20:7, and consider these words of the Lord Christ spoken in the current dispensation:

"For in my own due time will I come upon the earth in judgment, and my people shall be redeemed and shall reign with me on earth. For the great Millennium, of which I have spoken by the mouth of my servants, shall come; For Satan shall be bound, and when he is loosed again he shall only reign for a little season, and then cometh the end of the earth. . . . Hearken ye to these words; Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Treasure these things up in your hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds." (Doctrine and Covenants 43: 29-34).

...

The following revelation is equally specific:

"For I will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory, with all the hosts thereof, and dwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years, and the wicked shall not stand. . . . And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, that when the thousand years are ended, and men again begin to deny their God, then will I spare the earth but for a little season; And the end shall come, and the heaven and the earth shall be consumed and pass away, and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth." (Doctrine and Covenants 29:11, 22, 23).

It is evident from citations given and from all Scripture bearing upon the subject, that the Millennium is to precede the consummation spoken of as "the end of the world." In the era of peace both mortal and immortalized beings will tenant the earth; and though sin will not be wholly abolished nor death banished, the powers of righteousness shall be dominant. Though Satan shall afterward regain a measure of power over mankind, his time will be short and the earth shall eventually be restored to its paradisi

acal glory, and become a fit abode for the glorified children of our God and His Christ.

66

"O

UR Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come."

Thus did the Master teach His disciples to pray; and the injunction has never been abrogated. The passing of the centuries has demonstrated the need of ever increasing fervency in the supplication Thy kingdom come!

But if this petition be anything more than words, it implies a conviction on the part of the supplicant that the kingdom specified has not yet been established on the earth, and that it will be set up in due time. And, if there is to be a kingdom, there must needs be a living, reigning King.

In the Gospel according to Matthew the phrase "kingdom of heaven" repeatedly occurs; while in the writings of the other evangelists and throughout the epistles, the corre sponding expression is "kingdom of God," "kingdom of Christ," or simply "kingdom." In many instances these designations are used with the same meaning, though a distinction is apparent in others. The several scriptural usages of the terms comprise:

1. A signification practically identical with that of "The Church of Jesus Christ."

2. The designation of the literal kingdom, material and spiritual, over which Christ the Lord shall rule by personal ministration in days yet future.

Under the first conception, the "kingdom" of scriptural mention has been already established as an organization among men, and is today in a state of war against sin, with its powers and resources mobilized in defense of freedom of worship and for the salvation of the race. Plainly, when we speak of the Church as the Kingdom we refer to an institution already extant on the earth, not one that is yet to come.

The Church of Jesus Christ asserts no right of control in the government of nations; and its jurisdiction in temporal affairs is limited to matters of organization and discipline within itself, such as are essential to the maintenance and perpetuity of any community body.

The Kingdom of God and the Church of Christ are virtually synonymous terms. We do not pray that this organization shall come; for it is now existent. We pray and strive for its growth and development, for the spread of its saving principles, and for their acceptance by all mankind. But the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than the Church as the latter exists today, and when fully established will be seen to be a development thereof. Its advent is yet to be prayed for.

This relationship is made clear through a revelation given to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1831:

"Hearken, and lo, a voice as of one from on high, who is mighty and powerful, whose going forth is unto the ends of the earth, yea, whose voice is unto men-Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain

without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth. . . . Call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of Man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth. Wherefore may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God, mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth, that thy enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honour, power and glory, for ever and ever. (Doctrine & Covenants, Sec. 65).

Amen."

When the Messiah comes to rule and reign, He will be accompanied by the hosts of the righteous who have already passed through the change of death; and the righteous who are yet in the flesh shall be caught up to meet Him, and shall descend with Him as partakers of His glory. Then shall the Kingdom of God on earth be made one with the Kingdom of Heaven. Then shall be realized the glorious fulfilment of the prayer taught by the Christ, and voiced by men through the ages past, Thy Kingdom come.

The Kingdom of Heaven on earth is to be a literal government, administered under the supreme direction of Jesus Christ the King. No longer shall men arrogate to themselves the power of might to exercise dominion over their fellows, nor exalt themselves on thrones, nor bedeck themselves with crowns and scepters.

That the extent and jurisdiction of the kingdom shall be world-wide was declared by Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, depicting "what shall be in the latter days." Thus spake the prophet:

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the

kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." (Dan. 2:44-45; see also verse 28).

WE

It

E claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. (Articles of Faith, 11). The derivation of the word "worship" is significant. is the lineal descendant of a pair of Anglo-Saxon termsweorth meaning "worthy," and scipe, an ancient form of the termination "ship" signifying condition or state. The combination as perpetuated in our expression "worship" means worthy-ship, and connotes the attribute of worthiness on the part of the object of adoration.

Man cannot intelligently worship in ignorance; and this basal fact is supported and strengthened by the inspired affirmation of a modern prophet: "It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance." (Doctrine & Covenants 131:6).

The devout worshiper must have some conception of the ennobling or emulatory character of his deity, whether that deity be an idol made with hands or the true and