KINGDOM OF HEAVEN AND KINGDOM OF GOD
Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mat 4:18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
Mat 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Mat 4:20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
Briefly and simply put, my understanding is that for the most part there isn’t any difference between the two expressions. To me it is evident from places such as Matthew 4:17 and Mark 1:14–15, (where both accounts are describing the commencement of the Lord’s public preaching following John the Baptist being put into prison), that as set forth in the Gospel accounts the Lord Himself used both of the expressions “the kingdom of God” and “the kingdom of heaven” in the same contexts, and He did so interchangeably or with the recognition that they have the same understanding and meaning. And to me it is only natural that the two expressions would have the same meaning and/or be descriptive of the same thing in view of what they are referring to.
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.
Mar 1:16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
Mar 1:17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
Mar 1:18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.
As Mark 1:14–15 makes evident, the preaching of “the gospel of the kingdom of God” is the preaching in God’s program with Israel that a particular “time is fulfilled,” and that in connection with this being the case the time therefore had arrived in their program when “the kingdom of God” was now “at hand.” Therefore “the kingdom of God” being spoken about was connected with a particular time schedule that God had previously given to Israel, and now that that particular time schedule was “fulfilled,” as the Lord declared, the “kingdom of God” was being preached to Israel as being “at hand.” The “kingdom of God/kingdom of heaven” was no longer a long ways off on that time schedule, but rather it was now “at hand.” The particular time schedule in question was given to Israel by God through the prophet Daniel, and it was part of a 5 revelation package of doctrine and prophecy that God gave them through Daniel regarding the final stages of the outworking of His program with them.
Dan 2:32 This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
Dan 2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Dan 2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Dan 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
Dan 2:36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
Dan 2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
In the first part of Daniel’s 5 part package of doctrine and prophecy, God gave a description for the establishing of His kingdom on this earth that provides for it to be described as, or denoted as, either “the kingdom of God” or “the kingdom of heaven.” As is set forth in Daniel 2:44, God had Daniel say, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”
Dan 2:38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
Dan 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
Dan 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
Dan 2:41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
Dan 2:42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
Dan 2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Since God describes Himself as “the God of heaven” Who shall “set up a kingdom,” it is clear to me that that kingdom can be denoted as either “the kingdom of God” or “the kingdom of heaven.” Both are appropriate, fitting, and correct designations for the kingdom that God has purposed to establish on this earth through His nation Israel and in the land that He gave to Abraham and his seed for this purpose. And in accordance with the progressive outworking of the time schedule that God gave to Daniel in the fourth part of the package of doctrine and prophecy, the “time” indeed was “fulfilled” when the Lord was on the earth in Israel. The time indeed had come for “the kingdom of God/kingdom of heaven” to begin to be preached to Israel as “at hand.” For the establishment of God’s kingdom on the earth was no longer far off on that time schedule, but it was “at hand.”
Mat 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Mat 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Once again in view of the nature of the establishment of God’s kingdom on this earth as set forth in God’s program with Israel, my understanding is that the designations “the kingdom of God” and “the kingdom of heaven” in the Gospel accounts refer to the same thing; to the issue of God’s kingdom on this earth in accordance with, and in fulfillment of. His original design and purpose for the earth in the first place.
Luk 21:30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
Luk 21:31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
Luk 21:32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
Of course God has now temporarily suspended His program with Israel, putting the establishment of His kingdom on the earth in abeyance for now, and has brought in this present dispensation of Gentile grace in which we live today, just as we are taught to understand and as we learn about through the Apostle Paul. And in connection with this we also now learn through Paul’s epistles that the establishment of God’s kingdom through Christ is going to encompass more than God had originally said it would. It is going to involve more than just the establishment of God’s kingdom on this earth through and in Israel. To Paul God revealed “the mystery of Christ,” which before revealing it to him it was something He had “kept secret since the world began.” And in the revelation of “the mystery of Christ” we are now given to understand that God is going to establish the rule of His kingdom in the heavenly places as well, (not just on the earth), and that in view of this He is now forming His “new creature,” the “one new man,” the church the body of Christ for that very purpose.
1Co 15:48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Hence in Paul’s epistles to us and about us in this present dispensation of God’s grace to the Gentiles we have God talking to us about “the kingdom of God” as well. However He does so in the light of “the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery” and therefore in view of the fact that it is the heavenly places aspect of God’s kingdom with which we have to do. For example, for this reason we find Paul saying to us in I Corinthians 15:50, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.” As ones who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as our all-sufficient Savior in this present dispensation, we are the members of God’s “new creature,” the “one new man,” the church the body of Christ; and as such we are going to “inherit the kingdom of God.” But because the particular aspect of God’s kingdom that we are heirs of is the aspect that pertains to the heavenly places, (just as the revelation of “the mystery of Christ” says), our present “flesh and blood” bodies need to be changed so that they are fit to reside and function in the heavenly places.
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Our present “flesh and blood” bodies “cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” The aspect of God’s kingdom to which our purpose “in Christ” pertains is the heavenly aspect of it. Therefore our present “flesh and blood” bodies will be changed at the end of this dispensation and “we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” so that we can reside and function in the heavenly places; in the heavenly places aspect of “the kingdom of God.”
Keith Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries