Jesus proclaimed the gospel of the Kingdom, that is, the good news that the blessed rule of God has come within reach of human beings and that it can be inherited in this life and for the age to come. He expressed God's will for humanity in teaching them the truth and healing them from sicknesses and diseases. Jesus the Light of the world brought the light of the Kingdom into the darkness of sin. He died for us so we could receive salvation and inherit God's Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is the domain of His will for us with all its blessings of redemption, provision and eternal life. The Kingdom is a matter of love and power, mercy and justice. God's Kingdom is eternal and has no end.


The Good News of the Kingdom

The kingdom of God is the rule and will of God. It is the domain of the King, where His will is done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-10). To live in the Kingdom of God is to live in the will of God, the King of the universe. As the benevolent God of creation, perfect and righteous, He desires only good things for His creation, especially human beings created in His own image and likeness. He created a good creation for humans to live in peace and harmony. God is the Lifegiver, almighty Creator and loving Father. Sin, however, brought death and destruction. Breaking God's commandments and turning away from Hum, however, brought disruption in our relationship with God the Creator and disharmony within God's creation. This, in part, explains suffering and evil in the world. Sin is 'missing the mark' by breaking God's commandments, and, hence, is living outside of His will. The Gospel of the Kingdom is the invitation to return to a life as God originally intended. The Kingdom of God offers us life in righteousness that brings blessing. Jesus carried the curse associated with sin, so that we can receive redemption and eternal life by inheriting God's Kingdom.

God is a good God who has good plans for us and wishes to bless us with goodness. God is light and there is no darkness in Him (1 John 1:5). He is the Father of lights from whom come all good gifts (James 1:17). Salvation by faith in Christ transfers us from the domain of darkness and sin into the kingdom of His light and righteousness (Colossians 1:13-14). There is an entrance into 'the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ' (1 Peter 1:11). Paul was 'preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ,' that is, 'the salvation of God' in Christ (Acts 28:28-31). The Gospel of Jesus Christ emphasises the death and resurrection of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and the justification of the sinner; the Gospel of the Kingdom focuses on the rule of God and eternal life in view of that salvation in Christ. It is the good news of the goodness of God the Father for humanity expressed in Jesus Christ the Son. Jesus came to bring the Kingdom as the promised Messiah of the Kingdom. His kingdom is eternal and has no end (Luke 1:32-33; Daniel 2:44-45). In His kingdom is all of God's goodness and blessing for human beings created in His image. The invitation of the Gospel of the Kingdom is to return to God and live as He originally intended.

This kingdom rule of God must be willingly received by faith and humility. Both John (Matthew 3:2) and Jesus (4:17) preached repentance in view of the arrival of God's kingdom. Paul was 'preaching the kingdom of God' as he testified of 'the gospel of the grace of God' and of 'repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ' (Acts 20:21-25). The good news of the kingdom and salvation from God are received by repentance and faith, which opens the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven. Repentance is our expression of humility before God; faith is the trust we place in Him and His saving power. God gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5); theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). The kingdom must be received humbly as a child would (Matthew 18:1-5). The lordship of God is to be received with humility and a turning away from wrong, sinful deeds. To repent means to turn around: to turn away from sin and to turn to God, who is Creator, Lord and Saviour. Repentance, in the cultural meaning at the time, really was a home coming. It is realising that living away from 'home,' outside and away, and disconnected from the father, is not what we are created for; it brings only misery. Jesus expressed this in a parable (see Luke 15). Enjoying God's love and blessing is in returning humbly to the Father who embraces us with love and kindness. Jesus expressed this is showing God's mercy to sinners (e.g., Matthew 9:9-13; Luke 19:1-10).

As His creation, created in His image and likeness, we are accountable to the great Life-giver and Lawgiver. God calls us to live a moral life in line with His moral law. He empowers us to do so by His Spirit. The good news of the kingdom is such that although God is the Judge of sin, He offers people forgiveness of sins, as well as healing and restoration in body, soul and spirit. We can learn to understand who we are created in His image and how we are to live according to the instructions of the Lifegiver. Even if we go astray, as the younger son in the parable, God the Father waits with open arms for us to return to Him. He is merciful, as Jesus demonstrated so powerfully in many instances. Jesus embodied the goodness of God to and love of God for humanity. 


Jesus, the Messiah of the Kingdom

Jesus came as the promised Messiah to bring the Kingdom of God to humanity. Jesus demonstrated the power of the Kingdom in power by healing and miracles, and He demonstrated the love of the Father by dying on the cross for the sins of humanity. He brought the Good News into the world! With the arrival of the Kingdom of God through Jesus, He proclaimed the good news of the 'acceptable year of the LORD' (Luke 4:19), in which God's Messiah came to preach, heal and set people free (v 18). It is the message of forgiveness and salvation. Jesus is God's Son and anointed Servant, His Beloved who declared justice and hope to all nations (Matthew 12:17-21; cf., Isaiah 42:1-4). Jesus is the Messiah of the Kingdom of God. He taught the crowds who followed Him, speaking to them 'about the kingdom of God,' as well as curing their sick, healing them from all sorts of sicknesses as an expression of the Kingdom (Luke 9:11; cf., 6:17-19). It was the Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom (Luke 12:32). Peter described Jesus as anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and power 'who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil' (Acts 10:38). Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Jesus is the Messiah and King who came to subdue and defeat all evil. He did so by first dying on the cross as Saviour and He will do so when He returns to earth as Judge to put an end to all evil once and for all.

The Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power (1 Corinthians 4:20). That's why Paul preached the Gospel—Christ and Him crucified—in demonstration of the Spirit and power, not in human wisdom, so that the faith of the recipients should not rest on human wisdom but on the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:2, 4-5). His kingdom is real. Jesus came to set people free and bring them back to God. Through Him we have access to the Kingdom on earth—God's rule—and an entrance into His heavenly, everlasting Kingdom. God's Kingdom is in Heaven—in perfection; His kingdom is also on earth—in progression. His Kingdom is ever-extending on earth. In Heaven His will is executed in every way perfectly and fully, yet on earth His kingdom expands among those who do His will and spread the message of the Cross. Hence, the Kingdom is both a present reality (where His will is done) and a future reality (when His will is done everywhere). It is, 'already—not yet.' That is, it is already here for those who accept His will and it is 'not yet' manifested in fulness as evil is still present where people break God's Law and rebel against His will. 

The gospel of the kingdom offers us all of God's blessings as we live within His fatherhood and under His lordship. The gospel brings reconciliation between God and human beings. The Kingdom of God focuses on what really matters in life. It is not primarily about 'eating and drinking,' but about 'righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit' (Romans 14:17). Be it religious regulations regarding food, valuable as they are, or physical nourishment, important as it is, the higher priorities are the spiritual aspects of life: a life of righteousness in the midst of sin and corruption, a life in peace in the storms of strife or war, and a joy that gives us strength when faced with negativity and pain. These aspects of the Kingdom of God are primarily internal realities in those who have received the Kingdom. The Kingdom is within people (Luke 17:20-21). The Son of God brought the Kingdom of God to humanity. We receive it by accepting God's lordship and doing His will in line with His moral Law.

Mark opened his gospel account regarding the words and works of Christ with the words: 'The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God' (Mark 1:1). Jesus is God's Son and our Lord, who 'was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead' (Romans 1:1-4). The Apostolic Gospel affirms the resurrection of Jesus for the justification of those who believe in Him and His atoning work at the cross (Romans 4:25). Jesus Christ is the King of kings and Lord of lords who brought the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. He brought the Kingdom of God to humankind. We can be set free from the power of sin and death and receive eternal life through Christ. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) because He is the One who died for the sins of humanity and established eternal salvation for all who believe (Romans 1:16-17). The Son is the Saviour because of His atoning death at the cross. He removes the fear of death by giving us eternal life (Hebrews 2:14-15). He swallowed up death in victory (1 Corinthians 15:55) and that victory over the world and its sin and death is our faith (1 John 5:1-4). He came to save, not to condemn (John 3:16-17). We can turn away from the world and its pride, lust and sin, and live in the will of God unto eternal life (1 John 2:15-17). To live in the will of God is to live in the Kingdom of God. His kingdom is eternal and those who do His will abide forever (v 17). All earthly things will vanish; His kingdom will last forever. 

The Kingdom of God is His rule of love and power, blessing and goodness, and justice and mercy. By faith in Christ we are conveyed from the domain of darkness and sin into the glorious kingdom of His Son (Colossians 1:13-14). God's kingdom is the kingdom of light. Jesus is the Light of the world and through Him we need no longer walk in darkness (John 8:12). He breaks our blindness and we can see the light of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:3-6). The Gospel of the Kingdom is the divine goodness that we can receive by faith in Christ and be part of the light as light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). 'God is light' and we can walk in the light (1 John 1:5-9) as 'children of light' according to His will (Ephesians 5:8-17). In His light we see light because He is the fountain and source of life (Psalm 36:9). As children of God we can shine like lights in the world by holding fast the word of life (Philippians 2:15-16). Jesus brought the light of life and salvation into the world; His followers are to be share His light in a world sitting in the darkness of sin. Jesus brought light into the world by carrying a crown of thorns and the cross of salvation.