will be “from sea to sea, and from the River [Euphrates, Babylon’s one-time seat] unto the ends of the earth”. The stone symbolizing God’s kingdom crushes Satan’s political image and becomes a mountain that fills the whole earth. We read further: “Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.”—Ps. 72:8; Dan. 2:35; Isa. 9:6, 7, AS; Gen. 15:18-20.

HIS WILL

9. How is it that God’s will comes to pass here as in heaven?

⁹ From this standpoint we can appreciate more intelligently the petition that immediately follows the prayer for God’s kingdom: “Let your will come to pass, as in heaven, also upon earth.” (Matt. 6:10, NW) This is generally understood to mean that God’s will is to be done by human creatures on earth as it is done by spirit angels up in heaven. But does it mean just that? Or rather that God will do what he wants to do here on earth by means of his kingdom just the same as he does it up in heaven? Rather the latter, although it includes the former thought too. As it is written: “Our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he pleased.” “Whatsoever Jehovah pleased, that hath he done, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.” Says he: “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; . . . yea, I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it.” (Pss. 115:3; 135:6; Isa. 46:9-11, AS; also Eccl. 3:14; 8:3) At his appointed year, 1914, he brought his kingdom to birth by enthroning Christ Jesus as King in the midst of his enemies. And Jesus, who taught us to pray for God’s will to be done here, is faithfully carrying out his will toward this earth just as he did toward heaven when he fought and cast Satan and his demons down from there. Jesus once came to earth as a man to do his Father’s will here. For so doing he was raised from the dead and ascended back to heaven to continue doing his Father’s will forevermore.

10. Who on earth are now doing God’s will, but how not Christendom?

¹⁰ Now the time for Satan to rage and do his will, bringing woe upon earth and sea and persecuting Jehovah’s people on earth, is very short indeed. That is why he is so angry and is now trying to do his worst, so as to destroy all mankind and especially the remnant of the heirs of God’s kingdom and all their crowd of goodwill companions and fellow witnesses. But the remnant are not terrified by Satan’s anger and his warfare, but “observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness to Jesus”. They and their good-will companions are wholly committed to doing God’s will. Hence they are now obediently having part in fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy concerning the end of this world: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for the purpose of a witness to all the nations, and then the accomplished end will come.” (Rev. 12:12, 13, 17; Matt. 24:14, NW) But not so Christendom! She regularly says her “Pater Noster” (Latin meaning “Our Father”) but does not do God’s will. She fights the true interests of God’s kingdom and fights Jehovah’s witnesses who proclaim that the Kingdom has been set up. She is now divided within herself by hot and cold wars over international communism, and she is inconsistently serving both sides of the conflict.

11. How will the destruction God brings about allow for his will to come to pass on our earth as well as in heaven?

¹¹ As regards God’s will to be done in the heavens, he has installed the new heavenly powers to rule the coming righteous new world and has ousted Satan and his demons and limited their activities now to the earth. His installed King now has all his enemies at his footstool the earth and is ruling among them. Shortly he will destroy Satan’s wicked heavens and earth, Satan’s invisible and visible organization. Following this destruction he will build up a new human society the members of which will love to do God’s will. Thus God’s will to have a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells will be done, in fulfillment of his promise. (2 Pet. 3:13; Isa. 65:17; 66:22) It is not God’s will to destroy this literal earth, no more than to destroy the literal heavens. These shall abide forever. Because his will is to preserve this earthly globe through the battle of Armageddon, his will can and will be done here also as it is done up in heaven.

Daily Bread, Forgiveness, and Deliverance

1. With whom do the foregoing three, and the remaining four petitions of the Lord’s prayer, have to do?

THE first three petitions of the Lord’s prayer have to do directly with God’s interests which are of first importance universally. The remaining four petitions have to do with us creatures individually and personally. Being our heavenly Father, God is lovingly interested in these things which vitally affect his children on earth, and Jesus our Teacher assures us we may present these matters to Jehovah God in prayer.

2. With what regard for tomorrow do we ask for only today’s food?

² “Give us today our bread for this day.” By asking bread or food and drink for no more than today this prayer adopts the right attitude. It does not presume we shall be living tomorrow, mindful of Proverbs 27:1: “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” The disciple James impresses that same thought and tells us we should say: “If Jehovah wills, we shall live and also do this or that.” (Jas. 4:13-15, NW) In harmony with this prayer for just today’s portion of food Jesus a little later on in this same sermon on the mount tells us how God feeds the birds and clothes the flowers, and says: “So never be anxious and say: ‘What are we to eat?’ or, ‘What are we to drink?’ or, ‘What are we to put on?’ For all these are the things the nations are eagerly pursuing. For your heavenly Father knows you need all these things. Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you. So, never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Sufficient for each day is its own evil.” (Matt. 6:31-34, NW) So we ask today for only our daily bread.

3. How does the Lord’s prayer encourage no greedy spirit?

³ The way Luke 11:3 (NW) words it in the similar prayer reads: “Give us our bread for the day according to the day’s requirement.” This promotes no spirit of hoarding things to the denial of such