My Father’s Kingdom

The Kingdom Belongs to the Father

The Psalms often speak of Yahuwah in terms of royalty:

Psalm 47:2 For Yahuwah Most High is to be feared, a great King over all the earth.

Psalm 103:19 Yahuwah has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.

As the sovereign, the kingdom belongs to God. But to which God? The Trinity? Not according to Yahushua. In his instructional prayer, Yahushua declared that the kingdom belongs to the Father:

Matthew 6:9-10 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰ ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

In the same context, Yahushua again identifies the kingdom as belonging to the Father, calling it His kingdom:

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Again, on another occasion, Yahushua affirms that the kingdom is indeed the Father’s:

Matthew 26:29 ²⁹ “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

Yahuwah Delegated Governance of the Kingdom

As king over all Creation, Yahuwah chose to delegate the governance of His kingdom to mankind:

Genesis 1:26 and 28 Then Elohim said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”…²⁸ Elohim blessed them; and Elohim said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

The word “rule” in this passage is radah in Hebrew, and it means: to have dominion.¹ From the beginning, Yahuwah’s plan was for man to rule over the earth in His stead. Indeed, scholars view Adam as Yahuwah’s royal agent who was sent to rule the earth, yet was to remain under Yahuwah’s authority. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary speaks to this when it says:

[Man] was to be God’s responsible representative and steward on earth, to work out his Creator’s will and fulfill the divine purpose. World dominion would be granted to this new creature….This sublime creature, with his unbelievable privileges and heavy responsibilities, was to live and move in a kingly fashion.²

The New Oxford Annotated Bible agrees that man’s role was to rule the earth as Yahuwah’s representative:

Made in the image of God, man is the creature through whom God manifests his rule on the earth. The language reflects “royal theology” …As God’s representative, man is given dominion (Ps 8:6-8).³

The Spirit Filled Bible also comments on man’s unique place as Yahuwah’s agent on the earth:

God created man to be His kingdom agent, to rule and subdue the rest of creation, including the aggressive satanic forces, which would soon infringe upon it.⁴

David, himself a king, expressed wonder and praise at this divine plan for mankind to rule on Yahuwah’s behalf:

Psalm 8:4-9 What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? ⁵ Yet You have made him a little lower than elohim, and You crown him with glory and majesty! ⁶ You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, ⁷ All sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, ⁸ The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, whatever passes through the paths of the seas. ⁹ O LORD [Yahuwah], our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Although Adam held a special place as ruler under the Most High, he disobeyed and was subsequently dethroned and cast out of the Garden of Eden. His usurper, Satan, became the ruler or “God” of this world:

1 John 5:19 We know that we are of Yahuwah, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

But Yahuwah did not abandon His plan for man to rule the earth on His behalf. After Adam’s fall, Yahuwah foretold of another man, born of a woman, who, though wounded by Satan, would ultimately defeat him.⁵ Moreover, this man would be a descendant of King David ⁶, and he would rule over the kingdom forever. Paul calls this man the last Adam,⁷ but he is better known as Yahushua of Nazareth, who is called the Christ. Christ and its equivalent, Messiah, means Yahuwah’s anointed, a designation for the one Yahuwah chose to rule over the coming kingdom.

Messiah will rule on Yahuwah’s behalf

Yahuwah used the prophet Micah to foretell that, like the first Adam, the coming king would rule on Yahuwah’s behalf:

Micah 5:2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”

Psalm 2 offers further powerful evidence that the Messiah would rule as Yahuwah’s anointed king. Here, in part, is the prophecy that Peter said found its fulfillment in Yahushua:

Psalm 2:1-2, 6-8, 10-12 Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? ² The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against Yahuwah and against His Anointed…⁶ “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” ⁷ “I will surely tell of the decree of Yahuwah: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ⁸ ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession… ¹⁰ Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. ¹¹ Worship Yahuwah with reverence and rejoice with trembling. ¹² Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

Isaiah also spoke of the Messiah’s rulership under Yahuwah’s authority. In the prophet’s famous passage on the suffering Messiah, he asks, “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of Yahuwah been revealed?” Isaiah uses the phrase “arm of Yahuwah” to designate the coming Messiah. It is this “arm of Yahuwah,” that will rule for Yahuwah:

Isaiah 40:10 Behold, the Lord YAHUWAH will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him and His recompense before Him.

Ezekiel also depicts the coming king as one who will serve, not as Yahuwah, but as Yahuwah’s servant:

Ezekiel 34:23-25 “Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. ²⁴ “And I, Yahuwah, will be their Yahuwah, and My servant David will be prince among them; I Yahuwah have spoken. ²⁵ “They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever.

The name David is a metaphor for the coming Messiah. He will be their shepherd and prince, while Yahuwah will be their God. Indeed, Yahushua is the good shepherd and the servant of Yahuwah⁸ who was exalted to Yahuwah’s right hand as Prince and Savior:

Acts 5:30-31 “The God of our fathers raised up Yahushua, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. ³¹ “He is the one whom Yahuwah exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

It is important to note that Yahuwah appointed Yahushua to this position; he wasn’t king until Yahuwah designated him as one:

Psalm 89:27 “I also shall make him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.

Orthodoxy, however, teaches that Yahushua will rule the world, not because Yahuwah appointed him, but because he is, himself, Yahuwah. Some present that both Yahushua and Yahuwah are called King of Kings and Lord of Lords as proof of Yahushua’s deity. However, those who make this claim seem unaware that the phrases are simply Hebraic superlatives that mean the greatest or the best. Moreover, their use is not restricted to deities but can be used for any great king. For example, King Artaxerxes of Persia and King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon were called “kings of kings” because of their wealth, power, and expansive kingdoms. How much more the Messiah!

Others contend that Yahushua must be Yahuwah because only Yahuwah can rule the world. Regrettably, this premise reveals a lack of understanding regarding Yahuwah’s plan for man to rule the earth as His agent. Furthermore, it reflects a failure to consider the totality of Scripture on the matter. For example, Paul writes that Yahushua was exalted to this lofty position by Yahuwah, not because he is himself, Yahuwah, but because of his extreme obedience to his God:

Philippians 2:8-11 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ For this reason also, Yahuwah highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Yahushua EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue will confess that Yahushua Christ is Lord, to the glory of Yahuwah the Father.

Yahushua was exalted by Yahuwah and given the highest name, the highest delegated authority. Indeed, Yahushua acknowledges numerous times that Yahuwah gave him authority. For example:

Matthew 11:27 [Yahushua said] “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father…

Matthew 28:18 [Yahushua said] “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.

John 3:35 “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.

And according to the Pauline passages cited earlier, it was Yahuwah the Father who put all things in subjection to His Christ. In other words, there was a time when everything wasn’t subjected to the man from Nazareth, but now they are. Moreover, Yahushua’s exaltation over all things is said to be to the glory of Yahuwah, the Father, not the Son. Why? Because it was all Yahuwah’s doing. Yahuwah chose Christ. Yahuwah anointed and authorized Christ. Yahuwah raised Christ from the dead. Yahuwah exalted Christ to His right hand and subjected all things unto him.

The fact that Yahushua was exalted by Yahuwah to sit at his right hand, given the highest possible authority, and had all things subjection to him demonstrates Yahushua’s humanity, not a fourth-century, theorized deity. For if Yahushua was indeed Yahuwah, he would already possess these things. It is nonsensical to say that Yahuwah was exalted to a position and rank he inherently holds. On the other hand, Paul’s inspired statements perfectly align with Yahuwah’s plan for a man to rule on earth.

Yahuwah gave Yahushua the kingdom

That Yahushua didn’t inherently possess the kingdom as Yahuwah is further illustrated in Scripture. The prophet Daniel recorded a vision in which he saw the Son of Man presented before Yahuwah and given dominion, glory, and a kingdom:

Daniel 7:13-14 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. ¹⁴ “And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.

We see this prophecy repeated in Yahushua’s birth narrative:

Luke 1:32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord Yahuwah will give Him the throne of His father David

The phrase, “the throne of His father David” is indicative of the Messiah and the coming kingdom. Furthermore, Yahushua himself, testifies that it was Yahuwah the Father who granted him a kingdom:

Luke 22:28-30 “You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; ²⁹ and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you ³⁰ that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

If Yahushua were Yahuwah, he would not need anyone to give him the kingdom, for it would be inherently his. But Yahushua is the last Adam who redeemed fallen mankind, so Yahuwah subjected the kingdom to him.

In the Kingdom, the Son Remains Subordinate to the Father

Just as Adam was given dominion over the earth while still under the authority of Yahuwah, Yahushua likewise occupies a subordinate role in the kingdom:

1 Corinthians 15:23-28 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to Yahuwah the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. ²⁵ For he [Christ] must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For “Yahuwah has put all things in subjection under his [Christ’s] feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he [Yahuwah the Father] is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. ²⁸ When all things are subjected to him [Yahuwah the Father], then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that Yahuwah may be all in all.

Scripture declares that the Son will remain subordinate to Yahuwah in the coming kingdom. This should come as no surprise, for Yahushua said that the Father is greater than all, even greater than himself:

John 14:28 “You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

These passages make no sense if Yahushua is Yahuwah. However, they become clear when we understand that Yahushua is not Yahuwah but the Christ of Yahuwah.

Yahushua may rule as Yahuwah’s agent, but ultimately, the kingdom belongs to Yahuwah the Father.

The Father Will Give Us the Kingdom

Yahushua, the last Adam, was faithful to Yahuwah in every way. His obedience opened a way for us to return to the kingdom, not only as residents but as a part of its governance:

Daniel 7:18 and 27 ‘But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’…²⁷ ‘Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’

Luke 12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

Luke 22:28-30 “You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; ²⁹ and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you³⁰ that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Revelation 3:21 ‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

If, as some attempt to reason, rulership in the coming kingdom identifies one as being deity, then you and I can be called God, as well. But Scripture testifies that shared governance does not indicate having a shared God-essence. Rather, it is evidence that Yahuwah has kept His promise for man to rule in His glorious kingdom. Therefore, let us join our king in praying, “Father, may Your kingdom come!”

¹ New American Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, #7282a radah.

²The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Charles F. Pfeiffer, ed., (Chicago, IL; Moody Press, 1962), p. 4.

³ The New Oxford Annotated Bible (RSV), (Oxford University Press,1977), p. 2-3.

⁴ The Spirit-Filled Bible (NKJV), Jack W. Hayford, ed., (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1991), p. 5.

⁵ Genesis 3:15; John 12:31.

⁶ Acts 2:29-32; Luke 1:33, etc.

⁷ 1 Corinthians 15:45; Romans 5:14.

⁸ John 10:10, 14; Acts 3:26; 4:27, 30.

This is a non-WLC article. Source: https://oneGodworship.com/my-fathers-kingdom/

We have taken out from the original article all pagan names and titles of the Father and Son, and have replaced them with the original given names. Furthermore, we have restored in the Scriptures quoted the names of the Father and Son, as they were originally written by the inspired authors of the Bible. -WLC Team