was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man [a reference to Christ], coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days [that is God the Father], and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.

Why Jesus Said Seek First the Kingdom of God

And who will rule with Christ when He returns? The answer is revealed in verse 27:

Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him (Daniel 7:27).

Yes, the saints—a word that refers to servants who keep God’s Commandments as shown in Revelation 14:12—are to rule under Christ in His Kingdom. This is confirmed in Revelation 20:4:

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4).

And where is that Kingdom to be set up? The song of the saints gives the answer—right here on earth (Revelation 5:9);

And they sang a new song, saying: “You [Christ] are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9–10).

The Gospel of Jesus Christ—that is the good news that He brought to the world—is that He is going to set up a Kingdom here on earth, and those during this age whom He is calling have an opportunity to be part of that ruling family.

This is the same message Paul taught, as shown in the last two verses of the book of Acts (Acts 28:30-31):

Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

Thy Kingdom Come—What Does It Mean?

Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. Many repeat this prayer without considering what they are saying. Do you understand these often-repeated words?

Jesus gave these instructions prior to answering their question of how to pray (Matthew 6:7–8):

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him (Matthew 6:7–8).

Rather than a prayer to be repeated over and over again, note that He was giving them an outline or example of how to pray. And He said (in Matthew 6:9),

In this manner, therefore, pray (Matthew 6:9).

After focusing on God as our heavenly Father, we find that we are to next focus in our prayer on the Gospel He proclaimed;

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

Pray Thy Kingdom Come—With Understanding

You have no doubt heard these words—probably even prayed them. But do you, dear friend, understand their significance? Is the Kingdom of God that which is most important to you? Or is it your sports team? Your job? Even your family?

It does not matter what you profess, but what you do, and in that regard, our Savior requires you to put Him first above all else. Notice it in Luke 14:26–27:

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Those are serious words. And does Jesus’ warning in Matthews 10 shock you? Notice it in v. 34:

Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to “set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law”; and “a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.” He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:34–37).

Put God First (Matthew 6:31-33)

Some people profess to put God first above all—including family—but how many really do? Jesus instructs us (in Matthew 6:31, 33):

Therefore do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?”…. But seek first [notice it: seek first] the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:31, 33).

Is the Kingdom of God what is most important? Or is it more important to you to keep peace with family and friends over humanly-devised religious traditions?

Think about it.