When Luke began his record of some acts of some of the apostles, he said that after His
resurrection Jesus appeared to the apostles during forty days “speaking about the kingdom of
God” (Acts 1:3). Though we don’t have much of that teaching, we do have a great deal of what
Jesus said about the kingdom before the crucifixion.
Jesus spoke concerning the identity of the kingdom in Matthew 16:18, 19 saying His
church is the kingdom of heaven, and the kingdom of heaven is His church.
Jesus spoke concerning the appellations of the kingdom. Matthew said that Jesus began
to preach saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). Mark said that in
Galilee he was proclaiming the gospel and saying, “The kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark
1:15). Sometimes He called it “the kingdom of God” and sometimes, “the kingdom of heaven.”
Thus they are one and the same.
Jesus spoke concerning the establishment of the kingdom. To one crowd He said there
were people in it who would not die before the kingdom of God was established with power
(Mark 9:1). That power and that kingdom came when the church was established in Jerusalem
on Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:1-4).
Jesus spoke concerning the terms of entering the kingdom. Unless you become like
children, you will never enter it (cf. Matt. 18:1-3). Moreover, one must be born of water and the
spirit to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5).
Jesus spoke concerning the primacy of the kingdom saying we must seek it first (Matt.
6:33).
When Jesus taught that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God,” the astonished disciples asked, “Who then can be saved?” The Lord answered, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:23-26).