If we know anything about Jesus, we know that he had a message about the “kingdom of God.” The synoptic Gospels confirm this, if they confirm anything. A challenge arises, however, in our identifying (a) what Jesus thought of the arrival of this kingdom, especially regarding its timing and its role for divine judgment, and (b) what he considered its intended impact to be on a person’s experience, beyond talk about it. If the kingdom in question is just talk, with no intended impact on human experience, it will lack needed supporting evidence (for its reality) and motivational power (for being compelling).