Kingdom Come
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 NASB
The sin – Juxtapose this verse with Yeshua’s announcement in Luke 4:43, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I am sent for this purpose.” Which verse summarizes the message of the Church? The words of John or the words of Yeshua? Kegan Chandler notes:
Though preaching “the gospel of the kingdom” was Jesus’ solemn charge to his followers (Matt 24:14), in mainstream Christianity “the gospel” has widely been diluted to involve only a message about Jesus’ sacrificial atonement. But Jesus, who never spoke of dying for sins, and did not even mention his own death until late in his ministry, is said by the Synoptics to have gone everywhere “preaching the gospel” (Matt 4:23), that is, announcing “the kingdom” and its impending restoration. In contrast to the limited presentation of evangelicalism, the NT community paired the information about Jesus with the kingdom message as gospel: “they believed Philip as he preached the gospel about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 8:12). Modern Christianity has yet to grasp the significance of this, and has largely traded Christ’s apocalyptic vision of an impending real-world theocracy for a hope in a Gnostic escape to heaven.[1]
Consider the truth of Chandler’s comment. How many times have you heard a political-cultural exposition about first-century Israel from the pulpit rather than a “salvation” message? How much of our view of Yeshua’s role has been truncated by a fixation on “getting to heaven”? When was the last time you actually thought about the kingdom of God as a real-world empire rising in opposition to the empires of human history? If you grew up in an evangelical paradigm, the chances are you never heard about the political-cultural view of God’s kingdom invasion. The chances are you never thought of Jesus as anything more than the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. In the evangelical world, Jesus equals sacrifice. No one ever speaks of the anointed king who will dismantle the world as we know it, including our religious structures. Yet Yeshua says that he came to proclaim precisely this: that the world as we know it is about to end, that God Himself will remove opposition to His reign, and that this earth will be returned to its intended purpose of glorifying the Father.
“Curiously, in today’s popular preaching and writing, much more emphasis is placed on the person of Jesus than on the kingdom of heaven. There is more interest in the final coming, in the rapture, and so forth, than in the many times Jesus comes to those seeking the kingdom of God here and now.”[2]
Our assumptions about the “gospel” often unconsciously direct our behavior. If we think knowing Jesus is the same as being saved so that we can be assured of heaven, we will treat others very differently than if we believe we are involved in a war against the empires of this world.
What message is yours: the way to heaven or the reign of God on earth?
Topical Index: gospel, kingdom, John 1:29, Matthew 24:14, Matthew 4:23, Luke 4:43
[1] Kegan A. Chandler, The God of Jesus in Light of Christian Dogma, p. 333, fn. 1117.
[2] Forward by Fr. Richard Thomas in Joseph Frankovic, The Kingdom of Heaven (HaKesher, Inc., 1998), p. xiv.
Skip THIS is good…. Good food, not fast food, hearty food which doesn’t melt in the mouths. This Kingdom Building. Those who don’t have teeth for truth, who don’t desire a wholesome healthy being that comes through the effort of chewing that which must be chewed through and swallowed to become strong and real about Life.Life here and now and the prospect of Eternal Life. Those who have ordained their own personal plan for the fullness of Life and not according to the plan shown by the Great Architect of Truth Those of the myopic small “k”, kingdom builders will probably spew it out if it gets anywhere near their mouths. It smells bad, looks bad & is the stench of Christ for those that are being lost Sad doesn’t touch the emptiness of the Gospel without God’s Plan. Shalom.
The disciples certainly “got it”. After the resurrection they asked Yeshua if he would now restore the Kingdom… here on earth.
Wow! This one blew me away. I never even considered what exact subject Christ and his Disciples were preaching by “preaching the gospel”. Growing up Baptist I just assumed it would be about how he came to die for their sins like it says in John. This gives me a new desire to DIG! Thanks for the insight brother.
It was about 2007 I found the ministry of the late Dr. Myles Munroe pastor of Bahamas Faith Ministry. He blew my mind when I heard him say the church preaches a Gospel about Jesus but not the Gospel Jesus preached. I learned from Dr. Munroe as he showed in Scripture Jesus only preached one message and it wasn’t about Himself it was about the Kingdom of God. I learned the entire Bible is about a Kingdom and God’s restoration of His Kingdom on Earth, and that Genesis 1:26 is man’s purpose for being created. Never heard this in any church the message was always about Jesus and the hope of dying and going to Heaven one day! I didn’t think my mind could be blown anymore until I came across Skip Moen teaching this Hebrew world view of the Bible!
I have been thinking along these lines for some time now – was ‘the Gospel’ that Jesus and his disciples preached the same ‘gospel’ we proclaim today? I think – not entirely…I don’t suppose Jesus encapsulated his gospel in ‘4 spiritual laws’ or a ‘sinner’s prayer’, or even suggested that they ‘ask him into their hearts’! He said ‘follow me!’ Having said that I recognize that following him involves commitment far greater than mere intellectual assent to orthodox evangelical dogma…
By the way, I’m enjoying Chandler’s book. It seems to be well-researched, but a bit heavy going in places!
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Isn’t there somewhere in the Scriptures that “the Kingdom is taken by force”?!
Yes! I think you are referring to Matthew 11:12
There is a verse like this, but the translation “by force” is very suspect. I have written about it, and so have many other scholars.
Thanks Skip! Do you have that archived online somewhere? I’d be interested in reading it. I just ordered your book The Lucky Life from Amazon (since it was available on Kindle) and will be reading it this weekend. If you have a better place for me to order your books, please let me know. Guardian Angel is next! My ‘ezer Kenegdo’, introduced me to a youtube video on it this week.
Amazon keeps 65% of the money, so please order from my web site (skipmoen.com) as then it is a much bigger help to me. The archives of all the past years are also on the web site. Just go to
https://skipmoen.com/books-audio/todays-word-archives/
Thanks
I read your previous post. What happens when we commit to the Lord’s way – through thick or thin? Someone who “counts the cost” and is determined to move forward? What is that Hebrew word that means “stiff-necked/determined”? I’m sure the yetzer hara does not like those committed Kingdom builders. I often think about those who were sent to the gas chambers – why? because they lived under a different set of rules? Can I be that determined? Lord help us.
Any recommendation on Best Jonathan Sacks Books?
Is this particular seizing by force from the greek “katalambano”? I think the term is only used in perhaps a couple or so scriptures.
Excellent! So many times we tend to think of the Kingdom Coming in the future tense, rather than the Kingdom is Coming in the here and now.
The question now is how did Yeshua proclaim this….
Matt 5? John 6? etc. Or is it deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me… Implying trusting and living only on the things taught by the father. Both naturally and spiritually.
I pray daily for a righteous King to come and rule over us.
I may have a very simplistic prayer but the desire for that is real and overwhelming.
May it be soon. The words of the songwriter says : If we lift up our voices and call on the Lord He will come”
I thirst for my King
Yes, the future kingdom will manifest itself on earth
where sin and evil will no longer exist.
The good news is that kingdom is also present right now
as the Holy Spirit lives in the lives of believers who live their
“new lives” of unwavering faith and determination, free from the
slavery of sin and self deception.
One event is in time. The other is eternal.
Absolutely
And that will happen when as Ezekiel said God lives under the children of Israel. This will happen when we do us Yeshua says if you love Me you will keep My words then I and My Father will love you and We will make abode in you.
Not by choice but the result of knowing how to make the right choice…