The kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven

There seems to be a little mystique about the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven, so let’s examine what is known about both of them.

On the one hand, the kingdom of God.

There is a need to repent, because this kingdom is arriving; “Jesus came into Galilee saying- The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark ch1 v15).
Jesus sent out his disciples to proclaim the same message;”…say to them- The kingdom of God has come near to you” (Luke ch10 v9)
The preaching of the kingdom provokes a forceful reaction; “The law and the prophets were until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God is preached and every one enters it violently”(Luke ch16v16).

It is a blessing, the first of all blessings, to attain this kingdom; “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke ch6 v20).
Whoever is least in this kingdom is greater even than John the Baptist; “Among those born of woman, none is greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he”(Luke ch6v28).

Men will be coming into it from every part of the world; ”You will see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God… and men will come from east and west and from north and south and sit at table in the kingdom of God” (Luke ch13 v29).
It will be a celebration comparable to a great banquet; “One of those who sat at table said-Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. But Jesus said- A man once gave a great banquet and invited many…” (Luke ch14 vv15-16).

Jesus told his disciples privately; “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God” (Mark ch4 v11).
He said it might be compared with the sowing of seed; “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground…” (Mark ch4 v26)
He said it might be compared with “a grain of mustard seed”, a small seed growing into a great tree which can hold the nests of the birds of the air (Mark ch4 vv31-32).
Or it might be compared with leaven, “which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened” (Luke ch13 v20)



On the other hand, the kingdom of heaven.

There is a need to repent, because this kingdom is arriving; “John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judaea- Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew ch3v1).
Jesus sent out his disciples to proclaim the same message; “And preach as you go, saying- The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew ch10 v7).
The preaching of the kingdom provokes a forceful reaction; “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence” (Matthew ch11v12).

It is a blessing, the first of all blessings, to attain this kingdom; “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”(Matthew ch5 v3).
Whoever is least in this kingdom is greater even than John the Baptist; “Among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew ch11 v11).

Men will be coming into it from every part of the world; “I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew ch8 v11).
It will be a celebration comparable to a great banquet; “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son…” (Matthew ch22 v2).

Jesus told his disciples privately; “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew ch13 v11).
He said it might be compared with the sowing of seed; “The kingdom of heaven may be compared with a man who sowed good seeds in his field” (v24)
He said it might be compared with “a grain of mustard seed”, a small seed growing into a great tree which can hold the nests of the birds of the air (vv31-32).
Or it might be compared with leaven, “which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened” (v33)

Comparison

And what is the result?
In the first place, you may have noticed that all the references in the second list came from Matthew’s gospel. That is not a coincidence. As any good concordance will confirm, the term “kingdom of heaven” is exclusive to Matthew.
But that is the ONLY significant difference that can be found between the two descriptions..
The obvious conclusion is that “the kingdom of heaven” is merely an alternative label for “the kingdom of God”, prompted by a scruple about using the word “God”.

The natural question is; which of these two versions was being used by Jesus himself?
Who introduced the form “kingdom of heaven”?

At first glance, there seem to be two options.
Either Jesus said “kingdom of heaven”, which Mark and Luke modified because their Gentile readers would not see the need for circumlocution.
Or Jesus said “kingdom of God”, which Matthew modified for the sake of his more conservative Jewish readers.
However, neither option quite explains the fact that Matthew uses the word “God”
freely in the rest of the gospel, and sometimes even slips back into “kingdom of God”.
“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you”- Matthew ch12v28


One alternative possibility is that “kingdom of heaven” was not Matthew’s personal preference, but the choice of one of the sources of information that he was using. He then harmonised most, but not all, of the “kingdom of God” references that he found elsewhere.

A rule I have come to follow in studying is that things that are different are not the same. The kingdoms are two different kingdoms that in the not to distant future will be joined into one.

Heaven is a created place and therefore a kingdom that is found in heaven, upon the earth, with a chosen people, the 12 sons of Israel, with a chosen Man to sit on the throne of that kingdom, in a country he gave to Israel, in a specific city, Jerusalem, whee he chose to put his name. The kingdom of heaven is a earthly and physical Kingdom and can be entered by both the unsaved and the saved alike.

God is a spirit, something that is not created and therefore is a Spiritual Kingdom, where today all people enter into via faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ's on the cross. This is because the kingdom promise to the Jews was set aside for a time until God brings them together after the Great Tribulation. A Believer in Christ has entered into the Kingdom of God by faith and has a place already in the Kingdom of heaven because of Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God, a spiritual Kingdom can only be entered by saved people.

The Kingdom of Heaven will be set up by Jesus Christ when he comes with the saints at the end of the Great Tribulation, While the Kingdom of God still in a mystery form is in the heaven above until the last rebellion after the 1,000 reign of Christ via Israel. After the old heaven and the old Earth are destroyed and the new heaven and the new earth are created then New Jerusalem will no longer be in the heaven above but will set upon the earth and joins the two kingdoms together forever more.

All I have shared can be found int he Authorized King James Bible, by anyone willing to study the word of truth as we are commanded to do.

Be blessed.

a reply to: ChesterJohn

Saved me postin.....Scriptural there what you posted the K of Heaven is the millennium and K of God is in you......Holy Spirit

originally posted by: ChesterJohn
A rule I have come to follow in studying is that things that are different are not the same. The kingdoms are two different kingdoms that in the not to distant future will be joined into one.

Please consider the possibility that one thing may be given two alternative names.
The assumption that two slightly different labels must mean different things is legalism, because that is the way lawyers think. They hate synonyms and ambiguities of language, but people who are not lawyers, including God, use synonyms all the time.
Were you blind to the fact that the two descriptions drawn from scripture were identical?

The fine distinction being drawn between them is imaginary. The fact that people feel the need to draw fine distinctions is legalism, again, because drawing fine distinctions is what lawyers do.

a reply to: DISRAELI

Scripture tells what each is by description in three or four verses in different books

a reply to: GBP/JPY
Run through the list in the OP.
Take them side by side.
They are the same thing.

a reply to: DISRAELI

How do you rectify the new testament gospels you site, with the Hebrew books that Christ was surely refering too?

Im not trolling, I seriously dont get the referencing of christian texts to support a Jewish messiah?

a reply to: BlueJacket
In the first place, what I'm doing in this thread is looking at the meaning of the gospel texts being quoted, to understand what they are saying about what they are describing.
That was why there was no necessity to relate them to anything else.

I seriously dont get the referencing of christian texts to support a Jewish messiah?

Leaving aside the tendentious assumption of the last two words, what I'm doing is referencing Jesus-focussed texts for the sake of what they are saying about Jesus. Seems logical enough to me.

The Christian view has always been that what God does in the New Testament is the climax and completion of what he was doing in the Old Testament. I've looked at different aspects of that in several previous threads, though this one doesn't relate to it directly.
I'm not sure that either expression, kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven, actually occurs in the Old Testament, so there was no reconciling to be done.

I am not to sure the difference in the word or arguments but I do believe in two different kingdoms that will eventually be joined
A Christian once born again becomes a new creation, Spirit filled, sinless and immediately enters the Kingdom of God.
A kingdom that exists within, assured but not yet entered the promised kingdom of heaven that Christ will establish after His return.
That 1000 year reign, that's a bit tricky so I won't comment

We are in Christ who is in the Father, filled with the Holy Spirit

My 2 cents for what it's worth

a reply to: DISRAELI
Those who are still confused about it may ponder the following question:

Is the Kingdom of heaven (or "the Kingdom of the heavens", Mt 19:23) a Kingdom of God or a Kingdom of men?

Notice the different terminologies used by Matthew, Mark and Luke all talking about the same event (an encounter with someone who had many possessions). Matthew even uses both terminologies in the same account:

Mt 19:22-24

When the young man heard this, he went away grieved, for he had many possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Truly I say to you that it will be difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of the heavens. 24 Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to get through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”

Mark 10:22-24

But he grew sad at the answer and went away grieved, for he had many possessions.

23 After looking around, Jesus said to his disciples: “How difficult it will be for those with money to enter into the Kingdom of God!” 24 But the disciples were surprised at his words. Jesus then responded: “Children, how difficult it is to enter into the Kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 18:23-25

When he heard this, he became deeply grieved, for he was very rich.

24 Jesus looked at him and said: “How difficult it will be for those having money to make their way into the Kingdom of God! 25 It is easier, in fact, for a camel to get through the eye of a sewing needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”

Exactly in the place where Mark and Luke use the term "the Kingdom of God", Matthew uses the term "the Kingdom of the heavens". This shows me (especially Matthew's account) that "the Kingdom of the heavens" = "the Kingdom of God". It's just sometimes called "the Kingdom of heaven" or "the Kingdom of the heavens" because God's Kingdom rules from heaven.

And that Matthew had no 'scruples' about using the word “God” (see ending of the OP), or the term "Kingdom of God" for that matter.

Is the Kingdom of God in Your Heart?

The Bible’s answer

No, God’s Kingdom is not merely a condition in the hearts of Christians. * The Bible identifies its true location by calling it “the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 4:17, King James Version) Consider how the Bible shows it to be a real government that is ruling from heaven.

- God’s Kingdom has rulers, subjects, laws, and a mandate to establish the will of God in heaven and on the earth.—Matthew 6:10; Revelation 5:10.

- God’s government, or Kingdom, will rule over all “the peoples, nations, and language groups” of the earth. (Daniel 7:13, 14) The authority for its rulership comes, not from its subjects, but directly from God.—Psalm 2:4-6; Isaiah 9:7.

- Jesus told his faithful apostles that they would join him in the Kingdom of heaven to “sit on thrones.”—Luke 22:28, 30.

- The Kingdom has enemies, which it will destroy.—Psalm 2:1, 2, 8, 9; 110:1, 2; 1 Corinthians 15:25, 26.

The Bible does not teach that the Kingdom of heaven is in your heart in the sense that it rules through a person’s heart. However, it does show that the “word of the Kingdom” or the “good news of the Kingdom” can and should affect our hearts.—Matthew 13:19; 24:14.

What does “the kingdom of God is within you” mean?

Some people have become confused about the location of the Kingdom by the rendering of Luke 17:21 in some Bible translations. For example, the King James Version says that “the kingdom of God is within you.” To understand this verse correctly, we must consider the context.

Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees, a group of religious leaders who opposed him and shared in arranging for his execution. (Matthew 12:14; Luke 17:20) Does it make sense to think that the Kingdom was a condition in their obstinate hearts? Jesus told them: “Inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”—Matthew 23:27, 28.

Other translations accurately clarify Jesus’ statement at Luke 17:21: “God’s kingdom is here with you.” (Italics ours; Contemporary English Version) “The Kingdom of God is among you.” (New World Translation, footnote) The Kingdom of heaven was “with” or “among” the Pharisees, in that Jesus, the one designated by God to rule as King, was standing before them.—Luke 1:32, 33.

a reply to: DISRAELI

An omnipotent God of unconditional love does not care about our earthly sins. Everyone gets into heaven to experience eternal heavenly bliss as each of us turns into the light at the end of our life's tunnel to have our final experience of God's infinite beauty. Time ceases to exist and our consciousness returns back to the source from which it was born. Everyone is saved. All you have to do is show up.

a reply to: dfnj2015
Not related to the topic of this thread.

a reply to: whereislogic
Thank you for that further example.
I think the confusion is happening because people are not looking at the texts directly.
They are taking their views on the subject from teachers who are misleading them.

a reply to: Raggedyman
I will suggest to you what I suggested to GBP/JPY. Compare the two lists of texts, side by side if that helps. The identity is particularly blatant in the set of "parables of the kingdom".
Distinguishing between the two is as artificial as distinguishing between "the Queen" and "the British monarch". (For Americans, that would be between "the President" and "the Chief Executive".)

It is an important understanding. The Bible does not contradict itself, and everything in it is canon. Trustworthy.

God's kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, is a heavenly government established in the invisible spirit realm and dominates all the universe visible and invisible, and will eventually rule humankind once again.

This kingdom is a special arrangement by God because of man's fall. He saw fit to make a king, Jesus to rule a kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, and Jesus told us to pray for that kingdom to come and for its will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

After Jesus the King-Priest fulfills his thousand year rule over mankind and fixes everything that we have broke, and Satan, he will return the kingdom to his father. And thus Jehovah will once again become all things to all people.


(1 Corinthians 15:24-28) . . .Next, the end, when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father, when he has brought to nothing all government and all authority and power. 25 For he must rule as king until God has put all enemies under his feet. 26 And the last enemy, death, is to be brought to nothing. 27 For God “subjected all things under his feet.” But when he says that ‘all things have been subjected,’ it is evident that this does not include the One who subjected all things to him. 28 But when all things will have been subjected to him, then the Son himself will also subject himself to the One who subjected all things to him, that God may be all things to everyone.

One more thing I was thinking of that I think is important of note.

Why does God make a king of his son, while he himself is a king? Well, he can do what he wants, but there is a reason.

One, to show everyone that their are obedient subjects of his rule. Two, Jehovah does not deal directly with sin. He is too pure to look upon wickedness. He has chosen his son Jesus to do the job, and put his trust in him, and Jesus has not failed Jehovah's expectations of him.

When Jehovah once again becomes all things to all people, they will become, that is humankind, his children once again. Now most humans are alienated from God and are not his children. And he will not, and does not deal directly with them. Thus he has put the mediator, the kingdom and his king in place. All of it is out of love for us, and because of his righteous principles.

a reply to: redletter
They even share the same throne;
Revelation ch22 v1, v3.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: redletter
They even share the same throne;
Revelation ch22 v2, v3.

That made me think of this scripture. And I had to go through my Bible and find it because I didn't know exactly where it was written, but here it is:

(Genesis 41:37-43) . . .This proposal seemed good to Pharʹaoh and all his servants. 38 So Pharʹaoh said to his servants: “Can another man be found like this one in whom there is the spirit of God?” 39 Pharʹaoh then said to Joseph: “Since God has caused you to know all of this, there is no one as discreet and wise as you. 40 You will personally be over my house, and all my people will obey you implicitly. Only in my role as king will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharʹaoh added to Joseph: “See, I am putting you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharʹaoh removed his signet ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph’s hand and clothed him with garments of fine linen and placed a necklace of gold around his neck. 43 Moreover, he had him ride in the second chariot of honor that he had, and they would call out ahead of him, “A·vrékh!” Thus he put him over all the land of Egypt.

That means that all prayers made out of sincerity and love and of good heart reach his ears. But all cries that are false and wicked and made of bad motive do not. And only Jehovah God is the hearer of prayer.