The Doxology

The end of the Lord’s Prayer—”For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen”—is a doxology so beautiful that it somehow seems almost irreverent to try to dissect it. Some believe that Jesus did not actually say these words. They claim that they were added by someone else at a later date, which is why they are not included in some versions of the Bible. Some manuscripts have it, and some do not. I have looked long at the evidence for and against their inclusion in the sacred Scriptures, and I am perfectly satisfied myself that they were part of Jesus’ original pattern of prayer.

The prayer ends as it begins, with an assertion of God’s majesty and glory: “Yours is the kingdom.” I believe that the emphasis here should be placed on the word “is,” to read, “Yours is the kingdom”—now.

Despite all appearances to the contrary, God has never abdicated His position as ruler of the universe. What a heartening thought this can be in these days, a thought to fill the soul with song and flood the heart with hope and gladness. It is true that there are many things in the world that militate against His authority—war, poverty, unemployment, drink, gambling, social impurity, and so on. All these seem a flat and final refutation of the phrase “Yours is the kingdom,” but their days are numbered. The hour will come when the kingdoms of this world will signal their final surrender and pledge allegiance to their rightful Lord.

Further Study

Mt 4:1-11; Ob 21; Heb 12:28; 2Pt 1:11

Why was Satan’s temptation foolish?

How did Jesus respond?