Which Kingdom is it?

There are some that are teaching out there that there is a difference between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. There is also a new, popular book that was just released by Michael Pearl called "Eight Kingdoms" that teach that both kingdoms are different. We believe they are one and the same. Christ came to preach one gospel, about one kingdom, with one way and one salvation. He is also not the author of confusion.

Matthew is the only book in the Bible that wrote "kingdom of heaven" while the other books used "kingdom of God." Some believe that Matthew was afraid to offend the Jews by writing "God" since to them, it was a very sacred word and was easily offensive to use. However, Matthew did use "kingdom of God" several times in the book, so the real reason is unknown.

There is a lot more about this subject, but here are verses that prove these two kingdoms that Jesus spoke of are one and the same. Here is a list of verses that are written about the same instances, but from different books in the Bible. Hopefully, showing these comparisons between those verses will help us understand better what Jesus was speaking of.

See which kingdom they refer in each verse-


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Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
   
Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

VS.

Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.


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Matthew 5:3, 10 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Luke 6:20, 22 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.

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Matthew 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

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Luke 13:28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you thrust out.

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Matthew 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

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Luke 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

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Matthew 13:31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field.

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Mark 4:30-31 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed.

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Matthew 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened

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Luke 13:20-21 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

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Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

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Mark 10:14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

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Matthew 25:14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

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Luke 19:11-13 They thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants.

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Matt 19:14 "But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. "

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Mark 10:14 "But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. "

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Matt 18:3 "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. "

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Mark 10:15 "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. "

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Matt 13:10,11 "And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given."

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Mark 4:11 "And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables"

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Jesus even spoke of both in the same sentence, and treated both instances as the same thing-


"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." Matt 19:23, 24

He even says "and again I say unto you" as to repeat what he had just said even though he referred it as the kingdom of heaven the first time.

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The Jehovah's Witness and the 144,000

I met a young lady that was a Jehovah's Witness at McDonald's recently. We introduced ourselves, exchanged our email addresses and had long discussions via email back and forth. Surprisingly, the JW believe in a lot of the same things that we do concerning heaven, hell, the immortality of the soul, and about not partaking in Pagan holidays.

However, we were not able to agree with them on every point. It was not a disagreement as a matter of personal opinion, but something we were able to prove scripturally. If you are a JW reading this, then please let us share our findings with you. And let the Bible be the final authority.

Here is what we found about the 144,000.

It is spoken of only two times in the Bible: Revelation 7 and 14.

JW believe that 144,000 is a literal number and not a symbolic number. We have found so far that a lot of numbers in the Bible, especially in Revelation are in code.

The number 12 is a special and significant number in the Bible. We see in the Bible that there were 12 tribes of Israel, 12 disciples of Christ, 24 elders, that the New Jerusalem has 12 foundations, 12 gates, 12 thousand furlongs, a tree with 12 different kinds of fruit, blooming 12 times a year, and so forth.

The 144,000 is a multiple of 12 which signifies a completeness.

Here is its basic Hebrew numerology:

12 = God's chosen people, part of His covenant, societal perfection

1,000 = Big number, gigantic scale, ultimate

Any number squared = The meaning of that number, but perfected

12 X 12 = 144 = The perfection of God's covenant with man

144 X 1,000 = 144,000 = The perfection of God's covenant with man on a gigantic scale

Immediately after John sees the 144,000, he now sees a great multitude that is innumerable from many tribes, nations, tongues, and so forth. In Revelation, there is a pattern we can find. It usually begins a chapter with symbolic things, then those symbolic things are clarified immediately after. For example, in Revelation 17, John sees a vision of a woman riding a beast with seven heads, ten crowns, rising out of the water. Immediately after this symbolic vision, there is a clarification of what it means in the same chapter. There is a very strong possibility that the innumerable crowd is the result of the symbolic 144,000.

If that statement above is not enough, let us look into more and dig deeper:

The 144,000 were redeemed from the earth. When Christ appears, we shall be caught up in the air to be with the Lord forever. This act of being caught up separates us from the earth below which will face the wrath of the Lord. We have been redeemed from the earth when this occurs.

The 144,000 are said to be resurrected immediately in heaven. In the Bible, it says that no man has ascended to heaven, except the one who descended from heaven (Christ) in John 3:13.

The Bible also only speaks of two resurrections: One for the just to go into life, and the wicked unto damnation.

"And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" John 5:29

When Christ appears, it is the dead in Christ that shall rise. The Bible also says:

"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." Rev 20:6

And then it says that the rest of the dead lives not again until the thousand years are expired in verse 5 above.

The JW says that it is the 144,000 that reign as kings and priests with Christ, but the Bible speaks of those who partake of the first resurrection. The second resurrection is after the millennial reign.

I cannot find anywhere that there is a heavenly resurrection for the 144,000. I only have found that no man can enter heaven as of yet until the resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15 explains this in more detail:

Christ was the first to have a glorified resurrection. He was the firstfruit of the resurrection, and verse 23 says:

"But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." (v23)

We will receive this glorification at His coming. 1 John 3:2, and Phil 3:21 both confirm that we shall see Christ appear, and receive His image. We shall too be like Him at His coming.

This next verse is key:

"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption." 1 Cor 15:50.

So, this basically says that no one can enter heaven as of yet. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom, and corruption cannot inherit incorruption.

And there's a "BUT"..

"For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." (v53)

So when Christ appears, we will be changed from mortal into immortal, from corruptible to incorruptible. Now this becomes possible. It is never said anywhere in the Bible that this spiritual resurrection ever occurs before His coming.

Here are the qualities of the 144,000. They are: 

SEALED- We see that they are sealed which separates them from the rest divinely. Yet, the Bible tells us that saved believers will be sealed by the Spirit also in (2 Cor 1:21,22, Eph 1:13, Eph 4:30). This sealing is available to us who are saved, and never made apparent to be exclusive to a specific number of people only.

WITHOUT GUILE- We are without guile because God has imputed upon us His righteousness (Psalm 32:2, Rom 4:8)

 WITHOUT FAULT-  We are without fault because Christ has perfected us forever with His one sacrifice (Heb 10:10, 14, 17)

 SERVANTS OF GOD- The 144,000 are called the servants of God, as we are. (Rom 6:22, Eph 6:6, 1 Peter 2:16)

 JEWS FROM THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL- 

The 144,000 are Jews, but the Bible says that we are no longer Jews by birthright, but of the heart-

"For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." Rom 2:28,29

PRIESTS-  We have been made priests of God if we partake of the body of Christ.  (1 Peter 2:5, 9)

 ABLE TO SEE CHRIST AND REIGN WITH HIM- The great multitude mentioned in Rev 7 are surrounding the throne of God and of the lamb, and are seen worshiping them. This multitude came out of the great tribulation, washed their robes in the blood of the lamb, and are now before the throne serving God day and night. The Lamb will be in the midst of them also.


My JW friend asked me how I had proof that Christ would be with us. I gave her these verses:

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess 4:17

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:3


Also, the Bible tells us that we will all see Jesus. It is not going to be an invisible event. Here is proof:


Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:11

A great crowd of 500 saw Jesus ascend to heaven. The angels told them that in this like manner, we shall also see Him descend down.

"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." Rev 1:7

"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Matthew 24:30

There is also another possibility about us seeing God the Almighty Himself-

Isaiah (in Isaiah 6) saw God, but first he had to be purified. When we are changed and transformed, we will be purified also into incorruptible, glorified beings, free from the flesh of sin.

"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." Rev 21:3

"And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads." Revelation 22:4


Now I address the verse that is very popular with the JW to support their beliefs of the 144,000:

"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32

The JW believe that the "little flock" is specifically the 144,000. Firstly, there is nowhere in that passage that mentions the 144,000. Peter even asks Christ in this same passage in verse 41 if He is speaking to them, or to all? Jesus replies about the good and faithful servant, and this is who this passage is directed to.

The Lord is our Shepherd and we are His flock. This is spoken of countless of times throughout the Bible. (some examples: Ezekiel 34:15, 31, Psalm 79:13, 95:7, 100:3, Matt 10:6, 25:33, John 10:4, 11, Acts 20:28,29, 1 Peter 2:25, 5:2,3)

Unfortunately, the Lord's flock is small because the road is straight and narrow and there is a few that find it. There is no special group of 144,000 sheep separated from the rest of the other sheep but that God said He will bring us all together to be one fold, and to have one Shepherd (John 10:16).

Also, God is not a respecter of persons. He does not distinguish one above the other (Rom 3:22, Col 3:11, Gal 2:6). All have fallen short of the glory of God, and it is by His grace that we are saved and found without fault before the throne of God. We receive the sealing of the Spirit, and the Father claims us as His own through adoption of sons (Gal 4:5,6 and Rom 8:15). That is why His name is written on our foreheads.


He that overcomes is given all these things:  Power over the nations, to sit on a throne, and he will inherit all things.


"And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations" Rev 2:26

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." Rev 3:21


"He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." Rev 21:7


And who is he that overcomes?


"Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 5:5

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." 1 John 5:4


"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Rev 12:11

The Bible included you and me in this plan. Christ is our head, our mediator, and we are partakers of His grace and glory. It is not limited to specific 144,000 but that it was given to those who overcome. We shall live with Him and reign with Him. This is all made possible through Jesus Christ our Lord according to the Father's good pleasure.

What is the Mark of the Beast?

Many Christians have gone in a wide-spread panic searching for the mark of the beast. We jump from one currency and from one system to another wondering if it could be the dreaded mark of the beast! Could it be those new RFID chips? Or could it be the Social Security number? What about the bar scanners?

If you are one of them who worry about these things, please hear us out and let us show scripture.

One of the rules for scripture is that the keyword used in the Bible can be found elsewhere. Once gathered together, we can see the whole picture. (This is also why using the original translation of the Bible is important)

The keyword we shall use is: SEAL

We see that those who have the mark of the beast aren't the only ones being sealed. The servants of God are sealed as well:

"And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." Revelation 7:2,3


"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads." Revelation 14:1

We see here that the servants of God are sealed by the Holy Spirit. These are the ones who have trusted Christ as their Saviour and heard the gospel. After this, they were sealed by the Holy Ghost.

"That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were SEALED with that holy Spirit of promise,Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:12-14 (caps added for emphasis)

"And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are SEALED unto the day of redemption" Ephesians 4:30

If the servants of God are sealed by the Holy Ghost which is Spiritual, why would the mark of the beast be something physical? God looks at the Spiritual things, and not the physical.

We see that the forehead and the hand show complete devotion and submission: with all our minds (forehead) and in all that we do (hand). It reveals who we are devoted to.

Example: "Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes." Deut 11:18

Those who have the mark of the beast have consented unto the enemy in complete devotion. In Revelation, we see them being devoted to, worshiping, and in complete awe of the beast. They give him reverence.

"And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? " Rev 13:3,4

Those are who have fallen in love with the beast. They consent unto Him by their thoughts and their actions. They worship his image.

But what is the beast? Is it a man? Let us see what the Bible says. The keyword is: BEAST

What is a beast? Daniel 7:23  reveals it is a kingdom. 

"Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces"(Italics added for emphasis)

Here is the description of the Beast in Revelation 13: 1-8:

^"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 

And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." 

It is not a literal dinosaur monster rising out of the sea. Each description is symbolic. Let us see the truth behind the symbols. Revelation 17:8-18 reveal the secrets of the codes:

"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth."

So, we see here that the heads are mountains, the horns are the kings, the water represents multitudes of people, and the woman (also known as the whore) is a great city. Revelation 13 shows that the dragon (satan) gives the beast its power.

The children of God are able to overcome satan,


^"And 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: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Rev 12:10, 11

 We shall overcome satan by the blood of the lamb which is by claiming Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for our sins. Our penalties have been paid in full.

We shall overcome satan by the word of our testimony which reveals what God is doing in our lives. It shows God's power in our lives.

We shall overcome satan also by not loving our lives unto the death. Satan will try to get us to do the opposite by loving our lives, the world, our possessions and ourselves. If we fear what we shall lose, we will miss out on what we could GAIN!

"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Rev 13:8

This passage reveals that those whose names are NOT written in the book of life shall worship the beast. Christians are always fearful of mistakenly taking the mark of the beast, but why should we be the ones worrying? If we are truly saved in Christ, we will not be one of those who worship the beast and take his mark.

Those who are in Christ should never worry about the mark of the beast because if we love God with all our hearts, mind and soul like He commanded us to, we shall never give in to the beast. If we worship God with all that we think and do, then that leaves no place for the enemy!


***PART 2 COMING SOON TO REVEAL WHO THE BEAST IS***

Christ's Kingdom on Earth

Note: We are not associated with any affiliations, nor religion, nor labels. We are not Jehovah's Witness, Seventh Day Adventists, or anything else but those who desire truth and seek it through God's Word and His Spirit. Our teachings may not be like the majority of Christian churches, but it is from the Bible. We believe the Bible is the final authority, even above doctrine and teachings of men.

We are showing what God's Word says about His Kingdom which is yet to come, so feel free to open your Bible and check each verse to verify it. We quote from the King James Bible.

The thief on the cross hung next to Jesus and with a prickle in his heart, he pleaded to Jesus "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Luke 23:42

The thief asked Jesus to remember him when Jesus entered His kingdom that He shall inherit from the Father.

Daniel wrote, "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Daniel 7:13, 14

We see that Jesus shall be given his Kingdom when He comes at His second coming. Where shall this kingdom be?

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." Revelation 11:15

Jesus will be King over every kingdom in this world. He shall reign on this earth as the true and perfect King. 


More verses to ponder:

"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

We pray for His kingdom to come to earth, and for His will to be done on earth just as it is done in heaven.


"The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity" Matthew 13:41

Jesus will send His angels to cast the wicked out of His kingdom. If it were in heaven in the skies, what would the wicked be doing there? Jesus is casting the wicked out of His earthly kingdom.


We await for Jesus to return and he promises that  “I will come again and receive you to Myself” (John 14:3)

We shall be redeemed from death and the graves. At the last trump at the last day, those in Christ shall be transformed into an immortal and incorruptible being (read 1 Corinthians 15) Then at that moment we shall be caught up in the clouds to be with the Lord at last, and so we shall always be with Him in His kingdom.

And we shall inherit the kingdom with Jesus forevermore,

"Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom."  Daniel 7:22


"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." Daniel 7:27

What exciting and incredible things we have to look forward to!

To Be Present with the Lord

Here is a verse that is the first one that most Christians will give in order to support that souls are gone to be with the Lord, or to be in hell the moment they die. We are here to show you this one verse for what it really is, and to debunk the popular belief. Hear us out, and let us use scriptures to prove this.

"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:8

Before we begin, let us read the whole context first.

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 2:5-8

Paul begins to speak of an earthly tabernacle and a heavenly tabernacle which is not made with hands, and that we are clothed with which refers to our bodies. He expresses his desire to receive the heavenly tabernacle and to be released from his earthly tabernacle (body).

This heavenly one is the one we shall receive at the coming of Christ. We shall be transfigured into a celestial body that is incorruptible. (Read all of 1 Corinthians 15 for an in-depth description)

"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. " 1 Cor 15:42-44

Paul stated above:


"..that mortality might be swallowed up of life." 

This aligns with 1 Corinthians 15 again. He is speaking of mortality putting on immortality and that death shall be swallowed up in victory.

^"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 1 Cor 15:52-55


The grave shall be defeated at His coming.

Finally, Paul said that we would rather be absent from this body and to be present from this Lord. We all should desire to receive these things and look forward to these earnestly.

But, does this occur before the coming of Christ? It does not.

Because of Adam and because of sin, we all must die.


"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

But in Christ, he shall make us alive. Jesus was the firstfruits of the resurrection, and we shall be at His coming. Not before then.


"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." 1 Corinthians 15: 22,23 

But can we enter heaven before then? Do we receive our spiritual bodies before then?

"Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die." 1 Cor 15:36

We cannot receive these things for we are mortal and we will die. We cannot enter the Kingdom of God; not until Jesus comes to transform us and redeems us at the Second Coming.

"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption." 1 Cor 15:50

The Bible also tells us that no man has been to heaven except Jesus,


"And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven." John 3:13

We cannot receive these things on our own. We are simply mortal and await for that promise when Jesus shall come and give us immortality. Until then, we wait in our graves. We await to be released from our earthly tabernacle and to receive the new heavenly tabernacle.

The dead in Christ shall be raised up incorruptible, their graves shall be broken and death shall be defeated.  That is why the Bible calls us "sleeping" for we shall awake again.

Paul's desire is to be with the Lord and he shall be when Jesus returns.We will all be caught up together in the air, and then there we shall be with the Lord for always.

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Let us comfort one another with these words.

How to Understand the Bible

In the past, I would read the Bible and nothing ever really stuck to me. I would read it and it would pass over from me with none effect. Although the Bible was written in English, I could not understand.

I also heard that the King James Bible is in the sixth grade reading level, so I couldn't exactly say that it was too hard for me to read. I realize that now while I look back is that I was in the carnal mind and could not understand the Spiritual things.

We can take classes, go to Bible college, attend church for years and still not understand the Bible fully. Yet, the Bible is the living Word of God, and excruciatingly important for all Christians to read. We try to get the Word out of alternative sources like through a sermon, or a Christian book, and so forth... yet none of these things can ever take the place of the Saviour speaking to you directly in His Word.

The Bible is most certainly the living Word, for God speaks to us in His Word. It is a book that will never be finished even if we read from Genesis to Revelation. God reveals His truth in His Word as He chooses to do so. He hides the others, and even goes as far to blind those from His Word. He deliberately chooses to confuse wise men and scholars.

It is as a veil covering our eyes that we cannot see the truth, and we are blind unto it. Only Christ Jesus can lift up the veil and allow you to see.

"And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away." 2 Corinthians 3:13-16

God blinds whom He chooses to, and He reveals His Word and truth unto whom He chooses to.

"He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them." John 12:40

Let us turn to Him and ask for the Spirit of truth which is a gift unto us from God.

"Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." John 14:17


"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." John 16:13

And when we receive this Spirit, it is an anointment from God. We need to abide in God and He shall teach us all things.


"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." 1 John 2:17

And the Holy Spirit will help us see God's Word clearly. Think of the Holy Spirit as a pair of glasses to help us see clearly what was blurry to our eyes. We need not any man to teach us or instruct us in the Word, for once we have the Spirit, we also have the mind of Christ.

"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:16

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" Philippians 2:5

God  desires us to worship Him in Spirit and truth. If we want to worship Him, we must do it with Spirit and truth.


"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. " John 4:23


"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."John 4:24

Let us ask God for wisdom and understanding in His Word. Let us ask God for the Spirit of Truth to guide us. Let us ask God to give us a deep hunger for His Word and to remove the veil from our eyes that we may see.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." James 1:5

And lastly, in this world so many are deceived daily. All Christians must know the Word well to distinguish between truth and deception. So many are led astray into false doctrine, churches and by false prophets because they know not the Word. Let us make that a priority in our lives.