Scripture Revealed

A Revelation of Jesus Christ – Revelation 1:1

Tag: Kingdom of Heaven

Which Kingdom Did Jesus Come to Establish?

Which Kingdom Did Jesus Come to Establish?

Did Christ come to set up an earthly kingdom? Did Jesus come to establish two kingdoms?  Many of the Hebrews believed that Christ was to come to re-establish the earthly political kingdom of Israel. Many Judaic and Christian Zionists believe the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 is a precursor to the physical, millennial reign of the Judaic Messiah. However, the scriptures declare that the kingdom of God was “at hand” in the first century A.D.

Believers were told to repent and believe in the gospel “for the kingdom of God was at hand.”  So did Christ bring the kingdom of God to his people? Are will there be a future physical millennial kingdom of Israel? Let’s explore what the scriptures reveal.

The Ancient Kingdom of Israel

Abraham’s children left Canaan for Egypt, but God promised Abraham that his seed would be regathered back to the promise land. Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt during the Exodus. Under Joshua’s leadership, the Israelites conquered Canaan and divided the land by lots of inheritance. Jacobs’s offspring established the Kingdom of Israel and proclaimed their kingdom in 1030 B.C.E.  It endured until it fell to the Assyrian Empire (...)

The Nature of the Kingdom of God

The Nature of the Kingdom of God

What is the nature of the Kingdom of God?  What do the scriptures reveal about the Kingdom of God?  Are we to expect a physical Kingdom here on earth?  Scripture has a lot to say about this subject.  Jesus Christ manifested Himself to bring this Kingdom into reality.  The phrase “Kingdom of God” appears sixty-nine (69) times in the King James Version Bible.  That fact alone should give us a sense of the importance of the “Kingdom of God.”  The phrase “Kingdom of Heaven” is found thirty-two (32) times in the KJV.  Other phrases used by Jesus such as “my kingdom” are used five (5) times.  In my opinion, the main message that Jesus and John the Baptist proclaimed was the arrival of the “Kingdom of God.”  First, let’s look at how the Jews of the first century received that message.

A Conquering King?

The Jews of the first century, living under the heavy yoke of the Roman government, yearned for a conquering King that would throw off that yoke.  But these first century Jews got the Kingdom of God all wrong as do many Christians today.  Their misunderstanding of the nature of the Kingdom of God caused (...)

The Kingdom of God

330px-Christ_Handing_the_Keys_to_St._Peter_by_Pietro_Perugino
Jesus giving Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven”, (Matthew 16:18), painting by Perugino, 1492.

Jesus of Nazareth is the central figure of Christianity. While his followers claimed that He was the Jewish Messiah, He would be put to death as a criminal. Think about that for a moment. Did Jesus fail as the Messiah?  Did He fail in His mission to usher in the Kingdom of God?

Messiah as the King

From the time that the first Roman legionnaires marched into Judea, there was tension throughout Jewish society. People prayed for God’s deliverance from the yoke of Roman rule. The Jews prayed that God would send the promised Messiah during their lifetime.

According to prophets – Messiah, or the “Anointed One”, was to serve as the King of Israel. This Messiah would arrive in Jerusalem with the very power of God. Old Testament prophets told how this “Anointed One” would conquer the enemies of Israel. God would restore the Israelites to their status as God’s chosen people. All nations would come under His rule, and His Kingdom would never end.

Jesus In the Synagogue

On one particular day, a quiet peace settled over the city of Nazareth. (...)

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