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The difference between heaven and the kingdom of God

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JoJo said:
Has anyone ever considered that there may be a difference between "heaven" and the "kingdom of God" or the "kingdom of heaven?"

http://www.wor.org/Books/h/heavking1.sn.htm

If you follow the links on this site, you will eventually find a page leading to the Foursquare Church: http://www.foursquare.org/landing_pages/2,3.html. Does anyone know much about Foursquare theology?
Click to expand...

Hi JoJo,

Interesting question. I would think both titles 'Kingdom of God' and 'kingdom of heaven' are interchangeable.

I thought just the other day about a related question - is there any difference between the Church and the Kingdom of God?

Never come across foursquare theology.

blessings
 
The kingdom of heaven is a theme that is found in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew uses many of the same parables to describe the Kingdom of Heaven as Mark and Luke use to describe the Kingdom of God. In Matthew John the Baptist announced the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2) and in the Gospel of Mark the same person is pictured as announcing that the Kingdom of God is at hand (Mark 1:15).

It is simply a different term used by different Gospels to describe the same thing.
 
The Kingdom of God described in the book of Matthew is simply preaching the gospel, or delivering the good news to the lost. Heaven is where God and the saints live. Big difference.
 
A casual study of scripture reveals that now the kingdom of God, kingdom of heaven are both on eartth as well as heaven. II Pet speaks of the everlasting kingdom which is in heaven and the time will come when according to I Cor. Jesus will deliver the kingdom of heaven, kingdom of God up to the Father in heaven and thus the everlasting kingdom of which Peter speaks. The kingdom on earth today is the church, the people of God.

God bless,
duval
 
stranger said:
Interesting question. I would think both titles 'Kingdom of God' and 'kingdom of heaven' are interchangeable.
Click to expand...

Yes. My question is could there be a difference between those two titles and "heaven" (the place).
 
Lee100 said:
The Kingdom of God described in the book of Matthew is simply preaching the gospel, or delivering the good news to the lost. Heaven is where God and the saints live. Big difference.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your thoughts, Lee. :yes

Soooo, if "heaven" is not the same as the "kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven" then this puts new light on the way many Scripture verses are interpreted (regarding salvation, conditions for salvation...)
 
"Our Father IN heaven........." Heaven is His throne. The earth a place for His feet.

"Your kingdom come that your will may be done in earth..." "The kingdom of God is within you." "I will write my laws in your heart and mind. I will CALL you, MY people..."

"I come to do your will, my God, yes, your law is written within my heart. In the volume of the book it is written of me..."

The kingdom is a quality, written on the fleshly tables of the heart by the Spirit of the living God.
2 Cor 3:3
3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
KJV

Joe
 
mondar said:
The kingdom of heaven is a theme that is found in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew uses many of the same parables to describe the Kingdom of Heaven as Mark and Luke use to describe the Kingdom of God. In Matthew John the Baptist announced the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2) and in the Gospel of Mark the same person is pictured as announcing that the Kingdom of God is at hand (Mark 1:15).

It is simply a different term used by different Gospels to describe the same thing.
Click to expand...

Amen
 
Thank you for your thoughts, Lee.

Soooo, if "heaven" is not the same as the "kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven" then this puts new light on the way many Scripture verses are interpreted (regarding salvation, conditions for salvation...)
Click to expand...

There will be many things in heaven that we will be able to understand and down here we could never attempt to understand. Out knowledge will be increased dramatically. Everything will make since that we could not figure out down here on earth. There is a reason way we do not know what waits for us in heaven. If we know the joys and feelings of heaven we could not stand to live here on earth compared to knowing what we have in heaven. On the flip side, if we truly knew the horrors of hell, we would all be way better Christians, we would do our very best at staying far away from what we know to be sin, knowing first hand the consequences. Just as wonderful as heaven is, Hell is just as horrible on the reverse side of things.
 
mondar said:
The kingdom of heaven is a theme that is found in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew uses many of the same parables to describe the Kingdom of Heaven as Mark and Luke use to describe the Kingdom of God. In Matthew John the Baptist announced the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2) and in the Gospel of Mark the same person is pictured as announcing that the Kingdom of God is at hand (Mark 1:15).

It is simply a different term used by different Gospels to describe the same thing.
Click to expand...
I agree 100%.

I would add the following: Jesus announced that by His entry to the world, the "Kingdom of Heaven" has been brought to this present world. Another way of saying this: the rule that God has in heaven (the "place") has, in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, broken into our present world.

So it would be incomplete to understand Jesus' kingdom of heaven (or kingdom of God) teachings as describing what "heaven is like". He is telling us something about our world - that God is "becoming king" of this present world.
 
I think what I'm trying to get at here is that if "heaven" (the place) is different from the "kingdom of heaven" then we must look at verses that talk about not being able to enter the kingdom of heaven in a different light. In other words, many of the verses people cite about conditions regarding salvation are verses that are speaking of the "kingdom of heaven" or the "kingdom of God" as opposed to "heaven."
 
Yes - I believe that those who are born again have already entered into God's Kingdom - the kingdom of heaven. This kingdom is an eternal realm and not bounded by the constraints of a place many refer to as the 'heavenly home' they long for.
 
The end of our faith has never been to "enter heaven", but always to inherit the kingdom of God. That kingdom is currently invisible, but will ultimately manifest itself in the physical realm when Christ returns in glory.
 
Joe67 said:
"Our Father IN heaven........." Heaven is His throne. The earth a place for His feet.

"Your kingdom come that your will may be done in earth..." "The kingdom of God is within you." "I will write my laws in your heart and mind. I will CALL you, MY people..."

"I come to do your will, my God, yes, your law is written within my heart. In the volume of the book it is written of me..."

The kingdom is a quality, written on the fleshly tables of the heart by the Spirit of the living God.
2 Cor 3:3
3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
KJV

Joe
Click to expand...


I agree. We are His Kingdom. We are His feet on this earth. He is in us and through us His Word goes around the world.
 
JoJo said:
I think what I'm trying to get at here is that if "heaven" (the place) is different from the "kingdom of heaven" then we must look at verses that talk about not being able to enter the kingdom of heaven in a different light. In other words, many of the verses people cite about conditions regarding salvation are verses that are speaking of the "kingdom of heaven" or the "kingdom of God" as opposed to "heaven."
Click to expand...
JoJo and Mutzrein,

Your last two posts are moving in the direction of the "better" covenant.

For the beginners need, we do not deny heaven as geography/location. This is a necessary beginning. Hearing the righteousness of God IN Jesus Christ our Lord as apart from us in heaven is a necessary beginning. Then to grow in the grace of this and to learn our part in the revelation of this righteousness to those God gives us to serve and ultimately how the image of this grace is perfected in us as it was in Jesus, through suffering, brings us into the maturity.

The beginning brings us peace with God. The perfecting of the image brings us into the sacrifice for those who despitefully use us and leads us to pray for God's blessing upon those who curse us. The manifestation of the grace of God in Jesus is not perfected in us at first. Though at first we try to achieve this disposition through will worship, but eventually we fail at this and like Moses we speak to our brothers as he did. He was forgiven. Aaron was forgiven for making the golden calf. Miriam was forgiven for her jealousy.

Grace is greater than our sin. The beginning is so sweet that we cannot imagine that we would act out the attributes manifested through the three leaders of the children of Israel. But as God gives us to continue in his service, he brings these unchristlike dispositions to the surface and gives us repentance for them through the blood of Jesus and cleanses us in the washing of water by the Word and restores his free spirit to guide us in his service to the body of Christ. We are not free in the Lord when we are acting out these dispositions, and accusing our brethren.

Joe
 
Our Father IN heaven

Hallowed be your name.

He that comes to God must believe that He IS,

And that He is a Rewarder of those who diligenty seek Him.

May your kingdom come,

That your will may be done,

In earth,

As it is IN heaven.

This prayer begins and ends with what is happening in heaven. Earth is a shadow/image of what is going on in heaven. What is happening in heaven? This is our first and greatest need. The kingdom of God upon earth is like unto it but second in our need.

What is God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the innumerable angels doing in the new Jerusalem which is above, the mother of us all, the free woman? God's mind is full of us. He is continually caring for us. Like the father of the prodigal son. Looking out his window, watching for us. Drawing us to him through our disappointments, and our pain. Putting it into our heart that even the servants have better things to eat than we do. Putting it into our heart to arise and go to our Father and confess that we have sinned against our Father and all of heaven and that we are not worthy to be called a son and to ask to be as the hired servants.

This is the daily burnt offering. I die daily.

Joe
 
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