The Kingdom of God
As John the Baptist began preaching in the wilderness of Judea, his message was simple and direct: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He was sent to announce the imminent appearance of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the ushering in of a new dispensation. Later, after John was cast in prison, Jesus began His earthly ministry by proclaiming much the same message as John’s. He said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” The “time” that Jesus mentions being fulfilled here is the time, or dispensation, of the law and the prophets. This we know because He says in Luke 16:16, “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.” That the preaching of the kingdom of heaven was to take center stage is evident because it is mentioned 118 times in the gospels and another 31 in the Book of Acts whereas “church” is only mentioned twice in the gospels. It