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Topical Bible Study

May 06, 2001

Questions and Answers Night

“Kingdoms of God vs. Kingdoms of Heaven Used in Scripture”

New Testament

by Pastor StepheN Mack HowarD

I. Introduction

a. The International Standard Bible encyclopedia makes the following observation to help define just what we are examining. The article is in reference to ‘The Day of The Lord’ and states:

(äåˆäÊéŠ íBé, yoôm Yahweh; ½ ½ìÝñá ôï™ Êõñßïõ, heô heômeñra touñ
KurΖou): The idea is a common Old Testament one. It denotes the
consummation of the kingdom of God and the absolute cessation of all attacks
upon it (Isa 2:12; 13:6, 9; 34:8; Ezek 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:11; Am 5:18; Zeph
1:14; Zec 14:1) It is a “day of visitation” (Isa 10:3), a day “of the wrath of
Yahweh” (Ezek 7:19), a “great day of Yahweh” (Zeph 1:14). The entire
conception in the Old Testament is dark and foreboding.

On the other hand the New Testament idea is pervaded with the elements of
hope and joy and victory. In the New Testament it is eminently the day of Christ,
the day of His coming in the glory of His father. The very conception of Him as
the “Son of Man” points to this day (E. Kuëhl, Das Selbstbewusstsein Jesu, 68).
Jn 5:27: “And he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of
man” (compare Mt 24:27, 30; Lk 12:8). It is true in the New Testament there is a
dark background to the bright picture, for it still remains a “day of wrath”. (Rom
2:5, 6), a “great day” (Rev 6:17; Jude 1:6), a “day of God” (2 Pet 3:12), a “day of
judgment” (Mt 10:15; 2 Pet 3:7; Rom 2:16). Sometimes it is called “that day”
(Mt 7:22; 1 Thess 5:4; 2 Tim 4:8), and again it is called “the day” without any
qualification whatever, as if it were the only day worth counting in all the history
of the world and of the race (1 Cor 3:13). To the unbeliever, the New Testament
depicts it as a day of terror; to the believer, as a day of joy. For on that day Christ
will raise the dead, especially His own dead, the bodies of those that believed in
Him—“that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should
raise it up at the last day” (Jn 6:39). In that day He comes to His own (Mt 16:27),
and therefore it is called “the day of our Lord Jesus” (2 Cor 1:14),”the day of Jesus Christ” or “of Christ” (Phil 1:6, 10), the day when there “shall appear the
sign of the Son of man in heaven” (Mt 24:30). All Paulinic literature is especially
suffused with this longing for the “parousia,” the day of Christ’s glorious
manifestation. The entire conception of that day centers therefore in Christ and
points to the everlasting establishment of the kingdom of heaven, from which sin
will be forever eliminated, and in which the antithesis between Nature and grace
will be changed into an everlasting synthesis.

b. It is not as simple as saying Kingdom of God refers to OT teaching and kingdom of Heaven refers to NT teaching so a careful examination is necessary.

II. The Kingdom of God

a. Phrasing

i. basielia theos

1. basileia means kingdoms, sovereignty, royal kingdom

a. Strongs says about basileia: properly royalty, that is, (abstractly) rule, or (concretely) a realm (literally or figuratively):—kingdom, + reign.

2. theos means God, or pertaining to the divine uniquely God.

a. Strongs says about theos: Of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with G3588) the supreme Divinity; figuratively a magistrate; by Hebraism very:—X exceeding, God, god [-ly, -ward].

3. Putting the Two Together

a. All of the 65 references below occur as basileia theos

b. It is both a literal and a spiritual kingdom

b. Occurrences (65 times)

i. Matthew (4 times vs. 31 K of H)

1. 12:28 - ²⁷“If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. ²⁸“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

2. 19:24 - ²³And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴“Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

3. 21:31 - ²⁸“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ ²⁹“And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. ³⁰“The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. ³¹“Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said^*, “The first.” Jesus said^* to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. ³²“For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.

4. 21:43 – ⁴²Jesus said^* to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,

‘The stone which the builders rejected,

This became the chief corner stone;

This came about from the Lord,

And it is marvelous in our eyes’?

⁴³“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. ⁴⁴“And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

ii. Mark

1. 1:15

2. 4:11

3. 4:26

4. 4:30

5. 9:1

6. 9:47

7. 10:14

8. 10:15

9. 10:23

10. 10:24

11. 10:25

12. 12:34

13. 15:43

iii. Luke

1. 4:43

2. 6:20

3. 7:28

4. 8:1

5. 8:10

6. 9:2

7. 9:11

8. 9:27

9. 9:60

10. 9:62

11. 10:9

12. 10:11

13. 11:20

14. 13:18

15. 13:20

16. 13:28

17. 13:29

18. 14:15

19. 16:16

20. 17:20

21. 17:21

22. 18:16

23. 18:17

24. 18:24

25. 18:25

26. 18:29

27. 19:11

28. 21:31

29. 22:16

30. 22:18

31. 23:51

iv. John

1. 3:3

2. 3:5

v. Acts

1. 1:3

2. 8:12

3. 14:22

4. 19:8

5. 28:23

6. 28:31

vi. Romans

1. 14:17

vii. 1 Corinthians

1. 4:20

2. 6:9

3. 6:10

4. 15:50

viii. Galatians

1. 5:21

ix. Colossians

1. 4:11

x. 2 Thessalonians 1:5

1. 1:5

c. Meaning

III. The Kingdom of Heaven

a. Phrasing

i. basileia ouranos

1. basileia means kingdoms, sovereignty, royal kingdom

a. Strongs says about basileia: properly royalty, that is, (abstractly) rule, or (concretely) a realm (literally or figuratively):—kingdom, + reign.

2. ouranos means heaven, air, heavenly and sky

a. Strongs says about ouranos: Perhaps from the same as oros or mountain (through the idea of elevation); the sky; by extension heaven (as the abode of God); by implication happiness, power, eternity; specifically the Gospel (Christianity):—air, heaven ([-ly]), sky.

b. When used as an adjective, as in this phrase,

3. Other words for heaven in the NT

a. Mesouranēma denotes ‘mid-heaven’ or in the midst of heavens as in Revelations 8:13, 14:6 & 19:17 This word is never used in reference to any kind of kingdom but rather shows the division of the 2^nd heaven.

ii. Putting the Two Together

1. The next list deals with the 31 occurrences of basileia ouranos or Kindgom of Heaven

2. The phrase denotes a literal and spiritual reality of God’s rule and reign.

b. Occurrences (31 times)

i. Matthew

1. 3:2 - ¹Now in those days John the Baptist came^*, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, ²“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” ³For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’”

2. 4:17 - ¹²Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; ¹³and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. ¹⁴This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: ¹⁵ “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the ^£Gentiles—¹⁶ “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.” ¹⁷From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

3. 5:3 - ³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4. 5:10 - ¹⁰“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

5. 5:19 – See Next to give in full context - ¹⁹“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

6. 5:20 - ¹⁶“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. ¹⁷“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. ¹⁸“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

7. 7:21 - ¹⁹“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰“So then, you will know them by their fruits. ²¹“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. ²²“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ ²³“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

8. 8:11 - ⁸But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹“For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” ¹⁰Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. ¹¹“I say to you that many will come from east and west, and ^£recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; ¹²but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ¹³And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed that very moment.

9. 10:7 - ⁵These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; ⁶but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ ⁸“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give

10. 11:11 - ¹¹“Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹²“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. ¹³“For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. ¹⁴“And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. ¹⁵“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

11. 11:12 – See Above

12. 13:11 - ¹⁰And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” ¹¹Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. ¹²“For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.

a. Please notice that Jesus again goes on to quote from Isaiah once again giving that OT reference again.

13. 13:24 - ²⁴Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵“But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed ^£tares among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶“But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. ²⁷“The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ ²⁸“And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said^* to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ ²⁹“But he said^*, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

14. 13:31 - ³¹He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; ³²and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

15. 13:33 - ³³He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.”

a. Notice again that Matthew is saying that Jesus taught this way in order to fulfill the words of Isaiah.

16. 13:44 - ⁴⁴“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

17. 13:45 - ⁴⁵“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, ⁴⁶and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

18. 13:47 - ⁴⁷“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; ⁴⁸and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. ⁴⁹“So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, ⁵⁰and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

19. 13:52 - ⁵¹“Have you understood all these things?” They said^* to Him, “Yes.” ⁵²And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

20. 16:19 - ¹⁸“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

21. 18:1 - ¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ²And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, ³and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴“Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵“And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; ⁶but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

22. 18:3 – See Above

23. 18:4 – See Above

24. 18:23 - ²³“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴“When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ^£ten thousand talents was brought to him. ²⁵“But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. ²⁶“So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ ²⁷“And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. ²⁸“But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred ^£denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ ²⁹“So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ ³⁰“But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. ³¹“So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. ³²“Then summoning him, his lord said^* to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴“And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. ³⁵“My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

25. 19:12 - ¹²“For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”

26. 19:14 - ¹³Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁵After laying His hands on them, He departed from there.

27. 19:23 – See other section - ²³And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴“Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

28. 20:1 - ¹“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ²“When he had agreed with the laborers for a ^£denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³“And he went out about the ^£third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; ⁴and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. ⁵“Again he went out about the ^£sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. ⁶“And about the ^£eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said^* to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ ⁷“They said^* to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said^* to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ ⁸“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said^* to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ ⁹“When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a ^£denarius. ¹⁰“When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. ¹¹“When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, ¹²saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’ ¹³“But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴‘Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. ¹⁵‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’ ¹⁶“So the last shall be first, and the first last.”

29. 22:2 - ¹Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, ²“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. ³“And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. ⁴“Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ ⁵“But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, ⁶and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. ⁷“But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. ⁸“Then he said^* to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. ⁹‘Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ ¹⁰“Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.¹¹“But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, ¹²and he said^* to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. ¹³“Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴“For many are called, but few are chosen.”

30. 23:13 - ¹³“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

a. This is the first of Jesus’ eight woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

31. 25:1 - ¹“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ²“Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. ³“For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, ⁴but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. ⁵“Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. ⁶“But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷“Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸“The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹“But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰“And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. ¹¹“Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ ¹²“But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ ¹³“Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

c. Meaning

IV. The Two Pearl Parables in Luke

a. Passages in Matthew 13:44-46

The Kingdom is the Treasure

i. ⁴⁴“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The Kingdom is the Merchant

ii. ⁴⁵“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, ⁴⁶and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

V. The Dragnet

a. Passage in Matthew 13:47-50

i. ⁴⁷“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; ⁴⁸and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. ⁴⁹“So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, ⁵⁰and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

VI. Conclusion

a. The Kingdom of Heaven is a comprehensive phrase employed by Jesus to signify all the blessings brought to mankind by Him:

i. It is announced by:

1. John the Baptist

2. Jesus Himself

ii. It is entered into by:

1. Repentance

2. Humility

3. Poor in Spirit

4. Meekness

iii. It has the benefit of:

1. Comfort

2. Mercy

3. Inheritance of the Earth

4. The vision of God

5. Sonship of God

6. Reward in Heaven

7. Immortal Hope

iv. It describes the:

1. Church Ages

2. Christian attitudes and duty

3. The program of the Servant-King

b. The Kingdom of God is:

i. It will announced by:

1. Christ’s partaking of wine new with us when the Kingdom Comes (Luke 22:15-18)

2. The salvation of Israel at the end of the seven years

3. The Physical Millenial reign on Earth

4. The Regeneration of all things

ii. Its entered into by:

1. Those who are caught away (Raptured)

2. Those in clean garments (redeemed)

3. Those who will be presented to Christ.

iii. It has the benefit of:

1. Eternality

2. Perfection

3. True Joy

iv. It expresses the: (adapted from the ISBE)

1. Social Power inside Christianity

2. Loyalty to God and other Citizens

3. Power of Prayer in keeping the Truth Alive

4. Citizens destiny is Heaven

c. Is it possible that the difference between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven is the difference between the ideal spelled out by God and the real world in sin in which we live? Then:

KoG KoH

Found in the Perfect Found in the Redeemed

Final Outcome Work in Progress

Perfect in Heaven and revealed in Humans Perfect in Earth revealed for Heaven

d. By the first century it is interesting that KoG was considered to be heaven itself and KoH was used to denotate the church and Christ’s kingdom on earth. In reformation times the German Pietiest who did not want their missionary work to be conjoined to the Church used KoG as a distinction.

e. The ISBE makes the following comment on the two phrases in relation to the Jesus’ skeleton prayer: Here the disciples are instructed to pray that the kingdom of God may come, but this is equivalent to the petition that the will of God may be done on earth; Jesus is, however, aware of a region in the universe where the will of God is at present being perfectly and universally done, and, for reasons not difficult to surmise, He elevates thither the minds and hearts of those who pray. The kingdom of heaven would thus be so entitled because it is already realized there, and is, through prayer and effort, to be transferred thence to this earth.

f. Concerning the change in terms from OT to NT the ISBE makes the following view: After the death of Jesus, there soon ensued the destruction of the Jewish state; and then Christianity went forth among the nations, where to have spoken of it as a kingdom of God would have unnecessarily provoked hostility and called forth the accusation of treason against the powers that be. Hence, it made use of other names and let “the kingdom of God” drop. This had commenced even in Holy Scripture, where, in the later books, there is a growing infrequency in the use of the term. This may be alleged as proof that Jesus was being forgotten; but it may only prove that Christianity was then too much alive to be trammeled with words and phrases, even those of the Master, being able at every stage to find new language to express its new experience.

g. Pray

Any Questions? Contact the Webbservant at… stephen.mack.howard@juno.com

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