Kingdom of God/Kingdom of Heaven

I. What Jesus said—The kingdom of God and the Kingdom of heaven are most certainly the same thing, although some conservatives try to disagree.

a. Theocentric: the kingdom of God is focused on and centered around God. But to the Jews, it was seen as being centered around Israel or Jerusalem

b. Dynamic: the kingdom of God is wherever the king is. It is not static, in one location. You cannot leave the kingdom as you can leave Chicago, the greatest city in America.

c. Messianic: Daniel 7:13-14. Jesus cites this at his trial. He therefore ties his favorite self-title (Son of Man) with the coming of the Kingdom of God/Heaven

d. Future: Much is to come. We do not have the kingdom in its fullness, in its power. But there are aspects of the Kingdom that are already here.

e. Present: the wicked one has been overcome, at least he is in the process of being defeated. Matthew 12: 23-29
i. Jesus is baptized not for his own sin. He is baptized because he is identifying with the people’s sin, just as he will later die for the people’s sin.
ii. Satan has been defeated
iii. Jesus’ power to do miracles is evidence that the kingdom had come.
iv. John the Baptist asks for confirmation that Jesus is really the messiah, and that John wants to make sure that he is doing the right thing.
v. His miracles foreshadow the time when there will be no more mourning or death or anything. They give us a glimpse of what is to come.
vi. Jesus never did miracles apart from faith. There is always an interpretation of the miracle that leads to faith in Christ. This is why Jesus didn’t just turn stones into bread. It would merely have been an act of power. Jesus wasn’t come to use his superpowers for his own good. Rather he wanted to show his power to lead others to salvation.
vii. miracles are not self-evident

f. The good news is not that the kingdom is coming, they have known that for seven hundred years. The gospel was that the kingdom is in fact come, at least in part.

g. Lastly: if the messiah brings the kingdom and if Jesus is the messiah, than the kingdom in some sense must have come.

h. It is the difference between D-Day and V-E Day. From D-Day the enemies’ defeat is inevitable, but we keep fighting. Satan is defeated but not impotent, just like the kingdom is here but not full.