This is an obvious sign of the righteous judgment of God, to the end that you may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you also suffer.
The scriptures are replete with evidence of the kingdom’s having already been established. In Matthew 12:28, the Lord calls the gospel: "The kingdom of God." Jesus shows the kingdom will be established during the present generation of those who heard him preaching (Mark 9:1). The gospel dispensation is the kingdom of God, as alluded to Daniel 2:44 : "In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed." Paul refers to this "kingdom" when he writes to the Colossians saying: "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (1:13).