What Is the Kingdom of God?
What is the Kingdom of God according to the Bible? The Kingdom of God is the eternal kingdom that God Himself will establish under Jesus Christ. It will replace all human governments and establish God’s righteous rule over the entire earth.
When reading the Gospels, it quickly becomes clear that the Kingdom of God is one of the Bible’s most important themes. Jesus repeatedly preached about the Kingdom of God, taught his disciples to pray for it, and made it a central part of the gospel. Yet there are many different views about what the Kingdom of God actually is.
One of the earliest direct prophecies about this Kingdom is found in the Book of Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a great image that was struck by a stone and crushed. Daniel explained that the dream pointed forward to the Kingdom that God Himself will establish:
“And in the days of these kings, the God of heaven shall 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 destroy all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” (Daniel 2:44, Interlinear Bible)
This prophecy forms the foundation for the Bible’s teaching about the Kingdom of God. In the Greek Scriptures, the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, or simply the Kingdom is mentioned about 150 times. Its prominent place shows how important it is in God’s plan of salvation. Jesus even taught his disciples to pray:
“Let your kingdom come.” (Matthew 6:10)
Yahweh God is the rightful King of the universe. But since the days of Nimrod, humans have attempted to rule the world through their own governments and systems of power. Whether monarchies, dictatorships, or democracies, no human government has been able to establish lasting peace and righteousness. The Bible shows that this can be accomplished only by the kingdom that God himself will establish.
In this article, we will therefore examine what the Bible teaches about the Kingdom of God, when it will be established, and who will have a part in it.
The Good News Is About the Kingdom of God
The word gospel comes from the Greek word euangelion and means “good news.” But what was this good news that Jesus and the apostles preached? Was it primarily about Jesus’ death and resurrection, or was it about the Kingdom of God?
Jesus and his apostles preached the gospel for several years before Jesus was crucified. At that time, the disciples did not yet know that he was going to suffer and die. When Jesus began to tell them about his coming death, they did not understand it, and Peter even objected to the idea.
“From that time, Jesus began to show to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go away to Jerusalem, and to suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised on the third day. And having taken him near, Peter began to rebuke him, saying, God be gracious to you, Lord; this shall never be to you.” (Matthew 16:21–22, Interlinear Bible)
If the apostles did not yet know about Jesus’ coming death and resurrection, their gospel could not have been a message about these events. What, then, were they preaching?
The Bible itself gives the answer.
“And after John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God. And saying, the time has been fulfilled, and the kingdom of God draws near. Repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14–15, Interlinear Bible)
Jesus also said:
“But he said to them, it is right for me to preach the gospel, the kingdom of God, to the other cities, because I was sent on this mission.” (Luke 4:43, Interlinear Bible)
The message about the Kingdom of God was therefore at the center of Jesus’ preaching. He also sent his disciples out with the same commission: to proclaim that the Kingdom of God had drawn near.
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the message about his sacrifice and resurrection naturally became a central part of the gospel. But the book of Acts shows that the first Christians continued to preach both the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ:
“But when they believed Philip preaching the gospel, the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” (Acts 8:12, Interlinear Bible)
Paul did the same. He “reasoned with them and persuaded them concerning the things of the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8), and later he “earnestly testifying the kingdom of God and persuading them the things concerning Jesus” (Acts 28:23).
The Bible therefore shows that the gospel is not only about Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is also about the Kingdom of God—the kingdom that God will establish under Jesus Christ. The two are inseparably connected and together form the gospel that Jesus and the apostles preached.
The Kingdom of God Is a Mystery
Jesus repeatedly spoke of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. When the disciples asked why he spoke to the people in parables, he answered:
“Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but it has not been given to those.” (Matthew 13:11, Interlinear Bible)
Similarly, Mark says:
“And he said to them, to you has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to these, those outside, all things are being given in parables.” (Mark 4:11, Interlinear Bible)
Jesus thus explained that it was not given to everyone to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. For this reason, he often taught through parables and figurative language that could be fully understood only by those who were willing to listen and examine his words more closely.
It is therefore not surprising that today there are many different views about what the Kingdom of God is. Some believe that it is a religion, a church, or an organization. Others understand it as an inner feeling, a moral ideal, or simply the good within human beings. Still others identify it with various nations.
But what does the Bible itself say?
When we examine Jesus’ teaching and the rest of Scripture, the answer becomes clear. The Bible describes it as the kingdom that God will establish under Jesus Christ. It is this biblical understanding that we will now examine more closely.
What Is God’s Kingdom?
About 500 years before Jesus was born, Daniel prophesied about the kingdom that God himself would one day establish. In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the great image, Daniel explained that all human kingdoms would one day be replaced by God’s own kingdom:
“And in the days of these kings, the God of heaven shall 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 destroy all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” (Daniel 2:44, Interlinear Bible)
Later, Daniel received another vision in which he saw the Son of Man receive dominion from God:
“I was looking in the night visions. And behold! One like the Son of Man came with the clouds of the heavens. And he came to the Ancient of Days. And they brought him near before him. And dominion was given to him, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13–14, Interlinear Bible)
Daniel also tells us who will share in this kingdom:
“And the kingdom and rulership, and the greatness of the kingdom under all the heavens shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. And all kingdoms shall serve and obey him.” (Daniel 7:27, Interlinear Bible)
Daniel’s prophecies therefore show that God himself will establish an everlasting kingdom that will replace all human governments. Dominion is given to the Son of Man and to the people of the saints of the Most High.
Throughout history, humans have tried many different forms of government—monarchies, democracies, dictatorships, and other political systems. None of them has been able to establish lasting peace, righteousness, and love of neighbor. The Bible therefore points to an entirely different solution: God himself will establish his own kingdom.
Jesus says:
“The Law and the Prophets were until John. From then on the Kingdom of God is being proclaimed, and everyone is pressing into it.” (Luke 16:16, Interlinear Bible)
Jesus pointed out that a new proclamation began with John the Baptist. From that time on, the good news of the Kingdom of God was proclaimed. After John the Baptist had been imprisoned, Jesus began his public preaching:
“And after John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom of God. And saying, The time has been fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14–15, Interlinear Bible)
Daniel prophesied about God’s coming Kingdom and was shown that dominion would be given to the Son of Man and to the saints of the Most High. But it was with Jesus and the apostles that some of the mysteries of the Kingdom were revealed. Jesus explained in greater detail who would share in the Kingdom, how one enters it, and what it will accomplish. For this reason, it is especially in the Greek Scriptures that we find the most extensive teaching about the Kingdom of God.
Two Different Kingdoms
The Greek Scriptures clearly distinguish between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom for Israel. The two are sometimes confused, but the Bible shows that they are not identical.
Jesus said to the religious leaders of Israel:
“Because of this I say to you, The kingdom of God will be taken from you, and it will be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it.” (Matthew 21:43, Interlinear Bible)
This does not mean that God has rejected Israel as a people. On the contrary, Paul emphasizes that God has not rejected his people and that his promises to Israel still stand (Romans 11:1–2, 29).
After Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples asked:
“When they therefore had come together, they asked him, saying: Lord, is it at this time that you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6, Interlinear Bible)
Notice the word restoring. The Kingdom for Israel had existed before, but had been overthrown and was therefore to be restored. The Kingdom of God, however, is described differently. Daniel prophesies that God will establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed:
“And in the days of these kings, the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed…” (Daniel 2:44, Interlinear Bible)
There is therefore an important distinction between the two kingdoms. The Kingdom for Israel is a historical kingdom that was overthrown and that God has promised to restore. The Kingdom of God, on the other hand, is the everlasting kingdom that God himself will establish under Jesus Christ and that will never be destroyed. This distinction is essential for understanding many of the Bible’s prophecies concerning Israel’s future and the Kingdom of God.
When Will the Kingdom of God Come?
Jesus proclaimed that “the Kingdom of God has drawn near” (Mark 1:15). This does not mean that the Kingdom of God had already been established in power and glory. At the same time, Jesus taught his disciples to pray:
“Let your kingdom come.” (Matthew 6:10)
If the Kingdom of God had already been established, this prayer would make no sense.
How, then, could the Kingdom have “drawn near”?
Jesus was the anointed King of the coming Kingdom. When he came to earth and began his ministry, the King himself was among the people. Jesus could therefore rightly say that the Kingdom of God had drawn near. When he later told the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God was “in your midst” (Luke 17:20–21), he was referring to himself as the anointed King—not saying that the Kingdom itself had already been established.
The prophet Daniel shows not only that the Kingdom of God will be established, but also when it will happen.
In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the stone that symbolizes the Kingdom of God does not strike the image’s legs of iron, but its feet of iron and clay (Daniel 2:33–35). If the legs of the image are understood to represent the Roman Empire—the world power that ruled when Jesus walked the earth—the sequence of the prophecy becomes particularly significant. If the Kingdom of God had been established in Jesus’ day, the stone should have struck the legs. But Daniel shows that the stone does not strike until the feet, which represent the kings that come after the Roman Empire.
“You were looking until a stone was cut out without hands. It struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them to pieces.” (Daniel 2:34, Interlinear Bible)
When the stone strikes the image, the entire image is crushed. Only then does the stone become a great mountain that fills the whole earth (Daniel 2:34–35, 44–45).
The sequence of the prophecy is crucial. The Kingdom of God does not gradually take power while the governments of this world continue to exist. It is established when God brings all the kingdoms of the earth to an end.
As long as the kings and governments of this world still hold power, the Kingdom of God has therefore not yet been established with the glory and authority Daniel describes. Only at Jesus’ return will dominion over the world be given to the Son of Man and to the people of the saints of the Most High (Daniel 7:13–14, 27).
Jesus compared himself to a man of noble birth who went away “to receive a kingdom for himself and then to return” (Luke 19:11–12). Only when he returns will he assume his royal office and establish the Kingdom of God in power and glory.
The Bible therefore connects the establishment of the Kingdom of God with Jesus’ return. Exactly when this will happen, no human knows, for Jesus said:
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of the heavens, but my Father only.” (Matthew 24:36, Interlinear Bible)
Until then, Christians live in expectation of the coming of the Kingdom of God and continue to pray the prayer Jesus himself taught his disciples:
“Let your kingdom come.” (Matthew 6:10)
Brief Summary
What is the Kingdom of God?
The Bible shows that the Kingdom of God is the everlasting kingdom that God himself will establish under Jesus Christ. It will replace all human governments and establish God’s righteous rule over the entire earth.
Jesus made the Kingdom of God the central message of his preaching. He taught his disciples to pray, “Let your kingdom come,” and he revealed mysteries about the Kingdom of God that previous generations had not known.
The prophet Daniel shows that the Kingdom of God will be established when God brings the kingdoms of this world to an end. Christians therefore still live in expectation of Jesus’ return and the day when the Kingdom of God will be established in power and glory.
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