The kingdom of God was a central theme of Jesus’ teachings throughout the Gospels, and is found in key passages, such as the Lord’s Prayer, the Last Supper, and in numerous parables. The Sermon on the Mount, one of the best known of Jesus’ teachings, talks about the reality of the kingdom of God and provides important principles on how to live as Christians within God’s kingdom.
So what is the kingdom of God? In general terms, the kingdom of God is referred to in the Bible as God’s eternal and sovereign rule over the entire universe. “The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). The Lord is the Sovereign of the universe, and the kingdom of God is His reign (1 Timothy 6:15–16).
While the phrase “kingdom of God” is not found in the Old Testament, the concept of God’s kingdom is present in many Old Testament verses, such as: “For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:28 NKJV). Scripture also foretold of the one to come who would establish the kingdom, understood to be the coming Messiah:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore” (Isaiah 9:6–7).
In Jesus’ day, the general understanding regarding this long-anticipated Messiah was connected to the hope of deliverance from the foreign occupation of the Jewish people. Thus, there was excitement when people heard of a man who was doing miracles and speaking of the kingdom of God. Perhaps the time had come for the deliverance of the nation of Israel and the setting up of the physical national kingdom they had been waiting for. However, Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom went beyond the expectation of a temporal political or geographical entity. Instead, He in essence redefined altogether the kingdom of God.
A present or future kingdom?
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is both a present reality and a future one. On some occasions, He said that the kingdom had arrived (Mark 1:14–15), and at other times He spoke of it as yet to come in the future. Jesus’ miracles were signs that the kingdom of God had come and was present, at least in part, during His ministry (Luke 7:20–22).
For example, when Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He proclaimed, “Behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Luke 17:20–21). While this passage speaks of the kingdom being present, Jesus also spoke of it elsewhere as a future reality. “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 foundation of the world’” (Matthew 25:34).
So, is the kingdom of God something that was present in Jesus’ day (and continues to be present today), or is it a future kingdom which arrives after Jesus’ Second Coming?
When the kingdom is seen as the dynamic reign of God, it can be understood to be both a present reality initiated through the ministry of Jesus as well as a future one. The Bible teaches that the completion of the kingdom occurs when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom on Earth. “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).
Living in the kingdom
In the Gospel of John, we read that being born again is required for us to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3). It is through accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, believing in His resurrection, and entering into relationship with God that one becomes a part of His kingdom. For those who put their trust in God and enter into a personal relationship with Him, made possible through Jesus’ death on the cross, the kingdom of God becomes a present reality.
Jesus demonstrated through His life, death, and resurrection that the kingdom of God wasn’t an ambiguous future hope; through His coming, it became imminent and demanded an immediate response. In the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark, we read that Jesus came “proclaiming the gospel of God, saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14–15).
Jesus conveyed the meaning of the kingdom of God through His actions and revealed information about the kingdom through His teaching. His dining with the outcasts of the society of His day (the tax collectors and sinners), touching people deemed unclean, forgiving sins, and healing on the Sabbath gave a deeper understanding of the Father’s grace, love, care, and mercy, and the nature of His kingdom. Jesus teaching the disciples to pray “Our Father in heaven” brought them into a new relationship with God as their heavenly Father, making them part of His family (Matthew 6:9).
On top of that, Jesus made it clear that entrance into God’s kingdom wasn’t limited to Israel when He spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, telling her that “the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23). The invitation to enter into God’s kingdom is extended to all people, “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Revelation 7:9).
Entering the kingdom through belief in Jesus grants us eternal life, but eternal life isn’t something that only begins once we die. Eternal life, like the kingdom of God, is also a present reality and for us as believers has already begun. While our physical body will eventually die, our spirit will continue to live eternally with God. Our spirit—our essence, the person we are today—will simply exit the door of our present earthly life through death and step into the eternal continuation of our lives.
In the meantime, we are meant to be living within the kingdom of God in the present. When we are born again into God’s kingdom, the center of our lives completely shifts. Jesus calls us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” trusting that everything else will follow in accordance with God’s will (Matthew 6:33). When God reigns in our lives, we place our faith and trust in Him, and we seek to align our lives, our actions and decisions with His will (Matthew 6:10).
When we enter the reign of God, the call is for us to integrate our “kingdom”—what we have reign or control over in our own lives—with His kingdom. We are to seek to align our will with God’s and let His will, as expressed in the Bible, guide our lives. We are called to advance His kingdom by extending to others the invitation to enter His kingdom and to be a living example of His unconditional love for others.
Living within the kingdom in the present means that we allow God to rule and reign in our lives, acknowledging and honoring Him as the one who created us. It means striving to live in a way that honors and gives glory to Him. We model our lives after the example Jesus set of loving God and loving others (Matthew 22:37–39). Living in God’s kingdom means living day by day as one who has a personal, interactive relationship with Him—a relationship that encompasses our earthly life and continues on throughout eternity.