The kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven

The Kingdom of God in every sense including that of John, is a spiritual Kingdom. No one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless they are first part of the Kingdom of God. You will also notice in every instance of the Kingdom of God as PAUL uses it, is always in a spiritual sence. He never once says, Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is an Earthly kingdom that will go on into eternity once the New Earth and New Heaven is created . If one cannot see the difference it is because their Theology blinds them. Most Scholars, Theologians and Dr of Divinty are blind guides, who cannot see past their denominational, sect or cultic theology.

True Bible believers know this to be true.

a reply to: ChesterJohn

Do you mean, then, that the other heaven is not spiritual?
Wait, are you saying the kingdom called "of heaven" is actually the one not in heaven?
How do you know what Paul thinks of the Kingdom of Heaven, if he never says those words?
Paul mentions Heaven in Romans 1:18, saying that the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven.
OK, this is in the present tense so it is something that is constantly being revealed by heaven.
It seems he means the literal physical heaven, such as things like the sun and the moon and the stars.
Looking at how these things exist and work, should make someone understand that it is not by accident that these things came into existence and also that they do not just continue functioning properly on their own but there has to be someone somewhere watching and doing things to sustain them.
The actual wrath, that Paul is talking about, does not come from heaven, but from God.
His rhetoric seems to be that if there is someone who strictly ordains the heavenly bodies, he is not going to do anything less with the earth itself and its inhabitants so it is a certain thing that there will some day be a reckoning, and those doing wrong are not going to like how it is dealt with when the proper time does come.

a reply to: LolliKum
Chester's distinction is legalistic and unnecessary.
If you look through the rest of this thread, you will see that it is partly based on a complete misunderstanding of an English sentence in his preferred translation.
As I have told him, there is something here which he needs to face up to honestly if he's going to be true to God's word.

a reply to: DISRAELI

I went to the first page and his first post on this thread and it was pretty painful trying to read it. Nice that you have the capacity to sift through it to come to any sort of conclusion.
To me it just indicates a very heavy cult indoctrination, the very sort of thing he tries to warn others of in the post I was responding to from him.
I can see, I think, from reading the post that he probably imagines that he is doing a thorough explanation, of walking the reader through these steps but he has to be completely unaware that to anyone not with the same sort of indoctrination would have to see it as taking huge leaps over vast empty spaces of logic.
I would suggest that he take some time and break own in detail just one single argument out of the several he presented to show how he gets from one place to another.
It horrifies me to a high degree that there is someone preaching these things where human sponges absorb it and mimic some of the verbiage and probably feel very smug inside thinking they are superior and only they have been so gifted by God to know and believe these things.
Well, I feel bad about my own behavior. I came to this forum with the idea of not being mean or harsh to people for their opinions but I am finding it very difficult with a couple people on here who seem to be completely lost in some story telling that passes as a substitute for religion.
I don't really blame them, I blame their teachers. I would like one of these cult followers to have their cult leader come on this forum and try to explain themselves before people who are not afraid to be critical. Of course I would not expect that to happen but I would like the followers to meditate a little on why it would never happen.

I think the bottom line is 'Repent'.
If one does not turn from their 'own way' of existing to embrace 'The Way', they will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.
Or the Kingdom of GOD.
Death to self is the challenge.
If we do not put our own lives and interests sacrificially on the altar of GOD, the only voice we will ever hear dictating our actions, thought patterns and choices is our own.
And flesh and blood cannot enter any kingdom GOD offers.
Being born again is the choice, the challenge and the answer.
And that is never going to be a popular response in an ego driven existence.

a reply to: DISRAELI

However, neither option quite explains the fact that Matthew uses the word “God” freely in the rest of the gospel, and sometimes even slips back into “kingdom of God”.

Papias (c. AD 60-130) wrote, “Matthew put together the oracles [of the Lord] in the Hebrew language, and each one interpreted them as best he could.”. So you had multiple translators, with different mindsets, adding their definitions into the Gospel. Given the kingdom of Heaven only exists in Gospel of Matthew. I think that one or more translators were at fault. It means the same thing....

Matthew 19:23-24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 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.”

a reply to: Lucius Driftwood

And flesh and blood cannot enter any kingdom GOD offers.

Paul seems to be implying that this process starts now, as we stay steadfast and abound in the works if the Lord, then it is finalized at the last trump, that sin is purged from us that would cause us to die again if we were to be just resurrected, without having previously struggled to overcome the works of sin.

originally posted by: glend
Matthew 19:23-24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 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.”

A 'rich man' is any man who owns something.......................If you believe you 'have' life then the kingdom will stay hidden.
There is just life.........it is one without a second................here now.

If there seems to be something separate to all that is..............it will not feel like heaven......if there is more than one....there will be conflict and fear. Is there ever anything other than what is happening?
Is there anything happening 'to you'?