The Kingdom of Heaven

By Warren M Mueller –

Jesus uses over the phrase “kingdom of heaven” 30 times in the gospel of Matthew. This phrase or the synonymous phrase “kingdom of God” is used over 60 times in the others gospels and epistles. Therefore, this is an important theme in the teachings of Jesus. So what is this kingdom like? First, God has unlimited power and so he has control over everything. As king, everything happens according to his will. However, this is not to say that God is the author of evil. God gave the angels and mankind the ability to obey or digress from the decrees of God so evil is the result of rebellion against God but he is not the author of it. With this as the setting, let’s examine some of the teachings of Jesus and his disciples about his kingdom.

Jesus said that his kingdom is not of this world which is to say that the present conditions on earth are not in perfect harmony with his will (Jn 18:36). Satan and his demons rebelled against the positions in heaven assigned to them by God and so were cast to the earth. Likewise, a curse and corruption resulting in death has come upon mankind for disobeying God’s command not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. As a result of these rebellions, the conditions on earth are like a rotting apple in the garden of God’s otherwise perfect universe. In this analogy, the demons and mankind are like worms that consume and alter the apple which is subject to decay. God has given dominion of this world to the devil who is called its ruler and the spirit at work in those who are disobedient (Eph 2:2).

When Jesus was born, he entered into the realm of Satan as a human. However, there was something different about Jesus because his essence was also divine. He was a dual citizen of both heaven and earth. This meant that, although he was tempted by his humanity to sin, his divinity enabled him to conform to the will of God the Father in heaven (Jn 8:28-29). In other words, Jesus had both a human view and divine view of himself and his surroundings. This is what John the Baptist meant when he said, “Repent for the kingdom of God is near” (Mt 3:1-2 NIV). John’s call to repentance is primarily to change the mind by seeing sin as rebellion and self as fallen away from God. It may also include sorrow and a desire to change but this is an outcome not the motivation. In other words, a person can be sorry for committing sins but continue to do them until there is a change in thinking that drives a different behavior. Therefore, the kingdom of God involves a change of mind as a result of a fundamental change (Jn 1:12-13). This is why Jesus said that each person must undergo a spiritual change so fundamental it is like a birth in order to enter the kingdom of God (Jn 3:3).

How does this change occur? The Bible teaches that those who put their faith in Jesus and their personal savior and Lord undergo a radical transformation internally as the kingdom of God is established within (Lk 17:20). The Holy Spirit indwells each believer and a transformation of the mind begins which works itself outward in changed behavior that reflects the kingship of Christ (Mt 13:11; 2 Cor 3:18). This inside out growth of the kingdom of heaven in believers is like the action of yeast in bread (Mt 13:33). The kingdom of heaven is an invasion of the dominion of Satan. The kingdom of heaven will continue to grow like a mustard seed into a great tree that will spread throughout the earth (Mt 13:32).

The presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit is the deposit or guarantee of membership in the kingdom of heaven and is the most precious treasure that a person can have (Mt 13:44; 1 Cor 6:19). A judgment day is coming when it will become obvious who does or does not belong to the kingdom of God (Mt 13:37-43). Eventually the bodies of dead and alive believers will be transformed and live with Jesus in a new earth free from the dominion of Satan and corruption (1 Cor 15:50; Rev 21:1-4).

The kingdom of heaven has invaded this world and is transforming it from the inside out. If you are not part of the kingdom of God, I pray that you will enter it through faith in Jesus Christ and experience the joy, peace, love and wonder of this transformation (Jn 3:16-17)!