THE NATURE AND SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
The kingdom of
God is central to the teaching of scripture and should be considered as an
overarching theme or governing motif of the bible. The broad concept of God’s
kingdom appears in 57 of the 66 books of the bible[1]. It
emerges well over one hundred times in the New Testament and is most prominent
in the Synoptic Gospels.[2]
The kingdom of God is multi-faceted and has many different aspects to it but
the central figure of the kingdom is Jesus Christ[3].
How the church views
the kingdom of God will have significant implications in both theology and
practice. Its interpretation will influence the church’s view of Christ, of the
church and its mission, the gospel and its understanding of eschatology.
Furthermore a proper interpretation of the kingdom of God will impact one’s
interpretation of the Old Testament, especially the covenants and the prophetic
books, as well as one’s understanding of the relationship between the Old and
New Testaments[4].
Scripture never
gives one single definition of the kingdom of God because it is multi-faceted
and has many shades. Depending on the context of a passage, the kingdom of God
can be understood as the sovereign reign of God, or the realm of God’s rule and
sometimes the person of Christ himself.[5] It
can be further understood as the Universal Kingdom and the Mediatorial Kingdom.
The Universal Kingdom refers to God’s reign over all that exists. This aspect
of God’s kingdom has no beginning and no end. The Mediatorial Kingdom refers to
God’s particular reign in the present world through His special people,
redeemed by the work of Christ on the cross, and includes His entire
congregation from Adam onwards.[6]
Some have suggested that it would be more accurate to speak of two kingdoms of
God, rather than one[7].
While Jesus
never defined the kingdom of God He did illustrate it. He taught that the
kingdom of God was wherever He was present, whenever He or anyone else sows
God’s Word, receives salvation or, by the power of God, heals the sick or casts
out demons[8].
He also described the kingdom of God as a future eschatological hope ushered in
by His second coming.[9]
In particular Jesus taught His people to pray for God’s kingdom to come and His
will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Therefore there will be a time when
God’s reign in heaven will merge completely and finally with his particular
kingdom here on earth.
In conclusion,
the kingdom of God fills the pages of scripture and is essential to understand
if one is to grasp the meaning of much of God’s revelation in the bible. It is
multi-faceted encompassing both God’s universal reign as well as His particular
reign. It is present and still yet to come. God’s kingdom is Christ, His work,
His rule and His domain. Finally a good theology of the kingdom of God should
have a significant effect on one’s prayer life and will be an indispensable aid
to understand what it means to pray “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven”.[10]
[1] The Kingdom of God: An Introduction, by Richard L. Mayhue, Th.D,
MSJ 23/2 (Fall 2012), pp. 168, 170; Dictionary of Biblical Imagery , Leland Ryken,
pp. 478-479
[2] Dictionary of Biblical Imagery , Leland Ryken, pp. 478-479
[3] The Kingdom of God: An Introduction, by Richard L. Mayhue, Th.D,
MSJ 23/2 (Fall 2012), pp. 169; ACCS Lecture Nature of the Kingdom of God, by
Xavier Lakshmanan, 7:35m
[4] The Kingdom of God (theology in community), by Christopher W.
Morgan, Kindle Edition, Chapter 1, location 353 - 358
[5] Perspectives on the world Christian movement, edited by Ralph D.
Winter, Chapter 13; The Gospel of the kingdom, by George Elton Ladd; Imminent Domain: The Story Of The Kingdom Of
God And Its Celebration, by Ben Witherington III, Kindle Edition, chapter 2 The
Place of the presence, location 241
[6] The Kingdom of God (theology in community), by Christopher W.
Morgan, Kindle Edition, Chapter 2, location 761 of 5172; The Book of Isaiah and
God’s Kingdom: New Studies in Biblical Theology, by Andrew T. Abernethy, Kindle
Edition, Chapter 5 The Realm and People of God’s Kingdom, location 3270 of
5683; The Kingdom of God: An Introduction, by Richard L. Mayhue, Th.D, MSJ 23/2
(Fall 2012), pp. 170
[7] The Kingdom of God (theology in community), by Christopher W.
Morgan, Kindle Edition, Chapter 1, location 364
[8] Imminent Domain: The Story Of The Kingdom Of God And Its
Celebration, by Ben Witherington III, Kindle Edition, chapter 2 The Place of
the presence, location 241
[9] The Gospel Of The Kingdom, George Eldon Ladd, Kindle Edition,
Chapter 1, pp. 16
[10] The Kingdom of God (theology in community), by Christopher W.
Morgan, Kindle Edition, chapter 1, location 648
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