When The Church Was Established

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From: TFTW Bible College


When John the Baptist was preaching before Jesus started His ministry, he said the time of the kingdom was close. “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:1-2) This occurred during the Roman Empire, which was the time Daniel had prophesied. John said that it was so close that it was “at hand.” Imagine if you had a drink “at hand,” it would be close enough to reach out and grab it. The kingdom was about to appear!
When Jesus started His ministry, He repeated the message of John. “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17) In fact, the ministry of Jesus was telling people about the kingdom that was about to appear. “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” (Matthew 4:23)
Jesus even went so far as to say that the kingdom was going to appear during the lifetime of some of the people that were with Him. “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.” (Mark 9:1) The kingdom was very close!
Notice that Jesus said the kingdom would come “with power.” So, whenever the power came, the kingdom would come with it. Jesus told His apostles when they would receive the power. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) The apostles would receive power from the Holy Spirit, and whenever that power came, the kingdom would arrive, too. 

 That was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost after the ascension of Jesus. “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4) So, the power would come when the Holy Spirit gave the apostles power, and whenever the power came, the kingdom would come, too. We see the Holy Spirit giving power to the apostles in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, therefore, that is when the kingdom was established, too! 

a Christian, writer and homemaker

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