EVANGELISM

THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

What is It and is it Different from the Traditional "Good News"

I have spent a great deal of time in evangelism, sharing the “good news”.  An while I have been very comfortable answering the question of what is the “Gospel”, a few verses I have read many times recently stood out to me that have made me question what my standard answer should have included. We are told in Matt 28 that we are to make “disciples” among all nations; this is not a suggestion. Two points come to mind when I read Matthew 28.  One, it doesn’t say “church goers” but disciples. Two, we are to share the “good news”, this statement is in the imperative – we must do it. If it is so important to make not just believers but disciples, what is the “good news” as preached by the disciples to that point? Yeshua couldn’t mean to teach what He Himself didn’t teach throughout his ministry, which includes his death burial and resurrection (though we must certainly include that).  So what is it?  

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Many that are on a similar walk as we are on here at Root and Vine Ministries tend to turn inward, learn more, and share little of their faith with others. That is not what was intended as should be obvious by the text of the “Great Commission” in Matthew 28. We should be sharing the message with others. So again, what is the “message” once delivered to the saints?

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Certainly, this message included the understanding of Yeshua as the risen Savior and His substitutionary death, without which there is certainly no “good news”. However, the message of salvation from sin and Christ being the means of attaining that salvation, while praise-worthy and alone, would have been short of the descriptions the prophets had given to announce the Messiah and the message that Yeshua Himself stated he came to pronounce. Yeshua wasn’t sending the Disciples out just to make more disciples, He was telling them as their king to build the population of the Kingdom, telling them of the nation that is to come and rule the earth.

In the four accounts of Yeshua’s ministry, the Kingdom of God is mentioned over 80 distinct times. What is this Good News that Messiah said was the purpose of His ministry in Luke 4:43-44 and why is it important to look at this from a Hebraic perspective?

43 But He said to them, “I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God to the other towns also. It was for this purpose I was sent.” 44 So He kept preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

Several times, this idea is repeated.  However, in Mark chapter 1 we are given a little more information about this “Good News”. 

14 After Yochanan had been arrested, Yeshua came into the Galil proclaiming the Good News from God:  15 “The time has come, God’s Kingdom is near! Turn to God from your sins and believe the Good News!”

From this, it is clear that Jesus’ message had to do with turning back to God and away from sin and accepting that the Kingdom of God is near – this is good news.

The prophets often proclaimed prophecies detailing the coming Kingdom of God (or Elyon). It is to them we need to look to find what Messiah shed light on. This 1st part of this discussion is focused on the link between these prophesies and the commission Messiah Yeshua gave to His disciples. The second part is focused on what this Messianic Kingdom looks like. We cannot proclaim what we do not know.

Matthew 28 states:

18 And Yeshua came up to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, immersing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Ruach ha-Kodesh (Holy Spirit), 20 teaching them to observe all I have commanded you. And remember! I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

I included verse 18 above though it is rarely included when this passage is quoted; it is directly relevant to the reason Yeshua sends out the Disciples. This verse (18) is a reference to Isaiah 9:6-7 and Daniel 7:14

Daniel 7:14 Dominion, glory and sovereignty were given to Him that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will never pass away, and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

Isaiah 9:6-7: 6For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

We must be willing to throw out learned doctrine and accept what scripture tells us about the Kingdom to come – for that is an essential part of the Gospel. What is this Kingdom that is coming.

After all we are told in Matthew 6:10 we are to pray for it! Right?

9 “Therefore, pray in this way:  ‘Our Father in heaven, sanctified be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Yeshua proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom, a coming Messianic Kingdom. Isaiah and Daniel told of this coming kingdom as we just read. So, what is the Kingdom of God like? Why is it important? We will handle the second question first.

Yeshua stated His purpose early in His earthly ministry; it was to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God. Matthew 4:23

Jesus was going all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. In fact, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all state this was the central theme of Yeshua’s ministry as referenced earlier in Matthew and Mark 1.

Since it is the primary theme of Yeshua’s ministry, mentioned 61 times in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it should be of primary importance to understand this message and know what the “kingdom” looks like for believers (this assumes that “Kingdom of God” and “Kingdom of Heaven” are synonymous). We need to know what this is as best we can. Both prophecies we read, Isaiah 9:6-7 and Daniel 7:14, state the Kingdom is coming and that it will be an everlasting kingdom, initiated by Messiah, and that all will serve Him. His throne is described in these and other passages as never ending.

Psalm 22 gives a little more indication of this coming Kingdom:

28 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to Adonai. All the families of the nations will bow down before You. 29 For the kingdom belongs to Adonai, and He rules over the nations. 30 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship. Everyone who goes down to the dust will kneel before Him— even the one who could not keep his own soul alive. 31 His posterity will serve him, telling the next generation about my Lord. 32 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born— because He has done it!

As stated earlier, Yeshua said this message was “good news”. What is it? That the long awaited Messiah described in these passages had come to establish His earthly kingdom, a kingdom that would never end, a kingdom in which all would eventually come to serve Him. But, in Mark 14:25, Yeshua states at the Pesach meal after drinking the “cup of joy” that He “will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God”; had it come or was it yet to come? Both (which we will get to) - Yeshua stated clearly that the Kingdom had come near.

Mark 1:14 Now after John was put in jail, Yeshua came into the Galilee, proclaiming the Good News of God. 15 “Now is the fullness of time,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins, and believe in the Good News!”

Matthew 12:28 28 But if I drive out demons by the Ruach Elohim, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Clearly Yeshua was stating that some aspect of the Kingdom had already appeared. In accordance with prophecy, the one over this kingdom had appeared, in order to bring all to Himself.

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From these passages and others it is clear the “Good News” is that Adonai would fulfill the promises to Abraham, Moses, and David and send His Anointed One to rule on the throne of David, that Abraham would have descendents as numerous as the stars, that Adonai would bring salvation and reconciliation to the ends of the earth, that His dominion will never be destroyed, and that this ruler would be the one to bring salvation, redemption from our sins, and citizenship in this everlasting Kingdom. It is also that the adversary of YHWH will one day be finally and completely overthrown and cast out of reach of the Kingdom along with the kingdoms of this world that would not take part with our King. Also, one must believe in the Messiah as being from God and that their salvation is through the Messiah, the Son of God.

This is far greater news than salvation from sin alone, though that alone is immeasurably great; it is a message that our God wants contact with us and that we will forever be a part of His Kingdom. Yeshua was declaring that this was His kingdom when He declared in Matthew 28 that, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go therefore…"

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Yeshua was directly stating that the Kingdom referenced in both Isaiah 9 and Daniel 7 was His kingdom, then telling His disciples to go and collect citizens for this Kingdom, inviting them to the great banquet that is to come.

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Additionally: Yeshua was declaring Himself to be the “Son” that was given, the “Mighty God, the “Everlasting Father”, and the “Prince of Peace”. That is pretty good news don’t you think?

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So, when it comes, what will this Kingdom look like? Zechariah 14:16 tells us that 16 Then all the survivors from all the nations that attacked Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Adonai-Tzva’ot, and to celebrate Sukkot (Tabernacles or Booths).

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Isaiah 66:23 tells us: “And it will come to pass, that from one New Moon to another, and from one Shabbat to another, all flesh will come to bow down before Me,” says Adonai.

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So the Kingdom will celebrate Shabbat, New Moon, and the Feasts (at least Tabernacles). In Leviticus 23, we are told that the feast of First Fruits is to be held “forever” (verse 14) so that applies. Similarly the Feast of Shavuot is stated as “forever” (verse 21). WAIT A MINUTE! It sounds like there is a root of the Kingdom in Old Testament Observance. What else? Do a search of the Tanach (Old Testament) and record all things that are stated as being “forever” and you will find that the coming kingdom will have a distinctly Israelite look to it I think.

The most important part of a kingdom is the leadership! We told in scripture that only those that want to be part of the kingdom and accept the king will be allowed to take part. We are told everything we need to know concerning the ruler of this Kingdom.

Daniel 7:16, 18, 22 and 27 record the promise that God would give believers a part of the coming Kingdom.

Verse 18 - But the kedoshim (saints) of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever—yes, forever and ever.  We need to know what a saint is then so that we know who the population of the Kingdom to come will be.  The word saints (Hebrew qodesh or qadosh) means “separated from a common to a sacred use.” And this term was addressed to the Jewish people as a nation. “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6 also Exodus 19:5, 6). This didn’t mean that the Jews were perfect but that they were separate from other nations and sanctified to God’s service. 

In the New Testament those who were dedicated to the teachings of Christ were frequently called saints by these writers (e.g., Matt 27:52 ; Acts 9:13 ; 26:10 ; Rev 14:12 ). Six of Paul's letters to churches are addressed to saints (Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians).  Just like in the Tanach (Old Testament), saints are those who have been set apart to God. The word for “saints ” in these verses is the same word as for “ holy ” (Greek, hagios ) that the Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, uses to describe the Israelites in Daniel, Deuteronomy and Exodus described above.

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Back to Daniel chapter 7 - Verse 21-22: 21 As I was watching, that horn was waging war against the kedoshim and overpowering them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was rendered in favor of the kedoshim of the Most High—when the time came and the kedoshim possessed the kingdom.

(We see here that this world system was fighting against the saints – then the King comes and gives the kingdom to the saints.

Verses 25-27 5 He will speak words against the Most High, and will continually harass the kedoshim of the Most High, and will try to change the appointed times and law. The kedoshim will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. 26 But the court will sit and he will be stripped of his power to be destroyed and abolished for all time. 27 Then the kingdom, power, and greatness of the kingdoms under all heaven will be given to the people of the kedoshim of the Most High. Their kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions will serve and obey him.’

The words inheritance, inherit, and heir in English translations of the New Testament are taken from Greek words meaning “a lot, or a portion,” and “to possess” ( Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words , pp. 300, 325).

They are used by Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21 and Ephesians 5:5 in a different context.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 : 9 Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Don’t be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, those who practice homosexuality, 10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, slanderers, swindlers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are clear: sexual immorality, impurity, indecency, 20 idolatry, witchcraft, hostility, strife, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, dissension, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, just as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit God’s kingdom.

Ephesians 5:5 5 Know for certain that no immoral, indecent, or greedy person—who is really an idol worshipper at heart—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Messiah and God.

Paul is warning that habitual sins will prevent a believer from inheriting the Kingdom of God.

Yeshua continually used imagery dealing with not only “choosing” in parables related to the Kingdom, but also that of “time”. In other words, to be a citizen of the Kingdom involves not just a single momentary choice but a choice to serve not just the King but others in the Kingdom. This “time” is dealt with in two ways of serving others: sharing the message of the kingdom and literally service to the brothers and sisters.

Romans 15:1-2 - Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the powerless and not just please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, for building him up.

Romans 15:5-6 Now may the God of patience and encouragement grant you to be like-minded with one another in the manner of Messiah Yeshua, 6 so that together with one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

At the beginning of Roman 15, Paul compels the reader to please one another (not ourselves), building up others for their good. He uses a Greek word, areskó, that means to win favor or willingly serve. The first step of this is to be like minded, then spreading the news to others so they can join its citizenry; a group that will become ever larger by the changing of the Spirit of the potential citizen. Paul uses this language, in 1 Corinthians 15:50-52, a reference to Christ’s return, revealing that flesh-and-blood believers must be changed to spirit to inherit the Kingdom. The Kingdom is not made up of those that would not serve willingly. All must serve as bond servants (I believe concept to be the root meaning of Hebrew word for sanctification), willingly giving of themselves and being utterly devoted to the King in order to be given inheritance in the Kingdom.

Mark 4 26 And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like when a man spreads seed on the soil 27 and falls asleep at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows. He himself doesn’t know how. 28 Automatically, the earth brings forth a crop—first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ready, at once he sends in the sickle, for the harvest has come.”

This gives a picture that many will come from seed that we had no idea if it would produce or not, seeing it sprout and grow rapidly. We may even be seeing this today. The text goes on:

30 Yeshua also said, “How should we picture the kingdom of God? Or by what story shall we present it? 31 It is like a mustard seed when it’s planted in the ground. Though the smallest of all seeds in the earth, 32 yet when planted it grows up and becomes the largest of all the herbs. It puts forth big branches, so the birds of the air can nest in its shade.”

This Kingdom will grow to consume the entire earth, or what is left of it, at His coming to take possession of it. The kingdom will also not be populated by accidental visitors, only those that seek the kingdom as Matthew 6:33 and other passages reveal. It will be for those who see Yeshua and His kingdom as all important as the parable of the Pearl of great value in Matthew 13:45-46 state, 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 46 Upon finding a pearl of great value, he went out and sold all that he had and bought it.

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The Kingdom and our relationship to its King, Yeshua, needs to be the most important thing to us. Yeshua connected salvation with gaining access to the future Kingdom (which had come near). John 3 chronicles the discussion between Yeshua and Nicodemus where in verse 5 Yeshua states, 5 Yeshua answered, “Amen, amen I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be surprised that I said to you, ‘You all must be born from above.’ This shows again the need to be reborn of Spirit.

One of the most intriguing passages to me concerning the “Kingdom” is Matthew 13:52, Then He said to them, “Therefore every Torah scholar discipled for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure both new things and old.” Yeshua had just finished a series of parables on the Kingdom and had asked if the disciples had understood, to which they replied, “Yes”. This passage reveals that the Torah scholars that are discipled FOR the Kingdom will understand both old scriptures or “Tanach” as we call them today and the new scriptures that were being formed as He spoke. We need to understand both “new” and “old”; Scripture never has an “expired” date. Too many people think that the Kingdom only is metaphorical. They reason that since Yeshua stated clearly to Pilate that His “kingdom was not of this earth” that it never was or will be physical. The problem we run up against with this idea is that the bulk of prophecies in the Tanach deal with the people on this world physically doing something such as observing Shabbat and Tabernacles and taking possession of the “land”. Genesis 17:8: "I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

This passage speaks physically of the descendants (we know both physical and spiritual) occupying a physical land.

Romans 11:25-29 25 For I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be ignorant of this mystery—lest you be wise in your own eyes—that a partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer shall come out of Zion. He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. 27 And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”  28 Concerning the Good News, they are hostile for your sake; but concerning chosenness, they are loved on account of the fathers— 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

The problem lies in that the Kingdom is both here and not fully here yet as we await the “fullness of the Gentiles”. It certainly has to do with the body of believers; in Luke 17 Yeshua states “the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” – present tense and personal dealing with the heart of the believer.

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There are other indications given that the fulfillment was yet to come:

• In Luke 19 Jesus tells a parable because they supposed the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

• In the Lord’s Prayer he teaches his disciples to pray that God’s kingdom would come.

• Paul speaks of people not inheriting the kingdom (1 Cor. 6:9) and Yeshua handing the kingdom over to the Father at the end (1 Cor. 15:24).

Daniel 2:44 44 “Now in the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will this kingdom be left to another people. It will crush and bring to an end all of these kingdoms. But it will endure forever.

1 Corinthians 15 23 But each in its own order: Messiah the firstfruits; then, at His coming, those who belong to Messiah; 24 then the end, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.

Therefore, it is best to let these two realities stand side by side rather than abandoning one of them. The kingdom has come, but is also still coming. Why? Simply put, because the Kingdom is not yet populated with all those that are supposed to be in it. Remember earlier when Mark, in chapter 4 of his Gospel, stated the Kingdom spreads it branches and becomes the largest of plants?  So the Kingdom becomes the largest on the earth one day.  It will be an Abrahamic Kingdom, a Davidic Kingdom, an Israelite Kingdom. Get ready for Tzitzit, Shabbat, Tabernacles, Matzah, and Torah:

Micah 4:2 Then many nations will go and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Adonai, to the House of the God of Jacob! Then He will direct us in His ways, and we will walk in His paths.” For Torah will go forth from Zion, and the word of Adonai from Jerusalem.

Based on scripture and on the previous discussion, there are many details that we can conclude with concerning what the Kingdom of God is like:

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1. Mysterious - or hidden and yet revealed

2. Contested – the wheat and the tares shows that the wheat live with the tares until the end and then Matthew 20:28 shows it will come through bloodshed

3. Gradual – parable of the mustard seed

4. Priceless – pearl of great value

5. Decisive – Parable of the net, Matt 13:47-50

6. Physical and yet Spiritual

7. Israelite in its makeup and appearance

8. Already and Not Yet Fulfilled

Would you accept membership in the Kingdom if it was an Israelite Kingdom?

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For much of the modern age, believers have understood that we, His Body, are to spread the message of the Gospel to enlarge the Kingdom that is and is not yet. Until it comes (the King returns), the redemption of sinners by the King and Spotless Lamb will take precedence. Most of the Body today focuses on the people that will make up the kingdom, which while not a bad thing, is somewhat shortsighted as it is much more. We are to pray that His Kingdom comes as we hear in the “Lord’s prayer” and recognize that it is a filling of the earth with His rulership; that it is an Israelite Kingdom with all that this entails. To be sure most of the earth will reject the King and His Kingdom.  But we are still, as believers, required to spread the “good news of the Kingdom” so that as many as possible will come willingly into God’s Kingdom.  We are to share the hope that is within us and speak about the salvation that only Christ sacrifice on the cross can bring.  But we must not fail to share what we know of the Kingdom itself.  The King is coming.