“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” — Matthew 6:10 (BSB)
“When Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied, ‘The kingdom of God does not come with observable signs. Nor will people say, “Look, here it is,” or “There it is.” For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.'” — Luke 17:20–21 (BSB)
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.” — John 18:36 (BSB)
“And the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.'” — Revelation 11:15 (BSB)
Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom in His first coming, proclaiming it in His preaching, demonstrating it in His miracles, and accomplishing it through His death and resurrection. As He taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come,” the Kingdom continues to grow through the ministry of the Church and the work of the Holy Spirit. Though not yet fully realized, it is present “in your midst” (Luke 17:21), as Jesus reigns now from heaven, extending His authority into the lives of believers and the world through His Word and Spirit.
In conservative Anglican tradition, the Kingdom is often spoken of as “already and not yet.” Article XXXVII of the Thirty-Nine Articles affirms that Christ has authority not only in heaven but also “in all causes ecclesiastical.” The Book of Common Prayer includes frequent prayers for God’s Kingdom to be manifest on earth, especially in the Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent: “Stir up Your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us.” The Kingdom is active now, especially in the Church’s faithful proclamation of the Gospel and the sacramental life.
The Kingdom is also eschatological—pointing to the day when Christ will return and establish His reign in full glory. Revelation 11:15 gives the ultimate vision: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.” This expectation energizes Christian mission and shapes Christian hope. Conservative Anglicans anticipate Christ’s return not as symbolic myth but as a promised, visible reality.
As Bishop Stephen Neill once wrote, “To live in the Kingdom is to acknowledge Christ’s Lordship over every part of life.” The Kingdom calls believers to submit wholly to Christ’s rule, seeking justice, mercy, and holiness while awaiting His return. It is both a spiritual reign within the believer and a cosmic reality breaking into the world. The Church bears witness to this Kingdom, even amid a fallen world, as a sign of the reign of the King who is coming again.
Irenaeus connects the Kingdom to the indwelling of the Spirit and the transformation of human life.
St. Origen (c. 184–253 AD) taught: “The Kingdom of God, according to our Lord’s teaching, does not come in such a way as to be observed; neither shall they say, ‘Lo here,’ or ‘Lo there’; but the Kingdom of God is within us.” — On Prayer, 25
Origen emphasizes the interior nature of the Kingdom, rooted in the soul’s submission to God.
St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) proclaimed: “The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. As such, it begins here on earth in the Church and shall be perfected in heaven.” — City of God, 19.17
Augustine stresses the present and future aspects of the Kingdom, rooted in righteousness and joy.
St. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444 AD) stated: “Christ has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but His by essence and by nature.” — Commentary on Luke, Sermon 12
Cyril sees the Kingdom as Christ’s rightful dominion, eternally established and manifest through His incarnation.
St. Gregory the Great (c. 540–604 AD) wrote: “The Holy Church, gathered from among the Gentiles, is the Kingdom of the Lord and His Christ, even now growing through the preaching of the Gospel, until it is made perfect in the final judgment.” — Moral Commentary on Job, 6.37
Gregory connects the Church to the advancing Kingdom, growing now and consummated in the last day.
An Anglican Catechism (Expanded) offers over 350+ Scripture-based answers to the core truths of the Christian faith. Each entry includes biblical texts, theological insight, and reflections from historic and contemporary Anglican voices. Rooted in the classical tradition, it is designed for teaching, discipleship, and spiritual formation.
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