KINGDOM OF GOD — What Does It Mean?

The “kingdom of God” literally refers to the rule of the LORD or spiritual reign of God.

The kingdom of God is essentially synonymous with the Church (Matthew 16:18-19), but only if “kingdom of God” is defined in a narrow sense, as in “a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority during this present age.”

Those who rebel against God’s authority and refuse to submit to Him are obviously not part of the kingdom of God (“the kingdom of God” being the Church in this current era). By contrast, those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God’s rule in their hearts are part of the kingdom of God and therefore part of the Church.

This, of course, is separate from belonging to a particular sect of Christianity. In other words, all genuine believers are part of Christ’s Church — and therefore part of the kingdom of God — regardless of whether or not they function in this or that sect. While there’s the one true Church — which is the kingdom of God in this age of grace — there is no “one true sect,” regardless of what sectarian people may sincerely claim.

The Kingdom of God will reign to a large degree in this fallen universe during the millennial reign of Christ (when the devil & his filthy spirits are locked up in the Abyss) and over all physical creation in the eternal age of the new heavens and new earth (2 Peter 3:13 & Matthew 26:29).

For details see this article.