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The Kingdom of Heaven Here and Now
I find the concept of the kingdom of heaven exciting. I love the fact that I am already a citizen and an agent of the kingdom of heaven, and that I have a thrilling future to look forward to.
Many Christians associate the kingdom of heaven with a future life in a place called “heaven” as opposed to, and distinct from, our present life in this earthly realm. In some of his parables, Jesus spoke about the kingdom of heaven as a future reality but, in many other parables, Jesus indicated that the kingdom is already here and in progress.[1]
Note that in Matthew’s Gospel, “the kingdom of heaven” is used, while in Mark, Luke, and John, “the kingdom of God” is used. Both phrases, however, refer to the same concept.
In Luke 17:20b-21 Jesus said, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst (or, within you).” The kingdom is of heaven is here with us now.
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus gives us further insight into the kingdom and how it comes. Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10, my italics).[2] This prayer implies that the kingdom of heaven is wherever, and whenever, God’s will is done. It further implies that Jesus wants his kingdom to come on earth. The kingdom comes when we are obedient to him.
Right now I am part of God’s kingdom. I tell the children in my Religious Education classes that I have dual citizenship: I am currently a citizen of Australia and I am currently a citizen of God’s kingdom. The kingdom of heaven doesn’t just refer to a future reality.
A Jewish Perspective of the Kingdom of Heaven
I am reading Early Rabbinic Writings at the moment.[3] At the beginning of the book is a glossary of Jewish, rabbinic terms. Here is how the Jews used and understood the term “the Kingdom of heaven.”
The Kingdom of Heaven: malkut samayim:
1. The rule of God in the present.
2. The eschatological [end time] rule of God over all mankind.
When the Gospel writers used the term “kingdom of heaven” (and “kingdom of God”) they were using it with the same meanings as the Jewish rabbinic writers, which is that the kingdom of heaven refers to God’s reign in this present age as well as God’s end-time rule over all the earth.
The Kingdom of Heaven in the Future
The kingdom, God’s reign, has come. It came with Jesus’ first coming, but there will be a future, end-time fulfilment. This future phase of the kingdom, however, doesn’t seem to have much to do with what most Christians think of as “heaven.” The Bible does not clearly teach the popular belief that all Christian believers will go and spend eternity in heaven when they die.
Jesus repeatedly stated that all Christian believers (those who continually have faith in him and follow him) will live forever. We have the sure promise of eternal life, but Jesus did not elaborate on where we will spend eternity (e.g., John 3:16).[4]
If our allegiance is given to King Jesus, then we are part of his eternal kingdom, but this does not necessarily mean that we will all go and spend eternity in heaven. We will probably be spending it on the redeemed new earth.
The Bible tells us that one day there will be new heavens and a new earth, as well as a new Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven (Rev. 21:1-2; cf. Isa. 65:17; 66:22; 2 Pet. 3:13). The Bible also tells us that on the Day of Christ, when we see Jesus face to face on earth, our bodies will be transformed and become like Jesus’ glorified body (1 Cor. 15:35ff; Phil. 3:20-21). Throughout the Church’s history, a main tenet of orthodox Christianity is that there is a bodily resurrection from death for God’s people.
Conclusion
As followers of Jesus, we are already part of his kingdom and we can already enjoy some kingdom benefits and blessings. Still, there is more to Christianity than just the blessing of knowing God and his power in this life (1 Cor. 15:19). We can only imagine what our future will look like when Jesus returns to earth and the promises of the kingdom are fulfilled, but it’s going to be good! Especially for the meek! (Matt. 5:5; see also Rev. 5:10).
Footnotes
[1] N.T. Wright comments on the traditional concept of “heaven.”
“God’s kingdom” in the preaching of Jesus refers not to postmortem destiny, not to our escape from this world into another one, but to God’s sovereign rule coming “on earth as it is in heaven.” The roots of the misunderstanding go very deep, not least into the residual Platonism that has infected whole swaths of Christian thinking and has misled people into supposing that Christians are meant to devalue this present world and our present bodies and regard them as shabby or shameful.
Tom Wright, Surprised by Hope, (London: SPCK, 2007), 25.
[2] It is entirely possible that ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς (“as in heaven, so also on earth”) refers to all three phrases about God’s name, kingdom, and will in Matthew 6:9-10. And there is a nice balance, and perhaps an inclusion, with the repeated word “heaven” in verses 9 and 10:
πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς
Our Father who is in the heavens (or, in the heavenly realms)
ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου
Let your name be sanctified (or, hallowed)
ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου
Let your kingdom come
γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου
Let your will happen (or, come into being)
ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς
As in heaven, so also on earth
[3] Early Rabbinic Writings by Hyam Maccoby, Book 3 of Cambridge Commentaries on Writings of the Jewish and Christian World 200BC to AD200 (Cambridge University Press, 1988, digital version 2008)
[4] In John 14:2-3 Jesus tells his disciples that there are many rooms in his ‘Father’s house’, and that he is going there to prepare a place for them. Since Jesus was soon returning to heaven, many people assume that his ‘Father’s house’ refers to heaven. Previously, however, Jesus had referred to the temple in Jerusalem as his ‘Father’s house’ (Luke 2:49; John 2:16-17), and in the temple, there were indeed many residential rooms and apartments. (Jesus also referred to the temple as a ‘house of prayer’ (Matt. 21:13 cf. Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46); and in Matthew 12:4; Mark 2:26; Luke 6:4 the temple is referred to as the ‘house of God.’)
Perhaps the Twelve will each have a room in a new house when Jesus returns, rules from the new Jerusalem, and renews everything (Matt. 19:28ff; Rev. 3:11-12; Rev. 21:1-5; cf. Rev. 21:22).
© Margaret Mowczko 2013
All Rights Reserved
Postscript: September 9 2020.
In his 2001 book which explores “whether and in what ways the teaching of the New Testament is compatible with, or may contribute to, the vision of restorative justice,” Christopher Marshall writes,
It is not possible to arrive at a single, precise definition of what Jesus meant by the phrase “kingdom of God.” It functions as a kind of umbrella term that embraces all the diverse ways that God’s eschatological sovereignty impinges on human life. Nonetheless, it is possible to identify three major facets of Jesus’ kingdom proclamation that, taken together, provide a kind of summary conception of what he meant by the term.
First, the advent of God’s kingdom meant the presence of God’s end-time power to put things right on the earth, in accordance with God’s ultimate intentions for creation. This is seen pre-eminently in Jesus’ miracles and exorcisms.
Second, the coming of the kingdom meant the closeness of God’s personal presence to bring men and women into a new relationship of intimacy with God. This is demonstrated, for example, in Jesus’ table fellowship with outcasts, in his forgiveness of sins, and in his emphasis on God as Abba (“father”).
Third, the dawning of the kingdom meant the creation of a messianic community that was to live in a manner consistent with the demands of the new age in the midst of the old, challenging the unjust status quo by its very existence as a dissident community of equals. This is the chief concern in Jesus’ ethical teaching.
Christopher D. Marshall, Beyond Retribution: The New Testament Vision of Justice, Crime and Punishment (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 70-71.
Anonymous
is this the KINGDOM? Brett Dobbs https://www.pentecostaltheology.com/asbury-revival-2023-goes-on/
I am reading Early Rabbinic Writings at the moment.[3] At the beginning of the book is a glossary of Jewish, rabbinic terms. Here is how the Jews used and understood the term “the Kingdom of heaven.”
The Kingdom of Heaven: malkut samayim:
1. The rule of God in the present.
2. The eschatological [end time] rule of God over all mankind.
When the Gospel writers used the term “kingdom of heaven” (and “kingdom of God”) they were using it with the same meanings as the Jewish rabbinic writers, which is that the kingdom of heaven refers to God’s reign in this present age as well as God’s end-time rule over all the earth.
Anonymous
or is this the kingdom-now? Dale M. Coulter https://www.pentecostaltheology.com/lee-follows-asbury-revival-2023/
Anonymous
did the KINGDOM come down in KS? Peter Vandever Bishop Bernie L Wade https://www.pentecostaltheology.com/charles-parham-racial-roots-of-the-pentecostal-movement/
Anonymous
was your grandma in the kingdom-now in early Pentecost? Philip Williams https://www.pentecostaltheology.com/pentecostal-series-renewed/
Anonymous
a good art. by fellow AUS. theologian Margie Mozko with this Postscript: from September 9 2020.
In his 2001 book which explores “whether and in what ways the teaching of the New Testament is compatible with, or may contribute to, the vision of restorative justice,” Christopher Marshall writes,
It is not possible to arrive at a single, precise definition of what Jesus meant by the phrase “kingdom of God.” It functions as a kind of umbrella term that embraces all the diverse ways that God’s eschatological sovereignty impinges on human life. Nonetheless, it is possible to identify three major facets of Jesus’ kingdom proclamation that, taken together, provide a kind of summary conception of what he meant by the term.
First, the advent of God’s kingdom meant the presence of God’s end-time power to put things right on the earth, in accordance with God’s ultimate intentions for creation. This is seen pre-eminently in Jesus’ miracles and exorcisms.
Second, the coming of the kingdom meant the closeness of God’s personal presence to bring men and women into a new relationship of intimacy with God. This is demonstrated, for example, in Jesus’ table fellowship with outcasts, in his forgiveness of sins, and in his emphasis on God as Abba (“father”).
Third, the dawning of the kingdom meant the creation of a messianic community that was to live in a manner consistent with the demands of the new age in the midst of the old, challenging the unjust status quo by its very existence as a dissident community of equals. This is the chief concern in Jesus’ ethical teaching.
Christopher D. Marshall, Beyond Retribution: The New Testament Vision of Justice, Crime and Punishment (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 70-71.
Anonymous
is the Jewish Perspective of the Kingdom of Heaven the TEMPLE? Duane L Burgess https://www.pentecostaltheology.com/temple-theology/
I am reading Early Rabbinic Writings at the moment.[3] At the beginning of the book is a glossary of Jewish, rabbinic terms. Here is how the Jews used and understood the term “the Kingdom of heaven.”
The Kingdom of Heaven: malkut samayim:
1. The rule of God in the present.
2. The eschatological [end time] rule of God over all mankind.
When the Gospel writers used the term “kingdom of heaven” (and “kingdom of God”) they were using it with the same meanings as the Jewish rabbinic writers, which is that the kingdom of heaven refers to God’s reign in this present age as well as God’s end-time rule over all the earth.
Anonymous
I have LONG rejected kingdom-now as biblical John Mushenhouse I have had several conversations with Kyle Williams Darnell Henson Jr. Peter Vandever Αγγελος Ρουίζ Angel Bonilla Oscar Valdez J.D. King Paul L. King and I reject the reformed notion that we are now in ANY Godly millennium without a resurrected Christ physically present SO I believe the BIBLE declares I also reject the socialist pro-marxist view Wagner took from the South American social gospel liberation theology which Rashdoony promoted as post-mil in his Christian Reconstruction for I have learned it was designed by the KGB as part of their export of religion to take over capitalist S. America and as such kingdom-now is from the devil from hell https://www.pentecostaltheology.com/gutierrezs-book-a-theology-of-liberation-designed-by-kgb/
Anonymous
Hebrews 6:4-6 (KJV) 4 For [it is] impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put [him] to an open shame.
I read this passage and think about tasting the heavenly gift, partaking of the Holy Ghost, and the powers of the world to come.
Does the kingdom of heaven manifest at times? I believe it does. Yet, it is still to come.
Is any of that manifesting in Asbury? I have no idea. I hope that it is.
Anonymous
Brett Dobbs this to say WHAT?
Anonymous
Troy Day my response to the OP. I guess I should include my thoughts on the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of God, I think is more of a locality. It is eternal and outside of space and time. Within the kingdom of God there is the kingdom of heaven.
During the 1,000 year reign of Jesus, the kingdom of heaven will be on earth. Until the earth and heavens pass away and all things are made new. Then, all will consist within the eternal kingdom of God.
And during our current time we occasionally get to experience a taste of the kingdom of heaven.
Anonymous
Brett Dobbs but is it physical here on earth? Kyle Williams
Anonymous
Troy Day was the kingdom of heaven physically here when Jesus was on earth in the flesh?
Anonymous
Troy Day there is not a Dichotomy between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. These phrases speak to the self same reality. Realms in which the Lord hath dominion. Christ’s rule at present is in Heaven, where the Father is (in a manner of speaking) and on earth. ( Matthew 28:18)
It is folly to suppose that Jesus is still waiting to come into His reign as King. The proclamation of John the Baptizer makes this evident. “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. The Kingdom is not a reality for which we wait. Christ has all authority in Heaven and on Earth. We are not awaiting the Messiahs reign, but the consummation of Christ’s Kingdom when He delivers it again to the Father as a finished work.(1 Corinthians 15:24)
Anonymous
Kyle Williams what Dichotomy? We need to be careful right now about our discussion. Reason: Millions of souls hang in the balance of what “OBVIOUSLY” Jesus Messiah is doing (invisibly) in the hearts of the young and the old. This is serious Kingdom Work being done by the King of the Universe and the Owner of Planet Earth. Please, hold your thoughts in your head. A fool speaks all of this thoughts, but a wise man can keep a secret.
Anonymous
Troy Day about what aspect of our discussion should we be careful? What secret should we be keeping?
Anonymous
Kyle Williams the Kingdom?
Anonymous
Troy Day why is that a secret? Jesus came announcing it.
Anonymous
Kyle Williams what do you mean?
Anonymous
Troy Day Jesus came proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom. I don’t suppose He intended to keep it a secret…
Anonymous
When our Lord Jesus Christ came to this world as a Son of a Man, the Heavenly Kingdom was already established. As long as the Holy Spirit is living within us and before the Second Coming of Jesus, the same kingdom will be in this world possibly. Amen!
Anonymous
Rasiah Thomas The people who are criticizing the Asbury Revival probably haven’t had a real move of God in twenty years and don’t remember what a real move of God is!
Anonymous
We need to be careful right now about our discussion. Reason: Millions of souls hang in the balance of what “OBVIOUSLY” Jesus Messiah is doing (invisibly) in the hearts of the young and the old. This is serious Kingdom Work being done by the King of the Universe and the Owner of Planet Earth. Please, hold your thoughts in your head. A fool speaks all of this thoughts, but a wise man can keep a secret.
Anonymous
we still need more info Brett Dobbs Kyle Williams Philip Williams
is the one of heaven and GOD one and the same?
Is it now or later ? are we in the millennium now?
WHY does REV announces it way after the RAPTURE?
Anonymous
Troy Day the Kingdom of God advances, but not through us unless we are in the Spirit.
Anonymous
Philip Williams gospel of THOMAS says it is within us
Anonymous
Troy Day that’s blocks of wood. He’s there within wooden heads. Or, so says the Gospel of Thomas.
Anonymous
Philip Williams “The Kingdom of God is Within You” is the key phrase in Luke 17:21 but we do not expect you to know this. Jesus said, “for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” in response to the Pharisees asking when the Kingdom of God will come. What you are saying here even J.D. King do not believe or confess and he is hard core kingdom-now dude
Anonymous
Troy Day He was referring to Himself who was there in the midst of them. Without the King there is no Kingdom of God.
Anonymous
Philip Williams “The Kingdom of God is Within You” Luke 17:21 just a min ago you were claiming this to be:
blocks of wood. He’s there within wooden heads.
What changed ?
Anonymous
Troy Day that was your Gospel of Thomas which you quoted. We Christians do not believe this Gnostic gospel.