My question is regarding the fact that
the Kingdom did not come at all, but was only in the ‘at hand’ phase.
Luke 16:16
The law and the prophets
were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every
man presseth into it.
If this is talking about the physical Kingdom, how could every man
press into something that was not in existence?
If this verse is referring to a spiritual
Kingdom, how could all men press into the spiritual aspect of the physical
Kingdom?
The
term ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ is only mentioned in one Gospel. Go to a computer concordance (such as
biblegateway.com) and type in “Kingdom of Heaven,” and you will see that it is
found only in Matthew.
But
the ‘Kingdom of God’ is mentioned in all four Gospels because it is the general
term for God’s kingdom. The reason the
term Kingdom of Heaven is only used in one Gospel is because the theme of the
book of Matthew is the Lord Jesus Christ as the son of David, the son of
Abraham, the heaven-sent Messiah and the King who has authority to rule and
reign over men.
Daniel 2:44
And in the days of these
kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be
destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Matthew 16:16
And Simon Peter answered
and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
He will do it through his Son, the
Lord Jesus Christ who is the Son of Man, the Son of God, and Israel’s Messiah and
King in this kingdom. (A kingdom is the
king’s domain.) So the reason the term
Kingdom of Heaven is used only in Matthew is because that book’s focus is on
Christ as King and his kingdom.
The focus in Mark is Christ as the
suffering servant. Mark uses the term
Kingdom of God because Christ is God’s servant.
But the two terms are interchangeable and synonymous and are used in
parallel passages:
Matthew 4:17
From that time Jesus
began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
John the Baptist has fulfilled his
ministry and has been cast into prison.
Here is the same event in Mark, but watch how he records it.
Mark 1:14-15
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.
Same event, but two different terms
used because of the different focus of each book. In Matthew, Jesus Christ is that God of
Heaven who sets up a kingdom (Dan. 2:44).
But in Mark, Christ is portrayed not as the King, but as the suffering
servant of God.
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You wrote, “…the Kingdom did
not come at all, but was only in the ‘at hand’ phase.” It depends about what you mean by, ‘at all.’ It wasn’t fulfilled
yet.
Luke 16:16
The law and the prophets
were until John:
since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
In another passage it says,
Matthew 11:13
For all the prophets and
the law prophesied until John.
That is the purpose of the law and
the prophets – to point to (or prophesy about) this coming kingdom.
John 5:39
Search the scriptures;
for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify
of me.
Christ is saying that he is the
fulfillment of the kingdom because he is King.
Paul says the law was a schoolmaster to bring Israel to Christ.
Galatians 3:23-24
But before faith came, we
were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be
revealed. Wherefore the law was our
schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
That old covenant of the law confined
the nation of Israel into one direction – towards Messiah. The purpose of the law was to condemn Israel
and bring them to Messiah so that he might justify them and get them out from
under the curse of the law.
Galatians 3:10, 13
For as
many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written,
Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the
book of the law to do them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a
curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
John’s ministry
was to proclaim the Messiah’s coming.
Matthew 3:3
For this is he that was
spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
The King is here! And with the coming of the King, his kingdom
is also
“at hand.” When Luke says that every man presseth into it, now that Jesus Christ is on the scene (the point being, the Kingdom of Heaven is now at hand), he is the gate and the way into his kingdom.
“at hand.” When Luke says that every man presseth into it, now that Jesus Christ is on the scene (the point being, the Kingdom of Heaven is now at hand), he is the gate and the way into his kingdom.
Matthew 7:13-14
Enter ye in at the strait
gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Every
man is to come to Christ. He says:
John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I
am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but
by me.
John 10:9
I am the door: by me if any man enter
in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
He is the doorway, the entranceway,
into the kingdom. Israel had to come
through him. Now they knew how to get
into the kingdom. Up until John the law and the prophets were the issue. When John showed up, the person whom the law and the prophets spoke of was the issue.
Romans 3:21
But now the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the
prophets; Even the
righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all
them that believe: for there is no difference:
Now he is the issue. So how could every man press into a kingdom
which was not in existence? But it
was. To “press into the kingdom,” they
had to ‘come to Jesus.’
Matthew 11:28
Come unto me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
The physical kingdom was at hand and
to get into it they had to believe on the King, Jesus Christ.
John 6:47
Verily, verily, I say
unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
No one would get into the kingdom
unless they believed.
John 3:36
He that believeth on
the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not
see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
The kingdom was in existence because
Jesus was there in their midst.
John 1:14
And the Word was made
flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
It was not enough just to believe on
the law, Moses and the prophets. That
was a start, but they had to also believe in the greater Prophet, which was the
Messiah. How did they press into the kingdom? By believing on Jesus.
As far as pressing into the spiritual
aspect of the physical kingdom, as you mentioned, you might be over thinking
it. In the Old Testament before the
Gospels, Daniel prophesied about that kingdom.
Daniel 2:44
And in the days of these
kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be
destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Don’t focus so much on the physical
or spiritual aspect of the kingdom; rather focus on the person who is the
embodiment of the kingdom – the Messiah who is greater than the kingdom. He is
the kingdom. He is the issue every man
was to press into it in that day—by trusting in Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
When John the Baptist showed up,
that prophesied kingdom was at hand—it was time to be fulfilled.
Mark 1:15
And saying, The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the
gospel.
This is the Daniel 9 timing
(Daniel’s 70 weeks). In the book of Acts
(chapters 1-7), after Christ’s resurrection, the kingdom is actually offered to
Israel. So the kingdom wasn’t just at
hand because Jesus Christ fulfilled everything that he was prophesied to do to
fulfill the New Covenant with his shed blood.
He died, was buried and rose again.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
For I delivered unto you
first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose
again the third day according to the scriptures:
Matthew 26:28
For this is my blood
of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
The kingdom wasn’t just prophesied in the Old Testament; it
wasn’t just at hand or within reach in the four Gospels;
Acts 1:6
When they therefore were
come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time
restore again the kingdom to Israel?
…but it was actually offered to Israel in the book of Acts
(chapters 1 – 7). In Acts 7 Israel stoned
Stephen and God changed the program to the dispensation
of grace.
Ephesians 3:2
If ye have heard of the dispensation
of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
1 Corinthians 12:5-6
And there are differences
of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations,
but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
The earthly kingdom is postponed; but
when our dispensation of grace ends with the resurrection rapture (hopefully
soon, Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!), the
earthly kingdom will be offered again and the gospel of the kingdom will be
preached.
Matthew 24:14
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.
That is why the books of Hebrews
through Revelation are in your Bible.
They are for Israel. At the
return of the Lord Jesus Christ the kingdom will be established.
Isaiah 9:7
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.
In summary, the Old Testament
prophesied the King and the kingdom. The
Gospels proclaimed that the kingdom was at hand and within reach. Acts follows the fulfillment of prophesy in
Christ’s death, burial and resurrection and the New Covenant being fulfilled
through his blood, and the kingdom is actually offered to Israel. It’s ready – come in. But then at Israel’s unbelief Paul is saved,
the dispensation of grace begins and the kingdom is postponed. When our dispensation ends with the
resurrection rapture, God will once again offer Israel the kingdom and this
time he will fulfill it at the second coming of Christ for the believers in
Israel.
Hopefully this helps...Maranatha!
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