Matthew 3:1-12; Eph. 2:20-22, The Kingdom of Heaven is At Hand (2)

There is another issue to consider when John says, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Jesus did not establish His earthly kingdom during the time of His incarnation.  Yet “at hand” makes it sound like it is very close, just waiting the day when John would see Jesus and announce, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  It sounds like the kingdom of heaven was right around the corner.  But here we are, 2000 years later, and Jesus still has not ascended an earthly throne.  Didn’t Jesus know that this was going to happen?  Didn’t Jesus know He would die, be raised and ascend to His Father?  How could He let John say such a thing?  Furthermore, how could Jesus offer Himself to the people of Israel as their King?  Jesus preached the same message: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Mt. 4:17).

The answer is that the kingdom of heaven is at hand because the King is at hand.  The announcing of a kingdom at hand is John's fulfillment of his task to "prepare the way of the Lord" (3:3).  It calls the people to get ready for "He who is coming" (3:11). The preaching of the "gospel of the kingdom" by Christ Himself (4:23) is a presentation of Himself as King. 

In the gospel, whether the gospel of the kingdom or the gospel of the grace of God (Ac. 20:24) or the gospel of God (Rom 1:1) or the gospel of peace (Rom 10:15), it is always about Christ.  It is always the gospel of Christ (Rom 1:16; 15:19,29; 1Cor 9:12,18, etc), either pointing ahead to Christ the Savior to come to atone for sin, or looking back at Christ the Savior who came and atoned for sin.  To view the kingdom of heaven as an earthly kingdom without recognizing the need to first accept the King, from the heart, is to be like the leaders of Jesus day.  They longed for deliverance from Rome, but would not bow the knee to Christ.  There is no good news without Christ.

The Church is not the earthly kingdom of the Christ.  That earthly kingdom is still future and will give true fulfillment to the Biblical prophesies of Jesus as the One who rules on the throne of David in Zion.  Don’t be confused on this.  While Jew and Gentile are one in Christ (Ephesians!) there is still a place for earthly Israel in God’s plan (Rom 11). The Church is not a kingdom.  It is the body of Christ and goes by many other analogies (Vineyard, Flock, Bride, Family, etc.). 

And yet, when one believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and is immersed in His Body, that person is delivered from the power of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Col. 1:13).  We gain citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven (Phil. 3:20-21; Eph. 2:19).  In this age we are the visible expression of what citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven are like.  Like Israel in the world of the OT, the Church is God’s means of blessing the nations after the New Covenant was established and until He returns to take us to be with Him.  Our methodology is different.  Israel was one nation among all the nations.  The Church is sent into the nations, being the permeating influence and voice of the gospel of Christ, like leaven in the woman’s meal (Matt. 13:33).