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Tag: kingdom

  • The Gospel of the Kingdom – 2

    The Gospel of the Kingdom – 2

    Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

    • “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:3
    • “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:10

    Your kingdom come,
    your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.

    Matthew 6:12

    • “… But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. – Matthew 6:33
    • “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 7:21

    Returning to the witness of the Gospel by Stephen, for a moment, and a thread of Scripture between Moses and Jesus:

    Acts 7:

    35 “This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’

    38 This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. 39 Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’

    Was not Christ Jesus, Redeemer of the world from our sins, rejected in this same way?

    Then for our sin, He became the Very Sacrifice before God the Father for our sins!

    Jesus proclaimed the Good News for sinner at the beginning of these last days. Jesus will proclaim the Day of the sound of the Trumpet at the final hour of these last days.

    His Kingdom come.

    His will be done

    On earth as it is in Heaven.

    “I and the Father are One.” – John 10:30

    “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. – John 14:9b

    Matthew 24:

    3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

    4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.

    5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains…

    27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

    The Coming of the Son of Man

    29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

    30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man,

    and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn,

    and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

    31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call,

    and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other…

    “Even so, come Lord Jesus.

    The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

    Revelation 22:20b-21 KJV

     

     

  • The Gospel of the Kingdom

    The Gospel of the Kingdom

    Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.

    What is the gospel?

    More specifically, what is the gospel of the kingdom which Jesus proclaimed?

    To begin, look back to the centuries and millennia at the role of kings in general.

    Kings do not rule a republic. Kings do not rule a democracy. The power of a king is absolute and those who rule in the king’s domain (territory, dominion, lands) tell the king’s people (subjects) what to do and because they are subjects of the king the people must do what their king demands.

    The message is NOT one from a common subject to other subjects of the king. No, a proclamation is written and spoken by the authority of the king and ruler of his subjects. This is true of the Kingship of God, as well as that of a mortal king.

    The ‘proclamation, qara‘ is spoken to the subjects of the king with the expectation of obedience by the king’s subjects. Someone (in the Bible, sometimes an angel or a Prophet) has met with the king (or with God our Heavenly King), heard the message or news to be heralded or proclaimed and by authority of the king, he tells everyone.

    Most are familiar with the first announcements of the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

    Luke 2:10-11 KJV  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

    The announcement by an angel from God is that the King has been born, a King of the Jews, as Jesus will come to be known as He becomes the sacrifice for our sins on a Cross.

    God is NOT like any other mortal king and God has proclaimed Himself through Scripture.

    Exodus 19:7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him.

    Moses is proclaiming the gospel of God. Moses has met with the King of Creation and proclaims the good news to the captives of Pharaoh.

    8 All the people answered together and said,

    “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.”

    The Hebrew slaves of Pharaoh might as well have said, “We accept the LORD as our King in the place of Pharaoh our king.”

    And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.

    9 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.”

    Again, God! our King and Leader and Ruler and Sovereign, and Creator of all things, judge of all souls!

    Christ Jesus IS God incarnate; that is: Jesus Christ is GOD in the flesh!  He has set the captives of this world free from sin and the ruler of this world.

    What had happened earlier, when God our Heavenly King challenged the king of Egypt (Pharaoh) with plagues and curses on the lands Pharaoh ruled, a land where the Hebrew people had been subjects of the lowest caste as slaves below every man and woman of Egypt?

    Why had God chosen to take His own subjects, chosen by His covenant through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph?

    (Here is God’s proclamation to Pharaoh, a mere mortal king of men, through Moses.)

    Exodus 9: ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews,

    “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.

    16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.

    And from the days of Moses until this day the Name and Power of God is proclaimed in all the earth and the miracles the LORD did for His people of Israel in the desert at Sinai, as they were led from the slavery of Pharaoh to God’s promised land.

     Set Me Free – Castings Crows

    To be continued…

     

     

     

  • Act Accordingly – Acts 1:

    Act Accordingly – Acts 1:

    It’s a big important event.  The many details and much planning are well beyond our comprehension.

    We know the time is near.  The clock of our daily existence counts down toward a moment of Highest importance which we do not fully understand.  We watch and wait.

    This is the setting of the beginning of Acts.  Luke has set the scene, one we can understand more in a 20th c. context of waiting for a launch of men to the moon.  We are most uncertain of the outcome.

    We will discover more about the author of Luke-Acts, a two-part book, later in Acts.  Doctor Luke begins with a summary of his Gospel as describing about Jesus until the time “he was taken up into heaven…” 

    The Apostles have received their instructions after Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit.  This same Holy Spirit had descended on Jesus at the beginning of His three-year journey toward the Cross.

    ‘What do we do now, just watch?’ they must have thought. The risen Christ Jesus gives his first orders as King.  He needs to populate His Kingdom. GO find faithful followers who will be baptized – changed permanently – and receive the Holy Spirit.

    Our risen Lord affirms: Acts 1: 8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

    And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

    9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.

    10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”

    Here is their dear friend and teacher, who they thought had been taken from them by death.  He is risen in great power over sin and death!  His Kingdom begins: but not on earth (for now), but in Heaven.

    Who will be subject to the righteous rule of love and grace by the risen Christ Jesus,

    King and Lord?

    Our Lord Christ Jesus will return once more for His servants.  Who do you serve? Are you willing?  Are you ready?

    What must you do?