Be Ye Doers. . . Of The Word!

Who's Kingdom?

Are the "Kingdom of God," the "Kingdom of Christ," and the "Kingdom of Heaven" three different kingdoms, or three different names for the same kingdom? One way to determine the answer to this question is to find parallel passages in the gospels. (A parallel passage is just a term used to refer to two or more accounts of the same story. These parallel passages are commonly found in the gospels.) One parallel passage is in the parable of the mustard seed found in Matthew 13:31,32 and in Luke 13:18,19. Matthew says, ". . . The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed. . ." Luke writes, ". . . Unto what is the kingdom of God like? And where unto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed. . ."

Another such parable is the parable of the leaven. In Matthew 13:33, Jesus states, ". . . The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven. . ." In Luke's account Jesus says, ". . . whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven. . ." (Luke 13:20,21)

One more set of parallel passages that shows that the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are the same kingdom is Matthew 19:23,24. Verse 23 says, ". . . a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." Verse 24 says, ". . . It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

These verses show that the kingdom of heaven is the same as the kingdom of God. If these two are in fact two different names for the same kingdom, then we must also determine if these are also the same as the kingdom of Christ. Ephesians 5:5 shows us that the kingdom of Christ is the exact same as the kingdom of God. "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." A close study of all of the above verses show that "The Kingdom of God," "The Kingdom of Christ," and "The Kingdom of Heaven" are three interchangeable names for the same kingdom.

It is very important to understand that these three names all refer to the same kingdom. This knowledge will enable the reader to better understand the remainder of this article.

The Kingdom

In reading the Old Testament, we find that there were many kingdoms that would rise because of military strength and later be defeated because someone stronger would eventually take over. These kingdoms usually failed because they would, over time, become relaxed in their military forces, or they had disputes within their kingdom and these disputes caused the kingdom to split or divide into smaller kingdoms.

What would it be like if a kingdom could be established that would always be strong and the rulers always in agreement? The Old Testament prophesies of just that type of kingdom. We find several verses in the Old Testament that prophesies of an everlasting kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar, in Daniel 4:3 says, "How great are His (God's) signs! And how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation." Daruis says in Daniel 6:26, "I make a decree, that in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for He is the living God, and steadfast forever, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall be even unto the end."

The Old Testament prophesies several times about an everlasting kingdom that would come and that it would be God's kingdom. Has this kingdom already been established or is it to be established in the future? Perhaps the second chapter of Daniel can help us to better understand this question. In the second chapter of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and none of his wise men could interpret it. King Nebuchadnezzar was upset that none of his wise men could interpret the dream, but later discovered a man named Daniel that was an interpreter of dreams. Daniel first tells the King what his dream was in Daniel 2:31-35, then in Daniel 2:37-45 he interprets the dream, or tells Nebuchadnezzar what the dream meant. (Please take time to read and understand the above verses.)

Daniel tells the King that the statue which he saw was in four parts. The first part of the statue was a Head of Gold, the second a Breast and Arms of Silver, the third part was a Belly and Thighs of Brass, and the fourth part was Legs and Feet part of Iron, and part of Clay. Daniel further explains that King Nebuchadnezzar was the Head of Gold. (Daniel 2:38)

Now that we know that Nebuchadnezzar, or his kingdom, was the first part of the statue, what about the other three parts or kingdoms represented by the statue? The statue was in four parts which represented four kingdoms. Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom was the Babylonian Kingdom. This kingdom was the Head of Gold. A close examination of world history is essential at this point. History books agree with the Bible that the Babylonian Kingdom was taken by the Medes and the Persians and became known as the Medo-Persian Empire or kingdom. This kingdom was the second kingdom in the statue, it was the Breast and Arms of Silver. Later on in history, the Medo- Persian Empire was taken by the Greeks, who established the Grecian Kingdom or the third part of the statue, the Belly and Thighs of Brass. This kingdom was taken by the Romans who gave us the Roman Empire or Roman Kingdom. This is the fourth and last part of the statue, "The legs and feet part of iron , part of clay."

Now we need to examine Daniel 2:44 carefully, "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 forever." This verse says in the days of these kings, it is referring to the kings over the four kingdoms which we have previously discussed. If we take note of the time that those kings ruled we find that they ruled from about 600 B.C. until about the end of the fifth century. Daniel 2:44 says that within that time God would establish His kingdom and that it would be everlasting.

Did God, in fact, establish a kingdom that would never end before 500 A.D.?

Let's take a look at what some other people in the Bible had to say about the kingdom. In Mark 1:15, Jesus says, ". . . The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." Here Jesus says that the kingdom of God was at hand. What does it mean to say that something is at hand? It means that it was close. What Jesus was saying was that the kingdom of God was almost there or almost established. John the Baptizer said the same thing that Jesus said in Matthew 3:2, ". . . Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Remember, that the kingdom of God, kingdom of heaven, and the kingdom of Christ are three different names for the same kingdom.

Jesus said the kingdom of God was at hand, but how close was it? We know that one day to God is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day. ( 2 Peter 3:8) So, was the kingdom that Christ spoke of thousands of years away or was it close at hand for the people or generation that lived during Jesus' life on earth?

We shall examine this question and others in part 2 of this article.

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