First, what is the kingdom? We need to define it clearly. Scripture speaks about the kingdom of God in many ways, but at its core, a kingdom is the rule and reign of a king over a domain, enforced by his authority and power.
One of the clearest pictures of this is in Revelation chapter 4. This comes after the apostle John received the seven letters to the seven churches. The Lord addressed persecution, compromise, faithfulness, and disobedience. There were rebukes and encouragements. After all of this, John was invited upward. “Come up here.” He was brought into heaven to see the kingdom of God.
What John saw was order, authority, and worship. Beings in constant harmony, continually worshiping God. A throne. Judgment. Government. He was being shown that while chaos was unfolding on earth, there was a higher kingdom where everything had already been settled. Earth was reacting to what had already been determined in heaven.
Jesus speaks of this same reality when He says that when you see certain signs, you should know that the kingdom of God is near. He mentions wars, famines, pestilences, and disturbances in the heavens. These are not random events. They signal that a greater kingdom is pressing in. Whenever the normal order is disturbed, it means another government is asserting itself.
This pattern runs through Scripture. When the kingdom of God comes, shaking follows. Turbulence follows. Things that cannot remain must fall away so that what is lasting can stand.
Look at Israel leaving Egypt. Millions of people moving through the wilderness toward the promised land. To the nations around them, this was not peaceful migration. It was a threat. A declaration of war. How do you absorb a people that large into your land? You do not. You either fight or surrender.
That is why the surrounding nations reacted the way they did. Amalek attacked first. Jericho trembled. Moab feared. Bashan resisted. Rahab said it plainly. “We know the Lord has given you this land. Our hearts melted. Fear fell on us.” They understood what was happening. A kingdom was advancing.
God was forming Israel into a kingdom of priests and kings. His rule was moving into territories already governed by other systems. When a kingdom advances, another government must fall. There is no coexistence.
The same principle applies now. When the kingdom of God comes into a life, a home, a calling, or a situation, destabilization follows. What you once called normal begins to shift. Your desires change. Your relationships change. Your priorities change. Your character is confronted. Things that cannot align with the King are shaken out.
This is not accidental. It is necessary. A kingdom does not arrive quietly. It displaces what ruled before it.
The kingdom of God is not just a future reality. It is present wherever God reigns. Paul summarizes it in Romans 14:17:
“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”
The Kingdom is not about external rituals but about God’s reign expressed in:
• Righteousness — living aligned with His will.
• Peace — the harmony that comes from His presence.
• Joy in the Holy Spirit — the inner delight of knowing Him.
But that rule is established only after rival governments are confronted and removed.
When the kingdom comes, expect shaking. It means something greater is taking its place.
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