Volume 50 Number 10 October 2008
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, Annas and Caiaphas being high priests, there was a man sent from God whose name was John the son of Zacharias. He went throughout the region of Jordan preaching baptism for the remission of sins, saying,
“Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”Approximately 1,000 years before, the Hebrew people had enjoyed a great and powerful kingdom in the days of King David and King Solomon. But then because of the grievous sins of the nation over the next few hundred years, the kingdom was greatly diminished and eventually completely overthrown by Babylon. 70 years later Babylon fell to Medo- Persia. The Persian Empire in time fell to the Greeks under the military conquests of Alexander the Great, and after his death his empire crumbled and numerous military conflicts plagued the world as various groups struggled for power. Judea was torn by war. History relates to us the ravaging abuse of the Jews by Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria, and the heroic efforts of the Maccabean family to stand against him. But then Rome, the fourth world empire came into power and under Julius Caesar the greater part of the then known world was united under one government.
Through those centuries since the time of David the Jews had been assured by their prophets of a coming kingdom and a Branch, a Seed, an Offspring of David who would be its King and of His kingdom there would be no end. Those who believed the prophets anxiously looked for that day, but it is now obvious that they did not comprehend that it was not to be a physical and earthly kingdom. They could only think of a kingdom as they had known in the days of King David. Before His death Jesus would proclaim,
“My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36).It was to be a spiritual kingdom.
(1 Peter 2:5). But when both John and Jesus and the disciples of Jesus taught that the kingdom was at hand, multitudes gave their attention. Daniel 2 had prophesied of God setting up a kingdom in the days of the fourth world empire and with the rise of Rome that day had come. Mark 9:1 records Jesus telling His audience that some among them would not die until they saw the kingdom of God. In Matthew 16:18-19, He told Peter, “I will build My church … and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven.”In
Acts 2 Peter preached the gospel and the plan of salvation. Believers were baptized and added to the church. The book of Colossians, addressed to the church, says God has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of Christ. (Colossians 1 :13). Being added by the Lord to the church is being added to the kingdom of Christ. He is the head of the church (Ephesians 5:23) and He is the King. All authority has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18). Hebrews 12:28 speaks of us receiving a kingdom. When John wrote Revelation he spoke of himself being in the kingdom (Revelation 1 :9). If you are a faithful member of the church of Christ you are in the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven.When Christ comes at the end of the world He will deliver the kingdom to God the Father
(1 Corinthians 15:24). And the kingdom shall be forever. The church of Christ today is the earthly stage of that eternal kingdom, and when the earth is gone, the kingdom will endure forever in heavenly habitation.If you are not presently a part of the kingdom of God, you can become a member of that kingdom and an heir of eternal life by obedience to the gospel, the same way as those souls on the Day of Pentecost in
Acts 2.As Jesus told Nicodemus in
John 3:3-5, you must be born again. We all enter into physical life by the union of a man and a woman. We are begotten by the seed of man and come forth from the body of a woman. In similar fashion we are begotten by the seed of the Spirit which is the word of God (1 Peter 1 :23) when we hear the gospel and believe it, and then the new birth is completed when we come forth from a body of water in the act of baptism (Romans 6:4). It takes the part of both male and female to produce physical life. It takes the part of both the Spirit and the water for the new birth. It takes both belief and baptism (Mark 16:16). Do not neglect your soul. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only one who can save you (Acts 4: 12). Repent of your sins, confess your faith, be baptized and live the life of a child of God and a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.