Are the kingdom and the Church identical? Are we Christians building the kingdom, working in the kingdom, and advancing the kingdom? Am I the only one who believes the kingdom and the Church are not the same, that the kingdom is future, not present? Jesus is building His church now, but He will establish His kingdom when He returns to earth in a dazzling display of glory.
At the turn of the 20th century, liberal clergymen were predicting a perfect era of human history brought about by good deeds performed by sincere religious men and women. They were “building the kingdom” and teaching postmillennialism. However, two world wars put a big dent in postmillennialism; clearly, the human race was not advancing toward Utopia.
The kingdom will not arrive on the heels of human effort. It will arrive when Jesus abruptly ends the vilest period in human history, the Tribulation, in which wickedness runs amok. He will judge the lawless, topple corrupt, satanic government tyrants, and then usher in His kingdom of peace and righteousness.
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