Heidelberg Catechism, Question 123
Question 123
What is the second petition?
“Thy kingdom come.” That is, rule us so by thy word and Spirit, that we may submit ourselves more and more to thee (Ps. 143;10); preserve and increase thy Church (Ps. 122;6, 7); destroy the works of the devil, and all violence which would exalt itself against thee, and also all wicked counsels devised against thy holy word (1 John 3;8); until the full perfection of thy kingdom takes place, wherein thou shalt be all in all (Rev. 22;20).
Ps. 143;10.—Teach me thy will, for thou art my God; thy Spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.— Ps. 25;4, 5.—Ps. 119;5.
Ps. 122;6, 7.—Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.— Ps. 118;25, 26.—Ps. 51;18.
1 John 3;8.—For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.— Rom. 16;20.—Ps. 129;5.—Ps. 5;10.
Rev. 22;20.—He which testifieth these things, saith, surely, I come quickly: Amen.—1 Cor. 15;24, 28.
Scripture references for paragraph 1
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Psalms 143:1010Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Psalms 122:66Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you prosper.
Psalms 122:77May there be peace within your walls, and prosperity inside your fortresses.”
1 John 3:88The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.
Revelation 22:2020He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Psalms 25:44Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths.
Psalms 25:55Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; all day long I wait for You.
Psalms 119:55Oh, that my ways were committed to keeping Your statutes!
Psalms 118:2525O LORD, save us, we pray. We beseech You, O LORD, cause us to prosper!
Psalms 118:2626Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.
Psalms 51:1818In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.
Romans 16:2020The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Psalms 129:55May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.
Psalms 5:1010Declare them guilty, O God; let them fall by their own devices. Drive them out for their many transgressions, for they have rebelled against You.
1 Corinthians 15:2424Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power.
1 Corinthians 15:2828And when all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all.
Source and edition
Heidelberg Catechism. RCA English, E. R. Good & Bro., Tiffin, 1879. RCA English, E. R. Good & Bro., Tiffin, 1879
Public Domain (historic text); CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikisource transcription). Source transcription.
Transcription licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0.
Berean Blue opens December 1, 2026 for Bible reading, study, and research. View this work in the app preview.