Is the kingdom of God the central message of Jesus Christ’s teaching? There are numerous interpretations of the kingdom. Chapter 1 of this volume deals with the long history of interpreting the phrase “kingdom of God” and variations of it such as the “kingdom of heaven.” The chapter first places the discussion of the kingdom right in the centre of theological conversations on eschatology during the late 19th century through to the debates that continued to the end of the second decade of the 20th century. Then follows an overview of the way the early church, the church of the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the modern age, and the 20th and 21st centuries viewed the kingdom of God.