Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven

 by Stan Feldsine - www.tojesusbeallglory.com

The two terms, Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven, are used interchangeably to refer to the Messianic Kingdom, aka. the Millennial Kingdom. Matthew and Luke both connect the "feast" to the Messianic Kingdom.

Note that Matthew refers to the kingdom as the "Kingdom of Heaven" and Luke the "Kingdom of God".

Mat 8:11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

Luk 14:15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."

Matthew's intended audience is the Jewish people. The Jews had sensitivities to using the term "God", and would have been unhappy with the use of that term. Thus Matthew, with a Jewish audience, uses the term "Kingdom of Heaven" to avoid causing the Jews to stumble.

Luke's intended audience is broader and includes Gentiles, and he chose to use the term "Kingdom of God". The following will show the use of the terms in their settings.

When speaking to the rich young ruler, Christ uses “Kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God” interchangeably.

Mat 19:23 “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven’”

Having made reference to the "kingdom of heaven", in the very next verse, Matthew refers to the "kingdom of God".

Mat 19:24 “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”.

Jesus makes no distinction between the two terms and seems to consider them synonymous.

Mark and Luke use “kingdom of God” where Matthew used “kingdom of heaven” frequently in parallel accounts of the same parable. Compare the following. In each instance, Matthew used the phrase “kingdom of heaven” while Mark and/or Luke used “kingdom of God.” Clearly, the two phrases refer to the same thing.

Mat 11:11-12 with Luk 7:28

Mat 11:11-12 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (12) From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it.

Luk 7:28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

Mat 13:11 with Mar 4:11 and Luk 8:10

Mat 13:11 He replied, "Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.

Mar 4:11 He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables

Luk 8:10 He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, "'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.'

Mat 13:24 with Mar 4:26

Mat 13:24 Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

Mar 4:26 He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.

Mat 13:31 with Mar 4:30-31 and Luk 13:18

Mat 13:31 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.

Mar 4:30-31 Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? (31) It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.

Luk 13:18-19 Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? (19) It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches."

Mat 13:33 with Luk 13:20

Mat 13:33 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."

Luk 13:20-21 Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? (21) It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough."

Mat 18:3 with Mar 10:14 and Luk 18:16

Mat 18:3 And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Mar 10:14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Luk 18:16 But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Mat 22:2 with Luk 13:29.

Mat 22:2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

Luk 13:29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.

It seems reasonable then to conclude that the gospel writers did not intent to convey that the kingdoms of God and heaven were two different realms. Rather, they seem to be using the terms interchangeably as though they were one and the same realm. The difference in the use of the terms appears to be for the purpose of appeasing Jewish sensitivities regarding the use of the word "God".