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The Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven

(Saturday, May 23, 2020)

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The Kingdom of God also called Kingdom of Heaven, is one of the key elements of the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament. The phrase occurs frequently in the New Testament, primarily used by Jesus Christ in the first three Gospels. Many people who have faith in the Lord believe that the kingdom of heaven is in heaven. Is this really the case? The Lord’s Prayer says: “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10). The Book of Revelation says, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ” (Revelation 11:15). “The holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, … the tabernacle of God is with men” (Revelation 21:2-3). So, what is the kingdom of heaven, when the kingdom of heaven will come, and who will be in the kingdom of God?

2.0 WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN?

God is king over all the world; praise him with songs! God sits on his sacred throne; he rules over the nations. (Psalm 47:7-8) They will speak of the glory of your royal power and tell of your might, so that everyone will know your mighty deeds and the glorious majesty of your kingdom. Your rule is eternal, and you are king forever. The Lord is faithful to his promises; he is merciful in all his acts. (Psalm 145:11-13) Again Jesus asked, “What shall I compare the Kingdom of God with? (Luke 13: 20) Jesus told them still another parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with a bushel of flour until the whole batch of dough rises.” (Mathew 13:33; Luke 13: 21) “The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man happens to find a treasure hidden in a field. He covers it up again, and is so happy that he goes and sells everything he has, and then goes back and buys that field. (Mathew 13 :44) “Also, the Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man is looking for fine pearls. (Mathew 13: 45)

3.0 WHEN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN WILL COME?

“You, Lord, will be king forever and ever.” (Exodus 15:18) At the time of those rulers the God of heaven will establish a kingdom that will never end. It will never be conquered but will completely destroy all those empires and then last forever. (Daniel 2:44) At that time John the Baptist came to the desert of Judea and started preaching. “Turn away from your sins,” he said, “because the Kingdom of heaven is near!” John was the man the prophet Isaiah was talking about when he said, “Someone is shouting in the desert, ‘Prepare a road for the Lord; make a straight path for him to travel!’” John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair; he wore a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan. (Mathew 3: 1-4, 6) No, it is not Beelzebul, but God’s Spirit, who gives me the power to drive out demons, which proves that the Kingdom of God has already come upon you. (Matthew 12:28)

After John had been put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee and preached the Good News from God. “The right time has come,” he said, “and the Kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News!” (Mark 1:14-15) And he went on to say, “I tell you, there are some here who will not die until they have seen the Kingdom of God come with power.” (Mark 9:1) “The Kingdom of God does not come in such a way as to be seen. No one will say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’; because the Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17: 20-21) No, it is rather by means of God’s power that I drive out demons, and this proves that the Kingdom of God has already come to you. (Luke 11:20) So they set a date with Paul, and a large number of them came that day to the place where Paul was staying. From morning till night he explained to them his message about the Kingdom of God, and he tried to convince them about Jesus by quoting from the Law of Moses and the writings of the prophets. (Acts 28:23) For forty days after his death he appeared to them many times in ways that proved beyond doubt that he was alive. They saw him, and he talked with them about the Kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3)

4.0 WHO WILL BE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

“And the people of the Supreme God will receive royal power and keep it forever and ever.” (Daniel 7:18) “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do.” (Matthew 7:21) Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world. I was hungry, and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you clothed me; I was sick, and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me.’ (Mathew 25: 34-36) I tell you, then, that you will be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven only if you are more faithful than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees in doing what God requires. (Matthew 5:20) Jesus answered, “I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again.” “How can a grown man be born again?” Nicodemus asked. “He certainly cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time!” “I am telling you the truth,” replied Jesus, “that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. A person is born physically of human parents but is born spiritually of the Spirit. (John 3:3-6) “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3; Mathew 10:15) “Happy are you poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them! (Mathew 5: 3; Luke 6: 20) “Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them! (Mathew 3:10) Jesus then said to his disciples, “I assure you: it will be very hard for rich people to enter the Kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 19:23) They strengthened the believers and encouraged them to remain true to the faith. “We must pass through many troubles to enter the Kingdom of God,” they taught. (Acts 14:22)

What I mean, friends, is that what is made of flesh and blood cannot share in God’s Kingdom, and what is mortal cannot possess immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:50) Surely you know that the wicked will not possess God’s Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral or who worship idols or are adulterers or homosexual perverts or who steal or are greedy or are drunkards or who slander others or are thieves—none of these will possess God’s Kingdom. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) “Yes,” Jesus said to them, “and I assure you that anyone who leaves home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the Kingdom of God will receive much more in this present age and eternal life in the age to come.” (Luke 18:29-30)It was toward evening when Joseph of Arimathea arrived. He was a respected member of the Council, who was waiting for the coming of the Kingdom of God. It was Preparation day (that is, the day before the Sabbath), so Joseph went boldly into the presence of Pilate and asked him for the body of Jesus. (Mark 15:43)

5.0 CONCLUSION

For God’s Kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of the righteousness, peace, and joy which the Holy Spirit gives. (Romans 14:17)

“Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. For your heart will always be where your riches are. (Matthew 6:19-21)