What Do You Think The "kingdom Of God" Is?

[Genevanpreacher]

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. Neither shall men say, lo here, or lo there: for behold the the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:21.

 

What about this?

 

Sounds like life to me. Our life here that God has blessed us with living, just because he gave it to us. Living to follow him and enjoy in his presence everyday. Nothing deep I guess, but we have been given this life to enjoy and use for his glory to affect others to believe he is real and he is God in human form that just happens to love us enough to die for us. And to live for us.

 

 

And in the Gospels the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are the same thing in the same parables.

[beameup]

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. Neither shall men say, lo here, or lo there: for behold the the kingdom of God is within you Luke 17:21.

 

 

 

 

entos - in the midst of

Jesus was telling them that the Kingdom was in their presence (in the midst of). 

It helps to look into the Strong's Greek (or Hebrew).  Jesus was very "cryptic", wasn't he?

[ASongOfDegrees]

Simple...

The "kingdom of God" is exactly what the Bible says it is  ".....righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Romans 14:17

It's not always that simple:

 

Matthew 11:12- And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

[heartstrings]

Is the "kingdom of God" the same thing as the "kingdom of Heaven"?

[Genevanpreacher]

Maybe not in every reference, but compare the gospels when the Lord is speaking the parables, ex: parable of the sower, and you will find the two are interchangeable.

Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8.

 

Is the "kingdom of God" the same thing as the "kingdom of Heaven"?

 

(By the way, loved your website and the heartstrings video.)

[Ukulelemike]

This is a good topic. Lots of thoughtful discussion, great ideas and everyone is being so nice and polite to one another.

[Genevanpreacher]

I am trying.

[No Nicolaitans]

This is a good topic. Lots of thoughtful discussion, great ideas and everyone is being so nice and polite to one another.

 

Well, I believe the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are both the same...and anyone who disagrees with me is a heretic.  

[Invicta]

Yes they are the same thing.

 

Matt 3:2. And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mark 1:15  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

 

Matthew and Mark are speaking about the same thing.

 

Matthew uses both terms for the same thing here:

Mt 19:23  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Mt 19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

 

[Covenanter]

Just entering the discussion - I've been reading until now. It's a BIG topic.

 

[Oh dear! Here comes trouble ]

[Covenanter]

The LORD is the eternal King, without beginning or end.

 

1 Sam. 8:⁶ But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. ⁷ And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

 

2 Sam. 7:¹⁶ And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

 

1 CHr. 29:²³ Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel OBeyed him.

 

Psalm 45:6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

 

Psalm 145:13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

 

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

 

Even Nebuchadnezzar recognised this eternal truth:

Dan. 4:³ How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

 

The 4 great kingdoms are succeeded by the Kingdom of the triumphant Son of man:

Dan. 7:¹³ I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. ¹⁴ And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

¹⁵ I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. ¹⁶ I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. ¹⁷ These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. ¹⁸ But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

 

Jesus was condemned for blasphemy for quoting Daniel:

Mat. 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

 

The Kingdom of God; the LORD; heaven; my kingdom ..... is God's eternal Kingdom. We acknowledge or reject him as our King, but his Kingdom does not depend on man. Our status under the Gospel is that we are a royal priesthood, kings & priests.

1 Peter 2:⁹ But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: ¹⁰ which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not OBtained mercy, but now have OBtained mercy.

 

Rev. 1:4 .... Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, ⁶ and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Not forgetting :

Exo. 19:⁴ Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. ⁵ Now therefore, if ye will OBey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: ⁶ and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.

 

The Scriptures do not envisage a yet future earthly, personal, physical kingdom - the LORD has always been King, and Jesus rose from the dead to be declared King, fully vindicated. From Pentecost, many thousands of the Jewish believers acknowledged Jesus as Lord & Messiah. As Peter proclaimed:

Acts 2:²⁹ Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. ³⁰ Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; ³¹ he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. ³² This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. ³³ Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. ³⁴ For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, ³⁵ until I make thy foes thy footstool. ³⁶ Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

 

[Genevanpreacher]

The LORD is the eternal King, without beginning or end.

 

1 Sam. 8:⁶ But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. ⁷ And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

 

2 Sam. 7:¹⁶ And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

 

1 CHr. 29:²³ Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel OBeyed him.

 

Psalm 45:6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

 

Psalm 145:13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

 

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

 

Even Nebuchadnezzar recognised this eternal truth:

Dan. 4:³ How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

 

The 4 great kingdoms are succeeded by the Kingdom of the triumphant Son of man:

Dan. 7:¹³ I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. ¹⁴ And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

¹⁵ I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. ¹⁶ I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. ¹⁷ These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. ¹⁸ But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

 

Jesus was condemned for blasphemy for quoting Daniel:

Mat. 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

 

The Kingdom of God; the LORD; heaven; my kingdom ..... is God's eternal Kingdom. We acknowledge or reject him as our King, but his Kingdom does not depend on man. Our status under the Gospel is that we are a royal priesthood, kings & priests.

1 Peter 2:⁹ But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: ¹⁰ which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not OBtained mercy, but now have OBtained mercy.

 

Rev. 1:4 .... Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, ⁶ and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Not forgetting :

Exo. 19:⁴ Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. ⁵ Now therefore, if ye will OBey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: ⁶ and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.

 

The Scriptures do not envisage a yet future earthly, personal, physical kingdom - the LORD has always been King, and Jesus rose from the dead to be declared King, fully vindicated. From Pentecost, many thousands of the Jewish believers acknowledged Jesus as Lord & Messiah. As Peter proclaimed:

Acts 2:²⁹ Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. ³⁰ Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; ³¹ he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. ³² This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. ³³ Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. ³⁴ For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, ³⁵ until I make thy foes thy footstool. ³⁶ Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

 

Excellent!! And Amen!! I like this!

[Ukulelemike]

Well, I believe the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are both the same...and anyone who disagrees with me is a heretic.  

[Covenanter]

Believers ARE in the present Kingdom of Christ:

Colossians 1:¹² giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: ¹³ who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: ¹⁵ who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: ¹⁶ for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: ¹⁷ and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. ¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; ²⁰ and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

 

Whatever we believe about eschatology, this is the wonderful present reality.

 

Enjoy!

[beameup]

In some respects, there are two kingdoms.  One will last for 1,000 years on earth after Jesus returns (Millennium);

and the other is eternal, following the creation of a new earth and new heaven wherein dwells eternal righteousness.

 

The "Kingdom of Heaven" is where the Father and Son and all his angels dwell (Third Heaven), and this Kingdom will be

brought to the earth when Jesus returns and rules from David's throne in Jerusalem.

 

So it could be argued that the "Kingdom of God" is the eternal kingdom following the re-creation of the heavens/earth.

 

The Israelites (Jews) clearly understood this part of his preaching.  They wanted "Messiah" to return their nation to its former glory.