Understanding the difference between the Kingdom of God – the spiritual kingdom of the Age of Grace, and the Kingdom of Heaven – the physical kingdom of heaven on earth, of Messiah King Jesus is critical to understanding the Day of Christ – the Rapture of the Church, and the Day of the Lord – the return of Jesus Messiah with all the host of heaven to cleanse the world of all the wicked and establishing the everlasting kingdom.
We know that the Kingdom of God is not physical, but a spiritual reality through God’s saving grace. It separates the Church Age, the Dispensation of Grace from all other dispensations in scripture.
Romans 14:17: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
1 Corinthians 15:50: Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
As we saw last week, 2 Timothy 4:1 gives us the key to understanding that there are two judgments mentioned, separated by 7 years / the Tribulation — one for the Church Age saints (the quick or living) at the appearing of Christ, the rapture of the Church; and one for all the inhabitants of the world at the end of the Tribulation, when he returns to establish the physical kingdom. Of course, ultimately, the Great White Throne judgment, at the end of the millennium, will be the final judgment of the dead. Revelation 20:11-15
2 Timothy 4:1: I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
The parables of the wheat and tares and the good fish and bad fish in Matthew 13, the condition of the world at the second advent in Matthew 24, “as the days of Noah”, when the wicked are all removed, as well as the judgment of the sheep nations and goat nations in Matthew 25, are all pictures of Christ’s judgment of the dead at his kingdom.
We will investigate some of the wealth of scriptures concerning “The Day of the Lord” of “That Day” / the 2nd Advent, next time, so that we see “Things different are not alike. Things different are not the same.” We want to make sure there is no confusion between these two great “days” when we study God’s Word.