Coming Kingdom of God
Mark 1:14-15, “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’”
My wife and I have the joy of raising four children. Our home has very few “dull” moments as you might expect. There is usually a practice, a game, a lesson, or an event somewhere. These are certainly busy years for our family. I know one day I will be wishing I could have these days back. For that reason, I am thankful for the busy moments and full schedules. One of the demands of a busy and growing family is satisfying the never ending appetite of growing boys. With that said, one of the most important messages that gets announced in our home is the simple phrase “time to eat!” You can imagine what hearing that phrase means to a bunch of hungry boys. Time to eat means that the hunger pains are about to subside. It is an announcement that leads to satisfaction. In Mark 1:15 we read that Jesus had a wonderful announcement. He proclaimed, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel.” The coming Kingdom of God is good news indeed for all who will respond to Jesus’ invitation to repent and believe the gospel. In one sense the Kingdom of God is at hand and He is able to rule and reign in the hearts of those who repent and believe the gospel. In another sense we have the promise of the future Kingdom of God. This is not something that believers are setting up now. Rather it is the coming reign of Jesus over all evil. Revelation 19:15 says, “From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” When the Kingdom of God is established all worldly and evil powers will be overthrown. Christ will reign. Those who have repented and believed in the gospel will enjoy citizenship in this new and coming kingdom. It may look like a gloomy day as the governments of the world take their stand against one another and struggle to overcome corruption. However, Jesus announced a new and coming kingdom. Dear saint of God, don’t weary yourself with worry in this troubled world. King Jesus will soon reign. Satisfaction will one day be realized.
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