The Kingdom of God vs. The Kingdom of Heaven
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Wrangler
Well-Known Member
I agree, but I'm wondering if using both is making a distinction between the spiritual Kingdom of heaven and the physical Kingdom of God to come to the new earth?
Wrangler
Well-Known Member
No. One is a place and the other is a person or Being, if you prefer. It is God's Kingdom and where it is, is not of this Earth. I do believe, as you said, that it was revealed there will be a new Earth where those who belong to God's Kingdom will reside.
We physical beings are not made for Heaven. That's why the revealed plan is that not only our bodies but our world, our Earth will be transformed anew. Although we are not Spirit Beings, we will have God's Spirit in us! Praise God.
I think we're pretty much of the same thinking. What Scripture seems to be saying is that we enter into the Kingdom of God when we are born again. Of course we don't enter it physically, but spiritually, through the Spirit of Christ in us. That IMO is depicting the Kingdom of God in heaven, or the Kingdom of heaven where we are now spiritually blessed with spiritual blessings in heavenly places. Not physically, but spiritually Christ raised us up with Him to the heavenlies or heavenly places where we reign in this life with Christ as kings and priests.
When we have ascended into the spiritual Kingdom of God in heaven, when this body of flesh is dead, our spirit, through the Spirit of Christ in us will ascend to heaven a living soul. We are and shall always be a spiritual body of believers in the Kingdom of God in heaven. Then when this life has ended, all who have been born again who are a spiritual body reigning with Christ in the spiritual Kingdom of God in heaven, will return with Christ to give our resurrected immortal & incorruptible bodies of flesh life. After that we shall be complete living souls again in the Kingdom of God that shall come with the new earth.
Ephesians 1:3 (KJV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Ephesians 1:20 (KJV) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Ephesians 2:6 (KJV) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Revelation 1:6 (KJV) And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Anyway, I would like to know if others have arrived at the same of similar conclusions as I have described here?
quietthinker
Well-Known Member
Arthur81
Active Member
Jesus used the two terms interchangeably, so they are synonymous.
"Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person 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."” (Matt 19:23-24 NRSV)
The phrase "kingdom of heaven" is found 31/32 times and only in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew is written from a Jewish perspective and they avoided the use of God's name, hence it is most often written "kingdom of heaven" in Matthew. Using a harmony of the gospels, you'll find the parallel passages show the terms mean the same, so stay with the Bible, ignore teachers who teach otherwise.
The phrase "kingdom of God" is found 69 times in the KJV NT, and of those only 5 are in Matthew.
ScottA
Well-Known Member
I don't see them as differing from one another. I've come to understand the Kingdom of God in heaven is the place of spiritually dwelling with the Lord not only during our lifetimes, but also after death when as spiritual body we depart from our body and ascend to the Kingdom of God in heaven still a living soul, but without physical form. There believers are a spiritual body of believers until the last trumpet sounds the Kingdom of God is complete and time given this earth for declaring the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit is no longer.
Bob Estey
Well-Known Member
I don't disagree! My purpose with the thread is to seek to have better understanding of the spiritual Kingdom of God that Christ came with when He came to earth a man. We enter the Kingdom of God through His Spirit within when we are born again. I believe that's why Scripture says we are already, even in life seated with Christ in the heavenly realm, where the Kingdom of God exists not in physical form but is a spiritual dwelling place for all who are born again of Christ's Spirit. This is why Christ tells us not to seek to find Him physically in this world, for His Kingdom if NOT now of this world, but is within you.
Bob Estey
Well-Known Member
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