Recognizing the Kingdom of God
What does the Kingdom of God look like? The New Testament uses several titles for it: the Kingdom (Matt. 8:12; 13:19), the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 3:2; 4:17), and even the Kingdom of David (Mark 11:10). All of these names, though, describe the same thing. As with any other kingdom, the Kingdom of God is simply the realm where the King reigns. Jesus revealed to John in Revelation 22:1–5 that God’s Kingdom’s full reign is coming again soon!
In today’s reading, the Pharisees asked when the Kingdom would come. They expected a political kingdom where Jesus would overthrow Rome and its oppression of the Jewish people. They wanted to know how they would recognize the Kingdom. Jesus replied to the Pharisees that the Kingdom won’t be observable (Luke 17:20)
At some point, Mrs. Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons, asking Him to give them special positions when He came into His Kingdom. (Matthew 20:20–28) Apparently, James and John had previously approached Him, asking the same thing, and after He denied their request, they asked their mother to intercede for them. (Mark 10:37) Jesus told her that He was unable to honor her wishes.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus announced the nearness of the Kingdom. (Matthew 4:17) And, a few days ago, we looked at Jesus’ statement in Luke 11:20, “If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” God’s Kingdom is near, and it is even here, though not in its fullness. We can occasionally catch glimpses of the Kingdom, but our sight is not yet 20/20. (1 Corinthians 13:12)
Already, but not yet….
Jesus said that the consummation of the Kingdom would come as in the days of Noah. While Noah was busy about God’s business of building a big boat, everyone else in the world was busy eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage… until the rain started. Then it was too late because God had sealed up the door on the boat.
He also said the consummation of the Kingdom would be as in the days of Lot, when people were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building until fire rained down from the sky.
Paul told the church in Thessalonica that the day of the Lord would come like a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:2) He was describing the consummation of fullness of God’s Kingdom. We won’t know when, but Jesus repeatedly said that we must always be ready. The mindset might be best summarized in this way: “When you least expect it, expect it.”
Application
Do you have a discerning eye? Do you recognize the Kingdom of God when you see it? It doesn’t look like any other kingdom. Nor does it look like what most people would expect. If this seems surprising, then look at the King Himself for a moment: most people didn’t recognize Jesus as the King when they saw Him, not even His disciples!
In Matthew 6:33, Jesus told His disciples to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. This means laying down our priorities and adopting God’s as our own (repentance). Next, it means walking that out on a daily basis by making adjustments all across our lives—wherever the Holy Spirt is shining the spotlight. If we do this, however, we can be assured that God will trust us with opportunities to participate in the advance of His Kingdom presently, and we’ll be ready at whatever moment His Kingdom arrives in its fullness in the future.
© Copyright 2026 Craig Beaman