The kingdom is what the scriptures are all about. In the New Testament, there are numerous instances where the phrase “kingdom” is mentioned. Jesus said that when He taught His disciples how he prays, he would ask God for His kingdom. Jesus refers to God’s kingdom when he sends His disciples to preach about the gospel. He said to them, “Go preach the gospel about God’s kingdom …” (Luke 9, 1-2). Paul talks about God’s kingdom in his sermons in the New Testament (Acts 21:25, 28.23 & 28:31).
According to the Gospel of Matthew, the term “kingdom God” is called the “kingdom in heaven.” The kingdom of God is not different from the kingdom. They say that Jews were used to substituting divine words with different words. The reason they used the word God’ instead of ‘heaven’ was for circumlocution and not other reasons. Other scholars disagree and argue that the kingdoms God and heaven differ from each other. This is because the kingdoms God and heaven exist in the past (already on the earth), while the kingdoms God (already on the planet) are future (yetto come). In general, the term kingdom refers to the rule, kingship or government. Jesus’ New Testament teachings regarding the kingdoms of God indicate that they are already present and exist (Livingstone2000). The establishment of God’s control on the Earth, through the destruction all evil, will result in the formation of peace, health, happiness and prosperity for all peoples in the future.
Browning (1997) says that synoptic passages show evidence that God’s kingdom was already established at the time Jesus Christ lived. Because Jesus taught that the kingdom was already established in His ministry. Luke 11:20 shows this well. Jesus said that if He cast out demons in His finger, the kingdom of God will come upon him. Jesus spoke these words while cursing out demons from an mute young man.
Jesus spoke of the mysterious arrival in His parables. Jesus referred to the kingdom of God as a hidden treasure in the parable about the hidden treasure. Jesus meant that the kingdom and treasure of God were already present on Earth by referring it to as a hidden jewel (Browning, 1997). It was incumbent on the people that they seek this kingdom, by abstaining completely from evil. The New Testament mentions that Solomon was the greatest (Browning, 1997). This statement implies that the kingdom and power of God was present in the world at the same time as Jesus Christ.
Bradshaw (1991), using the parable with the mustard seeds, argues that the kingdom God will be a reality in the near future. Jesus likens the kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seeds in his parable. Jesus spoke of a mustard-seed as a tiny seed that is almost invisible. The seeds are buried in the soil. This causes them to germinate and grow into big trees. Jesus made a comparison between the growth of God’s kingdom and the growth from mustard seeds. Bradshaw interprets the story to say that God’s kingdom began when He sent Jesus Christ to earth (1991). The arrival of Jesus Christ can be compared to the planting of mustard seeds in the soil.
Jesus showed His disciples how to resist evil while on earth. This was demonstrated by His willingness to suffer and his ability to endure temptations. He died later and returned to his father. He did not leave the mission of spreading the gospel of God’s kingdom to His disciples. The gospel of God’s kingdom has been spread throughout the globe for many centuries. Bradshaw compares the situation to the rise of the mustard plant (1991). Jesus will pass the kingdom to God in the end, when all evil is gone from the earth. God will still be the ruler of His kingdom forever after that point. The parable on the mustard seed is a clear example of how scriptures speak of God’s kingdom. It refers specifically to God’s reign through Jesus Christ. God then hands over His kingdom for eternity. (Bradshaw. 1991).
Further evidence is provided by Mark’s book. It shows that the kingdom God covers both the past and future. “Now John had been put in prison. Jesus then came to Galilee to preach about the kingdom. Repent and believe in Jesus Christ (Mark 1:14-15). This scripture indicates that Jesus established the kingdom by ascending on earth. He also created it through His spreading of the gospel. Bradshaw claims that Jesus used Mark 1:15’s words to explain that the kingdom and future of God were both present and future aspects of His kingdom. This was because He wanted His listeners to understand that the kingdom and future of God meant that people had to stop believing in evil and accept the gospel (Bradshaw 1991).
Ladd says that the kingdom is God’s establishment on earth of God’s rule through Jesus Christ (1959). The ultimate objective in establishing the kingdom is God’s perfect reign in all of creation (Ladd, 1959). However, God’s reign on earth cannot be accomplished in one act. It is made up of three stages. These are the three stages that lead to the future and present parts of the kingdom. Ladd refers specifically to Paul’s teachings on the establishment the kingdom. John the Baptist prepares for the coming the kingdom, followed by Jesus Christ’s arrival and the final stage is the coming the end. The two previous stages are the current kingdom of God. The third stage is the future kingdom, in which Jesus will give the kingdom to His Father (Ladd 1959).
Ladd’s view of the kingdom is in the Revelation, which states that Jesus is working to defeat the enemy of God. This is in order for God to establish an eternal reign in the universe. The present kingdom is set to continue until Jesus defeats all enemies. Jesus showed that He can conquer all enemies by resurrecting (Ladd, 1959). Paul refers to the death of Jesus as an enemy. Since one sins, death is a enemy (Romans 6;23). After Jesus conquered all evil, even death, the future kingdom will come into effect. The book Revelation describes the future Kingdom of God as characterized God’s goodness and abundance on Earth. There will never be evil or death. This kingdom will endure forever.
Bowker (1997) claims that the word ‘the Kingdom of God’ is the same as the term, ‘the Kingdom of Heaven’. Jesus’ parables illustrate the present kingdom. The Concise Oxford Dictionary regarding the kingdom is a similar view to other religious scholars. Accordingly, the kingdom is defined as the destruction of God’s enemies on Earth through Jesus Christ.
Augustine was one of the last antiquity religious scholars to attempt to define God’s kingdom by connecting it with the Church. Augustine argued that the kingdom or God is when humans do God’s will. This was the opposite of Satanic kingdom (Bowker.1997) The mediaeval period’s religious scholars also connected the kingdom to the church. They saw it as visible through the hierarchical churches. Contemporary theologians see the kingdom God as “the condition of human affairs in accordance God’s will”. (Bowker. 1997).
Different theologians and religious scholars have taken different approaches to understanding the meanings of the kingdom, which was repeatedly referred to throughout the New Testament through Jesus’ teachings. The kingdom of God is both present- and future-oriented. Through Jesus Christ, God has conquered evil through the present aspects. This began when God sent Jesus Christ to the earth. Jesus spoke about the kingdom and God’s love through His gospel. He also instructed His disciples that they continue to preach the gospel until He returns to heaven. Christians must follow Jesus’ teachings and they can eliminate evil. The final victory of Jesus over evil will bring about the future kingdom where God will rule for eternity.