Our world is so blinded by the teaching of many about the kingdom of God. It has always been this way. When Jesus was on this earth, many expected Him to establish a kingdom like those kingdoms they had known in the past and like those physical kingdoms in the first century world.
Herod the Great did not understand the kingdom. His slaughter of the infants was because he was fearful that someone outside his household would be the next earthly king of the Jews. Another Roman official, Pilate, was equally ignorant and perplexed about Jesus and asked about His kingdom. Jesus simply told this Roman governor that His kingdom was not an earthly kingdom where its citizens were armed to force men to surrender to the king (John 18:36).
Just after Jesus had fed a multitude of 5,000 men (not counting women and children), they did not understand His kingdom. They tried to take Jesus and force Him to become their earthly king (John 6:10, 15).
Even the apostles, on the day of His ascension, showed their ignorance of the kingdom. Their earthly view of the establishment of a physical kingdom was shown in the question they asked Him that day. “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).
Now, the first century world did understand that the message was being proclaimed as a kingdom which would soon be established. Deep Bible students could have figured out Daniel foretold the kingdom was to be established in the fourth world kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. They would have known that this fourth kingdom was Rome. However, even the most simple-minded person would have understood the preaching which began in the days of John the Baptist.
John the Baptist called on the Jews to repent because “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2). They could understand this and also the word of Jesus who said, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). He preached this in “every city and village” (Luke 8:1). The twelve apostles and the seventy disciples were sent by Jesus to tell others the kingdom was about to be established (Matt. 10:7; Luke 10:9).
How could anyone misunderstand the clarity of the message that the kingdom was about to be established? In fact, Jesus said it would definitely come in the lifetime of many who heard Him preach (Mark 9:1). The Jews knew the kingdom was about to come, they just did not understand the nature of the kingdom. Tragically, many today do not understand its nature, and some even deny that it has come.
Let’s talk more about this in next week’s bulletin.