The Kingdom of God The Mission and Message of Jesus
Jesus talked about the Kingdom After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!“ (Mark 1:14-15) Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people (Matthew 4:23) Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (5:3). These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: … As you go, preach this message: `The kingdom of heaven is near.' (10:5-7). He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground … (Mark 4:26).
What did he mean? This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ (Matthew 6:9-10).
‘The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand’ (Mark 1:15) The Announcement of Jesus Both the ‘time’ and the ‘kingdom’ assumes the whole history of Israel and its growing Messianic expectation
The Exodus Event The Davidic Monarchy The Prophetic Promise Three Windows: A Growing Vision
The Exodus Event The collision of powers
The Revelation of the Divine Name Spiritual Warfare Military Warfare The Song of the Sea The Kingdom Confession
The Revelation of the Divine Name Spiritual Warfare
The Plagues: Spiritual Warfare 2 2 Frogs 3 3 Gnats - Flies 4 4 Boils 5 5 Livestock 8 8 Sun Heqt – Fertility god Geb – Vegetation god; Khepfi – Insects god Thoth (Imhotep) – god of medicine Apis/Mnevis – bull; Hathor – cow; Khnum - ram Re – sun god 1 1 Blood Ha’pi – Nile god 6 6 Hail Nut – god of the sky 9 9 Firstborn Pharoah – divine, firstborn begotten by Re 7 7 Locusts Anubis – god of fields
Yahweh judging the gods For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. Exodus 12:12
The Revelation of the Divine Name Spiritual Warfare Military Warfare The Song of the Sea The Kingdom Confession
The Davidic Monarchy The Golden Age
Psalm 2 – David’s ‘ordination’ The Kingdoms of this world versus the rule of God A new manifestation of the kingdom: The Adopted, Anointed King
2 Samuel Nathan’s Prophetic Promise David’s Kingdom Prayer The repeated use of the Divine Name
2 Samuel 8 The repeated formula: ‘The Lord gave David victory wherever he went’ (8:6,14). David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people (8:15).
1 Kings 4: Solomon’s table Multiplication Party time Abundance Shalom Power Life Style Wisdom
1 Kings 4: Solomon’s table Wisdom Songs World view Life style Worship & Love Botanist Ornithologist Herpetologist Ichthyologist Zoologist
The Rule of God over all of life Individual & corporate Spiritual & material Every aspect of life under the rule of God
The Prophetic Promise of the Kingdom Exodus Davidic Monarchy The Lord is King Isaiah Daniel The Lord will become King The Lord will become King
Prophetic Warnings – The Loss of the Kingdom A repeated formula about the later kings (2 Chronicles 33:1-3) The dark night of Israel’s captivity (Psalm 137:1-9)
The New Promise: God Will Come Again Habakkuk The past repeated Isaiah & Daniel The past eclipsed Prophetic language Prophetic language The Day of the Lord The latter days The last days That day Eschatology
Isaiah The Imax Movie!
Yahweh will come The Davidic Messiah Rivers of the Spirit Salvation Forgiveness Healing Liberation Shalom Resurrection Festivity New People New Jerusalem New Heaven & Earth Judgment of Evil Kingdom of God
Daniel 2 & 7: Two Visions This age Age to come Son of Man A new humanity
The Inter-Testamental Period Waiting for 500 years with such expectations! The expectation was –Trivialized –Politicized - reduced
The NT Coming of the Kingdom The dramatic arrival of John the Baptist, introducing Jesus