Is kingdom of god a misnomer?

Answer 1

Not at all. First and foremost, a kingdom is a government ruled by a king. Does God have such a government? And if so, who is its king?

The Bible itself answers the first question in Matthew's gospel: "Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth." (Mt. 6:9, 10, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures) Here, Jesus Christ is teaching his followers what is known today as the Lord's Prayer (or, the Our Father prayer) in response to their query about what they should pray about. According to Jesus, God not only has a kingdom but it is something real, since Jesus instructed his disciples to pray for its arrival.

Another reference to this kingdom is found in the book of Daniel: "And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite." (Daniel 2:44, NWT) Since the kingdom set up by God is here mentioned alongside other kings and their corresponding kingdoms (which are explained in detail in verses 31-43 of the same chapter), we must conclude that this government that God sets up is as real as the governments that His kingdom eventually supplants. But who is its king?

One might conclude that since God himself sets up this kingdom, He would also be the king who rules it. But is that the case here? Notice what a different vision reveals to us, given by the same prophet, but in chapter 9 of the book bearing his name: "I kept on beholding until there were thrones placed and the Ancient of Days sat down. His clothing was white just like snow, and the hair of his head was like clean wool. His throne was flames of fire; its wheels were a burning fire. There was a stream of fire flowing and going out from before him. There were a thousand thousands that kept ministering to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand that kept standing right before him. The Court took its seat, and there were books that were opened." (Daniel 9:9, 10, NWT) Who but the King of Eternity, or God himself, would merit the title "Ancient of Days" mentioned here? (1 Timothy 1:17)

Now that we've identified who is seated on the foremost throne in this heavenly courtroom - the judge, if you will - let's go on to see what happens as Daniel watches someone approach the Court: "I kept on beholding in the visions of the night, and, see there! with the clouds of the heavens someone like a son of man happened to be coming; and to the Ancient of Days he gained access, and they brought him up close even before that One. And to him there were given rulership and dignity and kingdom, that the peoples, national groups and languages should all serve even him. His rulership is an indefinitely lasting rulership that will not pass away, and his kingdom one that will not be brought to ruin." (Daniel 9:13, 14, NWT)

So who is this "someone like a son of man" mentioned by Daniel? Could it be none other than Jesus Christ, referred to as - among other titles - "son of man?" (Matthew 8:20; 10:23; 12:40; 17:22; 24:30; Luke 17:26; 18:8; Revelation 14:14) Having identified the two main characters in this vision, we can now see that God appointed his son Jesus to rule as king of His kingdom.

(For more information about God's kingdom, please see chapter 8 of the book "What Does the Bible Really Teach?" published by Jehovah's Witnesses.)

AnswerNo. The Kingdom of God is just that. Kingdom's are areas ruled over by a King, annd God rules his own Kingdom. However, God's kingdom is not a physical place for we can glimpse God's Kingdom here and now. It is simply God's way of doing things rather than our way of doing things.

Jesus,as God incarnate, made this clear when he spoke to Pilate at his trial. He declared that his Kingdom was 'not of this world' and that he was truly a King.