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Theology Proper The Study of God by WordExplain Bringing Truths from Different Books of the Bible into Focus, Perspective, and Understanding. |
Now in
those days John the Baptist
came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 3:1-2 |
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The Kingdom Program in Matthew's Gospel by Michael Vlach The
following is Michael Vlach's summary, in his own words, of the
complete article that bears this title. I found this article
on the website of Pre-Trib.org,
website of the Pre-Trib
Research Center. The page on which this article is situated
is entitled, "Articles
by Author." This article is of sufficient value that I have
posted here the summary of its contents. I recommend to the reader the complete
article.
1.
The kingdom in Matthew’s gospel as proclaimed by John the Baptist and
Jesus is an earthly kingdom that has continuity with the kingdom
predicted in the Old Testament prophets.
2. The kingdom was “at hand” in that it was near and imminent, conditioned on Israel repentance and belief in Jesus. The kingdom itself was not established. 3. Part of this nearness of the kingdom was the personal presence of the King, the words of the King, and the miracles of the King. 4. The leaders and people of Israel hindered the coming of the kingdom by not repenting and believing in the King. 5. When it became clear that the leaders and people of Israel would not believe in the King the kingdom was no longer presented as being “at hand.” 6. Jesus then began to reveal new truths or “mysteries” concerning the kingdom of heaven. These mysteries describe the relationship of the kingdom between the two comings of Jesus. 7. In between the two comings of Jesus the message of the kingdom would spread as would the number of those who believe in the King. Those who believe are called “sons of the kingdom.” 8. After Jesus announced His death, He gave His disciples a preview and glimpse of His coming and kingdom with the Transfiguration experience. This would show that the cross did not mean there would not also be a kingdom someday. 9. Jesus still presents His kingdom reign as future in connection with the regeneration of the planet and national Israel’s restoration. 10. Jesus will assume His throne at the time of the second coming. It is at this time that judgment will take place to see who will enter the kingdom. The Kingdom Program in Matthew's Gospel By Michael VlachThis summary first published on WordExplain January, 2012. Published Online by WordExplain.com Email Contact: jbartsch@wordexplain.com Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org) Updated January 28, 2022
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