---
title: "Kingdom of God vs Kingdom of Heaven | Real Bible Believers"
description: "Introduction: Two Distinct Kingdoms Pastor Kim teaches that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are not the same. Although people commonly treat..."
image: "https://het.realbiblebelievers.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Kingdoms-Compared_-Spiritual-and-Physical.png"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/kingdom-of-god-vs-kingdom-of-heaven"
---

# Kingdom of God vs Kingdom of Heaven

 16 min. read · [Dispensationalism](/category/dispensationalism)[Jews and Church](/category/jews-church-dispensationalism)

![](https://het.realbiblebelievers.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Kingdoms-Compared_-Spiritual-and-Physical.png)

## Introduction: Two Distinct Kingdoms

Pastor Kim teaches that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are not the same. Although people commonly treat the terms as interchangeable, he argues that the Bible distinguishes between them. Understanding this distinction is important because the doctrine appears throughout the Bible, from its beginning to its end, and helps readers determine which teaching applies to Christians and which applies to the Jews.

## The Kingdom of God Is Spiritual

> 

***[Romans 14:17](/kjv/romans/14/17)**: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”*

Pastor Kim points to this verse to show that the kingdom of God is spiritual rather than physical. Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost are spiritual realities, not a physical territory or building.

For this reason, Pastor Kim disagrees with the idea that Christians are building a physical kingdom of God on earth by raising money for church buildings or expanding them. The church is not the room in which Christians meet; it is the people. The kingdom of God is spiritual and invisible, so church buildings and their decoration should not be confused with the kingdom itself.

> 

***[Matthew 6:25, 28, 31, 32-33](/kjv/matthew/6/25, 28, 31, 32-33)***
> 
> *[25] Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, **what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body**, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?*
> 
> *[28] And why take ye thought for **raiment**? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:*
> 
> *[31] Therefore take no thought, saying, **What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?***
> 
> *[32] (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.*
> 
> *[33] But seek ye first**the kingdom of Go**d, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.*

[Matthew 6:25](/kjv/matthew/6/25)–34 also contrasts physical needs—food, drink, and clothing—with seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness first. Pastor Kim argues that the physical concerns mentioned in the passage are contrasted with the spiritual kingdom and its righteousness.

> 

***[Luke 17:20-21](/kjv/luke/17/20-21)** “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”*

[Luke 17:20](/kjv/luke/17/20)–21 says that the kingdom of God comes not with observation, and that people will not be able to say, “Lo here!” or “lo there!” Jesus says, “for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Pastor Kim understands this as further evidence that the kingdom of God is spiritual, not a physical kingdom that can be located by pointing to a place or building.

## Entering the Kingdom of God Through the New Birth

If the kingdom of God is spiritual, Pastor Kim asks, how does a person enter it? He answers that entry comes through spiritual birth, which is salvation.

> 

***[John 3:3](/kjv/john/3/3)** “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”*

> 

***[John 3:5](/kjv/john/3/5)** “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”*

Pastor Kim explains that a person enters this spiritual kingdom by being born again and receiving the Holy Spirit through salvation. He connects this new birth with receiving the image of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

> 

***[2 Corinthians 4:4](/kjv/2-corinthians/4/4)** – “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”*

Pastor Kim argues that those who believe on Christ for salvation receive this image, while those who do not believe remain blinded to the gospel.

> 

***[Colossians 1:13](/kjv/colossians/1/13)** – “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:”*

Pastor Kim takes this as evidence that saved Christians are already in Christ’s spiritual kingdom. [Colossians 4:11](/kjv/colossians/4/11) also describes fellow workers in the kingdom of God, supporting his point that Christians serve within this kingdom now.

## The Kingdom of Heaven Is an Earthly Kingdom

Pastor Kim distinguishes the kingdom of heaven from the spiritual kingdom of God by describing the kingdom of heaven as a physical kingdom on earth.

> 

***[Matthew 11:12](/kjv/matthew/11/12)** – “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the **kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”***

Pastor Kim argues that this language of violence and conflict points to an earthly kingdom, rather than the peace of heaven itself. People on earth are fighting for violence.

> 

***[Matthew 3:2](/kjv/matthew/3/2)** – “And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is **at hand.**“*

The first mention of the kingdom of heaven is in [Matthew 3:2](/kjv/matthew/3/2), where John the Baptist preaches, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Pastor Kim interprets “at hand” as meaning that the kingdom was being presented as available and approaching for the people, rather than heaven itself coming down to them.

> 

***[Isaiah 40:3-5](/kjv/isaiah/40/3-5)**“The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”*

He connects John the Baptist’s preaching with [Isaiah 40:3](/kjv/isaiah/40/3), which speaks of “the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness” preparing the way of the Lord. He points to the surrounding verses in [Isaiah 40](/kjv/isaiah/40), which describe **valleys** being exalted, **mountains** being made low, the glory of the Lord being revealed to all **flesh**, and references to **Zion** and the cities of Judah. He understands these as earthly details describing the Messiah’s rule on earth.

In Pastor Kim’s explanation, the Jews were looking for a Messiah who would rule an earthly kingdom. This expectation helps explain why people welcomed Jesus as king when he entered Jerusalem, expecting him to establish rule and conquer the Romans.

## Why the Distinction Matters for Bible Doctrine

Pastor Kim says that the kingdom of God is mainly associated with Christians, while the kingdom of heaven is mainly associated with the Jews. He argues that recognizing this distinction helps readers understand passages that seem to teach that salvation can be lost, or that concern tribulation and times, as applying primarily to the Jewish kingdom context rather than to Christians.

By contrast, he associates the kingdom of God with Christian doctrine, including salvation by grace through faith alone without works, eternal security, and spiritual realities. For Pastor Kim, rightly distinguishing the two kingdoms is essential to understanding which doctrines apply to Christians and which apply to the Jews.

### Differences between kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven

| **Kingdom of God** | **Kingdom of Heaven** |
| --- | --- |
| Spiritual kingdom | Physical kingdom |
| For Christians but also saved saints of all ages | For Jews, because it was promised to them (Old testament and tribulation Jews)
 |
| Continues spiritually through the Christian church | The earthly kingdom awaits future restoration |

## The Two Kingdoms in the Beginning: Adam

> 

***[Genesis 1:28](/kjv/genesis/1/28)** – “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, **Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth**, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”*

Pastor Kim traces both kingdoms back to Adam. [Genesis 1:28](/kjv/genesis/1/28) says that God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, and subdue it, giving them dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth. Pastor Kim sees this earthly dominion as the beginning of the kingdom of heaven.

> 

***[Genesis 1:27](/kjv/genesis/1/27)** – “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”*

In Pastor Kim’s view, **Adam therefore had both physical dominion and a spiritual standing connected with the image of God**. Creation was originally in physical and spiritual perfection.

Pastor Kim then argues that Adam lost the image of God when he sinned and spiritually died in the Garden of Eden.

> 

***[1 Corinthians 15:45-49](/kjv/1-corinthians/15/45-49):** “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”*

He refers to the above, contrasting the first Adam, who was earthy, with Jesus Christ, the last Adam, who is spiritual and heavenly. He emphasizes verse 49, which contrasts bearing the image of the earthy with bearing the image of the heavenly.

> 

***[Genesis 5:3](/kjv/genesis/5/3)** – “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:”*

Pastor Kim concludes that mankind after Adam bears Adam’s earthly image, and that the kingdom of God, as he has defined it, was lost at the Fall. The earthly kingdom, however, continued.

## From Noah to the Nation of Israel

After the Fall, the earthly kingdom became corrupted as mankind continued in sin. God judged the world with the Flood, but Noah and his family survived. [Genesis 9:1](/kjv/genesis/9/1) records God blessing Noah and his sons and telling them to be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth. Pastor Kim understands the dominion given to Noah as the continuation of the earthly kingdom.

> 

***[Genesis 9:1-2](/kjv/genesis/9/1-2)** – “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.”*

Humanity later rebelled again at the Tower of Babel. [Genesis 11](/kjv/genesis/11) describes the people united by one language and building a city and tower. God confounded their language and scattered them across the earth. Pastor Kim argues that mankind’s continued rebellion meant that God would establish his earthly rule through a particular nation.

> 

***[Genesis 11:5-8](/kjv/genesis/11/5-8)** “And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.”*

Since man have sinned and messed up again, God had to choose someone to continue with the earthly kingdom. He points to [Genesis 12:1](/kjv/genesis/12/1), where God tells Abram to leave his country and kindred for a land God would show him, promising to make of him a great nation. Since Abraham was the father of the Jews, **the earthly kingdom as continuing through Abraham and the nation of Israel**. In this account, the kingdom of heaven is particularly connected with the Jews because it concerns an earthly rule carried forward through that nation.

## Israel’s Repeated Disobedience During the Judges

Pastor Kim explains that Israel repeatedly failed to serve God faithfully. He refers to [Judges 2](/kjv/judges/2), where Israel turned away from God, suffered oppression from foreign nations, and was delivered by judges whom God raised up. When a judge died, the people returned to sin and followed other gods.

The pattern repeated: Israel sinned, foreign nations punished them, the people groaned and repented, and God raised up a judge to deliver them. After the judge died, they returned to their former ways. Pastor Kim describes this as a recurring cycle throughout the Book of Judges and much of the Old Testament, illustrating mankind’s repeated failure to learn from its mistakes.

## The Kings of Israel: Saul, David, and the Loss of the Kingdom

Pastor Kim says that although judges and other leaders cared for the earthly kingdom, the ultimate King was still the Lord. The Kingdom of God was absent this whole time. In 1 [Samuel 8](/kjv/1-samuel/8), however, Israel asked Samuel for a king to judge them like the other nations. God told Samuel that the people had not rejected Samuel, but God himself. This was Israel rejecting God as their King and choosing an earthly king instead.

> 

***[1 Samuel 15:11,26](/kjv/1-samuel/15/11,26)** “It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.”*

Saul became king, but he disobeyed God. In 1 [Samuel 15:11](/kjv/1-samuel/15/11), the Lord says that he regrets making Saul king because Saul turned back from following him and did not perform his commandments. In verse 26, Samuel tells Saul that the Lord has rejected him from being king over Israel.

> 

***[1 Samuel 16:1](/kjv/1-samuel/16/1)** “And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.”*

God then chose David, as described in [1 Samuel 16:1](/kjv/1-samuel/16/1). Pastor Kim explains that the Messiah’s kingly line would come through David rather than Saul. Yet the kings in David’s line also failed to lead the nation faithfully.

> 

***[Jeremiah 22:30](/kjv/jeremiah/22/30)** – “Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.”*

Pastor Kim identifies the reign of Coniah as the point at which the kingdom was lost. [Lamentations 5:16](/kjv/lamentations/5/16) expresses the nation’s grief: “The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned.” Pastor Kim understands these passages as describing the loss of Israel’s physical kingdom, which he says did not return as a nation until 1948.

## Jesus, the Messiah, and the Rejection of the King

When Jesus came, He offered both the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven to the Jews.

The intervening period are described as the times of the Gentiles, when earthly kingdoms were under Satan’s control. He points to [Luke 3](/kjv/luke/3), which names rulers such as Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, Herod, and the Jewish religious leaders. Against this political and religious backdrop, John the Baptist preached repentance and prepared the way for the real King.

> 

***[Luke 4:5-6](/kjv/luke/4/5-6)** “And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.”*

In [Luke 4:5](/kjv/luke/4/5)–6, Satan shows Jesus the kingdoms of the world and claims that their power and glory have been delivered to him, and that he can give them to whomsoever he will. Pastor Kim uses this passage to support his view that Satan controlled the earthly kingdoms during this period.

Jesus offered the kingdom, but the people rejected him. Pastor Kim points to [John 19:15](/kjv/john/19/15), where the chief priests cry, “We have no king but Caesar.” He interprets their words as the Jews choosing Caesar’s rule over Jesus, their rightful King, and rejecting the Messiah. They made their choice.

> 

***[John 19:15](/kjv/john/19/15)** – “But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priest answered, We have no king but Caesar.”*

## The Present Continuation of the Spiritual Kingdom

Pastor Kim next considers [Acts 1:6](/kjv/acts/1/6), where the disciples ask Jesus, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” He notes that Jesus does not deny that the kingdom will be restored, but says that the times and seasons are in the Father’s power.

> 

***[Romans 14:17](/kjv/romans/14/17)** – “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”*

Pastor Kim connects this with [Romans 14:17](/kjv/romans/14/17). After Israel rejected Jesus and the earthly kingdom was not restored at that time, the spiritual kingdom of God continued through the Christian church.

Anyone who believes on Jesus Christ for salvation enters this spiritual kingdom through the new birth. Pastor Kim therefore says that **Christians who serve the Lord are in the kingdom of God today, while the earthly kingdom of heaven remains to be restored.**

## The Future Restoration of the Kingdoms

> 

***[Revelation 11:15](/kjv/revelation/11/15)** – “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.”*

He says that Satan will make a final attempt to retain dominion through a one-world physical kingdom under the Antichrist, associated with Rome. In contrast to the earlier rejection of Jesus in favor of Caesar, Pastor Kim says that the Jews will ultimately receive the true King.

When Christ returns as King of kings and Lord of lords, the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ. **Pastor Kim argues that the kingdom of heaven, as an earthly kingdom, and the kingdom of God, as a spiritual kingdom, will then both be restored on earth.** He presents the distinction between the two kingdoms as a doctrine that runs from the beginning to the end of the Bible.

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