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The kingdom of God (Greek: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ, Basileia tou Theou[1]; Latin: Regnum Dei [2]) or kingdom of Heaven (Hebrew: מלכות השמים, Malkuth haShamayim; Greek: Βασιλεία τῶν Ουρανῶν, Basileia tōn Ouranōn, Latin: Regnum caelorum[3]) is a foundational concept in the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
The term "kingdom of God" is found in all four canonical gospels and in the Pauline epistles. The Gospel of Matthew uses the phrase "kingdom of Heaven" more often, perhaps to avoid offending Jews in the early church[4] or perhaps simply a translation of the rabbinical expression "Malkut Shamayim".[5] The term is also found in various writing styles such as parable, beatitude, prayer, miracle story and aphorism.[6]
The related phrase in the Hebrew Bible, "kingdom of Jehovah," is usually rendered "kingdom of the LORD" in English translations of the Bible.[7] Jehovah and LORD are two ways to express the Tetragrammaton.
In the synoptic Gospels, Mark and Luke use the Greek term "Basileia tou Theou", commonly translated in English as "kingdom of God." Matthew, on the other hand, employs the Greek term "Basileia tōn Ouranōn" (Βασιλεία τῶν Ουρανῶν),[Mt 13:45] which is translated as "kingdom of Heaven" 31 times and "kingdom of God" only 6 times, with "the kingdom" with no qualifier appearing a further ten, and "in my Father's kingdom" once. Some Biblical scholars[who?] speculate that the Matthean text adopted the Greek word for "heaven" instead of the Greek word for "God" because, unlike Mark and Luke, it was written by a Jew for a Jewish audience. It is a Jewish practice to avoid using God's name as an act of piety. In Matthew, "heaven" stands for "God."[8][9]
The word “kingdom” is a translation of the Greek word basileia which in turn is a translation of the words malkuth (Hebrew) and malkutha (Aramaic). According to C. H. Dodd, the common translation of malkuth with basileia in Greek and hence kingdom in English is problematic. A translation with “kingship,” "kingly rule," “reign”, “queen”, or “sovereignty” should be preferred.[10] The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states that the word basileia can be translated as "kingship," "kingdom" or "reign".[11] In contrast, the Hebrew word "malkuth", has a very physical world meaning, implying that the translation "kingdom" may be understood as both realm and a temporal kingdom.[citation needed]
Scholars during the current third quest for the historical Jesus have translated the phrase as "God's imperial rule", or sometimes "God's domain", to better grasp its sense in today's language.[citation needed]
The Jesus Seminar has chosen to translate basileia as "empire". John B. Cobb points out that this has the disadvantage of implying a hierarchical nature to the realm of God, a concept clearly lacking from Jesus thought, in Cobb’s view.[12] Fr. Richard Chilson, C.S.P., suggests the term "Love's Domain," "Love's Dominion," or "Love's Rule" because the kingdom of God is where the God who is Love rules.[13] Even with the debate over the translation of the term, modern scholars see the concept of the kingdom of God as the main message of Jesus,[14] though other scholars see eternal life as the central theme of Jesus' preaching in the Gospel of John.[15][16][17]
The "kingdom of the LORD" is referred to in the Tanakh (see 1 Chronicles, 1Chronicles 29:10-12 and Daniel 4:3 for example). It is tied to Jewish understanding that God will restore the nation of Israel to the land, following the Abrahamic covenant.
When speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, God tells Moses that the Israelites "will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." The priest as king is mentioned in early Judaic writings. "Then Melchizedek king of Salem [Jerusalem] brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High".[Ex 19:3-6] In Second Chronicles the LORD said, "My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever."[2 Chr 33:4] Cyrus king of Persia agreed and is quoted as saying: " 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.[2 Chr 36:23] The prophet Zechariah taught of a king of Jerusalem, stating "Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey.[Zech 9:9]
The kingdom of the Lord occurs in the Greek Septuagint where the Hebrew Bible has Solomon reigning over the "kingdom of YHWH."
The phrase "kingdom of God" occurs once in the deuterocanonical books of the "Apocrypha", Wisdom of Solomon (10:10) where Wisdom (personification) shows a straying man "the kingdom of God."[18][19] This is similar to Philo who refers to "kingdom of God" in a sapiential, wisdom-sense "formed in the image of its archetype the kingdom of God" (On The Special Laws 4:164)[20]
In the pseudepigrapha, the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs refer to the "kingdom of the Lord" (Testament of Benjamin 9.1)[21] The "kingdom" in the War Scroll of the Dead Sea scrolls, and other mentions of "kingdom" and "rule" are linked with Messianic expectations, and the establishment of a military-political kingdom on earth.[22][23]
The Aramaic Targums, paraphrase-translations of the Hebrew Bible for use in Palestinian synagogues, contain several expansions and additional references to "the kingdom of God" not emphasized in the Hebrew Masoretic Text. An example is Targum Neofiti's paraphrase of Exodus 15:18. Where the Hebrew has only "The LORD shall reign for ever and ever", the Aramaic paraphrase has "How the crown of the kingdom (Aramaic "kingdom" malku מַלְכּוּ, corresponds to Hebrew malkut מַלְכוּת) becomes you, O Lord! ... Of the Lord is the kingdom before the world and forever and ever." The turning of Hebrew Bible references to God "reigning" into concrete references to a "kingdom" of God occurs in many Targum passages.[24]
Listings of kingdom references in the Mishnah and subsequent rabbinic literature can be found in Dalman, Words of Jesus, pages 96–101, and Hermann Leberecht Strack, Paul Billerbeck Kommentar zum Neuen Testament aus Talmud und Midrasch (1965)[25]
Eusebius identified basileia with monarchy while Augustine foresaw a merger of the church and basileia.[26] Aquinas ignores the concept and it was relatively little discussed by Christian theologians until Johannes Cocceius (1660) and Hermann Samuel Reimarus in the 18th century, during what has become known as the "first quest" for the historical Jesus.[27][28]
C. H. Dodd and John Dominic Crossan argued that the “kingdom” was fully manifest in the present teaching and actions of Jesus. Through his words and deeds the "kingdom" was brought into the present reality of Palestine. Dodd coined the term "realized eschatology"[29] and largely based his argument on Luke 11:20, and Luke 17:21, claiming that "the kingdom of God has come to you" and “the kingdom of God is within you”. Crossan imagined Jesus as a cynic-like peasant who focused on the sapiential aspects of the "kingdom" and not on any apocalyptic conceptions.[30]
Albert Schweitzer, Rudolf Bultmann, Norman Perrin and Johannes Weiss argued that Jesus’ "kingdom" was intended to be a wholly futuristic kingdom. These scholars looked to the apocalyptic traditions of various Jewish groups existing at the time of Jesus as the basis of their study.[31][32][33][34] In this view, Jesus was an apocalyptic preacher who would bring about the end times and when he did not see the end of the cosmic order coming Jesus embraced death as a tool in which to provoke God into action.
The most common view of the "kingdom" in recent scholarship is to embrace the truths of both these parties─present reality and future manifestation, known as Inaugurated eschatology. Some scholars who take this view are N.T. Wright and G.R. Beasley-Murray. In their views, the “kingdom” that Jesus spoke of will be fully realized in the future but it is also in a process of “in-breaking” into the present. This means that Jesus’ deeds and words have an immediate effect on the “kingdom” even though it was not fully manifested during his life. Even greater attention has been paid to the concept of the “kingdom of God” by scholars during the current third quest for the historical Jesus (with which N.T. Wright is associated).
Another important recent observation on the meaning of the “kingdom” was made by Rudolph Otto who took a feminist approach to the study of Jesus. He claimed that “it is not Jesus who brings the kingdom; on the contrary; the kingdom brings him with it…”[35] This approach attempts to take Jesus out of the Jesus movement that followed after his death and resurrection; by doing this the communal aspects of the “kingdom” become emphasized and not just the focus on Jesus as a man.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches that the coming Reign of God will be a kingdom of love, peace, and justice.[36] Justice is defined as a virtue whereby one respects the rights of all persons, living in harmony and equity with all.[37] The kingdom of God began with Christ's death and Resurrection and must be further extended by Christians until it has been brought into perfection by Christ at the end of time.[38] The Christian does this by living the way Christ lived, by thinking the way Christ thought,[36] and by promoting peace and justice.[39] This can be accomplished by discerning how the Holy Spirit (God) is calling one to act in the concrete circumstances of one's life.[39] Christians must also pray, asking God for what is necessary to cooperate with the coming of God's kingdom.[40] Jesus gathered disciples to be the seed and the beginning of God's Reign on earth, and Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to guide them.[41] Jesus continues to call all people to come together around him[42] and to spread the kingdom of God across the entire world.[43] However, the ultimate triumph of Christ's kingdom will not come about until Christ's return to earth at the end of time.[44] During Christ's second coming, he will judge the living and the dead. Only those who are judged to be righteous and just will reign with Christ forever.[45] Christ's second coming will also mark the absolute defeat of all evil powers, including Satan.[46] Until then, the coming of the kingdom will continue to be attacked by evil powers as Christians wait with hope for the second coming of their Savior.[47] This is why Christians pray to hasten Christ's return by saying to him "Maranatha!" which means "Come, Lord Jesus!".[48]
According to Fr. William Barry, S.J., we can understand the kingdom of God as God's intention for the universe. God has revealed that God's intention for our world is that all humans live as brothers and sisters, as sons and daughters of God. Our thoughts and actions can either be in tune with God's intention or not. Only by being in tune with God's intention will we ever know true fulfillment or happiness in this life. Prayer, discernment and knowledge of God's revealed Word are needed to discover how one can be in tune with God's intention.[49]
According to Fr. Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., the kingdom of God primarily refers to the era when Christ comes again to bring the final establishment of God’s rule over all creation, which will include a final judgment where the righteous are rewarded and the wicked are punished. The concept of the kingdom of God offers the goal for Christian life: those who follow the example and teachings of Jesus will be vindicated when the kingdom of God comes and will reign with Christ forever.[50]
In Biblical scholar John P. Meier's Mentor, Message, and Miracles (A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, v. 2, 1994, pp. 235–506), the 'Message' is the kingdom of God. The book examines that the subject as found in:
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Pope Benedict XVI in his book Jesus of Nazareth, says there are "three dimensions" to the Church Fathers' interpretation of the term kingdom of God. The first, which comes from Origen, is that Jesus is himself the kingdom in person.[51] The second "sees man's interiority as the essential location of the Kingdom."[51] This second dimension also comes from Origen. "The third dimension of the interpretation of the kingdom of God we could call the ecclesiastical: the kingdom of God and the Church are related in different ways and brought into more or less close proximity."[51] That is to say that the Church is the kingdom of God.
Kingdom of Heaven, Russian
icon.
Within the theological tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church the kingdom of God is the future of all humankind and the created world, the world to come, in that God will be in direct communion with the cosmos.
In the Reformation the Radical Reformation of Anabaptists and Early Unitarians, and later Dissenters combined Christian mortalism with eschatological views emphasizing the future aspect of the kingdom of God and the Second Coming. For example the Rev. John Disney in his Reasons for quitting the Church of England (1873) speaks of "the future everlasting kingdom of God".[52][53]
A number of groups take a political/eschatological approach to the kingdom of God emphasizing a physical reign of Jesus Christ on earth after the parousia. These groups often place special emphasis on the role of a restored kingdom of Israel.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints considers the church itself as the kingdom of God on the earth. However, this is limited to a spiritual or ecclesiastical kingdom until the Millennium when Christ will also establish a political kingdom of God. This will have worldwide political jurisdiction when the Lord has made "a full end of all nations" (Doctrine & Covenants 87:6). However, Latter-day Saints believe that this theocratic "kingdom" will in fact be quasi-republican in organization, and will be freely chosen by the survivors of the millennial judgments rather than being imposed upon an unwilling populace.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church accepts the doctrine of the kingdom of God dividing it into two phases. These are the kingdom of Grace which was established immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, and the kingdom of Glory which will be fully established when Christ returns to earth for the second time.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the kingdom of God is the central theme of the Bible, of Jesus' message while on earth, and of their own door-to-door preaching.[54] They believe their door-to-door preaching is part of a "sign" before God's kingdom destroys the world's governments, in order to have God's will done on earth as it is in heaven.[55]
God's kingdom is said to be an actual government, set up by God in heaven, that will rule over the earth after removing all human governments at Armageddon. Jesus Christ initially rules as king of the kingdom, with all authority in heaven and on earth delegated to him by Jehovah, with only God himself having more authority than Jesus. Jesus rules along with 144,000 humans raised to heaven. These are said to be part of the "First Resurrection", as immortal spirit creatures. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus began ruling as king of God's kingdom in 1914, based on their interpretations of biblical chronology.[56] They believe that the sons of Israel, or biological Jews under the "Law Covenant", were initially given the exclusive privilege of being selected to rule as kings in the kingdom of God, but that they lost this privilege by breaking God's covenant and killing the messiah. The gentiles, or non-Jewish people, were subsequently chosen to fill those kingly positions as "Spiritual Israel" as part of the "New covenant".
Jesus' rulership of the kingdom is to last for one thousand years, during which time earth will be transformed into a paradise.[57] During that time, righteous and unrighteous humans—excluding those who died at Armageddon or other specific judgments by God—will be resurrected in perfect human bodies, which they call the "Second Resurrection". Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Satan will be imprisoned during the thousand year reign, unable to influence humans. Perfect humans on earth will not get sick or age, but will not be immortal, and will need to eat and breathe in order to keep living.[58] Humans who do not submit to the kingdom of God during the thousand year reign of Christ will die with no chance of resurrection.
After the thousand year reign, Satan will be released, to tempt the perfect human race a final time. He will convince some to rebel against God and attack those who remain faithful. Jehovah will then destroy Satan and those who take his side, with no hope of resurrection. Jesus will then hand the kingdom over to God, who will then rule forever over the perfect human race in an earthly paradise.
Inaugurated eschatology is a term used to describe the belief that the end times (or latter days) were inaugurated at the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Sometimes called "already and not yet", it argues that the kingdom is already here, but it has yet to be consummated as the world to come. It is a cornerstone doctrine of kingdom theology, popularized in the modern day by George Eldon Ladd. It is espoused by the Vineyard Movement and the Fuller Theological Seminary.
Leo Tolstoy was a fervent Christian anarchist and pacifist. His ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God Is Within You, were to have a profound impact on such pivotal twentieth-century figures as Gandhi[59] and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Leading feminist theologians, especially Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza emphasize the feminine gender of the word basileia and the feminist nature of the early teachings of Jesus and the important and counter-cultural role and contributions of women in the Jesus sect.[60]
Jesus' use of the phrase "kingdom of God" is believed by the liberation theologians to have been a deliberate but indirect criticism of the Roman system of domination.[citation needed]
The phrase "kingdom of God" does not occur in the Quran. The modern Arabic word for kingdom is mamlaka (المملكة), but in the Quran mul'kan (مُّلْكًا), which occurs in 4:54 (Yusuf Ali) "Or do they envy mankind for what Allah hath given them of his bounty? but We had already given the people of Abraham the Book and Wisdom, and conferred upon them a great kingdom." and 6:75 (Pickthall) "Thus did We show Abraham the kingdom of the heavens and the earth that he mighty be of those possessing certainty:"
For Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, belief in the "kingdom of God" may refer to the belief in God's absolute dominion over all things. Thus, in Islam every place, all creation, may be considered God's kingdom if those that live there "hold onto good qualities and good actions".[61]
The notion of God's kingdom on Earth, however, constitutes the establishment of and adherence to Allah's laws within human society, in order to maintain a lasting peace and unity within the lives of the devout, at all levels. These include personal, criminal, state and international levels. As such, some Muslim groups hold the view that the kingdom of God constitutes a caliphate/Imamate, a geographical region unified under the faith of Islam, and Matthew 13:31-33 has been suggested by Islamic scholars to be in fact referring to a caliphate which will be spread across three continents.[citation needed] According to mainstream Islamic beliefs, the Second Coming of Jesus and the arrival of the Mahdi will usher in this ideal caliphate/Imamate, which will put an end to the "tyranny of the Antichrist", and this reign will ensure tranquility and peace for the world.
A third perspective among Muslims is that the kingdom of God is a spiritual concept entirely, rather than a material one. After the Day of Judgment, when Allah judges all humankind based on their deeds, one either goes to hell or to heaven; the latter being the eternal kingdom.[citation needed]
The term "kingdom of God" appears in the writings of the Bahá'í Faith, including the religious works of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the religion, and his son `Abdu'l-Bahá.[62][63][64][65] In the Bahá'í teachings, the kingdom of God is seen both as a state of individual being, and the state of the world. Bahá'u'lláh claimed that the scriptures of the world's religions foretell a coming messianic figure that will bring a golden age of humanity, the kingdom of God on earth. He claimed to be that figure, and that his teachings would bring about the kingdom of God; he also noted that the prophecies relating to the end times and the arrival of the kingdom of God were symbolic and referred to spiritual upheaval and renewal.[66] The Bahá'í teachings also state as people perform good deeds they become closer to God spiritually, so that the can attain eternal life and enter the kingdom of God while alive.[67]
- ^ Strong’s Greek Dictionary, webpage, retrieved June 24, 2006
- ^ Kingdom of God#Regnum Dei
- ^ Kingdom of Heaven#Regnum caelorum
- ^ Powell, Mark Allan. Introducing the New Testament: A Historical, Literary, and Theological Survey, Baker Academic, 2009. p 110. ISBN 978-0-8010-2868-7
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia: Kingdom of God
- ^ Meier, John P. A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus: The Roots of the Problem and the Person, Anchor Bible Vol. 1, 1991. p 175. ISBN 978-0-385-26425-9
- ^ example ESV 1 Chronicles 28:5 "And of all my sons (for the Lord has given me many sons) he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel."
- ^ McKenzie, John L. Dictionary of the Bible, Simon & Schuster, 1995, p 480. Web: [1]
- ^ France, R.T. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Matthew," (Inter-varsity Press 1985 reprinted in this format 2008) p.49
- ^ Dodd, C.H., "The Parables of the Kingdom," (Fontana 1961), p.29. (public domain)
- ^ CCC 2816
- ^ Cobb, John and David Tracy, Talking About God: Doing Theology in the Context of Modern Pluralism, Seabury Press, 1983, web page, retrieved June 24, 2006
- ^ Chilson, Richard (2001). Yeshua of Nazareth: Spiritual Master. Notre Dame, IN: Sorin Books
- ^ Hulme, David. The Gospel Through the Ages, 2009. Web: [2]</ref
- ^ A theology of the New Testament by George Eldon Ladd 1993 ISBN 0-8028-0680-5 pages 290-293
- ^ Mercer dictionary of the Bible by Watson E. Mills, Roger Aubrey Bullard 2001 ISBN 0-86554-373-9 Entry for "eternal life", pages 264–265 [3]
- ^ 1, 2, and 3 John by John Painter, Daniel J. Harrington 2002 ISBN 0-8146-5812-1 pages 195–196 [4]
- ^ An introductory dictionary of theology and religious studies - Page 1147 Orlando O. Espín, James B. Nickoloff - 2007 "Although the phrase "kingdom of God" does not occur in the Old Testament, and only once in the deuterocanonical literature (Wisdom of Solomon 10:10), the theme of God as a ruling king is prevalent.
- ^ The Dead Sea scrolls after fifty years: a comprehensive assessment Volume 2 Peter W. Flint, James C. VanderKam - 1999 "Wis 10: 10: "When a righteous man fled from his brother's wrath, .."
- ^ The book of Daniel: composition and reception: Volume 2 - Page 496 John Joseph Collins, Peter W. Flint, Cameron VanEpps - 2002 "... my pride and my glory, which nothing can rival, an ensign of sovereignty which none can impeach, formed in the image of its archetype the kingdom of God ton Theou basileian
- ^ Exploring the origins of the Bible: canon formation in historical, ... Craig A. Evans, Emanuel Tov - 2008 "The Wisdom of Solomon 10:10 refers to “the kingdom of God [basileian theou].” The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs mentions the “kingdom of the Lord [basileiakyriou]” (Testament of Benjamin 9.1). The War Scroll mentions “the kingdom” .
- ^ Benedict Thomas Viviano, “The Kingdom of God in the Qumran Literature, ” in Wendell Willis, ed., The Kingdom of God in 20th-Century Interpretation (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1987), 97- 107
- ^ Qumran-Messianism: studies on the Messianic expectations in the ... - Page 14 ed. James H. Charlesworth, Hermann Lichtenberger, Gerbern S. Oegema - 199 "from the Book of Daniel (historically seen very close to the beginnings of the Qumran Community), would start a victory tour from the Books of Enoch to the Gospels. ... The poet hopes for the coming of the Kingdom of God, ..."
- ^ The book of Daniel: composition and reception: Volume 2 - John Joseph Collins, Peter W. Flint, Cameron VanEpps - 2002 Page 496
- ^ Jonathan T. Pennington Heaven and earth in the Gospel of Matthew footnote Page 266 - 2007
- ^ Augustine of Hippo, "The City of God", Chapter 9
- ^ Kevin Hart, The Experience of the Kingdom of God, webpage, retrieved June 24, 2006
- ^ "Von dem Zwecke Jesu und seiner Junger." Noch ein Fragment des Wolfenbuttelschen Ungenannten. Herausgegeben von Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. Braunschweig, 1778, 276 pp. (The Aims of Jesus and His Disciples A further Instalment of the anonymous Woltenbiittel Fragments. Published by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. Brunswick, 1778.)
- ^ Dodd, C.H., "The Parables of the Kingdom," (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1961) (public domain)
- ^ Crossan, John Dominic, "The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant," (Harper, 1991) (public domain)
- ^ Schweitzer, Albert, "The Quest for the Historical Jesus," (Black, 1910) (public domain)
- ^ Bultmann, Rudolph, "History and Eschatology: the presence of eternity," (Harper & Row, 1962) (public domain)
- ^ Perrin, Norman, "The Kingdom of God in the Teaching of Jesus," (SCM, 1963) (public domain)
- ^ Weiss, Johannes, "Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God," (Scholars, 1985) (public domain)
- ^ Beavis, Mary Ann, "Jesus & Utopia: Looking for the Kingdom of God in the Roman World,” (Fortress Press, 2006) (public domain)
- ^ a b CCC 2046
- ^ CCC 1807
- ^ CCC 782, 2816
- ^ a b CCC 2820
- ^ CCC 2632
- ^ CCC 541, 764
- ^ CCC 542
- ^ CCC 863
- ^ CCC 671
- ^ CCC 1042, 1060
- ^ CCC 550, 671
- ^ CCC 671, 680
- ^ CCC 671, 2817
- ^ Barry, William (1990). Paying Attention to God. Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press
- ^ Harrington, Daniel J., "The Now and Future Kingdom," American Catholic (May 2006), online at http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/JHP/aq0506.asp, accessed August 26, 2006.
- ^ a b c Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI, chapter 3 pp 49-50 (Bloomsbury 2007). ISBN 978-0-7475-9278-5
- ^ Tracts: Volumes 1-2 - Page 92 Unitarian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and the Practice of Virtue, Joseph Priestley, Richard Price - 1791 - "... lives and conversation by it, as I also will strive to do; so shall we secure a meeting again in the future everlasting kingdom of God, the father of all the families of the earth; To whom be glory, both now and for ever. Amen. "
- ^ James R. Jacob Henry Stubbe, Radical Protestantism and the Early Enlightenment 2002 Page 161 "Disney took a serious interest in the mortalism of Richard Overton"
- ^ "The Good News They Want You to Hear"
- ^ The Watchtower, 15 March 2009, page 15, “Be Vigilant”
- ^ "What Does the Bible Really Teach" pp. 215-218 '1914—A Significant Year in Bible Prophecy'
- ^ ‘The Great Crowd to Live in Heaven? Or on Earth?' "Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom 1984, p. 167.
- ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower: 31. 1 April 1984. "We do know that mortal humans—even perfect humans having the prospect of endless life on earth—must eat and drink to maintain life, or they die and their bodies experience corruption."
- ^ Martin E. Hellman, Resist Not Evil in World Without Violence (Arun Gandhi ed.), M.K. Gandhi Institute, 1994, retrieved on 14 December 2006]
- ^ Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza, a Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins, Crossroads, New York, 1992
- ^ Bawa, M. R. Muhaiyaddeen, Islam & World Peace: Explanations of a Sufi, The Fellowship Press, 2004, p 34
- ^ Bahá'u'lláh (2002). Gems of Divine Mysteries. Haifa, Israel: Bahá'í World Centre. p. 9. ISBN 0-85398-975-3. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/GDM/.
- ^ Bahá'u'lláh (1976). Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. p. 86. ISBN 0-87743-187-6. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/GWB/.
- ^ Bahá'u'lláh (1992) [1873]. The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The Most Holy Book. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-85398-999-0. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/KA/.
- ^ `Abdu'l-Bahá (1908). Some Answered Questions. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust (published 1990). p. 58. ISBN 0-87743-162-0. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SAQ/.
- ^ Momen, Moojan (2004). "Baha'i Faith and Holy People". In Jestice, Phyllis G.. Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-57607-355-6.
- ^ Smith, Peter (2008). An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 118–119. ISBN 0-521-86251-5.
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