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“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “THE TIME IS FULFILLED, and the KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND; repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15).
When Jesus Christ preached in Galilee, He mentioned two terms which need to be discussed to enrich our knowledge of the faith we have in Him.
These two terms which are the focus of this article are “the time is fulfilled” and “the Kingdom of God is at hand.”
Now, what TIME was our Saviour referring to? Clearly, He was referring to the TIME foretold by the prophets when the kingdom would be at hand. The expression, “at hand” means present, close, nearby or happening.
Also, the phrase, “the kingdom of God” which can be translated as ‘the government of God’ talks about the royal rule, reign, sovereignty or power of God.
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand,” therefore, means that the era foretold by the Old Testament prophets concerning the special manifestation of the rule, power, reign or sovereignty of God was at work among His people, and that people should repent and believe in the gospel.
That is, people should repent and believe in the message and the messenger. It is impossible to separate Jesus Christ, the messenger, from the Good News, the message, He preached.
The Good News is about Jesus Christ or it points to Him. Therefore, Christ Jesus is both the message and the messenger. He is the way, the truth and the life of the kingdom.
One day, when the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them that the kingdom of God was “within them” (Luke 17:20-21, KJV).
Now, the expression, “within them” did not mean the kingdom was within their hearts at that time as many have interpreted it to be.
Rather, it meant the kingdom was in their midst or it was among them, pointing to Jesus who was in their midst.
However, after His death and resurrection, believers receive the Kingdom of God within them (in their hearts) by the presence of the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of Christ.
Jesus Christ was the possessor and carrier of the Good News and the rule, power, reign or sovereignty of God.
That is why Christ and the early apostles implored the Jews and everyone to believe in Him and His works (John 10:37-38).
It is the same duty being done by today’s ministers of the gospel throughout the world for the salvation of those who believe in Jesus Christ.
As I indicated earlier, it is important that believers understood these things to grow in knowledge and grace of Christ Jesus.
By James Quansah
