Has the Kingdom come?
Introduction. This question is a little ambiguous. "Kingdom" is used in different ways in the scriptures. However, in terms of the sovereignty and power of God along with the sphere in which this influence is exerted is generally used in two senses.
The kingdom viewed as future. When you find the kingdom being considered as future, the reference is often to heaven, or what we might call the upper kingdom. Christians are not yet in this kingdom. "For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 1: 11). In Peter's first epistle he mentioned the fact that these Christians' inheritance was reserved in heaven (1 Pet. 1: 4, cf. Matt. 25: 34).
The kingdom viewed as present. John and Jesus preached the nearness of the kingdom ("at hand," Matt. 3: 1, 4: 17). Some would not die until the kingdom came (Mk. 9: 1). Joseph "waited for the kingdom of God" (Mk. 15: 43). The kingdom was not to be secular when it came (Luke 17: 20--21; John 18: 36). One has to be born again to see and enter the kingdom (John 3: 3, 5). The kingdom was a key topic of inspired preachers (Matt. 3: 1, 4: 17; Acts 8: 12, 19: 8; Jas. 2: 5). The Lord's Supper is to be partaken of in the kingdom (Luke 22: 15-18, cf. 1 Cor. 11: 23-34, 10: 16). The kingdom of God is not meat and drink (Rom. 14: 17). The Colossian Christians were already in that kingdom (Col. 1: 13). The "Hebrews", John, and those comprising the seven churches of Asia also were in the kingdom (Heb. 12: 28; Rev. 1: 9). It is no wonder that Jesus used the terms "kingdom" and "church" interchangeably in this present sense (Matt. 16: 18-19)
Conclusion. In Dan. 2: 36-44, Daniel had prophesied that in the "days of these kings" God would set up His kingdom. This refers to the time of the Roman Empire that had superseded the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Greek Empires. Jesus began to reign as king in Acts 2 (Acts 2: 30-34) as His kingdom/church came into existence (vs. 47, KJV). Hence, the kingdom in this sense has already come and you can be a citizen of it by submitting to God's sphere of rule and becoming a member of the Lord's church.
The kingdom viewed as future. When you find the kingdom being considered as future, the reference is often to heaven, or what we might call the upper kingdom. Christians are not yet in this kingdom. "For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 1: 11). In Peter's first epistle he mentioned the fact that these Christians' inheritance was reserved in heaven (1 Pet. 1: 4, cf. Matt. 25: 34).
The kingdom viewed as present. John and Jesus preached the nearness of the kingdom ("at hand," Matt. 3: 1, 4: 17). Some would not die until the kingdom came (Mk. 9: 1). Joseph "waited for the kingdom of God" (Mk. 15: 43). The kingdom was not to be secular when it came (Luke 17: 20--21; John 18: 36). One has to be born again to see and enter the kingdom (John 3: 3, 5). The kingdom was a key topic of inspired preachers (Matt. 3: 1, 4: 17; Acts 8: 12, 19: 8; Jas. 2: 5). The Lord's Supper is to be partaken of in the kingdom (Luke 22: 15-18, cf. 1 Cor. 11: 23-34, 10: 16). The kingdom of God is not meat and drink (Rom. 14: 17). The Colossian Christians were already in that kingdom (Col. 1: 13). The "Hebrews", John, and those comprising the seven churches of Asia also were in the kingdom (Heb. 12: 28; Rev. 1: 9). It is no wonder that Jesus used the terms "kingdom" and "church" interchangeably in this present sense (Matt. 16: 18-19)
Conclusion. In Dan. 2: 36-44, Daniel had prophesied that in the "days of these kings" God would set up His kingdom. This refers to the time of the Roman Empire that had superseded the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Greek Empires. Jesus began to reign as king in Acts 2 (Acts 2: 30-34) as His kingdom/church came into existence (vs. 47, KJV). Hence, the kingdom in this sense has already come and you can be a citizen of it by submitting to God's sphere of rule and becoming a member of the Lord's church.