What is the Gospel of the Kingdom?

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.“

Jesus

In Matthew 24:14 Jesus spoke of the gospel of the kingdom and declared that it would be proclaimed throughout the whole world… and then the end will come.

My Fascination

I have been fascinated with the subject of the kingdom of heaven since I first became a follower of Jesus in 2001. I remember sitting around a bonfire on a church camping trip in 2002 speaking with the pastor who had just baptized me earlier that day in the Buffalo River. I asked him, “What is the kingdom of heaven?”  

I was newly saved and had been diligently reading my Bible and kept noticing that when Jesus preached, He proclaimed the kingdom of heaven. When he told parables they often were being used as an illustration of the kingdom of heaven. To the disciples, He said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 13:11) and He taught them to pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) 

Hungry for More

So, as a new believer who had radically been set free from a major drug and alcohol addiction, I was hungry to learn all about this new kingdom that I had been born into (“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – Jesus). Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed when this pastor responded with, “I’m quite not sure.” How is that?” I thought to myself. This guy is supposed to be a leader in the Church and should know the answer to such a simple question. I remember walking away from that fireside experience thinking to myself, “I never want to be that guy.” I wanted to live my Christian life in a way that I would have good answers whenever someone asked questions of me.  

After following Jesus for the past 22 years, I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I am willing to dive in deep to find answers to difficult questions. The subject of the kingdom of heaven is one that every believer should be familiar with. Scripture speaks of the apostle Paul as one who “proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” (Acts 28:31) In my mind the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are synonymous, so I use them interchangeably.  

What About Jesus?

So, what is this kingdom that Jesus and Paul proclaimed? Let’s look and see what the Bible reveals to us about this topic. I was taught that the first word of the gospel is repent as we see Jesus declaring this statement when He first began preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17) Repentance is the entryway into the kingdom of heaven and when one turns to Christ as their Lord and Savior “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” or “has come near” as other translations read. But what does that mean? The answer can be found in examining what was taught and what was the outcome of such preaching.  

The teachings of The Sermon on the Mount (which are far too numerous to mention here) found in Matthew 5-7 are some of the most profound teachings of Jesus Christ. He lays out for His hearers what kingdom living should look like.  Simple teachings about lust, anger, loving your enemies, fasting, giving and praying in secret, being dependent upon God, judging others, and living by The Golden Rule are just a few. As I like to tell people, Jesus didn’t come to start a new religion called Christianity, He came to show us a new way to live life and The Sermon on the Mount is a supreme example of this.  

What About Paul?

The teachings of Paul in his various epistles written to the churches reveal his understanding of the kingdom of heaven as well. I believe he sums up the core of his message in his first letter to the Corinthians when he writes, “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5) 

Did you get that? Along with Paul’s message about Christ and Him crucified came a “demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” To me, a gospel presentation that lacks a demonstration of the Spirit and power isn’t the gospel of the kingdom. In large, I see a partial gospel being preached in the world today, or what I would call the gospel of salvation. The gospel of salvation teaches that if you believe in Jesus, you’ll have eternal life and will go to heaven when you die. This may be true, but it leaves out the transformative power that the gospel of the kingdom brings with it. 

What About the Gospels?

When you look at the synoptic gospels you will find Jesus teaching and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom followed by a demonstration – blind eyes and deaf ears are opened, demons are cast out, lepers are cleansed, the lame walk, and the dead are raised. These things are physical demonstrations of a kingdom that is at hand.  

When John the Baptist was in prison, he heard of the miraculous things that Jesus was doing. So many people were being set free by this one whom he proclaimed was coming yet here he was bound and in prison.  This didn’t compute to his understanding of who the Messiah was supposed to be. He was supposed to set Israel free. So, John sent some of his disciples to Jesus to ask if He was the “one who is to come” (Matthew 11:3) or if should they look for someone else. Jesus’ response was this, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11:4-6) 

Jesus pointed to the miracles that He was performing as proof of His identity as the Messiah. He taught his disciples to go and preach and expect the same results. “And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.” (Matthew 10:7-8) And scripture reveals God’s power working through them, “The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” (Luke 10:17) “So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.” (Mark 6:12-13) 

Great Expectations

Should we as Christ’s disciples expect any less? In the great commission Jesus told his disciples to go and make disciples and to teach “them to obey all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:20) Jesus commanded His disciples to preach the gospel of repentance, to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers and cast out demons and to teach the next generation of disciples to do the same. That is the gospel of the kingdom! And that is what is expected of His disciples today! 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

John 14:12