Introduction
The New Testament writers used the phrases "kingdom of God" and "kingdom of heaven" almost interchangeably. However, some key differences exist between what these scriptural terms mean in their respective contexts. "Kingdom of heaven" appears 34, while "kingdom of God" appears 75 times in the New International Version (NIV) translation of the New Testament (see here & here). Of the 34 times that the "kingdom of heaven" appears in the New Testament, 31 belong to Matthew. This means that Matthew replaced the phrase "kingdom of God" with "kingdom of heaven" when reporting the same narratives that Mark and Luke had also written (see Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:15). Matthew was writing to a Jewish audience with the intent of proving Jesus' messiahship to them. So, he observed the Jewish tradition of extreme caution when writing God's name (see Exod. 20:7).
Kingdom: A Political & Spiritual Reality
At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus read from the Isaiah scroll in his hometown synagogue in Nazareth. He said, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-19; cf. Isa. 61:1-2). Churchgoers today often choose between a conservative reading of this passage that emphasizes soteriology and a liberal one highlighting social justice—to the exclusion of the other. However, this distinction is unnecessary, flawed, and anachronistic.
The first-century Jews understood the prophet Isaiah's words to foretell Israel's sovereignty, a time without empire and Gentile oppression. However, Jesus promised something better than mere politics: true existential freedom in the present and the future. Salvation for Christians is not some religious duty; it is God resurrecting us to build the kingdom of heaven here on earth. This is the essence of true discipleship: learning how to evangelize the spiritual and the economic poor, bring healing and justice, and proclaim God's mercy.
In the West, our church leaders often reduce the gospel to "going to heaven." However, God's purpose in becoming the incarnate Jesus was to bring heaven to us on earth. The previous rites and traditions of the Jerusalem temple were shadows of the kingdom of heaven, but they were not the actual kingdom. Neither were the reigns of David and Solomon the kingdom of God in its most total sense. First-century Jews expected that kind of kingdom, for the Messiah to overthrow the Romans and to form an independent Jewish state. In their perspective, Jesus was a false messiah (see "Historicity of Jesus"). However, we know that Jesus is the Messiah most authentically, so we must be ready to define God's kingdom in a manner that satisfies the political and spiritual overtones that scripture gives the word. Remember after Jesus' resurrection when his apostles inquired, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). Notice Jesus did not downplay the political reality of God's kingdom. He then emphasized a future revelation of that idea with a present application:
It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:7-8).
Conclusion
In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke made the apostles' mission clear: proclaiming the kingdom of God. The phrase appears eight times in Acts, starting with this testimony about Jesus: "After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God" (1:3). The kingdom began on Pentecost (see Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:15-36), and Luke reveals how the apostles—especially Paul of Tarsus—went on to preach the kingdom coming into the world. Paul suffered much violence to that end (see Acts 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31).
Make no mistake: Jesus and the apostles did not risk death over the religious belief in an afterlife. Instead, they knew God was bringing his kingdom into the world fully. The Anglican theologian N. T. Wright (b. 1948) explains this concept in How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels (HarperOne, 2012). Yes, through his only-begotten Son, Jesus, God became King in a world that wanted nothing to do with him. The word "kingdom" should make us uncomfortable, to say the least, especially those of us who live in Western democracies and demand to have our "unalienable rights" upheld no matter what. God's kingdom is not a republic, but neither is God a lawless tyrant. By becoming Christians, we accept that we are mere citizens of a monarchy and that we give up our rights to self-governance. Remember when the ancient Israelites wanted a king like their pagan neighbors rather than the heavenly rule of God? (see 1 Sam. 8).
Today, we must not do the same thing by lionizing our political leaders over Jesus, not confusing cheap soundbites and talking points for gospel truth. The kingdom of heaven is here, but only when we see justice and righteousness as the rule of law for all humankind. God's kingdom is also here whenever we see evil be overcome by good (see Rom. 12:21). Nevertheless, the kingdom of heaven is not yet because we await Jesus' return to earth to bring a thousand-year reign and then final victory over the devil (see "Revelation: Then, Now & Not Yet"). Just as ancient Israel had its capital in Jerusalem, we hope for New Jerusalem to be the capital of God's kingdom that has yet to arrive (see Rev. 21:1-3). We believe that Jesus has died, risen, and will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the universe; for you guide our feet into the way of peace, having taken away the world's sin by the death of your Son, our Lord, Jesus the Messiah. He will open the kingdom of heaven to all who believe in him, saying, "Come, blessed of my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you." Amen.
Bibliography
Attridge, Harold W., ed. The NRSV HarperCollins Study Bible, Revised and Updated with Apocryphal and Deuterocanonical Books. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2006.
The Book of Common Prayer. Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019. p. 257. https://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/BCP2019.pdf.
Dobson, Kent, ed. NIV First-Century Study Bible: Explore Scripture in Its Jewish and Early Christian Context. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014.
Kaiser, Walter C., Jr., and Duane Garrett, eds. NIV Archaeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk through Biblical History and Culture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.
Keener, Craig S., and John H. Walton, eds. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.
Pratt, Tom. "The King & His Kingdom Are Coming." Tysons, VA: Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, 2021. https://tifwe.org/the-king-his-kingdom-are-coming.
Strauss, Mark L. Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels. Second ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2020.
Wright, N. T. How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2012.
⸻. Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2011.
⸻. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2008.
Wright, N. T., and Michael F. Bird. The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2019.
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