“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 1:14-15
Our Lord taught clearly that earth history is following a pre-established chronology. History is not meaningless or chaotic nor is it cyclical, with events endlessly repeating themselves over endless ages of time. Rather, history is linear, moving in a straight line towards its God-intended goal. “The time is fulfilled,” said Jesus. The King of the promised Kingdom was finally here; His arrival was right on schedule according to the Scriptures. “But when the fullness of the time was come,” wrote Paul, “God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law” (Galatians 4:4). In accordance with Jacob’s amazing prophecy, our Lord came when Judah was losing its judicial and legal autonomy (Genesis 49:10). As predicted by Daniel, and in full accordance with his detailed chronology, Christ accomplished His redemptive work not long before Jerusalem and her Temple were destroyed (Daniel 9:24-26). Isaiah the prophet, who wrote some 700 before our Lord’s birth, foresaw His rejection by official Jewry. “He is despised and rejected of men;” he wrote, “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3). This is in some ways as tragic as it is mysterious. Many in Israel were eagerly anticipating the arrival of the promised Davidic King (2 Samuel 7:16; Psalm 89:36-37; Mark 15:43; Luke 2:25). When He finally arrived (on schedule), he presented Himself as the King of Kings, not so much in claims about Himself, but in demonstration of divine power and kingly authority. Mark wastes no time in presenting this to us. In chapter one, we see the King teaching with authority (1:22). Soon after, we see Him commanding demons with irresistible authority also (1:23-27). A few verses later, Mark describes how the King exercised power and authority over sickness and disease (1:29-2:12). Chapter three contains more accounts of the Lord healing and casting out demons. In chapter four, we see the King of Kings commanding even the elements. He “rebuked the wind,” wrote Mark, “and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). A kingdom is any realm over which a king has authority, and our Lord’s earthly ministry made it clear that He was, and is, the Supreme Authority over the created order. Though the Kingdom is yet to come in its fullness (Matthew 6:10), we advance and expand the King’s realm with every act of obedience to His wise rule, and with every thought we take captive to Him. May we be found doing so when the Great King of Kings returns for His bride!
God bless,
Pastor John
English