Be sure and listen to the great songs to lift your spirit
By Ken Blue
There will be nothing in this article about the church, the body of Christ. Therefore, the church must be excluded from our thinking as we read the following. The church, called “the one new man” was a mystery and has no place in Kingdom of Heaven theology. Thus, everything will be about literal Israel, and their literal earthly Kingdom
Definitions: The Kingdom of Heaven is God’s kingdom rule of “peace on earth, good will toward men” under the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ, from Jerusalem, through Israel. The closest thing to it, since Adam, wa s the rule of King Solomon. His kingdom was physical and earthly.
The Kingdom of God is spiritual, and both kingdoms were present underAdam. It will be present again when men give “glory to God in the highest…” Today, the Kingdom of God is in every Christian, but the Kingdom of Heaven is absence.
Ministry of John the Baptist
Perhaps there’s not a portion of Scripture more misunderstood or confusing to the Christian than that period from the first announcement of John the Baptist that their Messiah was present, to the end of the offer of the Kingdom Heaven.
John the Baptist came on the scene preaching repentance and baptism for the remission of sins to prepare Israel for their King and His Kingdom. His was a ministry of preparation. Confession of sins and baptism was necessary when accepting John’s message. “Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins” Matthew 3:5-6. John’s mission was twofold: he was to prepare a people to receive their Messiah, and present Him to His followers. This was why he came baptizing. “And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water” John 1:31.
The Death and Resurrection Were Not Part of The Transition Gospel
Note, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people” Matthew 4:23. We invite the reader to examine every use of the word “gospel,” in the four gospels, and he will discover that it has to do with the promised earthly Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God.
We will go through the gospels and establish that the preaching of John, Jesus, and the Twelve never included or anticipated the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
The first thing we will prove is that the death of Jesus had no place in the Kingdom gospel. Mark begins his account of our Lord’s ministry this way. “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” Mark 1:1. “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God” Mark 1:14.
When we hear a word certain pictures come to mind. For example, when I say “automobile,” “airplane,” “baptism,” or “gospel” you get a mental equivalent. Try it; you will see. However, your image may not match my intended use of the word. You will understand it according to your training and preferences. Only by understanding the context in which I use it, can you see what I mean. The same is true of any word in Scripture.
For example, the word “gospel” in our text means “good news.” But, the question is, what is the message of that good news? We are going to settle forever the fact that the good news preached in the four gospels, and that preached by Paul, are light years apart.
Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.