The Kingdom Of Heaven Is At Hand

But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand! Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely (without pay) you have received, freely (without charge) give. Matthew 10:6-8

He has blinded their eyes and hardened and benumbed their [callous, degenerated] hearts [He has made their minds dull], to keep them from seeing with their eyes and understanding with their hearts and minds and repenting and turning to Me to heal them. John12:40

Jesus sent the Disciples out to go and tell the Israelites that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand for them. Jesus told the Disciples to heal the lost, drive out demons from the lost, and to raise the lost from the dead. Jesus empowered the Disciples to show the lost children of Israel that the power of Heaven was for them. Yet Jesus also tells us that our Father would not allow the children of Israel to believe. Jesus tells us that our Father hardened their hearts and made their minds dull so that they could never understand the Truth. How can both of these things be true?

Here is what our Father has been showing me, there is a difference between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. The benefits of the Kingdom of Heaven can be enjoyed by everyone, those who believe and are chosen and those who do not believe. The chosen are part of the Kingdom of God. We are empowered to serve the guests of the Kingdom of Heaven. Think about it? The children of Israel hated Jesus. They used Him to get healed, yet they quickly threw Him under the bus so that they could still go to church on the Sabbath. They were healed by Jesus and then they cried out for Him to be killed. Yet, they still enjoyed the fruits of the Kingdom of Heaven that was at hand for them. How cool is that? That is our Father’s Grace in full action! 

This is why Jesus told Peter to feed both the sheep, the guests of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the lambs, the born again of the Kingdom of God, John 21:16-18. The power of our Father is all based on His Grace, not on any works. So of course the Kingdom of Heaven and all of the power of it is for those who don’t believe. The guests are not part of the Kingdom of God, meaning they are not one with God as we are. But that doesn’t mean that they are not able to be fully served with power and demonstration of the Spirit by those of us who are.