Defining Kingdom of God

Jacob D. Blair 2015

The most misunderstood phrase in the whole Bible is kingdom of God. I

heard someone say that a few years ago. I decided that I didnt really know
exactly what the kingdom of God (KOG) was. The problem wasnt that I
didnt have a definition, it was actually that I found two different definitions
floating around in my head. Sometimes when I heard or read KOG, I
thought of heaven. Other times, I would mentally insert the church. I think
Id done this for years without really recognizing it.
How would you answer the question? What is the kingdom of God?
a. heaven
b. the church
c. an erroneous first-century idea about Jewish nationalism
d. some weird combination of the choices above
e. none of the above
I set out to study this by doing a complete Bible search for this peculiar
phrase. I looked at each occurrence and tried to substitute the word church
and the word heaven to see which made more sense. Neither substitution fit
the context of every passage. But, I discovered why I had these two
competing definitions. In some places in the Bible it clearly talks about the
KOG in terms of a future entity. For example:
And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you
to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be
thrown into hell.
Mark 9:47 (NIV)
Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that
day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
Mark 14:25 (NIV)
There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God,
but you yourselves thrown out.
Luke 13:28 (NIV)
Whats more, Matthew sometimes uses the phrase kingdom of heaven
interchangeably with KOG. This only complicates things and further
contributes to the idea that it has something to do with life after death.
In other places, we see the KOG talked about like it is already present among
us. This is why I had that other churchy definition in my mind. For example:

But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God
has come upon you.
Luke 11:20 (NIV)
And he said to them, Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will
not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with
power.
Mark 9:1 (NIV)
Jesus said to them, Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the
prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.
Matthew 21:31 (NIV)
Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would
come, Jesus replied, The coming of the kingdom of God is not
something that can be observed, nor will people say, Here it is, or
There it is, because the kingdom of God is in your midst.
Luke 17:20-21 (NIV)
It seems the Jews of Jesuss day also had some confusion about what the
messiahs relation to this kingdom would be. As you read the gospels, you see
that the disciples are constantly expecting Jesus to do something to overthrow
Roman rule and restore Israels kingdom like back in the good old days of
King David. Word even got around to the regional Roman governor, Pilate,
who asked Jesus about it directly. Jesus replied, My kingdom is not of this
world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish
leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place (John 18:36, NIV).
If the messiah was to usher in the KOG, how could he die at the hands of the
Romans? The disciples were devastated. You see them asking themselves,
Did we back the wrong horse? It was the rising from the dead thing that
started to open up their minds to kingdom on a much larger scale. It wasnt
just victory over Rome, it was victory over sin and death much more
imposing oppressors of Israel, in fact, of all mankind. Yes, its bigger than just
overthrowing the current regime. Its what Daniel described as a kingdom
that will never be destroyed, greater than all the world empires before it
(Daniel 2:34).
Jesus corrects the disciples lingering misunderstanding of kingdom just
before the ascension.
Then they gathered around him and asked him, Lord, are you at this
time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? He said to them: It is not
for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own
authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on
you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:6-8 (NIV)

Here Jesus doesnt come right out and say to them, thats a bad question.
He gently redirects them with his answer, almost as if to say, Its not that
Israel has nothing to do with it, but think bigger! This kingdom thing is going
to go viral around the globe. After all, thats what God promised Abraham
way back when. He told Abraham, Through your offspring all nations on
earth will be blessed. The mind-blowing thing about all of this is that Jesus
commissioned his followers to participate in this world-changing blessing.
Like a dad who asks for his sons help building a treehouse, Jesus allows his
clumsy disciples to help him build his kingdom! He promised to be with us the
whole time and sure, hell come back and tighten up the bolts at the end, but
in the meantime he wants his children to participate in his kingdom as it
infiltrates all nations, social networks, and strongholds of darkness unto the
ends of the earth.
The key, to me, to defining KOG is in the Lords Prayer. May your kingdom
come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Theres an obvious
difference between how Gods will plays out in heaven and how it plays out
currently on earth. We all know that heaven will be perfect. I think the reason
we see some verses that talk about a present kingdom and other verses about
a future kingdom is because its both. Jesus commands us to pray for and do
things that bring the future heaven into the present brokenness. Thats what
Jesus was doing the whole time he was here giving us glimpses of the
heavenly kingdom on earth. The kingdom began penetrating the darkness
everywhere he went. Sick were healed. Blind received sight. Lame walked.
And the good news the news that the God himself had finally arrived to set
things straight was preached to the poor.
I love to ask people, What will heaven be like? because their answer can
help clarify the kingdom mission. For example, there will be no starving
children in heaven. Our mission: feed the hungry. There will be no sick people
in heaven. Our mission: make people well. There will be no loneliness,
suffering, or oppression in heaven. We have opportunities every day to fight
against these things sometimes in very small ways and sometimes in big
ways. Perhaps most importantly, in heaven there wont be anyone who doesnt
know the king and submit to his rule. There are plenty of people out there
who still dont know Jesus and he has asked us to make the introductions.
The KOG is wherever and whenever Gods will is done. Thats the working
definition I have right now and its a call to good deeds, prayer, holiness, and
speaking out about the king. Its not just a future thing; its an eternal reality
bleeding into the present age. Its not just a restored national Israel; its the
Abrahamic blessing coming to fruition for the benefit of all nations. As
Christians, weve already received our naturalization papers to the future
kingdom and as we walk about in this present shadow world there should be a
shimmering wake of heavenly goodness behind us. Hospitals, clean water,
adoption agencies, counseling centers, beautiful art, honest businesses,
caring neighbors: the world is getting glimpses of heaven here and there in

small pockets but when the king comes back, those glimpses will become a
permanent reality.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33 (NIV)