And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. Luke 9:2
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Mtt 4:17
Do you believe that Christ preached that the kingdom of heaven is at hand and if so what do you think he meant?
Not only did Jesus preach the Kingdom was at hand but also John and their disciples too.
We are led since childhood and our parents before us to believe that the kingdom of heaven is remote as opposed to being at hand. That it is only spiritual and has nothing to do with our participation in modern governments. We are even told that it has no physical reality but is only spiritual. That it is a place we go when we are dead.
Why didn't Jesus preach the religion of God or the Church of God?
What is this kingdom of heaven or God? Are they the same?
The same quotes containing the "kingdom of heaven"[hê basileia tôn ouranôn] in Matthew are repeated in the other gospels with the words the "kingdom of God" [hê basileia tou theou].
Matthew is the only biblical author who used the term "Kingdom of Heaven". Some believe this is because he originally wrote in Aramaic which was the language in common use at that time.
The phrase "kingdom of heaven," in the Hebrew is malkut shamayim along with malkut hach in the Aramaic and was used by Herod and his missionaries who were signing people up for a government created socialist system ministered through the temples he built.
Membership was established by the ritual of baptism, registration and government issued identification. Temples were built by Herod in other countries for the daily administration of this common fund or system of Corban. Many countries had similar systems to help their members.
John and Jesus were also baptizing men into the Kingdom of God. But they did not build temples of dead stone with vaulted treasuries nor did they impose taxes upon the people to be collected by the appointed courts of the king and their temple guards. They preached a different kind of kingdom.
The Hebrew word 'malkut' and 'malkuta' in the Aramaic, as well as 'basileia' in the Greek all mean 'the right to rule' rather than 'territory'. In The American Heritage Dictionary the word kingdom is first defined as, "A political or territorial unit ruled by a sovereign"
How does Basileia Ouranos apply to Malkut hach? The word 'hach
' actually means 'rising, raising up, increase1.
This would mean that 'Malkuthach' literally means the "right to rule increases."
Isa 9:7 Of the increase of [his] government and peace [there shall be] no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Does hê basileia tôn ouranôn mean the right of heaven to rule? And what did the word heaven mean? Does ouranos relate to the word increase?
Does the Greek word 'ouranos' mean 'heaven' as in a place after death or far from here?
John Burnet wrote in the Introduction to Early Greek Philosophy concerning Plato's Dialogues and its use of, Ouranos "…indeed we have no suitable word to express what the Greeks at first called an ouranos. It will be convenient to use the term 'world' for it; …"
Ouranos, is from a root word meaning "to cover, encompass." The definition of ouranos pasted out of the Online Bible concordance is, "the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it" and includes "the world". Even the old testament word 'shamayin' is defined as "the visible sky" from the outer edge of the atmosphere of the earth.
The kingdom of heaven or God is the right to rule the world, the whole world. "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Mt 28:18
In our last message we pointed out that the whole world is made merchandise and returned to the bondage of Egypt. We mentioned "The solution is the same as it has always been but few are preaching the superior system called the kingdom of God which is still at hand." In the kingdom of God only God has the right to rule over you unless you injure another or give consent by application, participation or acceptance.
But what is the kingdom of God? What does it look like?
If Christ came in spirit and in truth then he should be our King in Spirit and in truth.
Jesus' Kingdom was not of the world but it was in the world and he prayed that we remain in the world but not of it.
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Joh 15:19>
Have we honored his prayer? Could we recognize his kingdom if we saw it? If his kingdom was at hand what did it look like? What did it not look like?
