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Kingdom of God
What Is the Kingdom of God?
What does
the Bible say about the Kingdom of God?
by Mary Fairchild
The phrase ‘Kingdom of God’ (also
‘Kingdom of Heaven’ or ‘Kingdom of Light’) appears more than 80 times in the
New Testament.
Most of these references occur in
the Gospels of
Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
While the exact term is not found
in the Old Testament, the existence of God’s Kingdom is expressed similarly in
the Old Testament.
Key Takeaways
· The Kingdom of
God can be summarized as the everlasting realm where God is sovereign and Jesus
Christ rules forever.
· The Kingdom of
God is mentioned more than 80 times in the New Testament.
· The teachings
of Jesus Christ revolve around the Kingdom of God.
· Other names in
the Bible for the Kingdom of God are the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of
Light.
The central theme of Jesus
Christ’s preaching was the
Kingdom of God. But what is meant by this phrase?
Is the kingdom of God a physical
place or a present spiritual reality? Who are the subjects of this kingdom?
And does the kingdom of God exist
now or only in the future? Let’s search the Bible for answers to these
questions.
The Kingdom of God According to
the Bible
The Kingdom of God is the realm
where God reigns supreme, and Jesus Christ is King.
In this kingdom, God’s authority
is recognized, and his will is obeyed.
The concept of a Kingdom of God
is not primarily one of space, territory, or politics, as in a national
kingdom, but rather one of kingly rule, reign, and sovereign
control.
Ron Rhodes,
Theology Professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, offers this bite-size
definition of the Kingdom of God: “… God’s present spiritual reign over His
people (Colossians 1:13) and Jesus’ future reign in the millennial kingdom (Revelation 20).”
Old Testament
scholar Graeme Goldsworthy summarized the Kingdom of God in even fewer words
as, "God's people in God's place under God's rule."
Jesus and the Kingdom
John the
Baptist began his
ministry announcing that the kingdom of heaven was at hand (Matthew 3:2).
Then Jesus took
over: “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (Matthew 4:17, ESV)
Jesus taught
his followers how to enter the Kingdom of God: “Not everyone who says to me,
‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will
of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21, ESV)
The parables Jesus told illuminated truth about the Kingdom
of God: “And he answered them, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets
of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.’” (Matthew 13:11, ESV)
Likewise, Jesus
urged his followers to pray for the coming of the Kingdom: “Pray then like
this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your
will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’” (Matthew 6:-10, ESV)
Jesus promised he would come
again to earth in glory to establish his Kingdom as an eternal inheritance for
his people. (Matthew 25:31-34)
Jesus said in
John 18:36, "My kingship is not of this world."
He was not implying that his
reign had nothing to do with the world, but that his dominion came not from any
earthly human, but from God.
For this reason, Jesus rejected
the use of worldly fighting to achieve his purposes.
Where and When Is the Kingdom of
God?
Sometimes the Bible refers to the
Kingdom of God as a present reality while other times as a future realm or
territory.
The apostle Paul said the Kingdom was part of our present
spiritual life: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and
drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17, ESV)
Paul also
taught that followers of Jesus Christ enter into the Kingdom of God at salvation: “He [Jesus Christ] has delivered us from the
domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” (Colossians 1:13, ESV)
Nevertheless, Jesus often spoke
of the Kingdom as a future inheritance:
“Then the King
will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father,
inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.’” (Matthew
25:34, NLT)
“I say to you
that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at
the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew
8:11, NIV)
And here
the apostle Peter described the future reward of those who
persevere in the faith: “Then God will give you a grand entrance into the
eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:11, NLT)
In his book, The Gospel of the Kingdom, George Eldon Ladd
provides this remarkable summary of the Kingdom of God:
“Fundamentally,
as we have seen, the Kingdom of God is God's sovereign reign; but God's reign
expresses itself in different stages through redemptive history.
“Therefore, men
may enter into the realm of God's reign in its several stages of manifestation
and experience the blessings of His reign in differing degrees.
“God's Kingdom
is the realm of the Age to Come, popularly called heaven; then we shall realize
the blessings of His Kingdom (reign) in the perfection of their fullness.
“But the
Kingdom is here now. There is a realm of spiritual blessing into which we may
enter today and enjoy in part but in reality the blessings of God's Kingdom
(reign).”
Summary of the Kingdom of God
So, the simplest way to
understand the Kingdom of God is the realm where Jesus Christ reigns as King
and God’s authority is supreme.
This Kingdom exists here and now
(in part) in the lives and hearts of the redeemed, as well as in perfection and
fullness in the future.
Mary Fairchild
Christian minister since 1988
with General Biblical Studies and Missions degrees
Full-time writer and editor
specializing in Christianity, Bible study, and Christian living since 2005
Author and general editor of
"Stories of Calvary"
Experience
Mary Fairchild has worked full
time in Christian ministry since 1988. While in Bible School, she worked for a
major city church as the assistant to the dean of Christian education. Next,
Mary served on the foreign mission field in Brazil from 1990-1994. Upon
returning to the States, Mary became a pastoral assistant and office manager
for a large intercity church.
Mary worked as the general
editor on several Christian books and booklets for Calvary Chapel St.
Petersburg from 2006 until 2017. Recently, Mary joined the team of writers for
GotQuestions.org, where she provides responses to questions related to the
nature of God, the Scriptures, salvation, and other spiritual topics.
Education
Mary received a General
Biblical Studies degree from an Interdenominational Christian Training Center
in Central Florida. She also holds a Missions degree from Youth With A Mission
Discipleship Training School.
Publications
"Stories of Calvary"
(2008, Winepress Publishing)
"Exposing
Samson" (General Editor, 2009, Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg)
Mary Fairchild
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