The Kingdom of God

When Jesus came to earth, He declared, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). That statement summarizes a truth that runs through the entire Bible: God’s reign - His redemptive rule over creation - has broken into human history through Christ, and yet it awaits its final fulfillment.

Old Testament Background

In the Old Testament, the Kingdom of God is anticipated through covenant and promise. God created humanity to rule under His authority (Genesis 1:26–28), but sin shattered that relationship and distorted creation. Still, God’s purpose never changed - He would reign over a redeemed people in a restored world.

• Through Abraham, God promised to bless all nations (Genesis 12:3).

• Through Israel, God revealed His kingship: “The Lord reigns” (Psalm 93:1). Even Israel’s monarchy was meant to reflect divine rule, though no human king fulfilled it.

• Through the prophets, God promised a coming King - the Messiah - who would establish God’s reign forever (Isaiah 9:6–7; Daniel 7:13–14).

But that kingdom wasn’t merely political or national. It was moral, spiritual, and cosmic - the restoration of all things under God’s rightful authority.

New Testament Fulfillment

When Jesus arrived, He proclaimed that the long-awaited Kingdom had come. His words and works demonstrated God’s reign breaking into the present age - healing the sick, forgiving sinners, and casting out demons. Every miracle was a sign that the power of the age to come had invaded the present world.

Yet, Jesus also spoke of the Kingdom as future. He taught His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). He described a final harvest, a coming judgment, and the renewal of all creation.

In other words, the Kingdom is both “already” and “not yet.” It has been inaugurated through Christ’s first coming - His life, death, resurrection, and ascension - but it will be consummated at His return, when heaven and earth are made new and God’s reign is fully visible (Revelation 21–22).

Explanation: The “Already and Not Yet”

This tension - between what has begun and what is still coming - helps us understand much of Christian life.

• Already: Jesus reigns now. He sits enthroned at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 1:20–22). The Spirit has been poured out, bringing the presence of the Kingdom into believers’ lives (Romans 14:17). Wherever Christ is acknowledged as Lord, there His reign is made manifest.

• Not Yet: Sin, death, and evil still remain. The world groans for redemption (Romans 8:22–23). We live in the overlap of two ages - the present age of brokenness and the coming age of glory. The Kingdom is real and active, but it awaits its full revelation.

This guards us from expecting a future, earthly, political kingdom established through human power, and it keeps us from assuming that God’s rule is only spiritual and invisible. The Kingdom is both now and coming - spiritual in essence, global in scope, and eternal in destiny.

Life Today

Understanding the Kingdom as both inaugurated and not yet consummated deeply shapes our daily faith:

1. We live under Christ’s present rule. Our allegiance is to the King who reigns right now. Every decision, every act of love, every word spoken should reflect His authority and character.

2. We join His mission. The Kingdom advances not by force but by faithfulness - by proclaiming the gospel, practicing justice, showing mercy, and embodying the values of heaven in a fallen world.

3. We live with hope. We don’t despair when evil seems to win or the world appears chaotic. The King has already triumphed. The resurrection guarantees that the final victory is coming.

4. We anticipate restoration. Our work, our relationships, our care for creation - all these things matter because they point toward the day when Christ will make all things new.

5. We hold tension with joy. We mourn what is still broken, yet rejoice in what is already redeemed. We wait, but not idly - we serve, witness, and worship until the King returns.

Contrasting False Expectations

Some expect that God’s reign will come primarily through a visible, political kingdom on earth before the new creation. But the New Testament makes clear that the decisive victory has already been won through the cross and resurrection. Christ’s return will not begin His reign - it will reveal it.

Others limit the Kingdom to a future heavenly reality, detached from the present world. But Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:21). His authority is already transforming hearts, communities, and cultures wherever the gospel takes root.

The biblical vision is more beautiful and holistic: God’s Kingdom has already invaded this world through Jesus, and it will one day fill the cosmos when He returns in glory.

The Kingdom of God is the reign of God through the Son of God, by the Spirit of God, over the people of God, for the glory of God. It has begun in Jesus’ first coming and will be completed at His second.

Until then, we live as citizens of the Kingdom - ambassadors of the King - displaying in word and deed what life under His gracious rule looks like, as we wait for the day when faith becomes sight and the whole creation declares, “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).

Resource: For more on the kingdom, check out my book on Revelation here.