"I must preach the kingdom of God...because for this purpose I have
been sent" (Luke 4:43)
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching
the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel'" (Mark 1:14-15).
Jesus began His ministry with these words announcing the Kingdom
of God. The time He had in mind to be "fulfilled" was probably a reference
to the prophecy in Daniel 9:24-25, where it is said that the Messiah
would come 483 years from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. The year
A.D. 27 was when the 483 years specified in the prophecy would end (see "The
Bible Prophesied the Exact Year the Messiah Would Appear").
The year 27 is significant because that is the year Jesus began His
ministry. He began preaching the message of the Kingdom of God in Galilee.
As we saw in the last chapter, the people and even Christ's own disciples
had many misconceptions about the Messiah and His mission. People still
misunderstand today, but in a totally different way. Many fail to realize
that the future, world-ruling Kingdom prophesied in so many places in
the Old Testament was at the heart of Jesus' message and teaching.
A literal kingdom on earth
Most people don't understand that the Kingdom
of God is a literal kingdom,
a government both divine and royal ruling over literal people on the
earth. This is not merely a symbolic or a spiritual rule, a sentiment
that exists only in human hearts. As we will see, it is far more. And
Jesus simply continued the prophecies about this Kingdom that had begun
to be revealed in the Old Testament.
