Matthew 2:6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

Why, is only Israel mentioned? Is it that we are not shepherded by Messiah or is it that this Israel is all inclusive of God’s people as in the Olive Tree?

Matthew 3:12 His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Here Messiah is seen gathering one people, not two as is taught by dispensational theology. And he is seen burning the chaff which remains and which represents all who are not his people. He will baptize with the Holy Spirit, and with fire. All who are not his are put in the fire. You and I receive this baptism of fire as we are purged of our sin in the here and now. Those who refuse this purging will experience it in the judgment, and it will come there way as wrath.

Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

What did Jesus mean by the kingdom of heaven? Is it the same as the kingdom of God? Is it the same as the millennial kingdom of Christ?

Luke 9:27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God. (KJV)

One thing is certain the kingdom of Christ is not the entirety of the kingdom of God. But the kingdom of God certainly is inclusive of the kingdom of heaven. Christ’s kingdom is 1000 years and certainly it is contained within God’s kingdom, but it is readily identifiable with signs. We today are seated with Christ in glory. When we die we go there to be with Him in paradise. The kingdom of God is something we now can and do partake in. The kingdom of heaven is part of our hope as believers; just as Christ’s return is part of that hope for the future, but God’s kingdom is here, and present with us. We experience it now.

It only makes sense that God’s people are all being drawn into His kingdom, and that we will all experience The kingdom of heaven in the same way, even though we may be seen in different roles in Christ’s millennial kingdom.