Catholic Bible 101

The Kingdom of God! Sounds kind of heavenly, doesn’t it.  But is it?  Or is it right here on earth now in the midst of us all?  Let’s see what the Holy Bible has to say about it.

In Matthew 12:28, Jesus tells the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God has come upon them. In Mark 12:34, He also tells the scribe that he is not far from the Kingdom of God.  In Matthew 16:19, Jesus gives Peter the keys to the Kingdom, and then establishes His Church on Peter the Rock.  Jesus says that whatever this Church binds on earth shall be bound in heaven, where Jesus reigns now.  So what does all of this tell us? It tells us that the Kingdom of God was established on earth by Jesus Christ in the year 33 AD, in the form of His Church, led by Peter. In Ephesians 5:23, The Bible says that Jesus is the Head of His Body, the Church.  So here we have a divinely created Church led by Peter and His successors on earth, with Jesus Christ as its Head, that is actually the Kingdom of God.  Notice that Jesus didn’t tell Peter to wait 2000 years to begin the Kingdom!

So why is this important? Because there are a lot of non-Catholic Christians today who say that Jesus will establish His Kingdom when He returns at the Second Coming, and then start reigning for a thousand years. But is that right?  The Bible says that when Jesus returns, it will be accompanied by trumpet blasts, and the dead will rise first (1 Thessalonians 4:16).  There are several problems with that being the point where Jesus establishes His Kingdom.  The Bible says in Luke 17:20-21 that the establishment of the Kingdom will not be accompanied by signs, which would presumably preclude angelic trumpet blasts and dead people coming back to life.  Instead, Jesus says that the Kingdom of God is in the midst of us, now.  And Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 that all authority in heaven and on earth has already been given to Him.  Isn’t it an insult for us to say that that statement isn’t a reference to His Kingdom having already being established ? And where is the Kingdom of God on earth?  It would be in the Tabernacle at each and every Catholic Church, where Jesus Christ is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity, in the Eucharist!  He’s waiting for you to come see Him and talk to Him, right now!  And the really good news is that everyone who is in the state of grace is a prince or princess of this Kingdom, right now!

Here are some Bible verses regarding the Kingdom of Heaven.

2 Samuel 13: He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

1 Chronicles 17:11-14: When your days are fulfilled to go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne for ever.  I will be his father, and he shall be my son; I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you,  but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom for ever and his throne shall be established for ever.”

Psalm 103:19: The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 145: 11-13: They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power,  to make known to the sons of men thy mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of thy kingdom.  Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations.  The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.

Daniel 2:44: And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand for ever; (**NOTE - "the days of those kings" refers to the kings of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy of Daniel when He created the Kingdom during the Roman Empire reign.).

Daniel 4:2-3:  It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has wrought toward me.  How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders!  His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

Daniel 7:27: And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.'

Matthew 3:2:  "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Matthew 4:23: And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people. (**NOTE – The gospel of the Kingdom is also known as the gospel of The Church).

Matthew 5: 3: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:10: "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:19-20: Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 6: 33: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. (** NOTE – To obey this command of Jesus and “seek first his kingdom” would be very hard to do unless the kingdom were already established with the FIRST coming of Jesus.)

Matthew 10:7: And preach as you go, saying, `The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' (**NOTE – Jesus didn’t say that the kingdom of heaven is 2000 years away, but is at hand, which means 33 AD !)

Matthew 12: 25-28: Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand; and if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (**NOTE – Not only does this statement say that the Kingdom of God has already begun, but it is a huge statement for Church Unity, broken in thousands of pieces since the 16th Century.)

Matthew 13: 18-52: "Hear then the parable of the sower.  When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path.  As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;  yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.  As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.  As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."  Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field;  but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.  So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.  And the servants of the householder came and said to him, `Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?'  He said to them, `An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, `Then do you want us to go and gather them?'  But he said, `No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"  Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field;  it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."  He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."  All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable.  This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables,  will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world." Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field."  He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man;  the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one,  and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.  Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age.  The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,  and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.  "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,  who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind;  when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad.  So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.  "Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes."  And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."

Matthew 16:19: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."(**NOTE - The case for indulgences).

Matthew 18:23-35:  "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.  So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, `Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, `Pay what you owe.' So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, `Have patience with me, and I will pay you.'  He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt.  When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place.  Then his lord summoned him and said to him, `You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me;  and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt.  So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."(**NOTE – the last verses about paying your debt after getting thrown in jail is a direct reference to purgatory, also part of the Kingdom of Heaven).

Matthew 19:12: For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it."(**NOTE – The case for celibacy)

Matthew 19:14: but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." (**NOTE – the case for infant baptism).

Matthew 19: 23-24: And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (**NOTE – The evil of being rich clearly told to us all by Jesus).

Luke 7:28: I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

Luke 12:29-31: And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind.  For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them.  Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well. (**NOTE – The priority of life should be only to seek out God’s Kingdom, nothing else.  Then, He will take care of everything else that you need.)

Luke 18:17: Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." (**NOTE – Getting lots of degrees and reading lots of books is great, but having a child-like faith in God (not child-ish) is much more important).

Luke 18:29-30: And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there is no man who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive manifold more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life."

John 3:5: Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (**NOTE – The case for the necessity of baptism).

Acts 14:22: strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. (**NOTE – There are a whole lot of non-Catholic Christians who believe that they will be “raptured” away before any tribulation takes place. This one verse proves them wrong).

Acts 28: 23: When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in great numbers. And he expounded the matter to them from morning till evening, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. (**NOTE – Paul is talking about the Kingdom of God already established, not some future kingdom).

Romans 14:17:  For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit;

1 Corinthians 6: 9-10: Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 15:24: Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. (**NOTE – It would be hard to deliver something that hasn’t even begun yet!).

Colossians 1:13:14: He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (**NOTE – Once again, the establishment of the Kingdom is referred to in the past tense, not 2000 years in the future).

2 Thessalonians 1:5:  This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be made worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering (**NOTE – This verse negates the gospel of prosperity preached by so many non-Catholic preachers on TV).

James 2:5:  Listen, my beloved brethren. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him? (**NOTE – Once again, the poor are singled out as being heirs to the kingdom, not the filthy rich).