Questions & Answers - Good News Staff - September 11, 1978

Good News Staff

I know and believe that we Christians do not go to heaven when we die, but I would still like to know why the Bible sometimes speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven instead of the Kingdom of God. - There is certainly no support for going to heaven in the usage you mentioned. Instead it is traceable to the Jewish belief that the name of God YHVH in Hebrew - was too holy to be pronounced. As a substitute for YHVH many used the word heaven as being the location of God's throne and the seat of His ruling conduct of the universe. In deference to the sensitivities of His hearers, Jesus presumably followed their custom, and Matthew at any rate did so in writing the gospel account, which was designed most - specifically for the Jewish population. - Information Supplied By: Herbert W Armstrong Library