The word 'kingdom' is derived from two different words: 'king' and 'domain'. It means the domain of a king. God's domain as a king refers to where He dwells. Since we all began to have access to the Holy of holies (after the Cross and resurrection), God began to dwell in our hearts. Apostle Paul speaks of this in 2 Cor. 13:5 "...do you not realize about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?" This statement is not a metaphor but that Christ practically dwells in the believer. Other verses of the Scripture that buttress this fact that Christ dwells in the believer include: Rom. 8:10, 2 Cor. 4:6-7, Gal. 2:20, Eph. 3:17, Col. 1:27. It, therefore, follows that the kingdom of God is within us. The Lord Jesus stated this fact while speaking to the disciples in Luke 17:20-21. Verse 21 of that scripture says "...the Kingdom of God is within you."
In Luke 9:2, Jesus sent the disciples out to preach the kingdom of God. Let's note that they were sent to preach the Kingdom of God and not the Kingdom of Heaven. This is where many of us miss it. We are preaching the Kingdom of Heaven. The aim of the church is not to take people of Heaven but to bring the Kingdom of God down into the hearts of men, that the lost soul would understand the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross and build a personal relationship with God who now dwells in his heart. As they do this, they inherit eternal life.
Furthermore, while Jesus was teaching the disciples the model prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, He said, "Thy Kingdom come" - That's the deal! Not to take people to heaven. The heaven we know now will pass away anyway. The new Jerusalem is where we will dwell (Revelation 21).
The Kingdom of Heaven, on the other hand, is where God's authority spans and it can be divided into 2: that is now, and that is to come. The Kingdom of Heaven that is now consists of people who are genuinely saved and those who are just being merely religious and professing faith (the latter will be later cast out - Matt. 25:1-10; 22:1-14; 13:24-30) while the Kingdom of Heaven that is to come is the New Jerusalem. No one knows when it will take place (Acts 1:6-7).
To explain the difference between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus said in Matt. 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." If the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are one and the same, then it would be appropriate to ask "If the Kingdom of God is in you, how would anyone take that from you with violence?" This tells us that the scripture above must have been referring to the Kingdom of Heaven as different from the Kingdom of God. However, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence because the devil is still the prince of this world (John 14:30, Luke 4:6) and the final war for the possession of this kingdom is yet to come.
In conclusion, although there are times that our Lord Jesus Christ uses the terms "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven" interchangeably, many think they are one and the same. For now, they are not. However, someday, they will be - at the Millennium reign of Christ.
Please feel free to give your opinions.
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