The kingdom of God is one of the primary themes of the Bible. Jesus talked about it at the start, middle, and end of his earthly ministry. Since I have already given an overview of the kingdom in a previous post, in this post I will highlight three passages that show the heavenly nature of this kingdom.
First, according to the Gospel of John, Pilate and Jesus had this exchange:
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (18:33-37)
Jesus is correcting a common understanding of kingship. He did not come to be a typical king with a palace, guards, sumptuous food, and political and military might. In fact, earlier in the Gospel of John, when the people “intended to come and make him king by force,” he “withdrew again to a mountain by himself” (6:15). He didn’t come to be that kind of king.
But he is a king with a kingdom. His kingdom, though, is “not of this world.” It is “from another place.” Hence, it cannot be attained by exercising physical force or attaining political power so Jesus never sought those things nor did he teach his servants to do so. Moreover, since Jesus already has this kingdom “from another place,” he has no reason to fight for it. People who are seeking political power and material riches to extend God’s kingdom have misunderstood its nature. It doesn’t work that way. As Jesus told his disciples, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Lk 6:20).
Second, here’s what happened between Jesus and the two criminals while all three were crucified:
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Lk 23:29-43)
The one criminal expressed faith in Jesus in the following ways: (1) Jesus would live after he died by crucifixion (2) Jesus has a kingdom (3) requesting that Jesus in his kingly state remember or have pity on him. Instead of correcting the criminal, Jesus affirms his faith by answering, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Paradise is another word for garden and it brings to mind the Garden of Eden. Imagine these two men hanging on crosses for hours in agony. Now imagine both men in a beautiful garden on the same day. If Jesus’ words were fulfilled, that is what happened. Jesus entered his lush kingdom and the repentant criminal was with him.
Third, one of the last things Paul writes is this: “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (2 Tim 4:18). Paul knows the end is near for him. A few verses earlier he writes, “the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (vv. 6-7). But Paul is not despondent because after his life on earth is finished, he expects to enter the Lord’s “heavenly kingdom” or the kingdom “from another place.”
After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. For a deep dive into church history and the character of God, see my book Surprised by Hell.