Jesus' vision of the Reign of God one of destruction or of transformation?
In contrast to the more popular interpretations of his day, Jesus does not identify the coming of the kingdom with apocalyptic destruction, scribal legalism, secterian withdrawal from society, nor revolutionary uprising. Rather, through his words and actions, Jesus preaches a message of God's coming reign which is to be marked by personal, social and even cosmic transformation. However, for Jesus, the kingdom is not just a future reality. It is also 'at hand' in the here-and-now because God's compassion and mercy are available to all people at all times. This is the message in many of Jesus' parables and is proclaimed in his radical sayings and healing ministry. This coming/already-present reign of God is especially symbolized in the table-fellowship that Jesus establishes with all types of people including the marginalized and outcasts of society.
It is highly probable that Jesus understood himself as the eschatological prophet whose mission was to inaugurate the 'last days' of 'God's reign'. However, Jesus did not understand the reign of God in either narrow political terms (establishing a new political regime) or in traditional apocalyptic ways (the literal destruction of the universe). As we have seen, for Jesus the reign of God was linked to a new experience of the divine presence, something to be experienced in the here and now and yet whose final fulfillment was yet to occur. On the basis of the gospel portraits of Jesus, we can say that his understanding of the reign of God was both mystical--a new experience of God's presence in the here-and-now--and prophetic--the call to his followers to a personal and social change of
Some of Jesus’ faithful followers wanted to know when God’s Kingdom would begin ruling. Jesus answered their question by saying that they would not know exactly when it would rule over the earth. (Acts 1:6, 7) But, earlier, he had told them that when his followers saw a certain group of events happening all at once, they would “know that the Kingdom of God [was] near” and that the time for it to rule the world had come.—Luke 21:31
The sign that Jesus gave, along with Bible chronology, helps us understand that God set up his Kingdom in heaven in the year 1914. At that time, he installed his Son, Jesus Christ, as King. (Psalm 2:2, 4, 6-9) Soon, God’s Kingdom will rule the earth, and it will remove all rival rulerships and make the earth a paradise for humans to live in forever.Shortly, the words of the model prayer that Jesus taught will be fulfilled: “Let your Kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also on earth.” (Matthew 6:10