what is god's kingdom according to the bible

First Aspect: the Kingdom of God. In this view the Kingdom is presented in its widest and fullest aspect; and presents to us the entire rule of God throughout the ages. The whole Kingdom of God is thus seen as originated and sustained by the infinite love, wisdom and power of God Himself; embracing all the forms and developments of His rule in every stage of the history of believers, from the beginning to the end of the world. In its full comprehensiveness it includes all the other aspects.

*We use the term "kingdom of God" in this place as expressive of the whole sphere of God's authority and rule.

As to authority and might, this was vested in Christ, and exhibited in the signs and wonders wrought by Him here upon earth. In this way the kingdom existed in His person, and at the outset had neither subject nor territory. The idea of the kingdom is the putting forth of the authority and might of God for the subjugation of everything to Himself, but this on behalf of man for his salvation. God makes bare His arm, and His arm is Christ; He is the arm of the might of God. He made bare His arm in sending forth His Son into the world. He is the Man of His right hand, whom He has made strong for Himself. It is by Him that God asserts His authority in His rebellious creation, and it is by Him He subdues it to Himself.

The Kingdom of God is the authority and power of God exerted for the preservation of its subjects from the evil by which they are afflicted, and for subduing everything under His sway of blessing. It was exhibited in the Lord's works while He was here.

A passage often misunderstood helps as to the force of it (Luke 17:20). When the Pharisees asked when the kingdom of God should come, the Lord replied: "The kingdom of God comes not with outward observation;" namely, in such a manner as to be seen with the eyes. "For, behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you" (New Trans.; Rev. marg. — not surely "within" Pharisees!). Again, it is as manifested in its characteristic traits and power, in Him who was in their midst. Later on, when the kingdom had been actually established by the testimony of the Holy Ghost to Christ risen, and glorified at God's right hand, we learn from 1 Corinthians 4:20 that it "is not in word, but in power," and from the same apostle in Romans 14:17 that it "is not in meat and drink; but in righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." It flows from this deeply blessed character of the kingdom of God, that even when Christ was here, and every lovely feature of it was displayed in its perfection in His Person, it needed to be born wholly anew to see it, much more to enter into it when established (John 3:3-5). Only do we enter into it in reality when, by the word applied to our souls in power by the Spirit, we are made partakers of a life and nature suited to such a kingdom.

That it formed part of the testimony of the Lord, as well as in the form of it given in Matthew, we know from such passages as Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:43: the twelve also and the seventy were sent out to proclaim that it was come nigh. It is, as at present known, the sway of God established by testimony over those reached by the testimony, subjecting us to Him; even as under the form of it, as the kingdom of heaven, it is the subjection of the soul to Christ, as at God's right hand. Hence it is said in Luke 18:17: "Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein." Both may be taken up in the way of mere profession, as we have seen as to much that is included in the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 13. But when the difference of moral character and dispensational form is comprehended it will be seen that the latter yields itself to this aspect of a professing sphere, rather than the former. Thus only two of the parables in which the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are contained are applied to the kingdom of God, those of the mustard seed and the leaven (Luke 13; Mark 4), though Mark prefaces these by a parable, peculiar to him, of the sower who leaves the seed to itself to spring and grow up, first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear, till the harvest is come, when he intervenes again to put in the sickle (Mark 4:26-29).

Mark does not give the parable of the leaven, which is never employed as the symbol of a good thing. The tree is so used; the first mention of a tree is in connection with creation good. There was a tree of life in Eden; there will be another in the new earth. And when the tree is used as a figure of blessedness (Ps. 1, Jer. 17) or for the power of Messiah (Dan. 2:44), all is absolute perfection. But when applied to man, or to anything committed to him, then comes failure and decay. Such a display of God's power in goodness as when Christ came, such a manifestation as had never been known before, was worthy to be called the kingdom of God. It is the revelation of Himself. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." Not His authority and power in judgment, but His character in grace. The kingdom of heaven now is specially the rule of Christ while He is at the right hand of God; the kingdom of God is specially His gracious power made known in wondrous ways to a lost world.

Verses 20-37 show that grace produces a watchful spirit in those who know it, and who know grace has been refused by the world. The Pharisees demanded to know when the kingdom of God should come. Very likely they hoped that He would give an opinion as to which they might be able to find Him wrong. How little were they prepared for His answer! He told them that the kingdom of God does not come with observation. This truth was paramount for the time: the kingdom of God was among them (marginal reading), and they did not observe it. For what is a kingdom without a king? The King Himself was there, the Son of Man; and there were some at least whose hearts had been drawn in subjection to His authority, without display, without ostentation. While the millennial kingdom will be introduced in great power and glory, observed by all creation, yet God's kingdom was and is now being formed in a vital, moral, quiet way by hearts responding to the lowly grace of Him who is King, but asserting no claims to a throne at present. The Pharisees, however, looked for the kingdom while refusing the King!

76 The Kingdom of God was present in the Person and power of Christ on the earth. The Kingdom of heaven is presented prospectively (at hand). The establishing heavenly rule with a heavenly character in those that were its children, poor in spirit, converted, becoming as little children, persecuted for righteousness' sake. By the rejection of Christ, the Kingdom became like (homoiothe) such and such, and not only the enemy sowed tares, but the fisherman's net gathered of every kind. But the good seed were the children of the Kingdom, and the object of the net was the good fishes. Next, the Kingdom of the Son of man is when Christ comes and establishes His power on earth. The Father's Kingdom is the heavenly part which is the source of all. So the Lord's prayer, so the explanation of the parable of the tares, introducing both these last - when Christ will drink the wine, be their companion for joy in a new way. Now, as far as Christ was concerned, it was only good seed, and no one entered into the Kingdom by Him but the converted - those whose righteousness exceeded that of Scribes and Pharisees. But in Israel Christ was gathering the wheat into His garner, His fan was in His hand. This testimony of the Kingdom of heaven at hand was to Israel, not to Gentiles, as in Matthew 10. They were not to go to them. The Sower, when Israel was judged, and the other parables in chapter 13, go out beyond this.

The Coming of the Kingdom. — To the advent of the kingdom in power attention is now to be directed. And this branch of the subject is introduced by a question addressed by Pharisees to the Lord. They asked Him when the kingdom of God should come [or, comes]. Often of course had they heard Him speak of the kingdom of God, which they connected with external displays of Divine power on Israel's behalf. There was truth in that. But as yet nothing of it had been seen. What prompted their question at this time is not apparent. The Lord's answer, however, was calculated to correct their mistake. The kingdom of God was already upon earth, though they were in ignorance of it. "The kingdom of God," He said in reply, "comes not with observation; neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, Lo, there! for the kingdom of God is within [or, in the midst of] you." There was to be the kingdom in mystery before its advent in power. Now whilst it is on earth in mystery those only see it, as we learn from the Lord's discourse with Nicodemus (John 3), who are born again. And none can enter it save those born of water and of the Spirit. The important thing then for any who had not then entered into it was to learn that it was already upon earth, so that they were not to be looking for displays of delivering power on behalf of Israel ere the kingdom could be said to be in existence. It was there. And, as the Lord had previously told the same class of people — Pharisees (Luke 16:16) — men were violently pressing into it; or, as Matthew writes (11:12), "the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." Without external show or observation it came, and was noiselessly spreading. The King was there, so the kingdom was already in existence in their midst. For in this sense it seems best to understand the term "within you," here used by the Lord, since probably none of His questioners had entered into it by being born again. They were most likely unbelieving Pharisees, not teachable disciples.

The kingdom of God and of Heaven is a sphere on earth where the rule of God is maintained. It is not heaven nor in heaven as some have thought. Since it had to be set up here by the Spirit, it must be different from the rule of the heavens spoken of by the prophet, Daniel 4:26, which is true from the beginning of time. Romans 14:17 explains it. Negatively — it is not meat and drink, i.e., not concerned with temporal things. Positively — it is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is a sphere of good and blessing where grace reigns through righteousness in contrast with the world where sin reigns. Three things mark it. The Lordship of Christ; the will of God which is salvation, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Thus the whole Trinity is at work on behalf of guilty man. The saints are subjects of divine grace and fitted to stand as good soldiers of Jesus Christ in the conflict which rages with the fallen hosts who have their head-quarters in the heavenlies. They are also consistent with the testimony of God's grace which is the Gospel of the glory of the blessed God. In fidelity to their Lord, the rejected King, they stand for His inheritance during His absence and are provided with the whole armour of God, in a power that is not carnal but mighty through God. It is true that this kingdom is spoken of as a lodging place for mere christian profession, and by the working of man's mind, to the exclusion of the Spirit, it has become an inflated mass. Luke 13:18-21. But it must be remembered that, though people get much of the light and beneficence of heaven in this land by a nominal profession of christianity, the real entrance into the kingdom of God is by being born again. John 3:5. "Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 18:3. It began at Pentecost and goes on till all things are brought into subjection to God by the Man of His purpose; all enemies put down and even death itself destroyed. 1 Cor. 15:2-28. The kingdom is confined to the Assembly during the reign of grace but when that company is summoned to be at home with the Lord, the testimony will pass into other hands by the resumption of divine dealings with Israel the covenant people. Judgments of various kinds both providential and governmental shall then be executed, in view of the kingdom being established on the earth in full regal display. Matt. 13:30, 41, 48. Matt. 25:31-46. The kingdom today is a bulwark for the House of God and all the treasures that are there — the precious things of heaven. As the warriors in Israel stood for the protection of the Tabernacle, the Priests, the Levites and the wives and children, so the church militant stands in the conflict for the maintenance of all that is of God. The place of the Holy Spirit in all this can be gathered from the place where the conflict is described and the way He is mentioned there twice. "And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel." Eph. 6:17-19.