Matthew 3:5-6. “Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan. And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.”
Have you ever wondered at the fact that John first appeared to preach in the wilderness? I mean, who was out there to hear him? He even referred to himself as “the voice of one, crying in the wilderness.” There must have been some folks out there—shepherds, nomads, traders—who heard his message and talked of it when they reached population centers, because we are told that people went out into the wilderness to hear him.
Have you ever wondered what those people thought they were going to hear? The rumors of a wild-looking man claiming to be the fulfillment of prophecy, saying that the kingdom of heaven was near, were not unique. They had charlatans back in that day just as we do now, making false claims of special knowledge given only to them by the spoken Word of God.
There must have been something different about John. It must have been the sense of the power of the Holy Spirit in him that drew people to listen to his message.
The Kingdom of Heaven
There are as many interpretations of this phrase as there are people who teach it. Let’s see if we can shed a little light. Depending on your particular theology, you will either agree completely with what I’m about to say, or you will want to debate and show me the error of my thinking. I would remind you once again that I am not here to argue. I will not post snarky responses. If you have your own blog, and you disagree with me, go ahead and write about it there.
The kingdom of the heavens is an Old Testament term. It is to be in the earth, not in heaven. It is an earthly kingdom in which the heavens will rule (Daniel 4:26). This kingdom is mentioned in Daniel 2:44 and 7:14. The ruler will be Son of Man, Messiah, Son of David. He will rule and reign in complete righteousness; there will be world peace–the real kind of peace, not that which is built through genocide and fear. The knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth, much as the flood waters of Noah’s day covered the earth,leaving not one nook or cranny to the control of Satan. Israel will be reunited in the land; Jerusalem will be rebuilt and will become the source and center of blessing for all nations.
The kingdom of the heavens is the literal fulfillment of all the prophecies and promises in the Old Testament, given by God to Abraham. The Church was completely unknown in the Old Testament, nor does it appear in the opening chapters of Matthew.
John’s message was that this kingdom, literal and real, was at hand. The King was in the earth, He Whose Name is Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace; the increase of His government and peace would have no end. Jesus Himself instructed the disciples, later on, to go out and preach, “The kingdom of the heavens has drawn nigh.” They were given Messianic power to heal, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons (Matthew 10).
Because the King was rejected, the kingdom was postponed. Not forsaken, not canceled. Postponed. The Church is not the kingdom, and the kingdom is not the Church. If it were, where is the universal peace? Who is the ruler who governs in righteousness and power? Has the Spirit of God covered the earth as the flood waters in Noah’s day covered even the highest mountains?
John’s warning to the people who came to hear him preach was repent! We’ll look into that message next time.
Linda's Bible Study 
This all raises the interesting question:
What if Israel had received her King the first time around? How would that have impacted human history, and spiritual history?
Someone should write a novel of this “alternative history.”
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I’ve often wondered about that. If Jesus had been accepted, would He have gone to the cross? How would that have affected the Gentile world?
Of course, He knew that wasn’t going to be the outcome, but it is an interesting concept to ponder.
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