Loving the Scriptures December 29, 2025 Issue

Kingdom of heaven

Throughout Scripture, God’s dwelling or presence is described as a heavenly realm. A Hebrew poet sings, for instance, “The kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations” (Psalms 22:28). While earthly monarchs were respected and obeyed in Israel, God was seen as sovereign over all. Many expected His kingdom to arrive on the human scene as a revival of Jewish political power.

In the teachings of Christ Jesus, the kingdom of heaven is redefined spiritually. God’s dwelling had commonly been viewed as distant; Jesus declared that the kingdom of God is “at hand” and “within you” (Mark 1:15; Luke 17:21). Christian healer Mary Baker Eddy answers the rhetorical question “What is the kingdom of heaven?” this way: “The abode of Spirit, the realm of the real. No matter is there, no night is there—nothing that maketh or worketh a lie. Is this kingdom afar off? No: it is ever-present here” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 174).

Jesus’ followers regularly preached about the kingdom after the Master’s resurrection and ascension. The Apostle Paul wrote, “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” and “The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power” (Romans 14:17; I Corinthians 4:20). John of Patmos recorded his vision: “I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ” (Revelation 12:10).