Kingdom of Heaven, ideology, discernment

by Levy Abad

While hanging out at Tims, a friend asked me, “What is the difference between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God in the Gospels? Surprised, I asked him why he asked. He explained that he was invited to a Bible study and got curious about how these phrases are used. I explained that there is no stark difference. The Kingdom of Heaven is found in the book of Matthew. Matthew, a Levite, is conscious of using the word Heaven as a fence to avoid “taking the name of God in vain” (the third commandment).

Hellenic influence

On the other hand, the Kingdom of God is a pretty straightforward expression in the Gospel of Luke, the physician. Luke, being a gentile disciple, was not akin to the Hebraic theological perspective. Even the Gospel of Mark or John mentions this phrase, but in a way that Gentiles write it without fence.

Typically, someone who comes from the Philippines would have a layman’s take on the concept, construing Heaven as literally langit, a place where God resides. Too often, when I attend scripture studies, I notice the strong Hellenic tendency of considering this world in a dualistic manner, characterised by a focus on a transcendent realm, and on the other hand, an escape from earthly concerns as sinful. Hence, the Kingdom of God is up somewhere. A typical outcome of this will be indifference to the daily struggles of people in this world, such as personal salvation, disengagement from issues of community justice, and the demands of mercy and peacebuilding. This is contrary to the conduct of Jesus in denouncing darkness during his time, leading to His crucifixion and resurrection.

Years before the birth of Jesus, the Levant came under Greek rule. The mode of production was based on slavery in the time of Alexander the Great, beginning in the 4th century BCE until “the transition from Greek to Roman rule (between the 2nd century BC and the 4th century AD)” (Source: AI Overview online). As an offshoot, the empires’ worldview was imposed on their subjects and came to be known as Hellenism. A proof of this was the translation of the Hebrew Scripture into Greek, or what has become known as the Septuagint. According to experts, the New Testament was written in Greek, which further proves the pervasiveness of Hellenism. This continued even under the Roman Imperial rule, where the slave mode of production persisted. In such a context, usually the ruling classes become influenced by the Empire’s worldview and impose it on the people.

Hebraic sense

So, what is the Kingdom of Heaven in the Hebraic sense, or how was it understood during the time of Jesus? According to the Jewish New Testament Commentary by David H. Stern, the Kingdom of Heaven or the word “Heaven” was used in pious avoidance of the word “God.” To this day, the Hebrew malkhut-haShamayim (“Kingdom of Heaven”) substitutes in Jewish religious literature for the “Kingdom of God,” an expression found frequently in the New Testament.” Relative to this is understanding the Kingdom as the Olam Hazeh / present age and also in the Olam Haba / future age” (p. 16, JNTC, D. Stern). Olam Hazeh and Olam Haba were concepts developed during the Second Temple period, 516 BCE - 70 CE” (A.I. Overview online).

Discernment

Perusing these phrases sheds light on the line in the Lord’s prayer which says, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In this sense, “heaven” means the sky or firmament and not the name of God. The earth and the sky (heaven with a small letter h) refer to the totality of God’s creation. When the earth has been reshaped according to the will of God, there will be the “New earth and New heaven in the world to come” (Isaiah 65:17). Hence, if the Messiah tabernacled on earth, and sowed messianic ideas so that His Kingdom will come and His will be done, are we supposed to escape this world, or are we supposed to immerse and engage/shed light into the darkness of this world in the light of our faith, thus realizing in praxis the commandments “Love of God and Love of neighbour” in history?