The Kingdom of “the Heavens” in Matthew

Throughout his Gospel, Matthew repeatedly quotes first John the Baptizer, then Jesus, taking about the “Kingdom of the heavens”–with “the heavens” in this formula always stated in the plural and preceded by the definite article. In using this language, the intention was clearly to teach that God’s Kingdom is not limited to the far future but is present with us now, in the heavens all around us.

This can be seen from the first few uses of the phrase in Matthew–in the message of John, the early preaching of Jesus, and the Sermon on the Mount.

Mathew’s summary of John’s message is:

Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 3:1-2 (NASB) — Interlinear

I have previously discussed the meaning of “repent” as including “fruit” in the present time consistent with a change of mind and life direction in Repentance, a Changed Way of Life and John’s Baptism. That article also discussed the importance of the fact that the Kingdom of the heavens is “at hand”–near us, not far away–both as the reason for changing and as the means that empowers that change. For purposes of this post, the important point is simply that John did not say “the Kingdom of God” or the “Kingdom of Heaven” (singular), which could be read as references to a Kingdom that will exist in the apocalyptic future. No, John used the term “the Kingdom of the heavens” (hē basileia tōn ouranōn)–the sphere of authority God already exercises in the heavens al around us, yes, including the air we breathe. It is that Kingdom that is “at hand”–in the Greek, “has drawn near” (ēngiken), grammatically a perfect tense verb, implying that the “drawing near” has already been accomplished in the past, and continues to have effects in the present.

Matthew’s summary of Jesus’ early message, before the Sermon on the Mount, is:

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 4:17 (NASB) — Interlinear

The wording of Jesus’ message in this verse is exactly the same as that of John’s message in Matthew 3:2, discussed above. Once again, the emphasis is on the nearness of God’s Kingdom–all around us–now that it has been brought near in Jesus–as both the motivation to bear fruit and the means and power by which we bear fruit. See, also, Repentance in Jesus’ Early Message, Matthew 4:17-22 and Mark 1:14-20.

Matthew’s next few references to the “Kingdom of the heavens” are in the Sermon on the Mount. He makes two references to the Kingdom of the heavens, and one additional reference to “the heavens,” in the first ten verses of his sermon, the part commonly referred to as the “Beatitudes:”

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (hē basileia tōn ouranōn).

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (hē basileia tōn ouranōn).

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven (en tois ouranois) is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Matthew 5:3-12 (NASB)

A previous article, Matthew 5:3 – Blessed are the Beggars, discussed the meaning of that verse and the concept that the overall purpose of the Sermon on the Mount was to force the crowds, who had flocked to Jesus to see his miracles and to get their needs met, to carefully evaluate their motives in coming to him. The only valid reason to come to Jesus is to live as a part of the Kingdom of the heavens. The heavens are all around us, and God’s Kingdom in the heavens is near at hand, but it operates on principles exactly the opposite of those our human kingdoms practice and our human societies teach us to expect. Once again, for purposes of this article, the important point is that Jesus here spoke of the Kingdom of “the heavens,” not the Kingdom “of God” or “of” a remote or future “Heaven.”

Though verses 4 through 9 do not speak of the Kingdom, they do speak to present realities. In verse 4, those who mourn, in the present reality, certainly will be comforted–on the implicit condition that they are willing to receive God’s comfort–with no indication that the future “will be” is limited to the remote future. In verse 5, those who are gentle or meek–not assertive to force their own way–in the present reality “will inherit” the earth, again with no limitation of the future tense to the distant future. In verse 6, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, not for the things their own appetites want, “will be satisfied,” completely filled, with God’s righteousness. Any attempt to limit this verse to the distant, apocalyptic future would contradict the message of the entire New Testament that God is presently conforming us to the image of his Son Jesus, giving us his righteousness. In verse 7, those who characteristically show mercy to others in this present reality “will” themselves “receive” mercy. In verse 8, those who are “pure in heart” in this present reality “will see” God, again with no limitation to a far future time. See, Matthew 5:8–Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God, for a longer discussion of the meaning of verses 6 and 8 and the relationship between them. And in verse 9 those who are “peacemakers”in the present reality, though usually called troublesome meddlers by other people who think they profit from the strife they create or maintain, “will” in reality “be called sons of God.” Recall that the Son of God, Jesus, came to proclaim God’s peace and was crucified for it. But he is eternally, by right, called the Son of God. We are called to follow him.

All of this leads into verse 10. Unlike the verses that preceded it, the promise of verse 10 is stated in the present tense. See an interlinear version of verse 10. Those who are receiving Jesus’ righteousness (verses 6 and 8) and are following Jesus as peacemakers (verse 9), proclaiming God’s peace to others, and have been persecuted because of Jesus’ righteousness visible in their lives, are blessed because theirs is (autōn estin) the Kingdom of the heavens. The Greek present tense copula “is” (estin) is ordinarily omitted, and where it is used, it is being emphasized. It is used in this verse, emphasizing that the possession promised in this verse is possession in the present time. Those who are presently manifesting the promises of verses 6 and 8, and have been persecuted for it, presently possess the Kingdom of the heavens. The Kingdom is all around us, and the existing fact that these people presently possess and are living in and by it, is demonstrated by the persecution they have faced because of it.

Verse 12 then states that our reward for enduring persecution because we possess the Kingdom is a reward “in the heavens.” This reward is not limited to a reward in a future “Heaven” after we die, though it is completed there. Our reward is “in the heavens,” including in the heavens all around us right now. Like the air we breathe, it is invisible to our senses and our reasoning right now–we can only recognize it through faith. Hebrews 11:1-6; John 3:5-8.

Jesus speaks again of the “kingdom of the heavens” in Matthew 5:19. After first explaining in verses 17 and 18 that he did not come to abolish the Law but to “fulfill” it, Jesus then says:

Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:19 — see Interlinear

Both of the references to “the kingdom of heaven” in this verse literally say “the kingdom of the heavens.” This verse, and its context about the role of the Law, applies to both the invisible Kingdom all around us–from which we draw our present life and righteousness–and the future visible Kingdom. As Jesus came to “fulfill” the old law, if we are living in his righteousness we will not nullify that Law but, instead, “fulfill” it. We have a higher and stricter law, the law of love, which Jesus lives out through us. Romans 13:8-14. Those who live and teach lawlessness–that Christ has set us free to do our own thing–“will be called,” another undefined future verb, the least in the kingdom of the heavens, both now and in the future. But those who let Jesus live and proclaim the higher law through them, will be called great in that kingdom.

Jesus reinforces this point in verse 20:

For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:20 (NASB) –see Interlinear

The scribes and Pharisees were scrupulous about keeping the Law given by Moses, as they understood it, in their own strength. They were, as the world might see it, super-righteous. But as Jesus points out in the rest of chapter 5, though they kept the outward details of the law, they failed to recognize its application to the condition of their hearts. Indeed, as he further pointed out in the “woes” of Matthew 23, the passage about “corban” in Mark 7, and the parable of the “Good Samaritan” in Luke 10, in scrupulously keeping the parts of the law most convenient to their own religious system, the scribes and Pharisees failed miserably at keeping the higher law of love. Therefore, a greater righteousness than that of the scribes and Pharisees is needed to enter “the kingdom of the heavens.” That righteousness must come to us out of the heavens, from God, not from our own efforts to keep the Law. It will result in the fulfillment of the Law–through the fulfillment of the higher Law of love–but not through our own efforts.

Jesus’ only other reference to the “kingdom of the heavens” in the Sermon on the Mount is found in verse 21 of chapter 7, which I will here quote in its broader context:

¹⁵ “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? ¹⁷ So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So then, you will know them by their fruits.

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven (tēn basileian tōn ouranōn), but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven (en tois ouranois) will enter. ²² Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

Matthew 7:15-23 (NASB) — see also interlinear verse 21.

So, in this passage, after telling us that the way to tell whether someone who speaks to us in God’s name is true or false is to look at their “fruits” (see “Of Abiding, Growth and Fruitfulness“), because poisonous fruit shows that the tree is bad, Jesus moves to the heart of the matter: only a person who does the will of Jesus’ Father who is “in the heavens” (plural) can enter the “kingdom of the heavens,” from which all true, good fruit comes. Forceful messages claiming to be speaking God’s will, acquisition of political power “in Jesus’ name,” and even the performance of miracles do not prove that the speaker’s message is from God. Only good fruit which flows from living, presently, in the kingdom can show that. As to others, who practice “lawlessness,” doing their own thing even under a religious system of rules (like the scribes and Pharisees), Jesus will say “I never knew you!”

So, even in the opening chapters of Matthew, living in “the kingdom of the heavens” is presented as a present reality, the only way to have life from God. Future posts will discuss the many other references to “the heavens” and “the kingdom of the heavens” in Matthew.

Next: God Speaks to Us.