In the New Testament we find four aspects of the kingdom: (1) the kingdom of God, (2) the kingdom of heaven, (3) the kingdom of the Son of Man and (4) the kingdom of the Father. It is helpful for the believer to understand the significance of each of these terms. The kingdom of God is a general term including the other three aspects mentioned.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the center of all of God’s purposes for blessing. Ephesians 1:10 tells us that “all things... both which are in heaven, and which are on earth” are to be gathered “in one... in Christ.” So it will be in the coming day of the kingdom. The different aspects of the kingdom of God are related to God’s purposes for this earth and the place the Lord Jesus has, or will have, on the earth. Let us consider each of these four aspects in order to better understand them.
The Kingdom of God. The Lord Jesus was presented to Israel as their king. Matthew 12:28 reads, “The kingdom of God is come unto you.” This refers to the fact that the Lord Jesus was in their midst and was casting out devils (demons) by the Spirit of God. To the question of the Pharisees, “When is the kingdom of God coming?” the Lord Jesus answers, “The kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Luke 17:21 JND). Because He was among them, the kingdom of God had come.
Notice here that the gospel of the kingdom was preached at this time and had as its subject Christ the king and His reign on earth. See Matthew 4:23; 9:35; Luke 4:43; 8:1 and Mark 1:14. Sadly, His earthly people Israel rejected this message. They also rejected the One the message was about, the Lord Jesus, the king of Israel, delivering Him instead into the hands of the Gentiles who crucified Him. We can see in Matthew 12:2430 that Israel, having accused Him of casting out demons by the power of the Devil, were subsequently set aside. Then the grace of God reaches out to all men in Matthew 13.
The Kingdom of Heaven. The king (Christ) is rejected and rules from heaven. This is the present state of the kingdom. The king has been rejected, crucified and received up into heaven. The Lord Jesus told His disciples at various times that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. By that He meant that it was coming soon. The kingdom of God, on the other hand, was in the midst of them. See Luke 17:21; Matthew 12:28; 4:17; 10:7. Matthew 11:11 is another proof that the kingdom of heaven was not yet come during our Lord’s life on earth because John the Baptist was not part of the kingdom of heaven. In Matthew 16:19 the Lord gives the keys to the kingdom of heaven to Peter. In Acts, Peter uses these keys to open its door to the Jews and to the Gentiles. Thus, it is after the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus that the kingdom of heaven begins.
The kingdom of heaven is the kingdom during the absence of the king. It includes all who make a profession of Christianity. We learn from Matthew 13 that some who are in the kingdom of heaven are real, while others are not. The kingdom of heaven is larger than the church because the church consists only of true believers. In the parable in Matthew 13:30 “the good” and “the bad” grow side by side, with the bad being judged at the end. “Thus it shall be in the completion of the age” (Matt. 13:40 JND).
There are ten parables in Matthew that are similitudes (or illustrations) of the kingdom of heaven. Six of these are in Matthew 13 (the first parable in this chapter is not a similitude of the kingdom of heaven), while the other four are in Matthew 18:23; 20:1; 22:2 and 25:1. The subjects of these last four are forgiveness, serving the Master, the refusal of the Jews to accept the gospel and bringing in the Gentiles (the beggars), and finally the coming of the Bridegroom and the blessing of true believers. All this has special importance in application to men living today. For example, if we know our sins forgiven, are we showing a spirit of forgiveness? Are we diligently laboring for Him in the vineyard? What is the individual’s attitude toward the invitation of the gospel? Are those who profess Christianity like the five wise virgins, or are they among the foolish virgins?
The Kingdom of the Son of Man. Christ personally returns and reigns over the earth. In the kingdom of the Son of Man, Christ (the Son of Man) comes in power and glory (Matt. 25:31; 24:30) and reigns for 1000 years. The judgments that fall upon the earth prior to the 1000-year reign of Christ are part of the kingdom of the Son of Man.
The Kingdom of the Father. This is the heavenly and eternal kingdom. This will be the portion of all true believers, and it begins after the kingdom of heaven draws to a close. While the kingdom of the Son of Man is being shaped and runs its course on earth, the kingdom of the Father simultaneously occurs in heaven. Those who were real during the time of the kingdom of heaven will be in the enjoyment of these two aspects of the kingdom.
In the kingdom of the Father those who are true believers during the time of the kingdom of heaven are gathered into His barn in heaven as good seed (Matt. 13:30) and will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father (Matt. 13:43). After the kingdom of the Son of Man comes to an end, the Son of Man turns the kingdom over to His Father (1 Cor. 15:24). The kingdom continues as the kingdom of the Father for eternity.
H. Brinkmann