Part 1. The Gospel Of The Kingdom
Written by Jack Kelley)
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matt. 3:1-2)
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matt. 3:1-2)
Prophecies of a Messianic King
appear throughout the Old Testament and many in the
Jewish leadership saw John's arrival on the scene as
their fulfillment.
They sent representatives to the place where John
was baptizing to see if he was the promised Messiah. He
said he wasn't, but that the one they had been expecting
was even then in their midst (John 1:19-28).
750 years earlier Isaiah had said
when the Messiah came He would reign on David's throne
forever (Isaiah 9:6-7) but the throne of David
had been vacant for 600 years.
John had come to tell them the time was finally
at hand and they had better get ready for Him.
When Jesus began His ministry, John
introduced Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin
of the world (John 1:8) and publicly testified
that Jesus was the Son of God (John 1:34).
Right from the beginning Jesus began teaching
that the Kingdom of Heaven was near (Matt. 4:17),
and sent His disciples through out the land to alert the
people to this fact as well (Matt. 10:7-8).
