God's Kingdom
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Daniel 2:44
The Kingdom of God is an eternal spiritual realm, it is a place of righteousness, where peace and joy come from being in the presence of the Lord, it is also a state of being for born again believers. The Kingdom of Heaven is the ultimate destination for followers of Christ, and the Gospel is the way to get there through repentance, being “born again” and sanctification.
The Kingdom of God is mentioned only once in the Old Testament, in the Book of Daniel. It is a relatively new concept in the New Testament and a focus of Jesus' preaching. So let's go through all of the scriptures that directly refer to the Kingdom of Heaven to get a sense of what it is, what it isn't, and how to get there.
“…Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
"Truly I tell you," He said, "unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
“…The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how. All by itself the earth produces a crop—first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens within. And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth. But after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.” (Luke 8:11… The seed is the word of God.)
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell…
Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “’though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’
And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.
And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
(Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.)
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit…
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor coveters, not drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarrelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.