The Kingdom of God

Two Kinds of Knowledge

general revelation (e.g., 1 Kings 4:29-33)	special revelation (e.g., Jonah 1:1-2)
e.g., Solomon's ordinary discoverable knowledge	e.g., Jonah's received apocalyptic knowledge

Education in these disciplines forms good judgment, awakens receptivity to wisdom,
and qualifies practitioners for spiritual discernment (Matt 12:42).

'Lesser' and 'Greater' Knowledge

"Something greater than" both arrives with Jesus (Matt 12:41):

"The signs of the times" (Matt 16:1-3) display the in-breaking of the Kingdom of God on the missional frontiers of both kinds of knowledge.
The Kingdom of God (Matt 12:28/Luke 11:20, Luke 17:21) is a new arrangement: a new politics or order of holy relationships (Matt 10:7-8).

So: The Kingdom of God is an obscure framework, of the eschatologically new becoming present in the realms of the old.

the old:	the new:
'lesser': penultimate	'greater': ultimate
blatant; familiar	obscure and mysterious; news
indirect rule through natural/social powers (Matt 12:22-24)	God's direct Kingdom rule (Matt 12:28-32)
consistent? formative; 'wisdom'	surprising? transformative; 'foolishness'
Ordinary fields, including moral philosophy, 'paint' or 'flesh out' whatever they are suited to exploring.	Christian theology 'frames' other disciplines in faithful discernment of the Kingdom of God.

Christian Life in Kingdom Context

Ephesians 3:7-12 describes Paul's evangelizing of "the boundless riches of Christ."
The church is

a sign of the Kingdom's reality,
enjoying, naming, exploring, and pursuing it (rather than 'bringing it'),
commissioned by Jesus and anointed by his Holy Spirit to invite the world into the Father's growing fellowship.