In the Scriptures, the teachings of Jesus and those of his disciples revolve around the kingdom of God (Livingstone, 2000). There are many examples in the New Testament where the term "kingdom of God" is mentioned. For example, when Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, he told them to pray to God for the kingdom to come. In the book of Luke, Jesus refers to the kingdom of God when he sends his disciples out to preach the gospel. He said to them, “Go and preach the good news of the kingdom of God…” (Luke 9:1-2). In the New Testament, the apostle Paul speaks of the kingdom of God in his preaching (Acts 20:25, 28:23, 28:31). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the book of Matthew, the term “kingdom of God” is called “kingdom of heaven.” Religious scholars say that there is no difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven. They argue that it was a common norm for Jews to use different words to replace divine words in their writings. Therefore, they replaced the word "God" with the word "sky" simply for circumlocution reasons, and not for any other reasons. However, other scholars argue that the kingdom of God is different from the kingdom of heaven, citing the fact that the kingdom of God is the present (already on earth) while the kingdom of heaven is the future (to come). The term "kingdom" in general terms refers to rule, kingship, government, or sovereignty. In the New Testament, Jesus' teachings regarding the kingdom of God imply that the kingdom of God already exists and is here on earth (Livingstone, 2000). The Kingdom of God refers to the establishment of God's reign on earth, through the destruction of all evil, resulting in the formation of world peace, health and happiness for humanity in the future. According to Browning (1997), the synoptic readings provide evidence that the kingdom of God was being established at the time Jesus Christ was on earth. Indeed, in his teachings, Jesus would say that the kingdom of God was already in his ministry. A good illustration is found in the book of Luke where Jesus says, “If I cast out demons through the fingers of God, the kingdom of God has surely come upon you” (11:20). Jesus spoke these words while cursing the demons of a mute young man. In his parables, Jesus continued to refer to the mysterious arrival of the kingdom of God. For example, in the parable of the hidden treasure, Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is like hidden treasure. By describing the kingdom of God as a hidden treasure, Jesus was insinuating that the kingdom of God was already on earth (Browning, 1997). It was up to the people to seek this kingdom of God: abstaining from all kinds of evil. In the New Testament it was mentioned that “he who was there was greater than Solomon” (Browning, 1997). This statement indicates that the kingdom of God, which was greater than the kingdom of man, already existed on earth at the time Jesus Christ was on earth. To prove that the kingdom of God is a thing of the future, Bradshaw (1991) refers to the parable of the mustard seed. In the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. In his parable, Jesus mentioned that a mustard seed is a very small, almost invisible seed. The seed is buried in the ground where it begins to germinate, giving rise to a large tree, which continues to grow over time. Just like the mustard seed, Jesus compares the growth of the kingdom of God to the growth of the mustard seed. In interpreting this parable,Bradshaw says that the kingdom of God began on earth when God sent Jesus Christ to earth (1991). The coming of Jesus Christ is compared to burying a mustard seed in the ground. While on earth, Jesus taught his disciples how to abstain from evil. He demonstrated this by accepting suffering and enduring temptations. He later died and returned to his father. However, he left to his disciples the mandate to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God. For many centuries the spread of the gospel of God's kingdom has continued to all the nations of the world. Bradshaw compares this to the growth of mustard (1991). Ultimately, after all evil is removed from the earth, Jesus will hand over the kingdom of God to God. From then on, God will continue to rule his kingdom for eternity. This analysis of the parable of the mustard seed clearly shows what the Scriptures refer to as the kingdom of God: the reign of God on earth through Jesus Christ, and then the handing over of the kingdom to God who will reign for eternity (Bradshaw , 1991). The book of Mark also provides additional evidence demonstrating that God's kingdom encompasses both the present and the future. “After John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.” Repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15). This scripture demonstrates that, for Jesus, the kingdom of God was established during his ascension to earth and took shape through his work of spreading the gospel. Bradshaw argues that Jesus spoke the words of Mark 1:15, intending to impress upon his hearers that the kingdom of God was both a present and a future aspect, and that the kingdom of God involved renouncing to evil, by accepting the Gospel of Christ (Bradshaw, 1991). According to Ladd, the kingdom of God refers to the establishment of God's reign on earth through Jesus Christ (1959). The ultimate goal of establishing the kingdom of God is the “perfect reign of God in the entire universe” (Ladd, 1959). However, this reign of God on earth is not accomplished in a single act. This involves three different steps. These steps are what give rise to the present and future aspects of the kingdom of God. Ladd refers to Paul's teaching on the establishment of the kingdom of God: there is the preparation for the coming of the kingdom of God through John the Baptist, after which there is the coming of Jesus Christ, and finally , the coming of the end. The first two stages refer to the current kingdom of God, while the third stage refers to the future kingdom of God, where Jesus will hand over the kingdom to the Father (Ladd, 1959). From Ladd's perspective, the meaning of the kingdom of God's present aspect is demonstrated in Paul's Revelation, which states that Jesus' work is to defeat the enemies of God, in order to pave the way for the establishment of the eternal reign of God in the universe. God's current kingdom will continue until Jesus has defeated all enemies on earth. Jesus demonstrated his ability to defeat his enemies by resurrecting from death (Ladd, 1959). In this case, Paul is referring to death as one of the enemies that Jesus will have to overcome. Death is an enemy because when one sins, he is punished by death (Romans 6:23). Once Jesus conquers all evil, including death, then the future kingdom of God will come into effect. The book of Revelation describes the future kingdom of God as characterized by the goodness of God on earth: there will be peace, happiness, wealth, and goodness in abundance. There will be no harm or death. This kingdom will last forever. According to Bowker (1997), the term “kingdom of God” is equivalent to the term “kingdom of heaven.” The teachings of Jesus based on.