What is the kingdom of God?
The kingdom of God was at the center of Jesus’ teaching. He announced at the very beginning of His ministry, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) There are various names used to refer to it: the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 3:2), “Father’s Kingdom” (Matthew 26:29), the “Kingdom of God’s dear Son” (Colossians 1:13), the “Kingdom of the Son of Man” (Matthew 16:28), the “Kingdom of Christ” (Revelation 11:15), the “Kingdom of David” (Mark 11:10).
What did He mean by the kingdom of God?
Jesus did not mean to announce that He had now established a new territory over which He was going to rule as we might think of the term “kingdom.” Jesus’ kingdom was not a domain won by conquest or purchased with money. In fact, Jesus said that His kingdom did not come in a visible way or with visible signs.
Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; (Luke 17:20)
Note that the kingdom of God is not something visible that can be seen with our eyes.
If Jesus’ kingdom was not visible, then what does it mean to say that it is “at hand” or that it has come?
Jesus’ kingdom comes when people submit to God’s rule and bow before Him as their king. This is why it is invisible. It is something that takes place deep in the heart of a man or woman and is not something that can be seen with the human eye. Edersheim (p270) examined 119 passages in the New Testament where the word “kingdom” is used and concludes that it means the rule of God.
Was no one a citizen of God’s kingdom before the coming of Jesus?
In the Old Testament, people certainly did submit to God and follow Him. In this sense, the kingdom of God has always been. The term “kingdom of God”, however, has a specific meaning in the Bible. It is a term which refers to that time when the King would come to earth and begin to take back what He lost in the fall. (Genesis 3) This was prophesied in the Old Testament as the coming of a “new covenant” (Jeremiah 31:31; Amos 9:13; Ezekiel 36:26), and began with the coming of Jesus who is the King of the kingdom. It will be finished at the time of the great consummation when Jesus will deliver up the kingdom to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24) and history will come to an end. (Revelation 21:6)
Give some examples of Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom.
Consider these examples from Matthew:
First, But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33) Note that seeking God’s kingdom is linked so closely with seeking God’s righteousness. A person who is seeking to live righteously is a person who has submitted to God’s rule and law.
Second, But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Matthew 12:28) Here is a person under the control of demons. when Jesus casts out these demons, the person is no longer under the control of the demons but is now ruled by God. This rule of God is what is meant by the words “the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
Third, …and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; (Matthew 13:38) Here, the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom or those people who have submitted themselves to the reign and rule of God. The tares are those persons who are following the lead of the evil one.
Fourth, Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. (Matthew 19:24) This verse is the conclusion Jesus draws when the rich young ruler refused to follow Jesus because it involved turning his back on all his earthly possessions and instead laying up treasure in heaven. Now following Jesus here is the equivalent of entering the kingdom of God. It does not mean entering into some new country or some new realm. It means submitting oneself to God’s rule as manifested in the person and teaching of Jesus.
Finally, Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. (Matthew 21:31) Notice that entering the kingdom of God here is equated with doing the will of the father who Jesus speaks of in this parable.
Why does Matthew use the term kingdom of heaven some times and not kingdom of God as the other gospel authors do?
The Bible does not answer this question. Holtzman suggests (p163) that Matthew used this term out of deference for his Jewish readers who had been taught not to pronounce the Name of God. But Gilbert writes (last paragraph, left column p933):
But, while there is therefore every reason to conclude that Jesus ordinarily used the term ‘kingdom of heaven,’ we certainly are not justified in saying that He did this to avoid speaking the Divine Name. It is impossible to suppose that the man who called God His Father, and who felt that God was always with Him, the man who brought God near to His disciples and convinced them that He numbered the hairs of their heads, that they could approach Him at any time without priest or outward sacrifice,—that such a man shared the superstitious regard for the Holy Name. If Jesus habitually used the term ‘kingdom of heaven,’ which we believe to have been the case, He probably did so because that was the name in common use among His hearers.
Mauro says (p72) that the Kingdom of heaven is the Kingdom of God, but the Kingdom of God is not always the Kingdom of heaven. Wight counters and says (p51) the effort to distinguish between these two is utterly futile. Ladd writes:
The Kingdom of Heaven is the Semitic form and the Kingdom of God is the Greek form of the same phrase. Our Lord taught in Aramaic, a language very similar to Hebrew, whereas our New Testament is written in Greek. Jesus, teaching Jews, probably spoke of “the Kingdom of the Heavens” which would be the natural Jewish form of expression. We have extensive evidence from Jewish rabbinic literature that this phrase was in common usage. To the Greek ear, these words would be meaningless; and when the phrase was translated in our Greek Gospels for Greek readers, it was uniformly rendered “the Kingdom of God.” In the Gospel of Matthew, which was probably written to Jewish believers, the original phrase “the Kingdom of the Heavens” was usually retained. The terminology in Matthew 19:23–24 makes it quite clear that the two phrases are interchangeable and that no difference of meaning is to be sought between them. The Gospel of the Kingdom, 32.
Kingdom & Church
Why is this important for our understanding of the church?
It helps us understand the difference between the kingdom of God and the church. The kingdom of God is invisible while the church is visible.
How does the kingdom of God become visible to a human eye?
Because those who have submitted to God’s rule gather together in a group and worship their king. In this gathering, they become visible. This visible gathering is called “church”.
Where does the Bible teach this?
We can see this in the very term “church” or ecclesia or εκκλησια. This term was not a word that Christians invented. This word was commonly used in the Greco-Roman world for a gathering of any kind. This can be seen even in the Bible itself.
Where does the Bible use the word ecclesia or εκκλησια but not referring to Christians?
Recall that when Paul was in Ephesus, he provoked a riot because his preaching threatened the trade of the silversmiths. (Acts 19:25f) The mob which formed is called an ecclesia.
Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly [ecclesia] was in confusion; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. … But if ye seek anything about other matters, it shall be settled in the regular assembly [ecclesia]. … And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly [ecclesia]. (Acts 19:32, 39, 41)
What can we learn from this usage of the word ecclesia?
That the central idea behind the word ecclesia is a gathering of some kind. In Acts 19:32, the gathering is an unruly mob; in Acts 19:39, the gathering is an orderly political body. In either usage, however, the word is used to refer to some kind of gathering. This is likely why the apostles chose to use this word to define the followers of Christ. Where as the kingdom of God is something invisible, the church is something visible and constitutes a gathering of Christian believers. The apostles often chose words which were already existence in the society of their time and used them to articulate Christian concepts; see Robertson for a long list of such words. source
Who are members of the church?
The members of the church are those who are citizens, we might say, of the kingdom of God. They are those who have submitted to the Great King, are living under His protection, and are obeying His laws.