The Two Kingdoms
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Text: Matthew 10:1-6
Intro: The kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of God have long been misunderstood. Many would assume them to be/mean the same thing, but here is the thing… God is not the author of confusion… He chooses His words very carefully which is why every word matters… Let me ask you this question, is there ever a time when you are talking about something and use the word God, and the word heaven interchangeably? NO! Why? Because they are not the same word, so how in the world could they be talking about the same thing?
Here is the problem if we believed God only preserved the originals… They don’t exist… So, if we don’t have it, then it doesn’t matter if we change it around a little…
I recently heard a guy criticize the KJB because it is a direct equivalent translation (meaning essentially word for word) The emphasis being on the words of God. His criticism was that the translators didn’t care if you understood what God was trying to say, because their only consideration was on the words themselves and not on the reader… He then proceeded to promote first himself and his ability to translate from original languages and then he promoted the modern translations because they are a dynamic equivalent translation (meaning thought for thought, or idea for idea). The problem that we should have with a dynamic equivalent translation is that they are not God’s words… They are man’s interpretation of what God said… Or maybe man’s interpretation of what they wanted God to say.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Every word of God is pure:
He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
God gave us the prescription for interpreting His word!
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Do you know why we don’t need the word of God to be interpreted for us by a man and given to us in their own thoughts? Because we have His Spirit! God’s prescription didn’t include original languages, we have His word! We have His Spirit, and it is enough!
Kingdom of God: Appears 69 times in our Bible
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
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 they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
From these verses concerning the kingdom of God we can clearly see that this is not a physical kingdom, but a spiritual kingdom. You cannot touch it like meat or drink… Have any of us ever grabbed hold of righteousness, peace or joy in a physical sense? The kingdom of God is with in you… It is not in word but in power… Flesh and blood cannot inherit it, and it is only for those who are born again…
All of that truth simply by comparing scripture with scripture. A more than acquit definition using only His word!
The Kingdom of God is Spiritual!
Kingdom of Heaven: 32 times in our Bible
That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.
For I know that my redeemer liveth,
And that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
And though after my skin worms destroy this body,
Yet in my flesh shall I see God:
Whom I shall see for myself,
And mine eyes shall behold, and not another;
Though my reins be consumed within me.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
And the government shall be upon his shoulder:
And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
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.
The kingdom of heaven is that literal, physical, Davidic covenant based kingdom, the kingdom of Israel that is promised throughout the Old and New Testament of which they unto this day have never had in its fullness. But there is coming a day, the Bible refers to it often as the day of the Lord, that Christ is going to come to this earth, and rule upon it, and at that time it will be the kingdom of heaven. Isaiah speaks of it in over 100 verses, there are over 100 verses pertaining to the physical kingdom of Christ, Ezekiel, God devotes 12 entire chapters to this kingdom, Daniel chapter 2, 7, 9, and 12. Over and over, and over again we see in the Old Testament the KING and HIS KINGDOM! It’s the theme of this book!
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
What about the New Testament? It is found 33 times, all in the book of Matthew. Why there? Because the book of Matthew is written to the Jews and it presents Christ as the King of the Jews!
And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
We can quickly understand that this is not a spiritual kingdom but a physical kingdom.
What about those parallel passages that seem to refer to the same thing but use different words? Let me simplify it as easy as I can. Through those passages, God is revealing to us that their will be a time that both of these kingdoms will be present on earth at the same time. Both are because of and about Jesus, but don’t let that confuse you… One is physical and one is spiritual.
The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
What we have in the book of Acts is a continuation of the teaching of Christ, even after His resurrection!
Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
40 days, of seeing Christ, seeing many infallible proofs and hearing Him teach of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Amazing Right?!?
Now we are hard on the Apostles, but they are really beginning to understand these things…
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
We understand that for 40 days, the greatest teacher the world has ever seen has been teaching them of those things pertaining to the kingdom of God and then look at what they ask...
When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
First of all do you think they would ask Him about the kingdom He just spent 40 days teaching them about? Secondly, if they were, wouldn’t they have referred to it by the same name? For much of my adult Christian life, I have read this and thought, these fools… They don’t understand… Oh, no, they understood perfectly...
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
From here the physical kingdom is preached in Jerusalem…
And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
This continues until the end of Acts 7… Were after the death of Stephen, when he cried out to the Jews that he saw Christ standing at the right hand of the throne of God, and who they killed, we see the transition completely, from not only the kingdom of heaven to the kingdom of God, but also from the Jew to the Gentile.
Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
Acts 14:22, 20:25, 28:31, Romans 14:17, 1 Cor. 4:20, 6:9-10, 15:50, Gal. 5:21, Col. 4:11, and 2 Thess. 1:5.
We don’t see it again, until the fulfillment of it!
For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.