Kingdom—“The Kingdom Of Heaven Is At Hand”
Question (1961)—Why should God’s people still pray, “Thy kingdom
come” (Matt. 6: 10), when over 1900 years ago Jesus told His
disciples to preach to the people that: the kingdom of heaven is at
hand” (Matt. 10: 7)?
Answer.—When Jesus commissioned His twelve Apostles to preach,
“The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” He evidently did not mean that
they were to announce that He and the Church were about to reign
over the earth, for the Kingdom in this sense is still future. A
careful study of the expressions, “Kingdom of heaven,” and “Kingdom
of God,” as used in the Scriptures, will show that they mean the
rulers whom God will have as His Vicegerents, exercising His
authority among men in the Millennial Age. In other words, Jesus and
His faithful Little Flock are meant by these expressions (Matt. 5:
3, 10; Mark 10: 14). These expressions are Biblically used of Jesus
and the Church from a twofold standpoint. In some passages they
refer to them during their earthly lifetime, while undergoing
suffering and opposition from the world, the flesh and the devil.
This sense of these terms is fairly synonymous with the term, The
Church Militant. In other passages these expressions refer to them
in their heavenly existence, during their glorious reign over the
earth. In this sense these terms are fairly synonymous with the
term, The Church Triumphant. In its condition in the earthly
lifetime of its members the Church is often called the embryonic, or
suffering Kingdom; and in its heavenly condition during the
Millennium it is called the born, or glorified Kingdom.
At His First Advent our Lord instructed His disciples to preach
that a change of dispensation had come, that instead of preaching
Moses and the Prophets any longer, they were to preach the Kingdom
of God, the embryonic Church (Luke 16: 16). And it was at hand; it
was begun by Jesus in His ministry, was continued by the Apostles at
Pentecost, was advanced further at the home of Cornelius as it went
forth to the Gentiles, and throughout the Jewish Harvest was
advanced still more. All through the Gospel Age this suffering
Kingdom has been at hand, and many have entered into it, and amid
trials and tribulations have been fitted to reign with Jesus as the
glorified Kingdom soon to be established in its reign upon earth
(Rom. 8: 17; 2 Tim. 2: 12; 1 Pet. 4: 13; Rev. 5: 10). It was the
embryonic, or suffering Kingdom, to which our Lord referred when He
said that from the time of John the Baptist the Kingdom of Heaven
suffers violence, and that the violent forcibly seize it (Matt. 11:
12). It is only because of the fact that the Kingdom class will,
after being perfected, reign in the earth, and for that reason only,
that they are called The Kingdom while in the flesh.
The prayer, “thy kingdom come,” refers to Christ and the Church
entering into their reign at His Second Advent. Luke 21: 31 uses the
expression, “the kingdom of God,” in the same sense; for Jesus there
tells us that when we see the signs of the times connected with H
Second Advent enacting before our eyes, we should recognize that the
Kingdom of God is nigh at hand—that He and His Little Flock, His
Joint-heirs, will shortly enter into their office as Kings in the
earth. Some other Scriptures that refer to the coming Kingdom in
power and glory reigning on earth are: Dan. 7: 13, 14, 18, 22, 26,
27; 2: 44; Isa. 2: 2-4; 11: 1-10; 25: 6: 9; 35; 60; 61: 4-11; 62;
65: 17-25; Jer. 23: 5, 6; 33: 14-16; Ezek. 37: 23-25; Joel 2: 28,
32; Obad. 21; Zeph. 3: 8, 9; Hag. 2: 6-9; Mal. 4: 1-3; Matt. 8: 11;
Mark 14: 25; Luke 1: 33; 12: 32; 13: 28, 29; 19: 11, 12, 15; 22: 29,
30; John 18: 36; Acts 14: 22; 1 Cor. 15: 24-26, 50; 2 Tim. 4: 1;
Heb. 1: 8; James 2: 5; 2 Pet. 1: 5-11. This glorious Kingdom reign
of truth and righteousness comes only after the Church has shared in
the First Resurrection (Rev. 20: 4, 6), and in this Kingdom reign
shall all families of the earth be blessed (Gen. 12: 3; Gal. 3: 8,
16, 29; Rev. 5: 13). Therefore let every lover of God and man, of
truth and righteousness, pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done
in earth, as it is in heaven.” ’61-62; ’75-7
Kingdom—Of God & Kingdom Of Heaven.
Question (1977)—Is there a great deal of difference between the
meaning and use in the Bible of the expressions “kingdom of God” and
“kingdom of heaven”?
Answer.—One writer endeavors, but signally fails, to prove that
the expression “kingdom of God” means a kingdom in men’s hearts and
that the “kingdom of heaven” means the Millennial Kingdom. While
many make the great mistake of ignoring dispensational statements of
truth, and hence do not rightly divide the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:
15), we believe it to be equally erroneous to go to the opposite
extreme, and try to make dispensational differences where none
really exist. It is difficult to estimate which of these extremes is
the more injurious to the Truth.
To sustain his theory, this writer claims that Matthew’s is “the
Jewish gospel,” while the others, especially John’s, are “the
Christian gospel.” What absurdity! Were not these writers—Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John—merely historians? Did they not merely witness
and record the things, which Jesus said and did? How, then, could
one write a Jewish gospel and another a Christian gospel? The usual
view is that each of these Evangelists wrote independently of the
others, except John, whose gospel is supposed to have been written
partly to supply points remembered by him, especially those which
had been omitted by the others. Each writer wrote in his own style,
and under Divine inspiration used some license in the choice of
words, hence no two give their accounts exactly in the same words.
In the matter in question, Matthew used the terms “kingdom of
God” and “kingdom of heaven” interchangeably, while the other
writers used only the one—“the kingdom of God.” The word heaven
signifies high, hence the kingdom of heaven is the high kingdom
—higher than earthly dominions, and of course that is the “kingdom
of God.” A theory based on a twist or turn of a word, and not on a
general principle of Bible teaching, is scarcely worthy of
consideration, but in order to avoid a misunderstanding, and to
clarify the matter, it may be well to note that these two
expressions are used interchangeably, as will be seen by examining
the following Scriptures:
Luke 19: 11, 12: “Because they thought that the kingdom of God
should immediately appear, he said therefore, A certain nobleman
went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to
return” (for a full treatise on this, please see BS 290—a copy free
on request).
Luke 21: 31: “When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that
the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.” In these two texts the Kingdom
of God is mentioned in such an unequivocal manner that there is no
doubt but that Christ’s Millennial reign is referred to. This of
itself is sufficient to destroy the false theory under examination;
but we will give also some unquestionable proof that the expressions
are interchangeable. In the following Scriptures, Matthew uses the
words “kingdom of heaven,” while the other Evangelists use “kingdom
of God.”
Matt. 4: 17: “Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Mark 1: 14, 15 reads: “Jesus came
into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and
saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.”
Matt. 13: 11: “It is given you to know the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven.” Mark 4: 11: “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of
the kingdom of God.”
Matt. 13: 31: “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of
mustard seed.” In the parallel passages, Mark 4: 30, 31 and Luke 13:
18, 19, only “the kingdom of God” is used.
Matt. 19: 14: “Suffer little children . . . to come unto me: for
of such is the kingdom of heaven.” The parallel passages, Mark 10:
14 and Luke 18: 16, read “kingdom of God.”
Matt. 19: 23; “A rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of
heaven.” In the next verse (v. 24), we have proof that Matthew used
the expressions interchangeably, for he there says “kingdom of God.”
And in the parallel passages, Mark 10: 23-25 and Luke 18: 24, 25,
only the expression “kingdom of God” is used.
While more evidence could be given, we believe the above is
sufficient to convince any unprejudiced mind that the terms “kingdom
of God” and “kingdom of heaven” are used interchangeably in the
Scriptures and refer to one and the same thing.
But in support of the theory noted above, it is argued: “How else
can the Church during the Gospel Age, in its time of suffering, be
the kingdom of God, and also be the kingdom in a still different
sense during the Millennial Age—unless the Gospel-Age Church be
called the kingdom of God, and the future the kingdom of heaven?” We
answer, No such distinction is needed. The Church during the Gospel
Age is the Kingdom only in the prospective sense; it might be spoken
of as “an embryo Kingdom.” With its exaltation and the birth of the
Spirit in the First Resurrection, it becomes actually and fully the
Kingdom of God, the heavenly Kingdom, completely “set up” (Dan 2:
44).
And it is further argued that the expression “kingdom of God”
must apply only to the Gospel Age, for in Luke 17: 20, 21 we read:
“And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God
should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh
not with observation [outward show]: neither shall they say, Lo
here! or Lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you
[margin, among you].” Of course, Jesus did not mean that it was
within the hearts of the hypocritical Pharisees, to whom He was
speaking! But as represented in Himself and His disciples. It was in
their midst, and they were too blinded by prejudice to recognize it.
’77-79; ’84-71; ’89-6
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