BSN: THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Back to BSN Glossary: Things

  • “The kingdom of heaven” redirects here.
  • The “kingdom of God” (or “kingdom of heaven“) was the new order of Israel brought through Jesus Christ, and, was the new order of the entirety of creation as well. Through Israel, God saved the world.
  • The Old Testament is about what God did through the ancient nation of Israel. The New Testament is about what God did through the spiritual nation of Israel, more commonly known as the church. Since then, and forevermore, the kingdom of God prevails.
  • The expressions “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven” are synonymous.
    • The “kingdom of heaven” is a more Jewish way of saying “the kingdom of God.” It is used only in the Gospel of Matthew. It is a softer or more indirect way of speaking just as “Thank heaven” is a softer or more indirect way of saying “Thank God.” Jews tended to prefer this more indirect way of speaking about God because they saw it as more respectful of Him.
    • The expression “kingdom of God” is more commonly found in the Bible (65x) than “kingdom of heaven” (31x).
    • The expression “kingdom of God” appears in all four Gospels, while “kingdom of heaven” appears only in Matthew.
  • There are other variations on the expression “kingdom of God” in the Bible including simply “the kingdom.”
  • The kingdom of God was the central theme of Jesus’ teaching.
  • “The kingdom of God” is “the rule of God.”
  • Jesus is the king of the kingdom of God.
    • The kingdom of God is the kingship of Jesus.
    • The kingdom of God is the rule of Jesus.
    • The kingdom of God is the reign of Jesus.
  • Christ (Messiah) is, in Jewish parlance, king. That is, to be the Messiah was to be the royal descendant of King David who would inherit his throne with greater glory than David ever had.

Related:

Question or Comment