God’s Word Is Alive

What Is God’s Kingdom?

WHEN Jesus Christ was on the earth his main work was to preach and teach about God’s Kingdom. “I must declare the good news of the kingdom of God,” he once explained, “because for this I was sent forth.” (Luke 4:43) As you can see here, Jesus sent out his followers to do this same Kingdom preaching. (Matthew 10:1, 7) He even taught his followers to pray to God: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”​—Matthew 6:10, Authorized Version.

What is this Kingdom of God, and why is it so important?

Well, you know what a king is. He is the ruler of a country or territory. Because he is a king, his government is called a kingdom. God’s Kingdom is also a government. The Bible tells about it in these words: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called . . . The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.”​—Isaiah 9:6, 7, AV.

This prince​—this Son of the Great King, Jehovah God—​is Jesus Christ. God has appointed him to be the ruler of His Kingdom government. To see that God’s Kingdom was an important issue during Christ’s ministry, consider what happened on the day of his death.

The Bible tells us that the people accused Jesus, saying: “This man we found subverting our nation and forbidding the paying of taxes to Caesar and saying he himself is Christ a king.” On hearing these things, the Roman governor Pontius Pilate asked Jesus: “Are you the king of the Jews?”​—Luke 23:1-3.

Jesus did not answer Pilate’s question directly but said: “My kingdom is no part of this world.” (John 18:36) Jesus answered this way because his Kingdom was not to be an earthly one involving human politics. As God’s King, he was to rule from heaven, not as a man from some throne on earth.

Did you notice from Isaiah what God’s government will cause to increase so that there is no end to it? Yes, peace. So can you see now why that government is so important? No human government can bring lasting peace; only God’s Kingdom can do so. Jesus spent his life on earth telling people the wonderful truths about God’s Kingdom government. It was his main message. The Kingdom is still the most important issue today.