# the kingdom of heaven is near

The phrase "the kingdom of heaven" refers to God ruling as king. This phrase is only in the book of Matthew. If possible, include a word that means "heaven" in your translation. See how you translated this in [Matthew 3:2](../03/02.md). Alternate translation: "our God in heaven will soon show himself to be king" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy]])