The Kingdom of Heaven

Joel 2:28, 29

It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

Matthew 4:17

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

Mark 1:14, 15

Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

When Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven was at hand He was referring to the coming of the Holy Spirit who would be poured out on all mankind as prophesized by the prophet Joel.

Luke 17:20, 21

Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

When Jesus said that the kingdom of God was in your midst He meant that the Holy Spirit who dwelled within Him and rested upon Him was literally in their midst.

John 7:37-39

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Luke 24:49

“And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The promise of the Father is a Hebrew expression for the Holy Spirit who was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 20:21, 22

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

After His resurrection and Jesus had been glorified He gathered His disciples together and when He breathed on them they received the Holy Spirit, they received the promise of the Father.

Acts 2:1-4

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

When the Holy Spirit came and rested upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost the kingdom of heaven “officially” came upon the earth, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Joel.

John 3:3-5

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

And since that first Pentecost anyone who is born again of the Spirit has become a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.

So…

Are you a citizen of the kingdom of heaven?