The kingdom of God

There are many aspects of Jesus Christ and His relationship with His church and mankind in general. One that is not emphasized much these days is that He is King, and as such He has authority over everyone and everything (Ps 10:16, Ps 47:2 & 7, Ps 95:3, 1Tim 1:17, 1Tim 6:15, Rev 19:16). As King, He has a kingdom, and there are many aspects of what His kingdom is. Some have asserted that there is a difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven, but the scriptures do not bear that out. The book of Matthew is where the phrase “the kingdom of heaven” is found. Since Mark and Luke have many of the same references but using the phrase “the kingdom of God”, there is no scriptural distinction. Here is a list of some the meanings of what His kingdom is.

1. It is spiritual. It is not something visible but it is within you (Lk 17:20-21). It is not of this

world (Jn 18:36). It is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Rom 14:17).

2. A kingdom is not just a geographical jurisdiction. It is also a people. For the Lord, it is the

church. He delegates His authority to those in His kingdom (Ex 19:6, Dan 7:18 &27, Mt

5:3, Mt 16:18, Mt 20:20-28, Lk 10:19, Lk 22:20, 1Pet 2:8, Rev 1:6, Rev 5:10, Rev 19:14,

Rev 20:4).

3. It is His authority over both the spiritual and natural worlds (Col 1:16, Col 2:10 & 15, Eph

1:21).

4. It is His authority over the kingdoms of men (1Chr 29:11, Ps 22:28, Dan 4, 1Tim 1:17,

1Tim 6:15, Rev 19:16).

5. It is forever (Ps 45:6. Ps 145:13, Is 9:7, Mt 6:13).

6. It is the manifestation of His power (Mt 12:28, Mt 19:28, Mk 9:1, 1Cor 4:20).

7. It is eternal life (Mt 19:23, Mt 22:2, Mk 9:47).

8. It is the inheritance of His people (Mt 25:24, Jn 3:3-5, Eph 5:5, Jam 2:5, 1Cor 6:9-10, 1Cor

15:50, Gal 5:21).

9. It is the fulfillment of the Messianic hope to the nation of Israel specifically and to all

mankind (Lk 1:71-75, Lk 19:11, Lk 23:42, Acts 1:6, 1Cor 15:24). Thus, it is a literal

kingdom that shall be set up on the earth at the end of this age (Dan 2:44, Dan 7:22-27,

Zech 14, Rev 19:11-20:6).

These meanings are important for His people to understand, so they can know what is available to them now and in eternity. They are also important in properly understanding the meaning of some passages that people sometimes have difficulty understanding, such as Matthew 16:28. The key as is often the case is the context which will help us discern which meaning or meanings apply to that passage.