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During His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ revealed to His disciples that a new age was fast approaching. During the impending age, the authority of God, expressed by the presence of His kingdom, would be unveiled on earth in a manner unlike ever before. Consequently, it would no longer be demonstrated visibly through the earthly nation of Israel. Instead, the authority of God during the new age would be manifested invisibly on earth from the eternal realm through instrumentation of a heavenly body, the real New Testament church. Jesus introduced the impending age in the "kingdom of heaven" parables.
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By the first century A.D., the nation of Israel had been waiting for the advent of their messiah for nearly a millennium. They had long believed that his arrival would constitute the glorious fulfillment of a divine promise.
The Jewish people understood that the arrival of their promised Messiah was to be accompanied by the origination of the kingdom of God on earth. As a consequence of its arrival, they would experience the blessing of kingdom citizenship, deliverance from centuries of hardship and suffering, victory over their enemies, restoration to national prominence and lavish prosperity. (cf. Isaiah 2:2-4; 4:2-6; 9:6-7; 11:1-12:6; 16:5; 27:12-13; 30:18-26; 32:16-20; 33:20-24; 35:5-10; 44: 21-23; 51:3; 52:1-10; 55:12-13; 56:6-8; 60:1-14; 61:10-11; 62:1-12; 65:17-25; Jeremiah 3:17; 23:3-8; 31:1-40; 33:9-26; 50:19-20; Ezekiel 11:14-20; 20:40-41; 28:25-26; 34:25-31; 36:8-15, 24-38; 37:1-25; 40:1-43:27; 44:1-46:24; 47:1-48:35; Joel 2:18-32; 3:17-18; Amos 9:11-15; Micah 4:1-8; Zephaniah 3:9-20; Zechariah 8:1-8; 10:8-12; 14:9-11; et al.) In the fullness of time, Messiah Jesus indeed came to earth. However, His arrival did not fulfill the expectation of Jewish leadership. They had presupposed from the scriptures that the advent of their messiah and His kingdom would occur with great fanfare, accompanied by a demonstration of heavenly power and might. (cf. Isaiah 9:6-7; 11:1-16; 52:1-10; etc.) For a number of reasons, including His humility, the leadership of first-century Israel failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Therefore, they made a conscious choice to reject Him. The Jewish disciples of Christ were stunned by His rejection. During His earthly ministry they had been privileged to learn the true identity of Jesus. Consequently, the disciples had presumed that His acceptance by the nation of Israel and its leadership was a certainty and the advent of His kingdom on earth was imminent. (Luke 19:11b; Acts 1:6) As a result, the rejection of Christ was devastating. For His disciples it was the cause of great fear and dismay. |
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Kingdom of Heaven
Aware of their apprehension, Jesus provided a description of the impending age. He referred to it as the “kingdom of heaven” or literally the “kingdom of the heavens.” Jesus clarified that the new manifestation of the kingdom on earth would not be visible as in the past but invisible. The phrase “kingdom of the heavens” is found only in the New Testament book of Matthew (32x). It is translated from the Greek, “basileia ho ouranon.” As previously indicated, the primary emphasis of the Greek word basileia (kingdom) is the authority of a king.[1] Thus, the phrase “kingdom of the heavens” is first indicative of the authority exercised by a king. The Greek word translated into the English word “heavens” is ouranon. It is derived from the root word ouranos (oo-ran-os') and used variously in the New Testament in reference to the atmospheric sky, the night sky distinguished by visible astronomical objects, and the abode of God and the angels. Ouranos is first suggestive of “the vaulted expanse of the sky with all the things visible in it” and, second, by extension, “the region above the heavens, the seat of an order of things eternal and consummately perfect, where God dwells and the other heavenly beings.”[2]Louw and Nida add that ouranos refers to “the supernatural dwelling place of God and other heavenly beings.”[3] Kittel further clarifies that ouranos “is sometimes thought to be used as a substitute for God.”[4] Literally speaking, the phrase “basileia ho ouranon” or “kingdom of the heavens” could refer to the authority of a king exercised over the atmospheric sky or the night sky. Relative to the specific context of usage in the book of Matthew, however, the phrase should be understood as a reference to the authority of God manifested on earth from His heavenly abode or the eternal realm (cf. Daniel 4:26; 37 where it is stated that “Heaven rules” and God is referred to as the “King of heaven”). As indicated, the “kingdom of heavens” is not synonymous with the “kingdom of God.” They can be distinguished from one another as follows: |
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Kingdom Distinctions
Many similarities exist between the "kingdom of the heavens" and the "kingdom of God". Nevertheless, there are differences that cannot be ignored: |
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Messianic Usage
During His earthly ministry, Jesus used the phrase the “kingdom of the heavens” in the form of a proclamation. (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 5:3; 5:10; 5:19; 5:20; 7:21; 8:11; 10:7; 11:11; 11:12) Serving as a warning, He proclaimed that the “kingdom of the heavens” was “at hand” (eggízoe - eng-id'-zo; near). (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 10:7) The incarnate Christ offered the Jewish people the privileged opportunity to submit to the authority of God and witness again the initiation of the kingdom of God on earth. He warned them that if they did not submit to His offer, the period known as the “kingdom of the heavens” was imminent. (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 10:7) The fundamental consequence of the introduction of the “kingdom of the heavens” would be twofold. First, the Jewish people would no longer be able to recognize the authority of God on earth. It would become invisible to them. Second, God would manifest His authority on earth through the elect of the Gentile nations. Foreknown by God, the nation of Israel did not heed the warning proclaimed by Christ. On the contrary, they rejected both Jesus and His offer. As a result, the impending age, described as the “kingdom of the heavens,” was soon introduced on earth. After His rejection, Jesus continued to use the phrase the “kingdom of the heavens.” (cf. Matthew 13:11; 13:24; 13:31; 13:33; 13:44; 13:45; 13:47; 13:52; 16:19; 18:11; 8:31; 8:41; 8:23; 19:12; 19:14; 19:23; 20:1; 22:2; 23:13; 25:1) He did so to clarify to His disciples that the authority of God manifested on earth would not cease after His rejection. It would most certainly endure. However, as forewarned, the authority of God manifested on earth during the impending age would be revealed in a manner that was secretive to the Jewish people. |
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Mystery
During the preceding Israelite Age, God had revealed Himself to the world through the nation of Israel. His authority had been manifested visibly to Israel through chosen leadership, law, tabernacle, temple, oracles, etc. Relative to their disobedience to covenantal law, however, the nation of Israel incurred the judgment of God. As a result, He departed from their midst and His authority manifested on earth became unrecognizable to the Jewish people. It marked the beginning of the Gentile Age. The first-century rejection of the Messiah by Jewish leadership ensured that the authority of God manifested on earth from the eternal realm would continue to be unrecognizable to the Jews during the impending age. According to the prophecy of Isaiah, they would “Keep on listening, but…not perceive; keep on looking, but…not understand.” (Isaiah 6:9; Matthew 13:14) They would not have the privilege of knowing the mysteries (NIV – secrets) of the authority of God manifested on earth during the age to come. (Matthew 13:11) © 2022 James Hiatt |
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