The Gospel of Matthew has a special emphasis on the kingdom of God, which he usually calls “the kingdom of heaven.” What do we know about this kingdom?
Nature
- Joyful: a huge feast (8:11) and the place where Jesus will drink new wine with his disciples (26:29)
- Pure: at the end of the age a separation will occur between wheat and weeds (13:37-43), wicked and righteous (13:47-51), sheep and goats (25:31-46). “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (13:43).
- Extremely valuable: like a treasure and fine pearls (13:44-46)
- Powerful and active on Earth: conquers Satan’s kingdom (12:28)
- In harmony with God: linked to God’s will being done on earth (6:10)
- Connected to earth: Jesus gave the keys to Peter (16:19)
- Mysterious: Only Jesus’ followers know its secrets (13:11)
Inhabitants
- Poor in spirit (5:3)
- Those who are persecuted because of righteousness (5:10)
- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and many from all over the world (8:11)
- Those who are genuinely righteous (5:20)
- Those who do God’s will (7:21)
- Little children (19:14)
- Those who become like little children (18:2)
- Tax collectors and prostitutes who believed John the Baptist (21:31)
- Those who provide food, drink, clothes, and comfort to others (25:31-36)
- Difficult/impossible for the rich to enter (19:23-24), “but with God all things are possible” (19:26)
Analogies (Parables)
- Like a mustard seed and yeast—starts small and grows mysteriously (13:31-33)
- Like a king canceling debts (18:22-35)
- Like a landowner paying all his workers the same wage (20:1-16)
- Like a king inviting people to a wedding feast for his son (22:1-14)
- Like ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom—five were prepared and five were unprepared (25:1-13)
- Like a rich man entrusting his wealth to servants then going away. When he returned he called them to account for what they did with his wealth (25:14-30).
Time and Place
- John, Jesus, and the disciples announced that it had “come near” (3:2; 4:17; 10:7)
- Present in Jesus’ exorcism power (12:28)
- a prayer for it to arrive on Earth (6:10)
- Some of Jesus’ disciples would not die before seeing “the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (16:28). (Regarding this prediction, see this post.)
- Will be inhabited after the Son of Man comes in his glory and separates the sheep from the goats (25:31-40)
Proclaimed by
- John (3:2)
- Jesus (4:23; 9:35 – “good news”)
- Disciples (10:7)
- “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (24:14)
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.
Thanks Les.
Someone actually brought this topic up as a discussion in our Bible study group.
My take on this has been, that this is an already, but not yet type of thing. Already in the sense that we see glimpses of it now in our present lives (hopefully)… and not yet in the sense that it has not fully come to pass while Satan is still loose here on earth.
I’m not sure if this is your position or not… but there seems to me to be a lot of “all ready, but not yet” type situations described in the Bible. Glimpses of things to come in their fullness when Christ returns.
I would appreciate your thoughts… I’m still reviewing your study.
Thanks
Marty Johnson CO. USA
Marty,
Thanks for your comment. The kingdom of God has been one of the most controversial topics in biblical studies for a couple hundred years. The already/not yet idea has become the standard conception of the kingdom among many believers today. I have made a video that summarizes various conceptions here: https://youtu.be/a8i-1i6T8Xg. It’s complicated in part because our view of time and eternity is wrapped up in our perspective of the kingdom.
I think in some ways the already/not yet idea makes sense for Matthew. The location of the kingdom of heaven is Earth (Matt. 6:10), at the end of the age after the separation has occurred. However, the kingdom already arrived in Jesus’ demonstration of power (Matt. 12:28). I plan to continue tracing references to the kingdom throughout the New Testament.