Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Frequently asked questions, "what is the Kingdom of God?" "What is the Gospel?"

The questions are very closely related, as we can see in this verse:

Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

So, what Gospel is Jesus talking about? And where is the Kingdom of God that He is announcing?

For that, we have to go back to the time of Daniel.

Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression,
and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness,
and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

At this time, God will establish an everlasting Kingdom:

Daniel 2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image
upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.35 Then was the iron, the clay,
the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together,
and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away,
that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

And then, the explanation:

Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom,
which shall never be destroyed:
 and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break
in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, 
and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God
hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain,
and the interpretation thereof sure.

So, when Jesus says:

The time is fulfilled  He is talking about the 70 weeks. Which is talking about 70 weeks of years and so
amounts to approximately 490 years.

And, we know that at the time that Jesus was born, the Jews were anticipating the arrival of the Messiah.

And when Jesus says:

the kingdom of God is at hand  He is talking about this everlasting Kingdom. Did you notice where the
prophecy speaks of a stone which would be cut out of the mountain without hands. Have you ever
read in Scripture:

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven:
and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:
and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

This is that Stone.

John 1:42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said,
Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

And that stone is the Church which has become a huge mountain:

and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

And this is the Gospel that Jesus Christ was revealing to the Jews at that time.

What say you?

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