Kingdom of God

1. The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are the same thing, as evidenced by the many parallels between Matthew and Luke (e.g., Matthew 13 and Luke 13).
2. Jesus was awarded His kingdom when He returned to heaven (Daniel 7:13 – 14), which Jesus predicted while on earth (Matthew 24:30, 26:64, Mark 13:26, 14:62, Luke 21:27).
3. Paul wrote that he and the Christians in Colossae (Colossians 1:13) had already been transferred into that kingdom before 62 AD.
4. Hebrews 12:28 says that this kingdom to which the faithful have been transferred is eternal, and is also known as the church (12:22 – 23).
5. Revelation 1:5 says that Jesus is the ruler over all the kings of the earth.
6. Using the parables in Matthew 13 and Luke 13, some of the characteristics of the kingdom are:
   1. The kingdom will start small and become large.
   1. The kingdom will influence the world in a positive way.
   1. The kingdom is tremendously valuable.
   1. The kingdom may gather some false believers, but they will be sorted out at the end of time.
   1. The kingdom will contain many new ideas, not just be a revision of the Law of Moses.
   1. For the faithful who are growing, entrance into the kingdom will be abundantly supplied (2 Peter 1:11), but the road into the kingdom is narrow.
   1. Entry into the kingdom will be closed at Judgment.