The kingdom of heaven is at hand

[danandirma]

what does this mean? The kingdom of heaven is at hand

one more question… apostiles doctrine…???
Acts 2:42
And they continued steadfastly in the ***apostles’ doctrine ***and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

 

[DCD]

The present action of God. God is near.

Peace,
DCD

 

[DarkMark]

what does this mean? The kingdom of heaven is at hand

one more question… apostiles doctrine…???
Acts 2:42
And they continued steadfastly in the ***apostles’ doctrine ***and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

“Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” means the present reality of God’s Kingdom as well as the future reality in the New Jersualem.

The “Apostles doctrine” are those traditions which were instructed by the Apostles (such as communal worship on Sunday and well as other traditions), but most importantly, the doctrines of the Apostles to which the Lord Entrusted them to hold and keep safe (i.e., The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ).

 

[trogiah]

what does this mean? The kingdom of heaven is at hand

.

It means that when the things that rule our life that are not of God fail us, as they certainly will, God is there ready to give order, strength, encouragement and direction that will lead us to life.

It is also translated, “The reign of God is at hand.” and it is the fundamental beginning statement of Jesus’s teachings.

The other translation makes a little more sense to me although I appreciate the respect for God’s name that caused some to rephrase as “the kingom of heaven is at hand.”

peace,

Jim

 

[Todd_Easton]

My :twocents:…
The Jews were waiting for the Messiah to come and establish the kingdom of heaven on earth. What Jesus probably meant by saying that “the kingdom of heaven was at hand” was that he himself was the promised Messiah whom they had been waiting so long for. In Jesus Christ, in his person and in his teachings and miracles, the kingdom of heaven was begun on the earth and continues to grow on earth in and through his Church, as it proclaims the teachings of Jesus and celebrates the sacraments he instituted, until the kingdom of heaven is fully realized on earth at the end of the world.

 

[CathFaith1]

This may also give you some insight.

CHAPTER II - THE KINGDOM OF GOD

1. “It is ‘God, who is rich in mercy’ whom Jesus Christ has revealed to us as Father: it is his very Son who, in himself, has manifested him and made him known to us.” I wrote this at the beginning of my Encyclical Dives in Misericordia, to show that Christ is the revelation and incarnation of the Father’s mercy. Salvation consists in believing and accepting the mystery of the Father and of his love, made manifest and freely given in Jesus through the Spirit. In this way the kingdom of God comes to be fulfilled: the kingdom prepared for in the Old Testament, brought about by Christ and in Christ, and proclaimed to all peoples by the Church, which works and prays for its perfect and definitive realization.

The Old Testament attests that God chose and formed a people for himself, in order to reveal and carry out his loving plan. But at the same time God is the Creator and Father of all people; he cares and provides for them, extending his blessing to all (cf. Gn 12:3); he has established a covenant with all of them (cf. Gn 9:1-17). Israel experiences a personal and saving God (cf. Dt 4:37; 7:6-8; Is 43:1-7) and becomes his witness and interpreter among the nations. In the course of her history, Israel comes to realize that her election has a universal meaning (cf. for example Is 2:2-5; 25:6-8; 60:1-6; Jer 3:17; 16:19).

Christ Makes the Kingdom Present

1. Jesus of Nazareth brings God’s plan to fulfillment. After receiving the Holy Spirit at his Baptism, Jesus makes clear his messianic calling: he goes about Galilee “preaching the Gospel of God and saying: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel’” (Mk 1:14-15; cf. Mt 4:17; Lk 4:43). The proclamation and establishment of God’s kingdom are the purpose of his mission: “I was sent for this purpose” (Lk 4:43). But that is not all. Jesus himself is the “Good News,” as he declares at the very beginning of his mission in the synagogue at Nazareth, when he applies to himself the words of Isaiah about the Anointed One sent by the Spirit of the Lord (cf. Lk 4;14-21). Since the “Good News” is Christ, there is an identity between the message and the messenger, between saying, doing and being. His power, the secret of the effectiveness of his actions, lies in his total identification with the message he announces; he proclaims the “Good News” not just by what he says or does, but by what he is.

Redemptoris missio
On the permanent validity of the Church’s missionary mandate

(This link allows you to select the chapters.)

 

[Holly3278]

“Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” means the present reality of God’s Kingdom as well as the future reality in the New Jersualem.

The “Apostles doctrine” are those traditions which were instructed by the Apostles (such as communal worship on Sunday and well as other traditions), but most importantly, the doctrines of the Apostles to which the Lord Entrusted them to hold and keep safe (i.e., The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ).

There is going to be a New Jerusalem? I thought that only millennialists believed in the New Jerusalem?

 

[danandirma]

thank you all!!! great stuff

YBIC
Dan

 

[st_julie]

I pondered on that very line as well. Since heaven is outside of time it is literally at ones hand. Our guardian angels are with us but also see the face of God. Many mystics see through the dark glass and peek into heaven.

it in one interpretation

 

[AmbroseSJ]

Another view might be that the Kingdom of Heaven, which was so long beyond the reach of man, was now at last “at hand.” With our Redemption the Kingdom of Heaven was finally ours. This Kingdom is not restricted to Heaven however. The Kingdom of God (or of Heaven) extends into our own world through the grace purchased by our redemption. The Kingdom of Heaven reigns in our hearts. (“Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done…” and again “My Kingdom is not of this world.”) The restoration of our inheritance, ordained by God from the beginning is indeed Good News!

Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is both internal and eternal, all-encompassing and accessible. We are made royal, priestly citizens of this Kingdom by our Baptism.