In another sense, the kingdom of heaven is also specific place in a specific time in the future
In another sense, the kingdom of heaven has not yet come. We see this from the following statements that Jesus made.
Now consider Mk 14:25 and Lk 22:15-18.
Mk 14:25 "Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
Lk 22:15-18 15 And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 17 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes."
When we talk about the kingdom of heaven in this (Mk 14:25; Lk 22:15-18) sense, we understand that the kingdom of heaven has not yet come.
When the kingdom of heaven finally comes, it will be a time when God will overtly rule the earth, through Jesus Christ. This will begin at the beginning of the millennium. At that point, the entire earth will become a part of the kingdom of heaven. During this time, earth will be governed by God’s laws, and not by man-made laws. Obeying God’s laws will not be optional.
Dan 2:44 "In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and {that} kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.
Re 11:15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever."
Dan 7:18 ‘But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’
Daniel prophesies that God will set up an eternal kingdom. This gets fulfilled in Rev 11:15. The cool thing is that the saints of heaven will possess that kingdom forever.
Right now we may have influence over nothing except ourselves. Nobody probably listens to us. Important people ignore us. But if we are counted amongst the saints of God then one day we will have power in an eternal kingdom. Think of that when life sucks and things are not going your way and you feel as if your life is worthless. And let that thought encourage you to be faithful in times of testing and sorrow.
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