the Kingdom of God

In the centuries before the Messiah, God said in the Book of the Prophet Daniel (2:44) that at a future time he would “establish a kingdom” that “will remain forever.” This is called the Kingdom of God. God also said (in Daniel 7:13-14) that he would appoint, as the king over his kingdom, “one like a young man” and would give him “authority, glory, and power as king so that all people would serve him, from the different ethnic groups, nations, and languages.” This future king was called the Messiah. When the time came, God sent Jesus as the Messiah to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. Jesus himself said that God had given him authority over all things (Matthew 28:18; Luke 10:22; John 13:3). He called people to repent and believe in him so that God would forgive their sins, immerse them in his Holy Spirit, and grant them eternal life in his glorious kingdom (Paradise).

Most Jews expected the Messiah to appear suddenly and draw all the righteous people to his side, then lead them in victory against the evildoers and unbelievers and establish a powerful kingdom on earth. In contrast to this, Jesus the Messiah said the Kingdom of God begins small like a mustard seed, with just a few people following the King, but it grows as more and more people put their faith in the Messiah as their King (Luke 13:18-19). And like yeast mixed into bread dough, the Kingdom is nearly invisible at first, but eventually it spreads throughout the world (Luke 13:20-21).

Most Jews expected the Kingdom of God and its King to be political and visible from its beginning, but Jesus said his kingdom is not visible and "is not of this world" (Luke 17:20; John 18:36). Instead, he ascended to heaven and sat to the right of God (Luke 22:69; Acts 2:33), from where he rules both those living on earth and those who have gone to Paradise (1 Peter 3:22; Revelation 1:5).

This Kingdom comes in stages. (1) The Kingdom began when Jesus the Messiah came as the King. (2) The Kingdom grows as God adds more people to it. They enter the Kingdom by becoming disciples of the King, Jesus the Messiah. Their sins are forgiven (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38), they are freed from the law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39; Romans 6:14), and they receive God’s Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 2:38). The Holy Spirit cleanses their hearts and gives them power to resist selfish desires, and fills them with love for God and others (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22; 1 John 4:7). (3) Then when they die, they go to be with Jesus the Messiah in God’s Kingdom in heaven. This is also called Paradise (Luke 23:43). (4) Finally, the Kingdom of God will come in full at the end of this age. Jesus the Messiah will return in a cloud, like lightning, with all power and glory (Luke 17:24; Luke 21:27), to establish the eternal Kingdom (Luke 21:31). He will destroy all evil and opposition (1 Corinthians 15:24-25), raise the dead (John 5:28-29; John 6:40), judge the nations (Matthew 25:31-33; Acts 10:42; Acts 17:31), send the lost into the fire, and then welcome the righteous into God’s eternal Kingdom (Matthew 25:34-46; Revelation 11:15) on a new earth (2 Peter 3:13). There will no longer be any corruption or evil desires (2 Peter 3:13) and no death, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4) but only righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17; 2 Peter 1:4). Then “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43).