Let me start by saying there is only one gospel, the Gospel of the Kingdom.
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Matthew 4:23
Whenever you see the word gospel, it means the gospel of the kingdom. Paul often referred to the gospel as his gospel (Romans 2:16, 16:25; 2 Timothy 2:8), but make no mistake, Paul’s gospel was the gospel of His Savior (2 Thessalonians 1:8).
I am claiming that the Kingdom of God is the key to revival because we, the church, have moved, without notice, from the gospel of the kingdom to the gospel of going to heaven. What I mean by this is that when we think we haven’t been spreading the gospel, we have been spreading a different one. The gospel the church has been spreading is to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and He will forgive your sins, and you will have enteral life in heaven. By the way, a diligent search of the Bible from old to new reveals our end is an earthly kingdom. The concept of going to a spiritual place is pagan and was introduced to the church and solidified in the renaissance period.
Let me illustrate it this way. We become part of His kingdom when we accept Jesus as our Savior. That kingdom is realized on a new earth. So think of death as a trip with our Lord to the kingdom. If we were invited to a wonderful vacation spot and had to fly there, would we be telling everybody about our flight or location? Christianity has shifted to thinking our flight is our destination. We will not stay in the heavens because we will land on a new wonderful earth.
The key here is what is meant by life in heaven. That is where the church has gotten off track. Heaven is not going to a spiritual place; rather, Heaven is God’s kingdom ruled by Jesus on earth. Note that while heaven is the kingdom of God, I will refer to heaven as a spiritual non-earthly place.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Revelation 21:1
I know I have said this in a previous article, but it is worth repeating that knowing your destination is vital to preparation. When I was in the military, we saw changes in the world and how a war would be carried out. With each shift, our preparation changed. We all know this. When planning a trip, we want to know what weather and activities we should expect. We need that information to be prepared. So if we have no idea what we will do in eternity, we will be unprepared. Let me try my best to demonstrate the difference.
The gospel of going to heaven.
People are told that if they repent from their sins and accept Jesus as Lord when they die, they avoid hell and get to go to an unknown place in the by and by. That is a personal gospel between Jesus and the believer, leaving little accountability to anyone else.
The gospel of the kingdom.
People are told to repent and accept Jesus as Lord of a kingdom. It is by His redemption they are privileged to be part of it. The earth will be filled with God’s glory, and we will be part of it. We are made worthy of being part of Jesus’ kingdom. This gospel invites people to be part of something bigger than avoiding hell, and it makes them citizens of a kingdom.
The gospel of going to heaven.
With this gospel, people are happy to sit in the pew and hear how they will go to heaven and be happy when they die. Or, in some cases, heaven is a secured destination so that even if they are not in church, they don’t have to be concerned. They will take a little cabin in the corner of glory.
The gospel of the kingdom.
With this gospel, a believer is immediately called to be a citizen of a kingdom. The kingdom is fulfilled in the body of believers. Therefore to be absent or non-participant is not acceptable for good citizens, and they will be held accountable by the King.
The gospel of going to heaven.
The person who believes this is independent of a kingdom will live however they want. Their salvation is solely between them and Jesus, and they can be unaccountable to anything but themselves and the Lord. The church gathering is only seen as a worship time, not a manifestation of a kingdom.
The gospel of the Kingdom.
When people accept the kingdom’s gospel, they realize that they immediately become part of it. That means they are accountable to the kingdom for their behavior. They accept the authority of the church and its blessings and discipline. They are not allowed to be a busybody and lazy citizens. It is not just about a Sunday meeting; it is about an everyday lifestyle. Every believer is to be caring for one another.
I am sure I could go on contrasting the difference between going to heaven and being part of Jesus’ kingdom, but I hope this will suffice to start you thinking about the difference. If we are to have revival, we need to get back the message our Savior preached;
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 4:17