Repent & Believe the Gospel of the Kingdom

“Believe” in Matthew, Mark & Luke - Part 7:

Two studies ago we began examining the third time the Greek word “Pisteuo,” usually translated “believe,” is found in New Testament history. That was when Jesus Christ uttered it at the beginning of His ministry: “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Mark 1:14 & 1514 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

. I identified five elements in Jesus' statement that need to be understood:

1) The significance of Jesus Christ's words,

2) The time referred to as being fulfilled,

3) The gospel of the Kingdom of God being preached,

4) The implications of that Kingdom being at hand,

5) The significance of repentance and belief.

The first two were covered in Vol 3, No 37and the third in our last study, Vol 3, No 38. Today we go to the fourth to learn what Jesus meant when He said the Kingdom of God was at hand. As often happens in communications, those hearing Him at the time didn't understand and so misinterpreted his message and since then the same problem has occurred with many people reading His words. The people listening at the time took Him to mean the Kingdom was imminent, i.e., to be established during their lifetime. They had no idea Jesus' purpose was to die on the cross. A week before He died, when He was about to enter Jerusalem, those with Him thought the Kingdom should appear immediately, Luke 19:1111 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.

, and many in Jerusalem welcomed Him as King when He entered that City, Zechariah 9:99 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

; Matthew 21:4 - 114 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,

7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.

8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

; Mark 11:1 - 111 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,

2 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.

3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.

4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?

6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.

7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.

8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.

9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:

10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

; Luke 19:28 - 3828 And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.

29 And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,

30 Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither.

31 And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.

32 And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them.

33 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?

34 And they said, The Lord hath need of him.

35 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.

36 And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.

37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.

; John 12:12 - 1912 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.

14 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,

15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.

16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.

17 The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.

18 For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle.

19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.

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After His death, burial and resurrection and just before He ascended into Heaven His Disciples asked Him again when the Kingdom would be established and He “... said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” Acts 1:77 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

. A little later the Jewish Saints gathered in Jerusalem at Pentecost no doubt thought the Kingdom was about to come shortly. Peter told them this was what the Prophet Joel wrote would happen in the last days, Acts 2:14 - 2114 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:

21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

; Joel 2. However, Peter did not state that what was happening was the fulfillment of that which Joel spoke but it was that about which Joel spoke. The signs of the Kingdom were present: people were healed from sickness and even though individuals spoke different languages, they could all understand each other, etc. Many Jews did repent and believe then but most, including the leaders of Israel, did not and so the Kingdom did not materialize at that time and the Jews suffered terribly. Those who weren't killed were driven out of Palestine to other countries as the Romans leveled Jerusalem in 70 AD.

In the early centuries after the time of Jesus many Gentiles adopted a perverted view of God's Word called replacement theology. They believed, as have many since then, that the Jews forfeited the promises God gave their forefathers and so were totally and forever cut off because they rejected their Messiah. “Replacement theology” people generally believe the so-called Christian church has replaced Israel and has, or will, inherit the Kingdom of God on earth. In the early centuries people who called themselves Christians believed they were working to bring about God's Kingdom when they, as Crusaders, converged on Palestine to conquer it. Through the dark ages and on the so-called Christian church persecuted Jews, killing them if they did not convert to their brand of Christianity. The Jews that survived were driven from one country to another. We know what occurred in recent history in Germany at the hands of Hitler and even today some who call themselves Christians hate the Jews.

Today, there are some Jews who do not believe Jesus was Christ but are waiting for their Messiah and for the Kingdom prophesied in the Old Testament. Of course there are many Jews and Gentiles who simply don't believe any of this. Then, there are many Gentiles and some Jews who believe Jesus Christ is what He said He was who say they are working for the Kingdom about which Jesus spoke in Mark 1:14 & 15. I submit that their work is either misguided or in vain. The Word of God is clear about the Kingdom of which Jesus spoke. It is a literal, physical Kingdom here on earth when Satan will be bound, Revelation 20:2 & 32 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

and the Lord Jesus Christ will rule in total righteousness for 1000 years, Revelation 20:3 & 63 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

; the 12 Apostles will sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 Tribes of Israel, Matthew 16:18 & 1918 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

; 19:28 & Luke 22:3030 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

; nature will be changed to the point that even the animal kingdom will no longer have a hierarchy of predators, i.e., the wolf and leopard will peaceably coexist with cattle and sheep, children will lead about animals that now are ferocious man eaters, the viper will no longer be poisonous, etc., Isaiah 11:6 - 86 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

; everyone will have their needs met and there will be no war because peace will be universal and perfect justice will prevail, Isaiah 9:77 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

; 65:20 & 24; Zephaniah 3:1313 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

; Zechariah 9:1010 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

. The government will be centered in Jerusalem, Isaiah 65:17 - 1917 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.

19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

; Revelation 3:1212 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

; 21:2, 3 & 10. There will be no death, sorrow or pain, Revelation 21:44 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

. The effects of the tower of Babel will be reversed and everyone will communicate with one pure language and thus avoid confusion and misunderstanding, Zephaniah 3:99 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.

. This is the Kingdom about which Jesus spoke in Mark 1:14 & 15 and with all this in mind, just what did Jesus mean when He said it was “at hand?”

Let's start with the Greek word “enggidzo,” which is translated with the three words “is at hand” in the King James Version. According to Strong's Greek-English concordance the word “enggidzo” (# 1448) is found 43 times in nine books of the New Testament where it is translated variously in the King James as: “draw neigh,” “be at hand,” “come nigh,” “come near,” “draw near,” “approach” and “be nigh.” Those who anticipate the Kingdom of God apparently overlook events that have to happen before it comes to fruition. While on the Mount of Olives during the week between His triumphant entry into Jerusalem and His crucifixion His disciples asked Jesus when these things should be, Matthew 24:33 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

. He told them that before His return to establish His Kingdom there will be a Great Tribulation and explained what will lead up to it, Matthew 24:4 - 424 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

25 Behold, I have told you before.

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

, etc. Some replacement theology people claim The Great Tribulation has already occurred even though it is clear that nothing in history has ever happened that matches the worldwide destruction, carnage and death the Bible describes. All one has to do is read about the events described, especially in the book of Revelation. For instance, one third of men will be killed at one time during the Tribulation, Revelation 9:1818 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

. The point is that anyone working to bring the Kingdom of God on earth should realize that the worst suffering and destruction this world has ever known must precede it. And during that Tribulation all the great works of men brought about to establish that Kingdom will go down and be purged.

The Apostle Paul's writings are clear that God's plan for His Kingdom on earth has been set aside temporarily while He builds His Church, the Body of Christ, Romans 9 - 11, 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:2727 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

; Ephesians 3:66 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

, 4:12. Paul tells us that believers, or members of Christ's Body will indeed suffer for His sake, Philippians 1:2929 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

, and there are many Christians throughout the world who are presently persecuted terribly. But, nevertheless, none are appointed to face the worldwide wrath of the Great Tribulation because, as Paul writes, our Lord Jesus Christ will come for His Church, His Body, and take it to heaven before that terrible day of wrath occurs, 1 Thessalonians 1:1010 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

; 4:13 - 5:6 & 9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1 - 171 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,

17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

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But back to the point of this study; what did Jesus mean 2000 years ago when He said the Kingdom of God (His reign on earth) was at hand? The answer is simple; it was because He, Israel's Messiah, The King, was presenting Himself as such. Jesus Christ the King was truly at hand. He did everything to show He was who He said He was, he healed the sick and lame, raised the dead, exercised control over nature, fed thousands with meager supplies, cast out devils, etc., Luke 11:2020 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

, all signs of His earthly Kingdom. But He was rejected and so His dominion over the earth did not materialize at that time. He told some of His disciples “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” Matthew 16:2828 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

, see also Mark 9:11 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

& Luke 9:2727 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.

. This was fulfilled 6 to 8 days later when Jesus took Peter, John and James up to a mountain where Elijah and Moses, both who had died many years before, came to join Jesus, who was transfigured into the Glory in which He will someday reign, Matthew 17:1 - 131 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.

7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.

13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

; Mark 9:2 - 132 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.

3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.

5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.

7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.

9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.

10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.

11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?

12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

13 But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.

& Luke 9:28 - 3628 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.

29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.

30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:

31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.

32 But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.

33 And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said.

34 While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud.

35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

36 And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.

. But they didn't understand what they saw until after Jesus ascended into heaven, as explained later in 2 Peter 1:16 - 1816 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

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The Kingdom of God was truly at hand when the King Himself was here about 2000 years ago. But His purpose at that time was to die and rise again in 3 days. He has been in Heaven seated at the right hand of God since then. After the church of this age, the Body of Christ, is taken up to heaven, the Great Tribulation will set in and then after that, The Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth and claim dominion over the earth, as promised the Nation of Israel down through the ages. See also Luke 4:17 - 2117 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

& Romans 9 - 11.