Correspondence: John 20:17; Kingdom of God vs. Heaven; 1 Cor. 15:21-22

From: Young Christian: Volume 1, 1911

Narrator: Chris Genthree

• 5 min. read • grade level: 7

Question 13. What ascension is meant in John 20:17¹⁷Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17)? Please explain that verse in connection with Matthew 28:9⁹And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. (Matthew 28:9). R. B., L.

Ans. The Lord refers to His new position at the right hand of God. His ascension took place forty days after He rose from the dead. When He died, His spirit went to the Father to whom He commended it; but that is not ascension. “David is not ascended” (Acts 2:34³⁴For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, (Acts 2:34)); but he is “absent from the body and present with the Lord.”

Ascension is the Lord taking His place as a man at God’s right hand.

John 20:17-23¹⁷Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. ¹⁸Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. ¹⁹Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. ²⁰And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. ²¹Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. ²²And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: ²³Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. (John 20:17‑23) is an unfolding of the privileges of believers during the time the Lord is seated there. Mary had known Him as the Messiah, now the sheep of the Jewish fold are brought into the new position; and therefore she is told not to touch Him (2 Cor. 5:16¹⁶Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. (2 Corinthians 5:16)). It is not now setting up the Kingdom in Israel. It is a new relationship, their position is changed. Redemption has brought them into new blessing. He sends the message to “My Brethren”. “I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God.”

This testimony gathers the disciples together, and Jesus came into their midst bringing news to them of the peace that He had made. What new joy this gave them.

Again He said “Peace unto you,” and sends them as the Father had sent Him, breathing on them as the risen One the more abundant life promised, John 10:10¹⁰The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10); and the Holy Spirit, that they might bear the message of love to others.

John 20:24-29²⁴But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. ²⁶And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. ²⁷Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. ²⁸And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. ²⁹Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:24‑29); and Matthew 28:9⁹And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. (Matthew 28:9), point to the future when, the church having been caught up, God will begin to deal with Israel again. Some will then believe before they see their coming Messiah, but the mass will not believe, till He comes on the clouds, when “every eye shall see Him,” then Israel will say like Thomas, “My Lord and My God.”

Question 14. Explain the difference between “Kingdom of God,” and “Kingdom of Heaven.” M. G.

Ans. It is the same kingdom under two different names. “Kingdom of the Heavens” is the rule of heaven upon earth. “Kingdom of God” is what it is relative to God. Matthew only calls it the “Kingdom of the Heavens.” The Holy Spirit uses him to describe its dispensational aspect.

Compare Matt. 3:2; 4:17²And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:2)
¹⁷From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17) with Mark 1:14-15¹⁴Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, ¹⁵And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. (Mark 1:14‑15); Luke 4:43⁴³And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. (Luke 4:43).

Compare Matt. 5:3³Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3) with Luke 6:20²⁰And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. (Luke 6:20).

Compare Matt. 10:7⁷And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 10:7) with Luke 9:2; 10:9,11²And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. (Luke 9:2)
⁹And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. (Luke 10:9)
¹¹Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. (Luke 10:11).

Compare Matt. 18:3; 19:14³And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3)
¹⁴But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 19:14) with Mark 10:14-15¹⁴But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. ¹⁵Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. (Mark 10:14‑15); Luke 18:16-17¹⁶But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. ¹⁷Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. (Luke 18:16‑17).

Compare Matt. 19:23-26²³Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ²⁵When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? ²⁶But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:23‑26) with Mark 10:23-27²³And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! ²⁴And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! ²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ²⁶And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? ²⁷And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. (Mark 10:23‑27); Luke 18:24-29²⁴And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! ²⁵For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ²⁶And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? ²⁷And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. ²⁸Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. ²⁹And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, (Luke 18:24‑29).

Compare Matt. 18:3³And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3) with John 3:3³Jesus 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 3:3). Compare Matt. 11:11¹¹Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11:11) with Luke 7:28²⁸For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. (Luke 7:28). Compare Matt. 13:11¹¹He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. (Matthew 13:11) with Luke 8:10¹⁰And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. (Luke 8:10).

The Jews rightly expected a King to reign in power over them, but as they did not repent, this has been postponed. Now, it is a kingdom in patience and suffering; the King being rejected and absent from the earth. In this form it is spoken of as the “Mysteries of the Kingdom.”

Matthew 21:43⁴³Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. (Matthew 21:43) tells it was taken from the Jews, the children by natural birth as a nation, and given to others, who received it by the seed being sown in them.

Matthew 22 explains when it commenced; Matthew 22:2²The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, (Matthew 22:2) is the message to the nation of Jews before Christ died.

Matthew 22:4⁴Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. (Matthew 22:4) is the message to them after Christ rose from the dead and went to heaven. In Acts 3:12,26¹²And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? (Acts 3:12)
²⁶Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (Acts 3:26) the nation is set aside; Jerusalem is destroyed (Matt. 22:7⁷But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. (Matthew 22:7)) and the message goes out to the Gentiles (Matt. 22:9-10⁹Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. ¹⁰So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. (Matthew 22:9‑10)). Matthew 24 and 25 show its ending in its present form.

The Son of Man will come and claim it as His Kingdom, while the heavenly saints, caught up, will shine as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father (Matt. 13:41,43⁴¹The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; (Matthew 13:41)
⁴³Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:43)).

The principles of Matthew 5, 6 and 7 will prevail then, except that Christ will not be rejected then. Matthew 5:11¹¹Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. (Matthew 5:11) shows their application now.

The “Kingdom of God” leads us to think of what suits God’s character. In Acts and the Epistles it is what belongs to Christ’s new place as man exalted to the Father’s right hand, “Not yet all things put under Him.” The Kingdom in power was postponed: a Kingdom in patience and suffering now taking its place (Rev. 1:9⁹I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 1:9)).

Matthew 13 unfolds in seven parables what is going on now in a two-fold view; the external state of which man is responsible, and the hidden thing, as viewed from the point of God’s sovereign grace, and which is indeed the fruit of His love.

It changes at the coming of the Son of Man to a Kingdom in power, when the King shall reign in righteousness, when in Israel’s land, “They shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord:’ for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest” (Jer. 31:31,34³¹Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: (Jeremiah 31:31)
³⁴And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:34); Heb. 8:11-12¹¹And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. ¹²For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 8:11‑12)).

Question 15. Please explain 1 Corinthians 15:21-22²¹For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. ²²For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:21‑22). N. S. C.

Ans. “For since by man came” (consequence of Adam’s sin) “death,” “by man came” (consequence of Christ’s victory over death as man) “also the resurrection of the dead.” “For as in Adam all die” (death is entailed on his race), “even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (those in Him share in His triumph over death).

The resurrection of the saints is what is before the mind of the Spirit; the resurrection of the body, not the impartation of eternal life to our souls.

1 Corinthians 15:26²⁶The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26) alludes to the resurrection of the wicked in the destruction of death and hades.

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