“Till Kingdom Come” — What the Old Saying Really Meant
PROLOGUE
When older generations said, “You can argue about that till kingdom come,” they meant forever… a very long time… perhaps something that will never happen.
The phrase comes directly from the Lord’s Prayer:
“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
— Matthew 6:10
In everyday English the phrase “kingdom come” eventually became a way to describe the end of time, the next world, or a very distant future.
By the late 1700s the expression had become a common idiom meaning “until the end of the world” or “for an indefinite amount of time.”
So the old folks weren’t making a prophecy statement when they said it.
They were simply using a biblical phrase that had become colorful everyday language.
But the expression does reveal something important.
For centuries people believed God’s kingdom had not yet come.
That assumption still dominates much religious discussion today.
I.) THE MODERN PROPHECY CRAZE
Today the religious news cycle is filled with speculation about:
• Israel
• Iran (ancient Persia)
• wars in the Middle East
• and supposed fulfillments of Old Testament prophecies.
Every time tensions flare between Israel and Iran, some teachers rush to Ezekiel, Daniel, or Isaiah and claim modern geopolitics is fulfilling prophecy right now.
But there is a serious problem with that approach.
Most of those interpretations assume something Jesus never assumed:
They assume the kingdom of God has not yet been established.
Yet the New Testament repeatedly says the opposite.
II.) WHAT JESUS ACTUALLY TAUGHT ABOUT THE KINGDOM
Jesus did not speak of the kingdom as something thousands of years away.
He spoke of it as near.
“Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
— Matthew 4:17
He even told His listeners:
“There be some standing here which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God come with power.”
— Mark 9:1
That statement alone places the arrival of the kingdom within the lifetime of His first-century audience.
And when did that power arrive?
At Pentecost.
III.) THE KINGDOM WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE FIRST CENTURY
The New Testament writers speak of the kingdom not as future—but as present reality.
Paul wrote:
“He hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.”
— Colossians 1:13
Notice the tense.
Not will translate.
Has translated.
Christ’s kingdom already existed when Paul wrote those words.
IV.) JESUS IS ALREADY ON HIS THRONE
The apostles consistently preached that Jesus was already reigning.
Peter declared at Pentecost:
“God hath made that same Jesus… both Lord and Christ.”
— Acts 2:36
And the explanation of Christ’s ascension was clear:
“Being by the right hand of God exalted…”
— Acts 2:33
Paul later wrote:
“He must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:25
Christ is not waiting to become king.
He is already reigning.
V.) WHO ARE THE TRUE CITIZENS IN THE KINGDOM?
Another misconception in modern prophecy teaching is the idea that physical Israel still holds a special covenant status apart from Christ.
But the New Testament redefines the people of God.
Paul said:
“They are not all Israel, which are of Israel.”
— Romans 9:6
And again:
“If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed.”
— Galatians 3:29
In the kingdom of Christ, the dividing line is not bloodline.
It is faith in Christ.
The true Israel of God consists of believers from every nation.
VI.) THE KINGDOM'S PRESENT BATTLE
Christ’s kingdom is not political territory.
It is a spiritual reign.
Right now Christ rules from heaven while His people carry the battle into the world.
Paul describes the conflict:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood.”
— Ephesians 6:12
The war between good and evil is already underway.
Christ’s kingdom advances every time:
• the gospel is preached
• a sinner repents
• darkness is pushed back by truth.
VII.) THE FINAL VICTORY
But there is still one enemy left.
Death.
Paul describes the end of the story:
“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:26
When Christ returns:
• the dead will rise
• the living will be changed
• death itself will be abolished.
At that moment the kingdom reaches its final triumph.
EPILOGUE
So When Does “Kingdom Come”?
Ironically, the old saying actually contains a misunderstanding.
People say:
“We’ll wait till kingdom come.”
But according to the apostles:
Kingdom come already happened.
Jesus came.
The cross happened.
The resurrection happened.
The throne was occupied.
The kingdom is already here.
And the King is already reigning.
Now the church lives in that kingdom until the final moment when:
• the dead are raised
• death is destroyed
• and Christ hands the completed kingdom back to the Father.
INVITATION
