2 Gatherings
In this article it points out a little-noticed difference between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. These are 2 aspects of the rule of God. Not noticing the difference is a cause of all kinds of grief and concern. We see one example of this difference in the gatherings that Jesus spoke about.
We have the promise of the Lord Jesus that He will come again for the purpose of receiving us unto Himself (John 14:3). Paul talks about this.
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, (2Thess 2:1)
Paul is addressing the believers. He is not talking to the world. He calls it our gathering. Jesus appears and sends His angels for the purpose of gathering His followers unto Himself. At the end times, things upon the earth are disturbing for most people for almost 7 years. During that time Jesus releases 7 events that are distressful (Rev 6). These may be approximately one event per year, on average. Jesus tells us how to deal with each challenge in the letters to the 7 churches (Rev 1:11).
The first 6 years/seals/events are not fun for anyone but they are very different from the last one, the 7th one. People who focus on the Law of Moses in the Old Covenant will tell us that the 7th in a series is always different from the other 6. The seventh day, the seventh year, the seventh time around the walls of Jericho, etc.
Until someone gets more insight than what we have currently, we see the Gathering of the believers at the 6th seal (Rev 6:12-7:17). This is after distressing events are upon the earth but before the real trouble begins, at the 7th seal. Jesus sends His angels to gather the believers out of the earth. They leave everyone else to deal with the 7th year, if they can.
Note: The 7th seal is the start of The Day of the Lord. Like all Biblical days, it begins with darkness/evening (Gen 1). It is a day of vengeance or a literal year of wrath (or at least 5 months, 150 days). This “day” is a prelude to the 1,000 year Millennium which is also referred to as The Day of the Lord.
A Kingdom of Heaven parable (which is the opposite from a Kingdom of God teaching):
Mat 13:24 ...The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Mat 13:41 The 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;
Another Kingdom of Heaven parable:
Mat 13:47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net,...
Mat 13:49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
This is another gathering that Jesus talks about several times (Matt 13:30, 41, 49). In this other gathering, the angels are, again, the reapers. In this event they take the wicked first and leave the righteous. These are 2 different events since they are described as having a different sequence of happenings. At the first event the angels take the elect out of the world. In the other event the angels take the wicked out first.
At the first gathering, the angels take the righteous in Christ and leave the wicked. At the second event, the angels take the wicked and leave the righteous. To try to reconcile these 2 separate things as the same thing will produce pointless confusion. Matthew is the only Gospel book that speaks of these things because he is the only one who speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven. Although the Bible does not endorse hyperdispensationalism, in places it does speak some things to certain people and not to others.
We could equate, in a very broad general sense, the Kingdom of Heaven with the Millennial reign of Christ. No Christian is in the Kingdom of Heaven today. Many of the parables of Jesus were about the Kingdom of Heaven. This was offered to the Jews, but rejected by the leadership and thus it was postponed until God is done dealing with the Gentiles. When the Kingdom of Heaven is finally instituted, in the future, we will see its great difference from the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom of Heaven/Millennium we see, at a certain point, the angels removing the wicked and leaving the righteous. This is the Second Gathering, the one that we Church Age Christians are not a part of.
We, who are believers during the Church Age, are looking for the first Gathering that the angels participate in. This is the one where the righteous are taken out from among the wicked and removed from the wrath of God.
Matthew is the only Gospel writer that deals with The Kingdom of Heaven. This is the earthly, political kingdom that God has promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is important to God. It was necessary that this be offered to Israel while Jesus was in His public ministry. The King and, therefore, The Kingdom of Heaven was rejected by the leadership at that time. It has been postponed but not canceled. When it is come in its fullness at the Millennium, it will have saved and unsaved people in it. Violations of the will of God will be severely dealt with as shown by the Kingdom of Heaven parables that Matthew records spoken by Jesus. This has caused great concern among people in our current day who are told by preachers that this means them.
I am not suggesting that disobedient Christians will not see the consequences of their faithlessness as unimportant. However, no genuine believer is ever thrown out of the Kingdom of God. The wicked that are in the political Kingdom of Heaven are thrown out, though.
I know that this is confusing, especially when we have been taught erroneously. A complete study of the difference between the 2 aspects of The Kingdom is a huge study. It is far beyond the scope of this short article.
A saved person has been a partaker in the Eternal Life of God. He is in the spiritual Kingdom of God right now. To believe or be taught that you are subject to the temporary politics of the Millennial Kingdom (though it is very special) is an error. In contrast to the Kingdom of Heaven (which is not heaven), the Kingdom of God is permanent, spiritual, eternal, heavenly, and invisible. What a great privilege to be called and to be granted access by faith in Jesus into this Kingdom now during the Church Age!
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Rom 14:17)
Jan 6, 2025