What is the Kingdom of God? I don’t think we can overstate the importance of the answer to the question. There are so many theories out there about different systems of belief including different definitions of the Kingdom of God. We need to think about the end result of what those beliefs produce and about what the implications of their version of reality are.
The idea of the Kingdom of God was clearly central to Christ’s ministry making it a fundamental premise of our hope, of our purpose, and of our motivation. There are three main questions to address and answer about the definitions assigned to the Kingdom of God. The first question, or theory to begin with is :
- Is the Kingdom of God simply the Christian church?
“And He (Christ) said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power'” (Mark 9:1).
A traditional explanation of this difficult scripture is that Christ was referencing His transfiguration which was witnessed by Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17:1-5).
Another explanation is that Christ was referencing the foundation of the New Testament Church on Pentecost in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit descended upon those present as a demonstration of power. And this version can be used to make the Church equivalent to the Kingdom of God. So, with the founding of the church we are seeing the Kingdom of God in that sense. And this forced the question, What church are we referring to in that situation?
For example, the Catholic premise of the Kingdom of God, although nuanced and broad, is fundamentally that the Catholic Church is the manifestation of the Kingdom of God. So, the idea is: the Kingdom of God was expressed, and we see it in the Church. So, through its efforts to win converts and to expand its scope, by unifying Christians under its umbrella the Catholic Church is advancing the Kingdom of God.
This definition that the Kingdom of God is “The Church” implies that the hope for humanity is the success or failure of the expansion of that Church. That would be a fairly dismal explanation of what the Kingdom of God is, no matter what the power, authority, scope, and track record is of any church. That is not a very hopeful explanation, whether you point to the Inquisition of the Universal Church or look at the recent history of the Churches of God.
But we must be careful, because we certainly acknowledge that the body of Christ, the Church, is part of the answer to this definition. Defining what the Church is, is beyond the scope of this message, but the idea that the Church is the primary explanation, or manifestation of the Kingdom of God, is inadequate at best, and damaging in a more radical explanation.
- Is the Kingdom of God just an idea that exists only in the hearts and minds of Christians?
Luke 17:20-21 is used by some to support this notion: “Now when [Christ] was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21… the kingdom of God is within you.”
Christ said this about the Kingdom of God when talking to the Pharisees. The idea of typical Christianity, that the Kingdom exists in our hearts is very popular. And it goes hand in hand with ideas about heaven and hell and that we are saved by acknowledging Christ as our savior and that’s all that’s involved. And it sets up very similar sorts of traps to the other question that we asked: Is the Kingdom of God simply the Christian Church?
If the Kingdom of God only exists in our hearts, then we’re suggesting that the evangelistic endeavors of Christianity is going to decide whether the Kingdom of God is succeeding or failing. Whether Christianity is expanding its kingdom across the world suggests that we are then obliged to fight this battle side-by-side with God for the souls of men. That God is in some kind of pitched war with Satan to save souls. And as we look at the world, the reality that we see is still not a very hopeful explanation of the Kingdom of God. It is very limiting.
This particular scripture in Luke 17 is misused because that’s not what Christ was saying. There are other more careful readings of the words that He chose. What He was saying, the idea that He’s “within you” is also translated, “in the midst of you; among you; or in your midst.” Here we see that Jesus as the King of the of the Kingdom of God, was pointing out to the Pharisees that He’s standing right there with them, and they didn’t recognize Him for who He was. He was not saying the Kingdom of God is in your hearts, particularly given that He was talking to the Pharisees. He was saying, “I’m right here and you don’t know who I am.”
The idea that the Kingdom of God is merely conceptual, that it is something that just exists in our hearts and minds is dispiriting. And again, we have to be careful, because the idea that there is absolutely truth in the notion that the Kingdom of God should exist in the hearts of the faithful, those who are under Christ’s sovereign rule are indeed part of the Kingdom of God, but there is a lot more to talk about.
- Is the Kingdom of God only the 1,000-year reign of Christ at His second coming?
The theological community labels those who believe in a one thousand reign of Christ “millennialists” and places them on the margins of Christianity. It’s certainly something that is shared across other versions of Christianity, but it’s a very small fraction of people that take that belief. The term is derived from the 1,000 year “millennial” reign of the Messiah, which will create a utopian society after Christ’s second coming. And it is criticized by many as being out-of-synch with scripture.
It’s easy for some who very concretely focus on that reign, to dismiss those challenges or those objections. Again, we need to be careful because we must acknowledge that the scripture is multifaceted. There’s a lot going on in scripture. For instance, the scripture speaks of the Kingdom of God in the present tense. It says:
“The LORD has established His throne…” (Psalms 103:19).
It says that those called by God now, are today, “translated” into the Kingdom of God: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:” (Colossians 1:13).
And it also says that those baptized are already citizens of the Kingdom: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,” (Philippians 3:20).
So, the explanation of the Kingdom of God must provide for those realities in scripture. Much of the Bible is dedicated to prophecies about this particular subject and the second coming of Christ, and the establishment of His Kingdom. It is worth everybody’s time to review what is considered as “fundamentals”.
In tying it together, one of the more interesting scriptures is in Romans 4: “… God… calls those things which do not exist as though they did;” (Romans 4:17).
When studying God’s word, we have to acknowledge how much bigger and better and more sophisticated God is than we are. There’s a lot of non-linear things happening in this particular subject, and we need to make room for that. There is a big consistent, beautiful picture that God is painting for us.
Another way to help us is by looking at the word “kingdom”. The Greek word for “kingdom” is “basileia” (bah-si-lay-uh) which includes the concept of a physical “realm.” A kingdom in the sense that most think of it would match well with the appreciation of a millennial reign of Christ. However, the word is called an abstract noun. It’s a noun that is more of an idea, than a place and time. That understanding broadens what “kingdom” means in this sense: we are not limited to a place in time when we talk about this. It is really the reign of God, wherever and whenever it is in effect. And that broadens our aperture a bit and allows us to consider more completely what God is describing.
“The LORD has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all” (Psalms 103:19).
Generally speaking, the Kingdom of God and His throne is not now extant on this Earth. That’s not where the focus of the Kingdom of God is:
“Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36).
Instead, God has allowed Satan a kingdom on this earth. Satan and other rulers have been granted certain spheres of rule: “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand” (Matthew 12:26).
And certainly, God has ultimate power, but Satan has a limited dominion, and that is here on this earth at this time. Even so, ancient Israel was a Kingdom of Priest and Kings: “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel'” (Exodus 19:6).
And from them the Bible says, “the Kingdom of God was taken”: “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it” (Matthew 21:43).
So, the Kingdom of God existed (in type) through ancient Israel on the earth in the Old Testament. That Kingdom that was “taken” from physical Israel was “given” to spiritual Israel, the Church, a “chosen generation . . . who once were not . . . but are now . . .” (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Israel was, and the Church is, a type of the Kingdom, projected into the earthly physical realm, which is the sight of Christ’s future spiritual throne. Hence, the Kingdom of God, in embryonic form, still exists on this Earth, in the form of the Church. So, the Kingdom of God has past, present, and future elements. It just shows some of the facets that we need to appreciate in understanding the Kingdom of God.
“For our citizenship is in heaven (present tense), from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform (future tense) our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:20-21).
God already considers us citizens of the Kingdom by that scripture. But we know that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption” (1 Corinthians 15:50).
We are all still flesh. Here the Bible appears to be contradictory but it’s not. It’s multifaceted. In addition to the knowledge that flesh and blood can’t inherit the Kingdom of God, we know that we are promised a future transformation, a glorification, and that has not happened yet.
Our citizenship is already confirmed. In that fashion, God already considers us citizens in that kingdom. It is incomplete and the citizenship that we have is really a pledge or deposit. Because there’s a lot more coming. So, regardless of that and those ideas that we are “sort of” in it, there’s more to come. We can certainly grab onto the expectation of this soon coming Kingdom of God, the establishment of Christ’s throne on this earth and His rule for a thousand years here.
He is going to establish a world-ruling solution to the pain and suffering that we see all around us every day. And we need that in front of us to survive the many disappointments and frustrations and challenges that life throws at us. And we cannot spiritualize away the things that God promises us, most importantly the Kingdom of God. There is a real firm tangible expression of that hope coming.
The Bible is replete with prophecy about Christ’s return and His rule here, with all the attendant physical blessings that that will produce. The Saints are prophesied to rule with Christ during that 1,000-year period:
“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4).
And that they will rule with Christ here on EARTH: “And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10). During the Millennium, those nations that Christ has subdued and brought under His rule will flow into the Kingdom (Isaiah 2:2-4).
And after Christ subdues the Earth, and judges those resurrected members of humanity, He will turn it over to His Father, after the earth is renewed by fire, and the Father will descend and establish His Throne here on Earth. They will then rule all things for eternity. And the faithful will rule with them (Revelation 21:1-3).
That Kingdom will expand in ways that we cannot comprehend: “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44).
In summary, the Kingdom of God is a literal government that exists now in heaven and is going to be established on earth at Christ’s second-coming. Christ will rule along with the resurrected faithful. And it will expand forever. It is also a present reality for those who have accepted God’s sovereignty over them and their lives. And the Body of Christ, the Church, is a spiritual precursor in which the faithful are being prepared for their future roles.
That was a lot to digest, but such a hopeful picture is worth spending some time with. It’s so important to hope. We all need that hope, and the world at large needs it too.
Staff