Thursday, January 14, 2016

Preaching the Kingdom


In those days, John the Baptizer appeared,
preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying,
‘Repent!  The kingdom of heaven is at hand!’ 
Matthew 3:1–2

Now, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee,
preaching the good news of the kingdom of God and saying,
‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand!
Repent and believe the gospel!’
Mark 1:14–15

From conversations with Preacher Clark, about 1976.

Neither John the Baptist nor Jesus preached the kingdom of God; they only preached about the kingdom.  Of the kingdom of God, both Jesus and John the Baptist said, “It is at hand.”  The kingdom of God, according to Paul, “is righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17), and that kingdom came to men on the day the holy Ghost came, the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
Jesus said that the remission of sins which brings us “righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy Ghost” had to be preached everywhere, but that it had to start in Jerusalem (Lk. 24:47).  That is where the kingdom of God, the holy Ghost, came and filled about 120 souls who loved Jesus.  Then, the kingdom of God was preached on this earth, and Peter was the one who preached it.