The Kingdom of Heaven

“From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”” (Matthew 4:17 NLT)

The term “the kingdom of heaven”, is found thirty-two times – all in the Gospel of Matthew.

Another expression that is equivalent to, and interchangeable, with the term “the kingdom of heaven” is the phrase “the kingdom of God”, which is found seventy-two times in the New Testament.

Many other expressions can be related to the “the kingdom of heaven”, such as “thy kingdom” (Matthew 6:10), “heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18), “kingdom of His dear Son” (Colossians 1:13), “kingdom of Christ and of God” (Ephesians 5:5), “My Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29), “everlasting kingdom” (2 Peter 1:11), “My kingdom” (John 18:36; Luke 22:30), “His kingdom” (Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:31 ASV), as well as many references simply to “kingdom.”

Most theologians understand the phrase “the kingdom of heaven” to be equivalent to, and interchangeable, with the term “the kingdom of God”.

And most theologians see “the kingdom of heaven” as being fulfilled in a spiritual rule of God in the hearts of those who put their trust in Christ.

As previously indicated, for all practical purposes, the expression kingdom of heaven is confined to Matthew’s Gospel.

And in Matthew’s Gospel some major features of the “kingdom of heaven” are revealed:

The “Kingdom of Heaven” is:

(1) pronounced at hand (Matthew 3:2 ; 4:17 ; 10:7 );

“From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”” (Matthew 4:17 NLT)

(2) possession and blessing in the kingdom of heaven promised to the righteous (Matthew 5:3, 10, 19-20 ; 7:21 ) ;

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)

“Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19-20)

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

(3) Gentiles, that is you and me, will be in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 8:11 );

“I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 8:11)

(4) kingdom of heaven difficult to enter (Matthew 19:23-24 ; 23:13 );

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23-24)

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” (Matthew 23:13)

(5) some of the features of the kingdom of heaven are designated “mysteries” (Matthew 13:11 );

“The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?”

He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” (Matthew 13:10-12)

(6) kingdom of heaven likened to belonging to children (Matthew 19:14 ).

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14)

In Matthew chapter 13 Jesus reveals various aspects of the kingdom of heaven.

At the end of the ‘Parable of the Sower’ Jesus explains to His disciples that the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to His disciples, but not to the crowds.

And the secrets of the “Kingdom of Heaven” are also revealed to us, His disciples, today. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will “teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”. (John 14:26)

So what is the “kingdom of heaven”?

In the temptations of Jesus by satan it says in Luke 4:5-8 that the “devil led Jesus up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And satan said to Jesus: “I will give You all their authority and splendour; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If You worship me, it will all be Yours.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

Now satan couldn’t have offered all the nations of the world and the people’s in it to Jesus – unless, as he said, it was his (satan’s) to give.

So into our sinful human existence, dominated by satan, marches Jesus.

Not with an army to fight, but rather coming instead to demonstrate the power and authority that God has – over creation, over humans, over sin, over sickness and over the demonic.

In fact as far as the demonic goes the Bible tells us in Colossians 2:15 that Jesus “having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

And as far as sin and sickness goes “He himself (that is Jesus) bore our sins” in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by His wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24 NIV)

Or as the New Living Translation puts it: “He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed.” (1 Peter 2:24 NLT)

Simply put the “kingdom of heaven” started with Jesus demonstrating the power and authority of God right here on earth. There was nothing that satan could throw at Jesus, no hurdle, no threat, that could in anyway hinder what the Son of God came to earth to accomplish!!!

The kingdom of heaven continues in our day by us also carrying out the works of Jesus as we fulfil the great commission.

And we are to do this in exactly the same way as Jesus did – in the power of the Holy Spirit!

The Apostle John in talking about Jesus said: “For He is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives Him the Spirit without limit.” (John 3:34 NLT) some Bible translations say: ‘for God gives Him the Spirit without measure’.

In Luke 4:1 it states: “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness”.

Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit, He had the Holy Spirit without limit and was led by the Holy Spirit – that is exactly how we are meant to be as well – because if we are then we to will be showing the world that the “kingdom of heaven” is at hand, is indeed near.

We too will be demonstrating the power and authority of Jesus, of the Father, over sin, over sickness and over the demonic.

The “kingdom of heaven” of the future will be our eternal presence with God.

In the Bible book of Revelation, it tells us that there will be a new heaven and new earth, (Revelation 21:1) and that God “will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:4)

Jesus promised us that in the “kingdom of heaven” there would be room for His followers (for us): “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” (John 14:1-4)

And the way to be sure of being a part of the “kingdom of heaven”, the kingdom of God, is to repent of your sins and ask Jesus into your life as Saviour and Lord.

And the way to advance the “kingdom of heaven” is to do so as disciples baptized in the Holy Spirit and carrying out the works of Jesus as we fulfil the great commission.

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