Expert: Dean Gade - 6/22/2007

Question
The preaching of Heaven has shut out our ability to perceive God’s actual promise.

Can you HONESTY tell me something biblical about what Heaven is like?  Pray about this question and wait before God.

If you want biblical support in preaching
 Tell Me Something About The Kingdom


I believe in the birth, life, ministry, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, return and everlasting reign of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I believe the following:

Isaiah 9:7   Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.                           

And like everybody else, I also believe in Isaiah 9:6, lest you begin to think that I am not apostolic. I am an oneness apostolic Pentecostal. But the messenger is not important. It is the message from the word of God that is important. The message might seem shocking. But the message is that the preaching of Heaven was not handed down to us by the apostles. There is no biblical record of them vocally preaching Heaven. When they write about Heaven, they are not preaching or proclaiming it. But that is not the first message. The first message is that they preached the Kingdom of God throughout the Book of Acts, to the very last chapter and to the very last verse without once preaching Heaven.

I believe that the preaching of the Kingdom of God is the preaching of the gospel.

Mark 1:14  Now after that John was put in prison Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God 1:15  And saying “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye and believe the gospel”.

According to the Bible, those words in Mark 1:15 are the gospel. During His earthly ministry Jesus preached the gospel in many cities by preaching the Kingdom of God. Not once does He preach His death burial and resurrection to the crowds, but rather speaks of these things to His disciples after He has separated them from the crowds. This shows us that prior to His death, the Bible defined the gospel independently of His death, burial and resurrection. The gospel is actually the glad tidings of the Kingdom. Nonetheless, His death, burial and resurrection are now preached in the gospel as a very, very important part of the gospel.

I believe that when the child, Jesus was born, that He was also the Christ (more accurately, the Messiah). I believe what His name means. His name Jesus, means that He is the
Savior. His name, Christ means that He is King.

I believe that there are no Biblical examples of anyone vocally preaching Heaven. I believe that as they preached to the crowds, they preached the Kingdom of God and not Heaven.

We actually define heaven in an unbiblical way.


I would like you to do one thing: Biblically define heaven. Please give passages of reference.  

Answer
As the passages which I sent you in our last communication show;  "heaven" is presented in God's Word to mean the sky and universe of stars AND in a second use as the dwelling place of God.  The overall meaning is: that which is above us.

The "Kingdom of God" refers to God's rulership of His people here on earth now and His rulership over all His people in eternity.  The Greek words used in the original writing of the Bible by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for "rule", "king" and "kingdom" are all from "basileus" having to do with SOVEREIGNTY.

When a person is born again, they are born into Christ (or in the OT into the promise of the Messiah/Christ). By this we became citizens of God's Kingdom as well as citizens of the earthly nation into which we were physically born.  Those who who have received the vicarious atonement for sin by Jesus, the Christ,  have entered the Kingdom of Heaven/Kingdom of God.

Jesus vocally taught this as the same kingdom:

Matt 19:23-24

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
(from New International Version)

I see no conflict here.  The kingdom over which God rules is both here on earth as a spiritual kingdom  (Jesus declared that His kingdom was NOT of this world) and an eternal kingdom from which scepter would never depart.

Gen 49:10
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs
and the obedience of the nations is his.
(from New International Version)


Ps 45:6-7
6 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.
(from New International Version)


Heb 1:8-9

8 But about the Son he says,

"Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy."   
(from New International Version)


Rev 19:14-16
15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
(from New International Version)

We are not only citizens of this kingdom but also sons of the King Himself:

Eph 1:4-6
In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will- 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
(from New International Version)


Gal 3:26-27

26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
(from New International Version)

Rom 8:13-17
14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba,  Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
(from New International Version)

I don't believe that you would have any argument against such a teaching of the Kingdom of God...or the Kingdom of Heaven.