The Kingdom of God is a confusing subject to many people. This confusion should come to us as no surprise. The Lord’s own disciples often expressed their confusion and misunderstanding about the nature of the kingdom.
To understand what the Kingdom of God is, we need to know what a kingdom is. The word kingdom has reference to the territory or people over whom a king exercises his reign. It is the extent of a king’s reign. Thus, the Kingdom of God is defined by the things over which God reigns.
In a broad sense, the Kingdom of God has always existed and includes all of creation. God’s sovereignty is over all things and all people. However, most of mankind has always rejected the rule and authority of God. Thus, in a more specific sense, the Kingdom of God refers to those who acknowledge God as their King and submit to His rule in their lives. In this sense, the Kingdom of God is not identified as a physical territory, but as a people. Jesus acknowledged this fact. “Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, “See here!” or “See there!” For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you’” (Luke 17:20-21, emphasis mine - HR).
The Kingdom and the Church. In Matthew 16:18-19, Jesus used the terms church and kingdom interchangeably. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (emphasis mine – HR). Jesus promised to give Peter the keys to what He would build. Jesus was not speaking of one institution in verse 18 then speaking of another institution in the following sentence. That which Jesus is building upon the truth confessed by Peter (v. 16) is the subject of this passage. The church and the kingdom are the same thing.
The word church is translated from the Greek word ekklesia, which means “called out.” The church is made up of those who have come out of the world by responding to the call of the gospel. Those in the church have separated themselves from the rebellious, sinful world around them by submitting to the reign of Christ as their King. “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Col. 1:13). In this sense, the church is identified as the Kingdom of God.
Some preach that Jesus was unable to establish His Kingdom when He came to earth 2,000 years ago. They anxiously await its appearance at His return. In [future] articles, we will show that the Lord’s kingdom was established in the first century and is present in the world today.