The religious world has a serious problem on their hands as they try to deal with the idea of the kingdom that God was going to establish. The prophet Daniel said in the days of these kings God would set up a kingdom (Dan. 2:44). If one begins with Babylon being the head of gold of the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his vision, the fourth world power would be Rome. Is it the cast that during the time of the Roman empire that Jesus, the Son of God came to the earth as both God and Man (Phil. 2:7; 1 Tm. 3:16). Is it also the case that Jesus told Pilate that He came to the earth to be King (John 18:37)? Jesus is the Messiah and He came to earth to be a King. So is He the king or not?
The integrity of God is at stake in the answer to such questions. John was told by the angel that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit (life) of prophecy (Rev. 19:10). If what Jesus did and or said did not fulfill prophecy where does that leave us today? The law of Moses could not be removed until all had been fulfilled (Matt. 5:17). Jesus before He ascended back to heaven spoke of all “…things must be fulfilled “ (Luke 24:44). The prophets said God would establish or set up His kingdom on the earth. Jesus came and then went back to heaven. Was the kingdom established on earth?
If God says that He will do something, can we count on such a promise? These words in the book of Numbers says “yes”. “Hath he said, and shall he not do it” (Num. 23:19). Because God is God, when He says something He is bound to do it. Did He promise that in the days of the fourth world power that He would set up a kingdom? It is impossible for God to lie (Heb. 6:18; Titus 1:2). John the immerser and Jesus both began their ministry with the same words. The kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt. 3:2; Matt. 4:17). The religious world is now caught as they say, between and rock and a hard place. God said He would set up a kingdom when the Messiah came. Jesus came so where is the kingdom?
The way they have tried over the years to get around this is to say that the kingdom of heaven is one thing while the kingdom of God is another. Making it two different things allows them to tell people that Jesus did set up one kingdom but the other kingdom has not yet been set up.
They need this to keep the Rapture alive in the thinking of the people. What if the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are the same thing? In order to have the Rapture then the kingdom cannot be here now. What does God’s Word show us?
Let us look at the sermon on the mount recorded in Matthew 5-7. In particular consider Matt.5:3. Who are the blessed ones in verse 3? Those who are poor in spirit. He concludes that verse by saying that theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What about Luke’s account? Luke writes that the poor has the kingdom of God (Luke 6:20). Matthew calls it the kingdom of heaven and Luke calls it the kingdom of God. I thought they were two different things?
John came preaching the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 3:2). Once John was placed into prison Jesus said John preached the kingdom of heaven. Jesus after John was put into prison came teaching men the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14). Jesus began preaching the kingdom of heaven being at hand. Jesus preached the kingdom of God. This is not two different kingdoms because the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are the same thing.