There are several facets to the kingdom of God.
1) God as king. In 1 Samuel when Israel complains to Samuel that his sons are unworthy successors to him as judge and it was time the nation had a king just like the surrounding pagan nations, God told Samuel they were not rejecting Samuel but him. God has always been the rightful ruler of the people of God (indeed, of all creation for that matter). Ezekiel 34 records God's plans to dismiss the human authorities of the nation for their sins and incompetence and take over the position himself. Only in this way can the people receive good government.
2) Now and not yet. A recurring theme through Scripture is the partial realization of the promises of God in the coming of Christ. The kingdom has been realized in part, yet the complete manifestation is still future. In Luke 17 Jesus makes this explicitly clear; verse 21 speaks of the realized presence of the kingdom and in the very next verse describes the future coming of the kingdom.
3) Not political, not of this world, but a real kingdom. When Jesus appeared before Pilate he acknowledged that he was indeed a king but not of the sort that the Roman governor would recognize. John 18:36-37 records this statement.
4) Men are translated from one kingdom to another by regeneration (John 3:1-3, Colossians 1:13-14). This spiritual transformation occurs only by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not under the control of men. Furthermore, it is the only way by which real change in the nature of man can occur. What happens when secular governments try to change men--as they frequently have, with ample evidence in the 20th century of such attempts--apart from God’s transformative power? Most commonly such efforts end in large numbers of deaths.
By the way--happy birthday, Mom!
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