THE HEAVENLY
The preceding forms a brief historic and prophetic overview of the earthly segment of the kingdom, known following the days of David as the kingdom covenanted to David (2 Sam. 7:4-17; cf. Luke 1:31-33). However, there is another segment of the kingdom which also of necessity, had to be proffered to Israel; and that other segment is the heavenly.
This segment of the kingdom was proffered to Israel at the time of Christ’s first advent. The earthly was not in view at all at this time, as Scripture clearly reveals. Only the heavenly segment was in view.
John the Baptist preceded Christ with the message “Repent ye: for the kingdom of the heavens is at hand” (Matt. 3:1ff). John was the forerunner of the Messiah (v. 3), and he appeared calling the nation to repentance (a change of mind), announcing that the kingdom of the heavens (the rule of the heavens over the earth) was at hand (i.e., near at hand and could have been established because Messiah was present).
The expression, “the kingdom of heaven,” appearing thirty-two times in Matthew’s gospel [KJV], should literally be translated on every occasion, “the kingdom of the heavens.” The word “heaven” is always plural and preceded by the definite article in the Greek text.
Then after John was imprisoned, Jesus took up the message (Matt. 4:12, 17) and later called out twelve disciples to carry the same message to the people throughout the land of Israel (Matt. 10:1ff). Thus, the offer of the kingdom of the heavens was extended to Israel initially by John the Baptist and for a subsequent three and a half years by Christ and His disciples. However, after all had been said and done, the nation, because of the attitude of the religious leaders in Israel, rejected not only the offer but went so far as to reject and crucify the One Who made the offer (Matt. 12:22-32; 23:1ff; 27:17ff); [very similar to what the religious leaders are doing today].
(An offer of the heavenly segment of the kingdom was a matter that the religious leaders in Israel should have been quite familiar with. This segment of the kingdom, though not dealt with as extensively in the Old Testament as the earthly, was still a major subject of Old Testament Scripture [Gen. 14:18-22; 15:5; 22:17, 18; 26:4; Dan. 7:8-27; 10:13-21; cf. Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6]. And many Israelites throughout Old Testament history, understanding these things, looked beyond the earthly to the heavenly [cf. Matt. 8:11; Heb. 11:8-16].)
Israel’s rejection of the kingdom of the heavens anticipated the Church being called into existence to be the recipient of that which Israel had rejected (Matt. 16:1-18). And the announcement concerning the matter was subsequently made to the religious leaders in Israel, as recorded in Matt. 21:43, immediately prior to the events of Calvary:
“Therefore I say unto you, The kingdom of God [that part of the kingdom which had been offered, the heavenly] shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth fruit thereof” Matt. 21:43.
The heavenly segment of the kingdom was taken from Israel in view of the Church being called into existence to be the recipient of that offer. And Israel, from that point forward, in line with Matt. 12:31, 32, could not bring forth fruit relative to the kingdom of the heavens. Israel, relative to this segment of the kingdom, could no longer bear fruit, “neither in this world [‘age’], neither in the world [‘age’] to come.” That encompassed the two ages covering the whole of the time set forth by the seven days in Genesis, chapters one and two, which covers the 6000 years comprising Man’s Day and the 1000 years comprising the Lord’s Day, the Messianic Era.
But note that this is relative to the kingdom of the heavens only. It has nothing to do with the kingdom covenanted to David, the earthly segment of the kingdom. This can never be taken from Israel, and Israel will one day be very fruitful, on the earth, when Messiah returns and this segment of the kingdom is restored to the nation.
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