| Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven | Creation date: 16-Feb-2019 |
| Is there a difference? Yes | Last updated: 25-Nov-2021 |
| God exists outside of all of His Creations | |
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There are two places in the scriptures that are geographically identified, where there is a lot of confusion. Many think that the Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are the same place. Part of the confusion is how some Scriptures, that reference the two places and also some Parables, describe the two places.
As you read through this topic, God is always very precise and identifies the places as different because of the names He has used by the writers through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Additionally, the two locations will be recreated after the Great White Thrown of Judgment, where many Biblical Scholars believe it is because:
where God is not going to allow those destine to be in the Lake of Fire to see the new Heaven and the entire new Kingdom of God. The two places have some different statuses where Kingdom of Heaven has changed and will change in the future, while the Kingdom of God has always included everything:
In the scriptures, when we are learning about the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven, they are given as an idiom of how Angels and the future Redeemed who have Salvation will conduct themselves. There are distinctions when we read the scriptures accurately. It is also important to notice, and to keep in mind while reading, that God exists outside of all of His Creations.
| Genesis 1:1 | Heavens is plural: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. |
| Isaiah 65:17 | For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. |
| Job 26:7 | He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing. |
| 2 Chronicles 6:18 | But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built! |
| Revelation 21:1 | Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth, ”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. |
Figuratively and Spiritually
The Kingdom of God is also used figuratively and spiritually to convey God's ownership, authority and how everyone should be conducting themselves in the entire Kingdom of God. When all things are restored, as Eternity starts after the completion of all things as described in the Book of Revelation, then all the inhabitants will be conducting themselves in worship of God, happiness and love towards one another.
It is also a reference to the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant which Jesus Christ will reign from at the start of the Millennial Kingdom and Eternity. King David will have a role in Jerusalem during the Millennial Kingdom and throughout eternity. Everyone will know the Lord in the Millennial Kingdom where after this period then the New Earth will be once again part of the Kingdom of Heaven.
| Ezekiel 37:24-25 | 24 “My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. 25 They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever. |
| Luke 9:62 | And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. |
| Hebrews 8:11 | No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. |
| "There is for me powerful evidence that there is something going on behind it all... It seems as though somebody has fine tuned nature's numbers to make the Universe... the impression of design is overwhelming." |
| “Scientists are slowly waking up to an
inconvenient truth - the universe looks suspiciously like a fix. The
issue concerns the very laws of nature themselves.
For 40 years, physicists and
cosmologists have been quietly collecting examples of all too convenient
"coincidences" and special features in the underlying laws of the
universe that seem to be necessary in order for life, and hence
conscious beings, to exist. Change any one of them and the
consequences would be lethal.
Fred Hoyle, the
distinguished cosmologist, once said it was as if "a super-intellect has
monkeyed with physics". To see the problem, imagine playing God with the cosmos. Before you is a designer machine that lets you tinker with the basics of physics. Twiddle this knob and you make all electrons a bit lighter, twiddle that one and you make gravity a bit stronger, and so on. It happens that you need to set thirty something knobs to fully describe the world about us. The crucial point is that some of those metaphorical knobs must be tuned very precisely, or the universe would be sterile. Example: neutrons are just a tad heavier than protons. If it were the other way around, atoms couldn't exist, because all the protons in the universe would have decayed into neutrons shortly after the big bang. No protons, then no atomic nucleuses and no atoms. No atoms, no chemistry, no life. Like Baby Bear's porridge in the story of Goldilocks, the universe seems to be just right for life.” |
| It may seem bizarre, but in my opinion science offers a surer path to God than religion. |
| "Science is about explaining the world, and religion is about interpreting it. There shouldn't be any conflict." |
The reason why this and many other science related explanations and theories, such as ten or more dimensions in the universe, are included in Biblical Thoughts is because most of us are either taught or lead to believe that God exists in only the current realm of the Universe with special attributes and powers. This incorrect belief leads to problems and limitations in understanding the scriptures. As an example, many Christians are often incorrectly told that the Kingdom of Heaven is located somewhere in the Universe where God looks down from His Throne at activities on Earth, which is absolutely not correct.
While looking at the Scriptures, that speak about creation of stars and a future new heavens (plural intentional) along with Jesus Christ going through walls, the Christian often desires to understand and relate to the abilities in terms that help in the Faith. In our earthly vernacular way of speaking, it could be logically equated to God, who exists in Eternity, has created multiple dimensions for all of the Creations which separates specific places and makes these specific places a subset of a larger reality. This also has collaboration through the theories and work being done in the science of theoretical physics and quantum mechanics. With these higher dimensions, the Christian can then start to understand how God has the ability to see the end from the beginning in terms of time, because He created everything.
It was not until the fourth day that God created the Universe. The Earth existed before the Universe. The Earth is often described as a "Goldilocks" planet for life where everything is perfect for the biological design created by God where any small change in the habitat would not allow life to exist, which is an additional proof of evolution is false The Universe is also a beautiful creation that has mysteries and fascinating possibilities.
| Isaiah 46:10 | I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.' |
| Isaiah 57:15 | For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. |
| Genesis 1:14-19 | 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. |
Note: For those who have disagreements and questions concerning the age of the Universe and the Earth should read the Gap Theory of Genesis 1:2 - Earth formless for billions of years
There is an Indescribable State or Status (ISS), which there is no word to describe or even give ISS a name. Furthermore, we will not be able to comprehend this ISS in our earthly existence and probably will not ever be able to comprehend where God exists outside of everything which He created which includes all Kingdoms and all Universes. There is absolutely no such thing as nothingness.
| Psalm 139:8 | If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! |
| Psalm 139:7-12 | 7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. |
Some Biblical Scholars do not necessarily make a distinction between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. Many Christians did not know there is a difference. As we spend more time in the Scriptures, we often learn that when there are different words and phrases being used it is for our edification, knowledge and of course Faith to grow. This is one of those areas that we should see the distinction.
As we read the many scriptures regarding the Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven, we should understand that there are distinct:
that are occurring specifically in the two referenced locations in the Scriptures. In other words, there are specific descriptions of something occurring or what someone is doing/existing in the Kingdom of God or in the Kingdom of Heaven.
In one verse, Jesus Christ said an all-encompassing statement regarding the Kingdom of God, which mean entirely everything created by God:
| Luke 9:62 | And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. |
There are some Biblical Scholars that state that the Jewish writer in the Old Testament Period, would not use the term Kingdom of God because it would force the writer to speak and write the unspeakable name of God. The theory is the respectful writer of a scripture would substitute Kingdom of God for Kingdom of Heaven.
This theory has some validity of the reverence for the names of God, but that has nothing to do with differentiating the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. Consider that there are hundreds of references in the Old Testament with the word God in them along 1 Chronicles 28:5 which is a reference of the Kingdom of the Lord.
| 1 Chronicles 28:5 | And of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons) he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. |
As mention above, there are critics who state that there is no difference between the Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven. These critics will state that the Apostles did not use Kingdom of God but this is not the case. In the Gospel of Matthew, there are many references of both used.
| Matthew 12:28 | But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. |
| Matthew 19:24 | Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” |
| Matthew 21:31 | He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. |
| Matthew 21:33 | He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” |
| Matthew 21:43 | “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. |
Many Biblical Scholars state that the scriptures point to the Earth being part of the Kingdom of Heaven in the past and will once again be in the eternity future. These are three primary points of many to prove this is true.
| Revelation 21:23 | The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. |
| John 8:12 | When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” |
Consider these two questions since God made the great lights in Genesis 1:16, which is Day 4,
The only answer for both of these two questions is:
|
As just stated, it is the belief by many Biblical Scholars and this author, that the Earth will be part of the Kingdom of Heaven in the future as it was in the past before the fall of Adam and Eve.
This belief is based on the Great White Throne of Judgment will occur in the current location of Heaven, where those who are condemned to the Lake of Fire will not be permitted to see the new Heaven that will replace the existing Heaven. Additionally, the New Jerusalem, New Earth will be part of Heaven afterwards.
| Important note: As just pointed out there are several parables that mention the Kingdom of Heaven "is like". The confusion is cleared up when we learn from Revelation 21:1-3 (shown later in this topic) that the existing Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven will be destroyed by God, so that a new one can be created that Lucifer, Fallen Angels, Demon and condemned human beings will never see. More discussed later in this topic. |
Earth, currently is not part of the Kingdom of Heaven based on John 18:36 (shown below) and others. Additionally, the scriptural verses that speak about entering the Kingdom of Heaven are a physical reference. Furthermore, this author's belief is based on a new Heaven and a new Earth being created as spoke about in Revelation 21:1-2 (shown below). At that point in the future, the Earth will once again be part of the Kingdom of Heaven.
In Luke 9:62 and a few others, the scriptures have our goal to be part of the Kingdom of God, which is true. In other scriptures, we learn that our destiny is to be in Heaven with God, which is also true. Because of these two truths, the incorrect correlation is the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are exactly the same.
| Luke 9:62 | Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” |
Additionally, there are references such as Psalms 103:19, that mention a throne in the heavens which incorrectly conveys the heavens as the universe. The word heavens is plural which indicates more than the Universe. Additionally, God rules from everywhere and the thrown is a figurative connotation.
| Psalms 103:19 | The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. |
| Psalms 139:8 | If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! |
Some scriptures that speak directly about the Kingdom of God:
| Mark 1:15 | And saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” |
| Luke 17:20-21 | 20 And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you. |
| Matthew 6:33 | But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. |
Jesus Christ left His Kingdom of Heaven to enter our world to make a way for us, through His Sacrificial Death as payment for our sins, so that we could enter His Kingdom that He left. This is known as Salvation. Note that there will be a New Heavens in the future as Revelation 21:1-2 lets us know.
| Genesis 1:1 | In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. |
| Job 38 | (God is speaking about His Creation. In verse 7, God is letting Job know that the Angels shouted for joy at the Earth and Universe Creation) "When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven was already in existence.) |
| Hosea 5:15 | I will return again to my place, until they
acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress
earnestly seek me. (This is a beautiful Scripture describing the 2nd Coming for Israel to recognize their Son whom they Pierced. The Tribulation Period is for Israel to be driven to the point of realization of their Messiah and our Messiah are one and the same.) |
| John 18:36 | Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” |
| Matthew 16:19 | I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” |
| Daniel 7:27 | And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.’ |
| Matthew 5:3 | “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. |
| Revelation 21:1-2 | 1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, |
There should be no disagreement that God exists outside of everything that He has created. There is nothing that is created that He didn't create.
God identifies Heaven and earth will be created new as read in Revelation 21:1-2 which Biblical Scholars point to Lucifer's tainting of Heaven (Hebrews 9:23), along with the Earth, as at least one reason for everything being created new. Certainly, no one can argue that the Earth is part of the Kingdom of God. Earth has to be part of the Kingdom of God because God created all things.
It should be also noted that if God can create a new Earth, Universe and Heaven then God exists outside of all of it, as already stated. Additionally, God will hold us all, protect us, and have us enter into the New Realm of Heavens and Earth. Conversely, God has created a place called the Lake of Fire where Lucifer, Fallen Angels, Demons and mankind that are not written in the Lamb's book of Life will eventually reside for eternity without end. In order for the old Earth, Universe and Heaven to be eliminated while the Lake of Fire remains further proves God exists outside of all His Creations by being able to destroy and keep specific locations.
In the Scriptures, there is always a distinction between Earth and Heaven. When the Scriptures discuss Heaven, it is always the place we have our desires and goals to be there with God. Thus, the Kingdom of Heaven is distinctly different from where we are currently located. Our location on Earth is still God's Kingdom, so the Kingdom of Heaven is a different location contained in the Kingdom of God.
| Colossians 1:16 | For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. |
| Matthew 24:35 | Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. |
| Isaiah 55:9 | “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. |
| Matthew 5:20 | For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. |
| Matthew 13:11 | And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. |
| Matthew 13:44 | “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. |
| Matthew 7:21 | “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. |
There are many more scriptures that show a difference between the Kingdom Of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. As stated above, everything that is created is part of the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven is a specific place in everything that was created by God.
| John 3:13 | No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. |
Stated in another way, concerning anything created, God exists outside of everything that He has created. His creation consists of everything which includes Angels and Mankind. There are theories that Christian scientist have postulated to try to explain the dimensions we live in where the Christian Believer needs to only realize that God exists outside of all realities of perceived dimensions.
The complete theory by many Biblical Scholars and this author is:
| Revelation 21:1-3 | 1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. |
| Revelation 21:22-27 | 22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. |
Some additional points:
The question by many of us that look forward to the time of when God restores all things, is what will the Kingdom of Heaven will be like. There is hints throughout the entire Bible, and it should be everyone's great pleasure and interest to read to find out more. Discernment, when thinking about all of God's Creations, will open our mind to know that God has no limits and His great Pleasure is Creation and enjoyment with us all. Therefore, those who may be disappointed on no mention of a new Universe, should not be disappointed as there is going to be something much better.
The Current Kingdom of God based on the Scriptures is shown below.
Note that the Earth and the Universe can be described as the Earthly and
Universe Kingdom.
What to read next?
See: (a) Time and Time Travel, (b) Time Domains, (c) Evolution, (d) Singularity and the Big Bang Theories, (e) E=mc², (f) Ten Dimensions of the Universe, (g) Age of the Earth, Periods that Developed Life, Heavens