“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (Matthew 4:17)
When Jesus was about 30 years old, He started preaching. He called people to repent, to turn back to God and remove all sins out of their lives, so they would be ready for the coming “kingdom of heaven”. This is a different name for the Kingdom of God. So, Jesus says this Kingdom is at hand. What does He mean? God has been King forever, the Bible tells us…
Yes, that’s true, but we also read that Satan has lured people into rebellion against their Creator. Since then, the world is a battle field. For God did not give up on the people who rejected Him, but sent Jesus to destroy the power of Satan and to welcome sinners back into His own Kingdom. Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection were a crucial turning point here, since Satan’s power was broken by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Therefore Jesus announces to His disciples: “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power” (Mark 9:1). And indeed, the disciples saw Jesus rise from the dead and return to heaven, and they witnessed how the Holy Spirit was poured out and thousands of people came to faith!
Which signs of God’s Kingdom do you see in the Bible?