The Kingdom of God is prophetic to when God would establish it, as declared in Daniel 2:44....
"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people.
It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
This was established 2000 years ago, when Jesus Christ ascended up on high as our Kingly Priest, to sit on the throne of majesty.
I am not an
Amillennialist, because I do believe in an earthly millennial reign through the established Church, purchased by the blood of Christ Jesus. I don't believe it is 1000 years, rather it is a number indicative of a time frame that is more than the number 1000. Just like we say several to mean two or more, the author uses millennium to convey a time period of more than the minimum stated number. The number does not become important, rather the purpose is a time frame exceeding a 1000 years at the very least.
Daniel 2:44 also declares.....
It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
This means a spiritual crushing and not a nationalistic crushing, like the Jews who rejected him had thought the Messiah would do, that is to literally pulverize his enemies through naturalistic forces, that is to be the god of forces for their nation.
The crushing is spiritual and in context to the Great Commission, that is to make disciples of all the world. The crushing or subduing of his enemies of his cross is through the gospel of peace, that is the winning of the hearts and minds of his enemies, by bringing them into submission, by their own free will choice. Was not once, Saul of Tarsus who would later be known as Paul the primary enemy of the Church and his gospel?
Offcourse!
Jesus brought Paul into submission by Paul's own free will choice and this resulted in making his once greatest enemy of his Church, the very champion of his Church for the Gentiles. Is not this ironic?
So this crushing has been happening for 2000 years and counting. If this is not the Kingdom and not the reign of Jesus Christ in the hearts and minds of men, then what possible reign could have any righteous and tangible meaning, that the righteous God could not have done himself, by obliterating his enemies through physical wrath judgements. But this is not the point of the game, that is, to destroy enemies by use of force is a weak way and pointless venture, rather God through the strongest way makes Christ's enemies his footstool that he can rest assured on, like Paul the once enemy of his beloved Church, his beloved City Jerusalem. Paul became the footstool of Jesus.
9Wherefore
we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. (2 Corinthians 5:9)
Paul is clearly emphasizing himself as the footstool of Christ, that is his foot soldier on his behalf.
23But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
24Then the end will come,
when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25For
he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
26The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
27For he “has put everything under his feet.” (1 Corinthians 15:23-27)
So Jesus after the end of the Great Harvest and at his brilliant coming hands over the Kingdom to the Father. This would imply the Kingdom has come and is part and parcel of his commissioned Church. Notice he is also destroying his enemies through his Church and by the preaching of his gospel. Even when he comes at the end to take his Church, that is to deliver his Church/Bride to the Father, he will destroy death by raising the members of his body in the resurrection of the dead and this is the hope of all members who serve him and obey his instructions.
There is no earthly millennium reign, after the harvest, when Christ comes to defeat the last enemy death, when he resurrects the members of his body, his Church.
Daniel 2:44 states that eventually earthly kingdoms and authority will end, so will this first earth and first heaven at his brilliant coming.
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it.
The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. (Revelation 20:11)
When Jesus comes to raise his Church in the resurrection of the dead and takes them where he is in his Father's house, everything that represents death, including this decaying world will not be left in his Holy presence, as Paul writes the last enemy death will be defeated.
Jesus will not come and reign on earth from a nationalistic Jewish point of view and his Holy presence cannot be surrounded by people dying and procreating, especially after he raises the dead and delivers the already established Kingdom to the Father.
The only person that will come masquerading as an Earthly Messiah for the nationalistic Jews, who insist on the god of forces is the other guy. So the Israel that was built up for Jesus 2000 years ago, has been rebuilt today for the other guy.
As Jesus said.....
I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me;
if another should come in the own name, you will receive him. (John 5:43)
The other guy comes in his own name.
As a final note, Jesus said.....
I will not say much more to you,
for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me,
The prince of this world according to Isaiah 14, is Lucifer aka as the Dragon.
