The Kingdom of Heaven
It's interesting that throughout the Bible book of Matthew, Jesus is quoted as saying that 'the Kingdom of Heaven' is the hope of righteous mankind. Therefore, (since most people quote Matthew) many have come to believe that the hope they should be trying to attain is life in heaven. But notice that the words Kingdom of Heaven don't seem to be those of Jesus! Rather, they appear to be a corruption that entered the texts of the Gospel of Matthew (only) early in the Second Century CE when it was translated from its original Aramaic language into Greek. For in Mark and Luke (whose Gospels appear to have originally been penned in Greek) we find Jesus calling it 'the Kingdom of God' whenever they were quoting Jesus' same words. And although it's a fact that the words aren't that different; realize that seeking the Kingdom of God doesn't necessarily mean that a person is trying to get to heaven. Rather, it can mean that they are seeking salvation under the rule of God's Kingdom.
Notice, for example, the question that Jesus' Apostles asked him shortly before his ascension to heaven, as found at Acts 1:6: 'Lord, are you going to return the Kingdom to IsraEl now?'
As you can see, their understanding of the meaning of the Kingdom at that time wasn't of aKingdom in heaven. Rather, they were looking for the reestablishment of an earthly Kingdom of IsraEl and the end of Roman (gentile) domination.
Therefore, the many references to the 'Kingdom of Heaven' in the book of Matthew and of people reaching out for it didn't necessarily mean that early Christians were looking for life in heaven after their deaths. Rather, at the beginning they were still expecting an earthly Kingdom of God that would be ruled from the Heavens.
So are we saying that the Bible book of Matthew may not always be trusted? Yes we are, especially when Jesus' words differ substantially from what he is quoted as saying in the book of Luke (which has seen less corruption through the centuries).
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