The Two Kingdoms

I have had many inquires pertaining to the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God; therefore I thought it best to put this into one of my blogs. I start with the kingdom of heaven, for it was the first one to be set in place. It started when Jehovah took His people, the Hebrews, called the Jews, and was to set up a government ruled by Jehovah Elohim. Jehovah is God as the Ruler of His own people.

Exo_3:18 And they shall hearken to Your voice: and You shall come, You and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and You shall say unto Him, The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us: and now let us go, we beseech You, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

Here it is read that indeed, Jehovah Elohim chose the Hebrews for His own people. The event above shows that Jehovah Elohim was to be Their God, not everyone's God. This is a very important thing to grasp, for it separates what is told to Them from what was to be said to the Gentiles at large after the death of Jesus Christ.

It would require a book to give all the events and how they occurred in relation to The Jews; and I will not enter into that here. From this time forward in the Bible scriptures the people being addressed are these Hebrews called Jews. The word Jews came from the name of Jacob's fourth son, Judah Yehudah, in the Hebrew. The number four in scriptures is used when referring to Jehovah Elohim’s creative works. This is a clue in itself as to what Genesis 1 and onwards is about.

From the above discussion it can be understood that it is very important to keep what was written to, and about the Jews, to themselves and not mix it with today’s teachings by the Gentiles. Oil and water do not mix, no matter how hard one may try! Neither does that which was written to the Jews mix with that which was given to the Gentiles. This mixing only took place after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, not before it! That is why He sent the apostle Paul to the Gentiles, the other sheep.

John_10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

This verse shouts out the plan which was a part of Jehovah Elohim’s works for mankind. AFTER the Jews killed John The Baptist, the plan changed from the offering to re-setup the kingdom of heaven to the setting up of the kingdom of God. This I have seen in this forum as a stumbling block to many; the two kingdoms, the kingdom of heaven, which was first, and the kingdom of God which is now in place.

What seems to make this subject harder to many is that in the so-called New Testament, the two appear to be the same if not carefully sorted out.

I will now give some examples starting with the first occurrence in the gospels.

Mat 3:1-2 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

First, who is giving notice of the kingdom of heaven being presented? John The Baptist. To whom is He giving it to? The Jews of Judeah. What was John The Baptist preaching to the Jews? The kingdom of heaven, not the kingdom of God. He was telling them that if They would repent and accept this, that they would again have Their kingdom back. Notice that it is John doing the preaching at this time and not Jesus.

Mat 3:56 Then went out to Him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

Notice that again it is the Jews which are being talked of here, not the Gentiles; for They were to be brought into the kingdom of God at a later time. This is where so much false teachings and confusion arise from. Man today takes the parts of the scripture which appeal to them and use them out of their context. No where does it say that the Gentiles are to be water baptized for the remission of Their sins. If that were true, then Jesus died for nothing! Can water erase sins? Or did it take the blood of Jesus Christ to accomplish that? Does water baptism make one acceptable to God? Or did it take the blood of Jesus Christ and the belief in His death and resurrection? It took the latter. Then why today are men saying: “Come up here and be baptized for the remission of your sins”? Again, who was water baptized? And for what reason? It was the Jews and that was for the acceptance of the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom They lost and was being offered again.

I have had several questions about these two kingdoms and many say they are the same thing! Was John The Baptist wrong when He addressed only the Jews? Was Paul wrong when he preached the kingdom of God? Was Jesus causing confusion by using both in His preaching? Absolutely not! Then what is wrong here? That which is wrong is man taking things out of context. There is a simple rule, that if followed, would avoid much confusion. The apostle Paul gives it to those read properly.

2 Tim_2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Now if Paul was appointed the apostle to the Gentiles sheep by Jesus Christ on his way to Damascus, then why do men persist on going back to the gospels which were for the Jews? That is to make Paul’s apostleship of no value! This writer does not wish to be judged for that misuse of Jehovah’s word.

Taking a look now at the usage of these phrases, the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God and seeing what is being taught under each one in the order in which they appear in the gospels.

Mat 6:31-34 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.

But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Notice in the above that the things which Jesus said would be given to those who accept the kingdom of Heaven will have: The worldly things. It talks of them having a tomorrow on Earth, in the earth.

Then: Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteous. It does not say, seek first, Jesus Christ and His salvation for man.

Mat 12:27-29 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges

But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil His goods, except he first bind the strong man? And then he will spoil his house.

Mat_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.

Notice above that it omits Jesus Christ as the means of spiritual salvation; it is fleshly works required.

Mat 21:31-32 Whether of them two did the will of his father? They say unto Him, The first. Jesus saith unto Them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and You believed Him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed Him: and You, when You had seen it, repented not afterward, that You might believe Him.

A parable follows here. Parables were only spoken to the Jews, not the Gentiles.

The Parable of the Tenants

Mat 21:33-46 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen (Carer of the vineyard), that they might receive the fruits of it.

And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence My Son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.

And they caught Him, and cast Him out of the vineyard, and slew Him.

When the lord therefore of the vineyard comes, what will He do unto those husbandmen?

They say unto Him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

Jesus said unto Them, Did You never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

And whosoever shall fall on This Stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took Him for a prophet.

The sentence above that states that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, the Jews, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof: The Gentiles who would later receive spiritual salvation by the preaching of the apostle Paul; who has the Holy Spirit acting on Him. This is why the change from the kingdom of heaven to the kingdom of God. It is showing here in a subdued way, that the Gentiles were to be brought into the fold which Jesus Christ mentioned.

Mar 1:1-5 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, which shall prepare Your way before You. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of Him in the river of Jordan, confessing Their sins.

John was then the messenger of God to the Jews. He preached the remission of sins by water baptism. However, today the remissions of sins is not by water baptism, it is through the death of Jesus Christ and His shed blood, His earthly life, which He gave for that purpose. He had taken on fleshly form, being perfect in spiritual obedience, and becoming God’s Lamb for the sacrifice.

Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

Abraham and His son went together. What a picture this is of Jesus Christ and His God being together.

John 20:17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God