The Kingdom of God: Now and Not Yet
Mark 1:15, Luke 17:21, Revelation 11:15
The Position
Inaugurated at Christ's first coming, consummated at his return.
The Study
## Core Position
The Kingdom of God is both present and future. It is present now — the born-again believer is a citizen of heaven, operating under the King's authority, carrying the Kingdom into the world through the Spirit. It is not yet fully manifest — its complete expression awaits Christ's physical return and the millennial reign. The Kingdom is spiritual in nature now, not geographic. It does not require a physical location. It advances through the gospel and the Spirit.
The Kingdom Is Now
Luke 17:21 — "The kingdom of God is in the midst of you." Present. Among believers now.
Romans 14:17 — "The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
Philippians 3:20 — "Our citizenship is in heaven." Present citizenship in a real kingdom.
Matthew 6:33 — "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." Something to seek and operate in now.
Matthew 19:14 — "To such belongs the kingdom of heaven." Entered through new birth — present access.
Colossians 1:13 — "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son." Past tense — already transferred.
The Kingdom Is Not Yet
Revelation 20:4-6 — The future, literal, physical millennial reign of Christ. The Kingdom fully manifest on earth. 1,000 years.
1 Corinthians 15:24 — "Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power." The Kingdom has a consummation.
Matthew 25:34 — "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Future inheritance at judgment.
Revelation 21:1-4 — The new heaven and new earth — the Kingdom's ultimate eternal expression.
The Relationship Between the Two
The Kingdom is not either/or — now or future. It is both simultaneously.
Now: The born-again believer has been transferred into the Kingdom (Colossians 1:13). Citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). The King's authority is delegated to his sons and daughters (Luke 10:19). The Kingdom advances through the gospel, the Spirit, and the lives of believers.
Not yet: The Kingdom has not been fully and physically established on earth. The Antichrist's global system still operates. The nations have not yet bowed. The millennium has not begun. Creation still groans (Romans 8:22).
At the return of Christ: The not-yet becomes fully now. Christ reigns physically on earth. The Kingdom that was always spiritually real becomes geographically manifest.
What This Rejects
Kingdom is only future — Colossians 1:13, Luke 17:21, Romans 14:17.
Postmillennial kingdom-building — the church does not establish the Kingdom by cultural influence; Christ establishes it at his return.
Kingdom is only spiritual/never physical — Revelation 20:4-6, Zechariah 14:4-9.
Kingdom requires a physical temple now — the temple veil was torn; the Holy Spirit left Jerusalem and dwells in believers.