TWO KINGDOMS

 

Dear John and all precious Doves,

 

The subject, I am doing an in depth study on, is one that may have been covered here, on this site, at least once if not many times. Yet, because I am relatively new to this site, and have only been writing letters for less than a year, all toll, this study is something new to me, and something I feel is of great importance in understanding the content of the New Testament, and the parables of Jesus Christ, Himself. I will start out by saying that I have always looked at the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven as meaning the same thing. I now know that this isn't true, and there is much evidence to prove they are distinctly different, and understanding this difference is crucial to rightly dividing the word of God, in regard to the concepts being put forth in the Gospels.

 

Let me be very clear here, both these kingdoms, though being not the same in the eyes of the Jewish leaders at the time of Christ, are mutually exclusive, in that you cannot have one without the other. Whether Jew or Gentile or members of the Church, you cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven, without first entering the Kingdom of God. Being BORNAGAIN FROM ABOVE is the one mandatory requirement of both.

 

The most interesting aspect of doing these studies has been how they scope out further and further with each step. It has been as if the Lord has shown me one new concept at a time, and each is built on the other, and they keep getting larger, as if a camera is pulling back and capturing more of the whole picture. Starting with the parable of the ten virgins, and then the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price, and then studying all the parables in my letter about The Whole Picture, to this study of the Two Kingdoms. My seeing through a glass darkly seems to be going from microscope to telescope. This has been an incredible adventure, waiting for the Spirit to tell me what to to study, and then what to study next from there. Awesome!!

 

When we discover the true meanings of these kingdoms, we also discover the true meaning of the parables, as well as the timing involved in their structure. What I have found out from this study, put simply, is that the Kingdom of God is the spiritual kingdom that we are born into when we are born again and become a new creature, and a member of the Body of Christ. The Kingdom of heaven is a literal kingdom that will be here on earth, the 1,000 reign of Jesus Christ, where we, as His people will rule with him.

 

First of all, let's look at the phrase Kingdom of God and discover it's true meaning. I should mention, here, that both phrases Kingdom of God, and Kingdom of Heaven, are only used in the New Testament.

 

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

 

We will focus on the Greek word for God used in this phrase, because of it only being found in the NT. Each time the phrase Kingdom of God is used, it is the same Strong's number, which is G932 for the word kingdom and G2316 for the word God.

 

Strong's #G932: basileia bä-sē-lā'-ä kingdom (of God), kingdom (of heaven), kingdom (general or evil), (Thy or Thine) kingdom, His kingdom, the kingdom, (My) kingdom, misc.

 

Strong's #2316: theos (pronounced theh'-os)

of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with 3588) the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very:--X exceeding, God, god(-ly, -ward).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon:

theos

1) a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities

2) the Godhead, trinity

2a) God the Father, the first person in the trinity

2b) Christ, the second person of the trinity

2c) Holy Spirit, the third person in the trinity

3) spoken of the only and true God

3a) refers to the things of God

3b) his counsels, interests, things due to him

4) whatever can in any respect be likened unto God, or resemble him in any way

4a) God' s representative or viceregent

4a1) of magistrates and judges

Part of Speech: noun masculine

 

This very same usage, with the same meaning for the word God, is found in these other passages, where we can clearly see that it is referring to God Almighty, our Heavenly Father.

 

Matthew 1:23: "name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

Matthew 3:16: "he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and"

Matthew 4:3: "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones"

Matthew 4:4: "that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Matthew 4:6: "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for"

Matthew 4:7: "tempt the Lord thy God."

 

There are 68 verses in the New Testament that refer to the kingdom of God and specifically for us believers, the Kingdom of God, exists.

 

Jesus preaching about the kingdom of God:

 

Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:21)

 

The Kingdom of God is a Spiritual Kingdom that we see when we are born again, not of the flesh or the will of man, but of God:

 

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

 

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John3:5)

 

The Kingdom of God is not a physical Kingdom but a spiritual one for God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24).

 

Mar 1:14 ¶ Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, "

 

Mar 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

 

Jesus was bringing the Kingdom of God to all those who an ear to hear and eyes to see.

 

Mar 9:1 ¶ And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

 

This statement did not mean that they would still be (physically) alive to see His Second Coming or still alive to see His 1,000 reign on earth. This statement was all about sending the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and being baptized by fire and entering into the spiritual kingdom of God.

 

The spiritual kingdom of God is all about surrendering our lives and dying to self, and giving control of our lives to Jesus. The kingdom of God is having the Holy Spirit indwelling in us, and connecting us to the Father, through His Son.

 

Mar 10:15 " Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein."

 

Mar 10:23 ¶ "And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! "

 

Mar 10:24 "And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! "

 

Mar 10:25 " It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

 

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 

In all these verses Jesus is telling mankind how difficult it is to give up one's life when they have great riches. How difficult to give up all the physical trapping of material life for a SPIRITUAL KINGDOM.

We have seen many instances where Christ preached about the Kingdom of God, and how it was at hand, meaning that after His death and resurrection He would be sending the Holy Spirit and everyone who believed, and was born again, would become a citizen of the Kingdom of God.

Now, let's take a look at what His disciples preached about this Kingdom.

The Kingdom of God is a spiritual Kingdom that has to do with God coming to live, rule and have authority in earthly temples, the body of believers.

 

1 Cor 3:16-17(NIV) "Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple."

Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

 

1Cr 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

 

1Cr 6:10 " Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."

 

 Act 19:8 "And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God."

 

Biblically, there is a spiritual Kingdom, which is God’s rule, in the heart of every believer. This is an invisible spiritual kingdom. In this way, we are in the Kingdom of God. However, there is a literal kingdom, a messianic rule by Jesus that will commence after His Second Coming when He will be physically present to rule from Israel for 1,000 years and the saints will co-reign with Him.

 

Before I get into the study on the Kingdom of Heaven, I would like to note something very interesting about John the Baptist. When Christ says this about John the Baptist, I never really understood what he meant until I did this study.

 

Luk 7:28 "For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

 

John was killed before Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead and fulfilled His mission. Therefore, John was not living when Jesus ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. John was not born again, he was born of woman, but not of the Spirit...he was the greatest man born of woman, but because he was not baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire, he was not a citizen of the Kingdom of God, before his death (but was certainly one of the saints that came out of his grave when Jesus was crucified and resurrected). That is why Jesus said what he did. That he who is least in the Kingdom of God, is greater than even the greatest man born of woman. John also preached about the Kingdom of Heaven, not the Kingdom of God.

 

Mat 3:1 ¶ "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

Mat 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. "

Mat 3:11 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and [with] fire."

 

He was preaching about the literal earthly reign of Christ, although Christ being at hand meant that both kingdoms were at hand. Had not the Jews rejected Him, His literal kingdom would have also come. The Kingdom of God came at Pentecost for all believers of the Gospel, the Kingdom of God was established but the Kingdom of Heaven will be delayed.

　

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

 

The exact phrase "'Kingdom of Heaven' is used 31 times in the whole of the Bible and ONLY IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW!! This Gospel has been considered the gospel to the JEWS, by the great majority of Bible scholars. How appropriate to this study, as we see that the Kingdom of Heaven is the kingdom they were expecting.

 

Mat 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in [yourselves], neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Mat 5:10 Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

　

From numerous passages we can know there is more than one meaning to the kingdom. One is that it is present among them,the disciples, and another that has a future coming. The gospels focus on the present aspect of the kingdom of God with Jesus on earth, but it is also clear that He was speaking of the kingdom that will be realized, in the future, at the SECOND COMING. We are now servants in His Kingdom, we enter in through Christ by the New Birth, but there is still a literal future Kingdom to come. There is a spiritual aspect to the Kingdom, which is God being the Lord over the believer. This aspect is the invisible spiritual kingdom. Jesus explains in other places that the kingdom will come to earth. Jesus said when He was present on earth, "My kingdom is not of this world," so it has to have a future meaning.

 

Even after Jesus rose from the dead, His disciples also were wondering when the literal Kingdom would come:

 

"¶ When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:6-8 KJV)

 

The disciples are clearly asking about a literal Kingdom and the Lord says it is not for them to know the time when that literal Kingdom will take place. But, until then, the disciples were given power to preach the Kingdom of God; righteousness through faith in the risen Savior who, one day, will return to earth and rule over the whole earth from Jerusalem.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ came to His own and preached a dualistic message. To the Jews, the heirs of the promised political Kingdom, the Lord preached the Gospel of the "Kingdom of Heaven" - a literal physical Kingdom soon to come:

 

"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt. 4:17 KJV).

 

Because the Lord used the terms "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Kingdom of God" interchangeably in places in the four Gospels, most Christians think they are one and the same. They will be, but not until the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ when He rules the world for 1,000 years on the throne of His father David at Jerusalem (physical Kingdom).

 

"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." (John 18:36 KJV)

If we rightly divide the Bible we will see that Jesus was preaching about two components of the Kingdom. He preached the political kingdom (Kingdom of Heaven) was coming and, if the Jews would have accepted Him after His death and resurrection, He would have come back and established it. Perhaps the best example of this difference between the terms "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Kingdom of God", is found in Matt.11:12:

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." (Matt. 11:12 KJV)

 

If the "Kingdom of God" is within you, and if the "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven are completely one and the same, then how could anyone take it out of you by violence? And if that righteousness, the Kingdom of God within you, could not possibly be there until after the cross and the resurrection, then what is Jesus saying to the Jews here BEFORE the cross and the resurrection? The answer is the Kingdom of Israel, which is God's people and Jerusalem, the Lord's chosen place to rule from:

"But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King." (Matt. 5:34-35 KJV)

Israel rejected their King when He came the first time. And in the almost two thousand years since then, His Kingdom has been in a MYSTERY form; the Lord Jesus Christ reigning in the soul of the believer, seated on the right had of the Father in the third heaven, while Satan still holds the physical throne over this world. This is the status of the Kingdom of heaven, at present.

God is not finished with Israel, but He is just about finished with the Gentiles.

 

"For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:" (Romans 11:25-26 KJV)

 

The story of the whole Bible, from the very beginning until the end is about the spiritual battle for the Kingdom. And the eventual triumphant ruler of that Kingdom, both in the literal world and over the spiritual forces, will be the KING of KINGS; the Lord Jesus Christ. The Son of the Living God of Israel, who first came as a Lamb, but is soon coming as the Lion of Judah.

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There is a wealth of information out there on this subject, and I have to admit there are many good studies that try and prove that these two kingdoms are the same. The interesting thing is that Jesus was the possibility of both these kingdoms coming in the flesh. He brought the spiritual KINGDOM OF GOD, and had he not been rejected by the Jews, He would have established the literal, physical and political KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

 

As usual, I would like to stress how important it is to FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF, don't believe me, do your own study and see what the Holy Spirit shows you.

 

IN LOVE, LIGHT AND TRUTH

JESUS IS COMING SOON!!

 

God bless you all!

Patti C.