"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." — Matthew 6:10
The Bible presents the Kingdom of God in progressive phases — each revealing a deeper stage in God's plan to restore His dominion over the earth and in the hearts of His people. These are not separate kingdoms but different phases of one great kingdom, culminating in the final establishment of God’s eternal reign.
This study outlines:
The Kingdom of Grace – Initiated at the fall and ratified at the Cross.
The Kingdom of Righteousness – Established among the living saints prior to the Second Advent.
The Kingdom of Glory – The eternal kingdom fully manifested after the Second Coming.
Genesis 3:15 – The promise of the Seed was the foundation of the Kingdom of Grace.
Luke 17:20-21 – “The kingdom of God is within you.”
Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace…”
“The kingdom of grace was instituted immediately after the fall of man... Yet it was not actually established until the death of Christ. Even after entering upon His earthly mission, the Savior... might have drawn back from the sacrifice of Calvary. In Gethsemane the cup of woe trembled in His hand.”
The kingdom of grace was instituted immediately after the fall of man, when a plan was devised for the redemption of the guilty race. It then existed in the purpose and by the promise of God; and through faith, men could become its subjects. Yet it was not actually established until the death of Christ. Even after entering upon His earthly mission, the Saviour, wearied with the stubbornness and ingratitude of men, might have drawn back from the sacrifice of Calvary. In Gethsemane the cup of woe trembled in His hand. He might even then have wiped the blood-sweat from His brow and have left the guilty race to perish in their iniquity. Had He done this, there could have been no redemption for fallen men. But when the Saviour yielded up His life, and with His expiring breath cried out, "It is finished," then the fulfillment of the plan of redemption was assured. The promise of salvation made to the sinful pair in Eden was ratified. The kingdom of grace, which had before existed by the promise of God, was then established. {GC 347.2}
— Great Controversy, p. 347
🔹 Christ inaugurated the Kingdom of Grace at the Cross, making salvation available to all. It is spiritual in nature, ruling the hearts of believers who accept Him.
Matthew 6:33 – “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness...”
Daniel 2:44 – A kingdom set up by God during the reign of the kings, not at the Second Coming.
Micah 4:1-2 – “In the last days... the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established...”
Revelation 14:1-5 – The 144,000 standing on Mount Zion.
“Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.”
— Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 69
“The church is to be the light of the world... A city set on a hill.”
— Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 40
🔹 The Kingdom of Righteousness is a purified church on earth, demonstrating God's character. It is a visible, organized, spiritual theocracy under Christ, preparing the final harvest.
The Kingdom of Righteousness is the ‘stone’ (Dan. 2:44), the purified church in which Christ rules in person through the anointed servants — the 144,000 — before the Second Advent.
This kingdom is to be set up before the close of probation, for it is to gather the ‘great multitude’ out of all nations (Rev. 7:9).
🔸 The Kingdom of Righteousness will be established in the time of the Loud Cry, as the 144,000 first fruits proclaim the final message to the nations and bring in the second fruits — the Great Multitude.
Matthew 25:31 – “When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him...”
Revelation 21:1-3 – The New Jerusalem descends from heaven.
1 Corinthians 15:24 – “Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God...”
The Kingdom of Glory will initially begin with the purification of God's church, marking the start of the final phase of His Kingdom on earth. This is not merely a future event after Christ’s Second Coming but begins here with a cleansed, empowered, and triumphant church.
Ephesians 5:27
"That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing..."
Paul envisions a purified, glorious church — the initial manifestation of the Kingdom of Glory on earth.
Revelation 18:1–4
"...the earth was lightened with his glory..."
This great power and glory comes before the close of probation, signifying that the church, once purified, becomes the instrument of the Loud Cry — a key marker of the beginning of the Kingdom of Glory on earth.
Isaiah 11:10
"...to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious."
A prophetic picture of a glorious reign of righteousness, drawing nations, and a signal of the restored kingdom through His people.
Acts of the Apostles, Ch. 58, p. 600 (Last Chapter):
“The church is God’s appointed agency for the salvation of men… The members of the church… are to show forth His glory.”
Prophets and Kings, pp. 713–715:
“Clad in the armor of Christ's righteousness, the church is to enter upon her final conflict… Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners...”
This describes the triumphant church, glorified before translation, and aligned with Revelation 18’s angel of great power.
🔥 The Kingdom of Glory begins with the purification of the church — not at the Second Coming, but before it, through the Loud Cry, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the glory of God shining through His people.
This is the “stone cut out without hands” (Dan. 2:44), a kingdom formed during probationary time that prepares for Christ’s visible reign in Heaven and on Earth.
“The Kingdom of glory shall not be ushered in until the second coming of Christ, and until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.”
— Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 989 (Manuscript 132, 1899)
🔹 This final phase is the eternal reign of Christ, after sin and sinners are destroyed. It includes the New Earth, and God will dwell with His people forever.
The Kingdom of Glory is the final and eternal phase, when the New Jerusalem descends, and God reigns in person among the redeemed.
🔸 This is the culmination of redemption — a kingdom not only righteous, but now glorified, where “death shall be no more” (Rev. 21:4).
Phase
Description
Timeframe
Key People
Nature
Kingdom of Grace
Christ reigns in hearts
From Eden to present
All believers
Spiritual, internal
Kingdom of Righteousness
Christ reigns in purified church
Just before the 2nd Coming
144,000 & Great Multitude
Visible, earthly, spiritual theocracy
Kingdom of Glory
Eternal reign of God
Before and After 2nd Coming
All redeemed
Glorified, eternal
God’s Kingdom is not static but progressive—it begins in the heart, expands through a purified people, and ends in eternal glory. The Kingdom of Grace offered salvation, the Kingdom of Righteousness brings purification and power, and the Kingdom of Glory fulfills the promise of eternal life.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
(Matthew 6:10)
Let us prepare to be part of the Kingdom of Righteousness, so we may inherit the Kingdom of Glory.