What is the "Kingdom of God"? How and Who will enter into it?

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand". Matt. 4:17 (NKJV).

The kingdom of God is referenced often in the gospels (e.g., Mark 1:15; 10:15; 15:43; Luke 17:20) and other places in the New Testament (e.g., Acts 28:31; Rom. 14:17; 1st Cor. 15:50). The kingdom of God is synonymous with the kingdom of heaven. The concept of the kingdom of God takes on various shades of meaning in different passages of Scripture.

The kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. Several passages of Scripture show that God is the undeniable Monarch of all creation: “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psa. 103:19).

“Kingdom of heaven” – this phrase is found only in Matthew. 

Mark, Luke, and John all use the similar phrase “kingdom of God". The teaching about God’s kingdom is a very important one in the New Testament.  It is referred to nearly 50 times in Matthew and about 140 times in the New Testament as a whole.

Kingdom of “heaven” indicates a rule that is spiritual and heavenly, having its source in heaven.  Kingdom of “God” means God’s rule among men or in men’s hearts. Sometimes God’s kingdom means the outward sphere of His rule, sometimes the inner spiritual rule in the hearts of His believers.

Both John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus spoke of the kingdom as being “near".  This was because Jesus the King from heaven was on the scene and His ministry was beginning.

So, there would be a new and greater manifestation of God’s rule than was known in Old Testament days.

Who are eligible to enter into it? And How?

The kingdom of God is a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority. Those who defy God’s authority and refuse to submit to Him are not part of the kingdom of God; in other words, those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God’s rule in their hearts are part of the kingdom of God.

How to surrender ourselves?

“Repent” - and “repentance” are very important words in the Bible. Noun and verb together are used more than 70 times.

Repentance means a complete change of mind and heart which produces a change in behavior. As John and the Lord Jesus and His disciples used the word it means to turn to God from wrong thinking and wrong doing and accept God’s Word and God’s will as the rule of life. True Biblical repentance results in sorrow for sins committed and a desire to be free from all sin.

For those who have been rejecting Christ it means to turn to Him and receive Him as Lord and Saviour. Repentance is linked with that true faith which receives salvation. A person without repentance is without true faith and so without salvation. The person who is not willing to turn from all his sins - especially the sin of not trusting in Christ and putting others or other things above Him - will not know salvation from his sins.

John preached repentance because the people of Israel were sunk in sin and unbelief and were not ready to receive the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Their condition was like that described in Isa. 1:4.

The kingdom of God involves repentance and the new birth, as God rules in the hearts of His children in this world in preparation for the next (salvation).