What Is the Kingdom of God? — From a Partial-Preterist & Postmillennial Perspective

In many churches today, discussions about the “Kingdom of God” often focus on a dramatic future: the Lord’s return, a thousand-year reign, and a glorious millennium on earth. However, from the vantage point of Partial Preterism, especially when combined with the hopeful outlook of Postmillennialism, the Kingdom of God is not solely a distant promise but a present reality unfolding in history.

Partial Preterism: a brief introduction

Preterism (from Latin praeter, meaning “past”) is a way of reading biblical prophecy that holds that many or in some cases all of the prophecies about “last days” have already been fulfilled. 

• Partial Preterism says that a majority of New Testament prophecies, especially those in the prophetic sections of the gospels (e.g., the Olivet Discourse) and many visions in the Book of Revelation, were fulfilled by the first century, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. 

• At the same time, Partial Preterism maintains orthodox Christian hope: there remains a future, bodily return of Christ, a final resurrection, and a last judgment. 

Thus, Partial Preterism seeks a balanced hermeneutic: fulfilled prophecy where Scripture leads, but future consummation where Scripture promises.

The Kingdom of God as “Already-But-Not-Yet”

For Partial Preterists, the Kingdom of God is not merely a future dream; it is already present, active, and growing. Many prophecies once thought to point to an eschatological future have found their first fulfillment in history; yet the final consummation remains ahead. As one recent summary puts it: “partial preterism sees the Kingdom as already present and growing.” 

Indeed, passages such as “the kingdom of God is in your midst” (cf. Luke 17:21) acquire a concrete, fulfilled meaning: Christ inaugurated His reign, and through His resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the reign of God began in, with, and through the people of God. 

In this view, the Kingdom is not a far-off realm but a present reality: Christ reigns now, his gospel is advancing, and the people of God are instruments of that reign. Over time, as the gospel permeates societies and cultures, the rule of Christ expands.

Compatibility with Postmillennialism: Hopeful, Historical, Evangelistic

When Partial Preterism is paired with Postmillennialism, the picture becomes both historic and hopeful.

• Postmillennialism believes that Christ’s kingdom, inaugurated at His first coming, will progressively extend through history as the gospel spreads, the church grows, and Christian influence permeates societies.

• According to this view, before Christ’s visible return, there will come a long era figuratively “the millennium,” in which righteousness, peace, and godliness increasingly shape human affairs. 

• Then, at the end of this golden era, Christ will return bodily, followed by general resurrection and final judgment. 

Hence, combining Partial Preterism with Postmillennialism offers a unified eschatological framework: many prophecies have already been fulfilled, the Kingdom is currently expanding, and the final consummation still awaits.

Why This View Is More Biblical and More Hopeful than Others

1. Faithfulness to historical context and apostolic audience. Partial Preterism honours the original context of prophetic warnings (such as those in the Olivet Discourse or Revelation). When Jesus or John spoke of coming judgment or “this generation,” this view takes seriously their likely reference to first-century events, not arbitrarily postponing them to distant future centuries.

2. Confidence in fulfilled prophecy builds trust in divine faithfulness. By seeing how prophecies were concretely fulfilled, for example, in AD 70, believers can say with assurance that God’s word is reliable. As some writers put it, recognizing fulfilled prophecy “strengthens our trust” that God “did exactly what He said He would do.” 

3. Avoids speculative futurism and endless waiting. Many eschatological models keep believers in suspense, expecting sign after sign, trying to “decode” world events as fulfillments. In contrast, the Partial Preterist–Postmillennial view grounds hope in history and in the present mission: the Kingdom is already among us, and we participate in its growth.

4. Gives active purpose to Christian life and mission. If the Kingdom is already present and growing, then Christians today have a meaningful role: preaching the gospel, discipling nations, bringing justice and mercy, working for societal transformation, confident that over time, Christ’s reign can shape culture, law, values, and institutions. That aligns with the Great Commission and gives hope for real social progress under Christ’s sovereignty.

5. Preserves orthodox future hope. Unlike more radical “full-preterist” positions (which claim all prophecy already happened and deny a future bodily return, resurrection, or final judgment), Partial Preterism retains the core of Christian hope: the visible return of Christ, final resurrection, and eternal destiny. 

An Invitation: Consider This View in Your Studies and Research

If you are studying theology, church history, biblical prophecy, or Christian mission, I encourage you to give serious attention to the Partial Preterist + Postmillennial framework.

• Explore early-dating theories of Revelation (why some scholars believe the book was written before AD 70).

• Re-examine prophetic texts such as the Olivet Discourse, the book of Revelation, and Old Testament prophecies in their historical context.

• Reflect on how the Kingdom of God might already be growing in your community, your nation, and around the world.

• Ask how this perspective might shape Christian mission, social engagement, hope, and ethics.

In doing so, you may discover that the Kingdom of God is not only a future hope waiting beyond the clouds but a present reality transforming hearts, communities, and nations.

Conclusion

From the lens of Partial Preterism, the Kingdom of God is already here: inaugurated by Christ, manifested in the Church, unfolding in history. When embraced with Postmillennial optimism, this view becomes deeply hopeful and mission-oriented: God’s reign is advancing, and we are its agents. This dual affirmation that prophecy can be fulfilled, and yet hope remains, grounds eschatology in history, faith, and responsibility.

References

Bible Study Toolbox. (2025, November 13). Partial Preterism beliefs: Fulfilled prophecy view. https://biblestudytoolbox.com/eschatology/partial-preterism-beliefs/ (Bible Study Toolbox)

Bible Study Toolbox. (2025, October 31). What is Partial Preterism? A clearer look at fulfilled prophecy. https://biblestudytoolbox.com/eschatology/what-is-partial-preterism/ (Bible Study Toolbox)

GotQuestions.org. (n.d.). Is partial preterism biblical? https://www.gotquestions.org/partial-preterism.html (GotQuestions.org)

GotQuestions.org. (2022, January 4). What is postmillennialism? https://www.gotquestions.org/postmillennialism.html (GotQuestions.org)

PostmillennialWorldview.com. (2020, April 14). Preterism and Postmillennialism? https://postmillennialworldview.com/2020/04/14/preterism-and-postmillennialism/ (Postmillennial Worldview)

Ligonier Ministries. (n.d.). Postmillennialism (Simply Put). https://learn.ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/postmillennialism (Ligonier Ministries)

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Preterism. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preterism (Wikipedia)

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Postmillennialism. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmillennialism (Wikipedia)

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