I was reading through Mark with fellow believers and these verses struck a chord with me, but my mind kept being pulled to the words “Kingdom of God”. This was not a verse that was new to me by any stretch. “Kingdom of God” is mentioned 71 times in the New Testament. 71 TIMES! Kingdom of Heaven is mentioned 32 more times. But this time I decided to stop and ponder these words. These were the words that Jesus preached to the people from the beginning.
“The time is fulfilled…” is how Jesus' proclamation starts. The narrative of the gospel is not something new, but the fulfilment of what God started in Genesis 1. His people were in the middle of this story, a love story if you will. Not a story of two people in love, but the account of a man who yearned for the ones He loved, yet He wad despised and rejected by them. When Jesus came into this world, the play was in intermission, a people waiting for God to fulfill what was spoken.
No one knew this more than Israel, a nation constantly rejecting God to the point of His silence. For 400 years God was waiting for the right time to show up, His people still yearning for redemption and restoration. But God was not finished. He has always had a plan to bring His people back to Him once again. This is where His people were when Jesus came into this world. But how was God going to respond?
The Kingdom of God is at hand….
When we think of the word Kingdom, where does your mind go?
Do you go to England? With castles and Kings of old? What about here in the US? Would we be a kingdom? But in most cases, we think of a land being ruled by some kind of leader. Some place far away. That is what the definition implies today, a land ruled by a King or Queen. But what about during the time of Jesus? What did Israel think of when you use the word “Kingdom”?
Well, they did not have England, or even fully defined territories. Life was very different. Lands were ruled by the powerful, a ruler that was sovereign over the land. Egypt, for instance, earned the power through holding large amounts of food in the storehouses before a great drought, eventually forcing those around them to sell what they had to them for this food (see Genesis 39-50). The Pharaohs ruled the land as a god to the people, the true God eventually restoring His people to the promised land..
When we think of the word Kingdom, where does your mind go?
Do you go to England? With castles and Kings of old? What about here in the US? Would we be a kingdom? But in most cases, we think of a land being ruled by some kind of leader. Some place far away. That is what the definition implies today, a land ruled by a King or Queen. But what about during the time of Jesus? What did Israel think of when you use the word “Kingdom”?
Well, they did not have England, or even fully defined territories. Life was very different. Lands were ruled by the powerful, a ruler that was sovereign over the land. Egypt, for instance, earned the power through holding large amounts of food in the storehouses before a great drought, eventually forcing those around them to sell what they had to them for this food (see Genesis 39-50). The Pharaohs ruled the land as a god to the people, the true God eventually restoring His people to the promised land..
What if we were to stop imagining England when we use the term “Kingdom of God” and start thinking of Egypt? What about Babylon? Assyria? Rome? These are the Kingdoms of this time, and the ones who conquered Israel. Strong and powerful empires that invade and destroy anything in their path, taking land after land to build a mighty territory to rule with an iron fist, sometimes under God's authority (Jer 27).
When a King’s power increased, they expanded their reach. During the time of Jesus, Rome considered Caesar a god, worthy to be ruler of this world. So the kingdom spread, they conquered and expanded showing their power and sovereignty. Countries were dynamic, fluid, always moving. Those solid lines that we see are a new idea, just within the last few hundred years.
This better fits what the word “Kingdom” means in scripture. “Royal power, kingship, dominion, rule...the territory subject to the rule of a king” (Strong's).
Now go back to Mark 1:15 with this in mind. “the Kingdom of God is at hand (is near, close, approaching)”. Can you imagine what they were thinking? God’s rule and reign is coming here! It is approaching, ready to invade and take over this land! “Repent (change, amend with abhorrence of one’s past) and believe (trust, have confidence) in the Gospel (good news)”.
The Kingdom of God is here!
God’s dominion and power is coming into this land to rule His people! But this is not something to be afraid of (as indicated in the second part of the verse) for this is Good news! Where God is there is judgement, but also restoration and redemption. Jesus came to usher in God’s kingdom, to call everyone to look at the brokenness and sin in this world and fall at the feet of the One who created it to be restored once again by His Spirit (literally life).
This is where God’s Kingdom differs from the empires that came before. When a new ruler came in the past we fought to keep them away, like Nebuchadnezzar in the Old Testament (2 Kings 24-26), or forced to sell our land such as in Egypt. God’s Kingdom is reserved for those who are not only willing, but joyfully sell everything they have (Matt 13:45-49), this is true repentance.
Those who have repented are given a new life, a new heart, a new direction.
“...unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)
Our wills have been transformed to follow God, because we have submitted to Him.
“Your kingdom come, Your will be done…” (Matt 6:10)
We understand our brokenness, and our need to be transformed by His Spirit
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.“ (Luke 6:20)
We Follow God's authority as a child, a people who know who the leader is because we know we follow a good and noble King who rules our hearts and will win in the end.
“Let the children come to me...for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14)
But not all who follow God are ruled by Him (Matt 13:47, Mark 4:26), But only those who truly understand and have experienced God’s grace and forgiveness in their lives (Matt 18:23). In the end, we will live under God’s rule and reign forever, in a new Kingdom on a new Earth, where all who stand in His presence will worship Him and serve Him.
But that is what was different when I read these verses today. I can see that in the end it is not about God establishing a far away kingdom, but God desires to bring His rule and reign down to us now, in you and me. He is in the business of restoration, starting with our hearts.
So the question is, who do you serve? Who rules your heart? Your mind? Your actions? What do you live for? If it is not God, through Christ, then now is the time for repentance. The Kingdom of God is here. Repent and believe the good news of the Gospel. Have your heart ruled by the true King. In the end, God knows who (or whom) you serve.
When a King’s power increased, they expanded their reach. During the time of Jesus, Rome considered Caesar a god, worthy to be ruler of this world. So the kingdom spread, they conquered and expanded showing their power and sovereignty. Countries were dynamic, fluid, always moving. Those solid lines that we see are a new idea, just within the last few hundred years.
This better fits what the word “Kingdom” means in scripture. “Royal power, kingship, dominion, rule...the territory subject to the rule of a king” (Strong's).
Now go back to Mark 1:15 with this in mind. “the Kingdom of God is at hand (is near, close, approaching)”. Can you imagine what they were thinking? God’s rule and reign is coming here! It is approaching, ready to invade and take over this land! “Repent (change, amend with abhorrence of one’s past) and believe (trust, have confidence) in the Gospel (good news)”.
The Kingdom of God is here!
God’s dominion and power is coming into this land to rule His people! But this is not something to be afraid of (as indicated in the second part of the verse) for this is Good news! Where God is there is judgement, but also restoration and redemption. Jesus came to usher in God’s kingdom, to call everyone to look at the brokenness and sin in this world and fall at the feet of the One who created it to be restored once again by His Spirit (literally life).
This is where God’s Kingdom differs from the empires that came before. When a new ruler came in the past we fought to keep them away, like Nebuchadnezzar in the Old Testament (2 Kings 24-26), or forced to sell our land such as in Egypt. God’s Kingdom is reserved for those who are not only willing, but joyfully sell everything they have (Matt 13:45-49), this is true repentance.
Those who have repented are given a new life, a new heart, a new direction.
“...unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)
Our wills have been transformed to follow God, because we have submitted to Him.
“Your kingdom come, Your will be done…” (Matt 6:10)
We understand our brokenness, and our need to be transformed by His Spirit
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.“ (Luke 6:20)
We Follow God's authority as a child, a people who know who the leader is because we know we follow a good and noble King who rules our hearts and will win in the end.
“Let the children come to me...for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14)
But not all who follow God are ruled by Him (Matt 13:47, Mark 4:26), But only those who truly understand and have experienced God’s grace and forgiveness in their lives (Matt 18:23). In the end, we will live under God’s rule and reign forever, in a new Kingdom on a new Earth, where all who stand in His presence will worship Him and serve Him.
But that is what was different when I read these verses today. I can see that in the end it is not about God establishing a far away kingdom, but God desires to bring His rule and reign down to us now, in you and me. He is in the business of restoration, starting with our hearts.
So the question is, who do you serve? Who rules your heart? Your mind? Your actions? What do you live for? If it is not God, through Christ, then now is the time for repentance. The Kingdom of God is here. Repent and believe the good news of the Gospel. Have your heart ruled by the true King. In the end, God knows who (or whom) you serve.
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