I don’t believe there is a difference between “Kingdom of God” and “kingdom of
heaven." I see them used interchangeably in the
Gospels, and trying to distinguish them seems unnecessary. I believe “of God” references the person to
whom the authority belongs, while “of heaven” speaks of the place or throne of
that authority. I don’t believe one
refers to the Millennium and the other refers to the Eternal State.
I agree
with Eldon Ladd that “the kingdom of God” has as it primary meaning that of
authority. The kingdom is the authority
that is given. The realm of authority
and the people of that authority are secondary. Daniel 7:13-14 has a vision of the Son of
man coming to the Ancient of Days to receive a kingdom; I would understand that
to be an authority. That Son of man is
Christ, and he will receive an authority to reign. Of course, that kingdom will include a people
and a place, but I believe authority is the primary aspect. I believe that authority already exists, but
it has different stages of manifestation, and this is where I also agree with
Ladd who emphasizes an “already, not yet” reality of the kingdom.
The kingdom has
its association with Christ. It is to
him that the authority is given as seen in Daniel 7:13-14. That authority of Christ is given because of
what He did in his first coming. But
that authority was already being represented and seen in his first coming. That authority represented and seen in the
first coming was a foretaste of what was to come.
There is a
present stage of the kingdom even after Christ’s coming as represented in the
salvation of those who believe in Christ for eternal life. Those who believe in Him are subjects of His
authority and the future new world order. This may be seen as the “already, not
yet” aspect of the kingdom. The future
aspect of the kingdom, in a more manifested sense, is the Millennial kingdom
[MK]. After the MK, it is the eternal
state. These last two aspects are
usually understood as the “age to come.”
The present age of the “already, not yet” stage is still considered part
of the “this age” or the “present evil age.”
Eldon Ladd
has charts that show these different stages.
The “already, not yet”
stage could be represented as that small beginning with the first
coming, particularly with the events of the day of Pentecost in which
several thousands were saved.
This will come as more of
a Preterist view of things, but it could be seen that the kingdom had
its small beginning with the first coming of Christ and Pentecost,
and this will continue to grow until the manifestation in the earth
at Christ’s coming again. The parables of the Leaven hidden in
meal or the growth of the mustard seed into a tree speak of small
beginnings but with great growth. This may seem like
Postmillennialism, but these parables may speak simply of the small
beginning of the kingdom in the “already” sense, but following
the second coming, it will fill the earth. Daniel 2.35, 44-45 has
the “great mountain” striking Nebuchadnezzar’s dream-image and
filling the earth—the mountain is a kingdom that God will set up in
the days of those kings represented which shall never be destroyed.
Though futurists tend to believe the feet and toes of the image
represent the Roman empire in a latter day revival (some may see it
as a Ottoman Empire revival), and the mountain hitting the image is
the second coming, there is a good argument for the feet and toes to
be part of the legs and representing Rome of the past, and the
mountain striking the image began with the first stage of the kingdom
in its advance following Pentecost.
During the Roman Empire,
God began to “set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed”
(Dan 2.44), and that kingdom will eventually fill the earth and
subdue all these past earthly kingdoms. Jesus’s claim that His
church will not be destroyed (the “gates of hades shall not prevail
against it”) could be understood of this kingdom as it advances
through the ages--this age and the age to come.
