The message of John the Baptist can be brought down to one statement: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. What does this mean? The call to “repentance” is explained in the passage and we will come to that in a future post. The issue is, what is Matthew referring to by the kingdom of heaven?
Kingdom of heaven is purely "Matthew" terminology, used 33x in his gospel and never in Mark, Luke or John. Mark & Luke use "kingdom of God" (15x & 33x respectively), often in the same places where Matthew uses "kingdom of heaven". Mt also uses "kingdom of God" in 5 places (6:33; 12:28; 19:24; 21:31,43).
Why does Matthew rely on this term, kingdom of heaven? Most recognize that it is because of his mission of presenting Christ to the Jews. One idea is that He uses "heaven" instead of "God" so as not to offend the Jewish audience that refrained from using God's name. A better reason, I believe, is He was tying it to Dan. 2:44 when it was said that in the last days "the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed." Matthew used it to designate for the Jews that the Kingdom at hand was this kingdom that the God of heaven promised to establish on earth.
On the one hand, the kingdom of God refers to God’s sovereign rule over all things at all times. Jesus referred to this when He told Pilate, My kingdom is not of this world (Jn. 18:36). This is the kingdom that is entered into, by faith, through the new birth (John 3:3,5). It is spiritual and does not depend on an earthly manifestation.
On the other hand, Scripture is very clear that there was an earthly kingdom. We see it in the OT, of course. It was what we would call a mediated kingdom. God is ruling through an earthly king. In that context God promised to David that he would have a house forever (2 Sam. 7:12-17). The idea was that the Kingdom of God would be lived out in one nation on earth, and that through that nation the other nations would find entrance into the kingdom of God as well.
So far that plan hasn’t seemed to have worked well. But God’s promise was forever. So, when John announces that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, we know two things. One is that it is at hand because Jesus, the Messiah, is about to show up on the scene in Israel. The other is that the only true way to be ready for Him is to repent of sin. Because He is not only the Davidic King, He is also the Lord, the Sovereign over all things at all times. Entrance into His earthly kingdom is the same as entrance into the universal and spiritual Kingdom of God. You don’t gain entrance by going to the local town hall and applying for a new passport. There is no entrance without a change of heart. Thus, John called the people to repent so they would be ready to properly receive Christ when He arrived. We can summarize most easily by stepping out of Matthew and quoting John’s gospel: He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him … to those who believe in His name … to them He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:11-12).
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