The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God

Malachi 4:5-6 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. 

Ezekiel 3:22-27 The hand of the LORD was there upon me; and He told me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with you. Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face. Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spoke with me, and said to me, Go, shut yourself within thine house. But you, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon you, and shall bind you with them, and you will not go out among them: I will make your tongue cleave to the roof of your mouth, that you shall be dumb, and shall not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house. 
 
But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you will say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD; He that hears, let him hear; and he that forbears (rejects), let him forbear (forsake, ceases, come to an end): for they are a rebellious (are a bitter) house.
 

The word “forbears” is repeated here which leads me to believe it means to repent of his rebellion, to turn ones back wards the house. John the Baptist did as the following scriptures reveal a portion of, which I used earlier.

Matthew 3:1-12, 13-17 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Daniel 2:44, Joshua 15:61, Judges 1:16) 
 

For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make His path straight. 

 

This is the same John who wore his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 

 

Then went out to him from Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said to them, O generation of vipers (placing them back to Genesis 3 and in relationship to the deceiver therein revealed), who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham as our father: for I say to you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. Now the ax is laid to the root of the trees (the whole body of Israels leaders are these trees): therefore every tree which brings not forth good fruit is hewn (rejected, forbearing, is cut) down, and cast into the fire.

I indeed baptize you with water for repentance: but He that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and fire: Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (parallel passages Mark 1:1-8, Luke 3:1-9, 15-17 and John 1:19-28)

This statement of John's is overlooked by many but it is for us a revelation of Christ Jesus and just how God sees those of Israel's Priesthood. The Lord told them through His Prophets that Israel was to be the head and not the tail but because of their propensity for walking in the flesh, which breeds unbelief, they were by now the tail and unfruitful.

While we are still here in Matthew 3 and are now facing the baptism of Jesus I will continue with it.

Then came Jesus from Galilee to Jordan and then to John, to be baptized by him. But John forbade (withstood) Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of You, and come You to me? And Jesus said to him, Suffer (allow) it now: for thus it becomes us to fulfill (to make complete, to consummate, to perfect) all righteousness*. (Psalm 40:7-8; John 4:34, 8:29) Then He suffered him. When Jesus was baptized, He went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened to Him, and he (John) saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. (parallel passages Psalm 2:7, Isaiah 42:1; Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, 9:35; John 1:31-34, 12:28, from here we can go into the further revelation of the kingdom as referenced in Ephesians 1:6 and Colossians 1:13)
*to bring about the right-wisement of God's Will hidden in the Law and the Prophets to fulfill, i.e. to cause God’s will (as made known in the law of Faith and Love both of which by the way supersede the Law of Moses) to be obeyed as it should be, and God’s promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfillment.
  
I want to look at how John treats this same passage in his synoptic gospel.