In the Bible, the "kingdom of God" () is vitually synonymous with the "kingdom of heaven" (basileia ton houranon). The expression appears for the first time (following the order of the books in the Bible) in Matt 3:2 when John the Baptist charged the people to repent "for the kingdom of heaven has come." From then on it appears increasingly and prominently in Jesus's preaching. It should not be construed from this, however, that the kingdom of God/heaven is an exclusively NT idea. Though neither expressions appear in the OT, the theme of the kingdom of God runs through the OT as a string holding a necklace of pearls is there though it is seldom visible or appreciated.
Further Reading:
O. T. Allis, Prophecy and the Church. Philipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., . Particularly useful of its critique of the errors of dispensationalism.
Walter J. Chantry, God's Righteous Kingdom. The Law's Connection with the Gospel. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1980.
Geerhardus Vos, The Kingdom of God and the Church. American Tract Society, 1903.
Print Resources:
Knox Chamblin, "John the Baptist and the Kingdom of God," Tyndale Bulletin 15 (1961): 10-16.
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Martin Selman, "The Kingdom of God in the Old Testament," Tyndale Bulletin 40.2 (1989) 161-183.
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Chrys C. Caragounis, "Kingdom of God, Son of Man and Jesus' Self-Understanding (Part I)," Tyndale Bulletin 40.1 (1989): 3-23.
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Chrys C. Caragounis, "Kingdom of God, Son of Man and Jesus' Self Understanding II," Tyndale Bulletin 40.2 (1989): 223-238.
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