10-3-23 Daily Bible Nugget 783 Mark 1:14
The Nugget:
Mar 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
My Comment:
If you will carefully read this post you will learn much about Bible prophecy that you may not have known before. I have been discussing the Bible with some very sincere, polite, and kind Muslims who ask good questions and present helpful challenges.
You may not know any Muslims, but if you are a Christian, I’m sure you know that we need to understand the Bible better so we can answer the questions others may ask about our faith (1 Peter 3:15).
My response to a Muslim claim that “Jesus Didn’t Preach Christianity” (citing Paul Williams in a video clip):
Jesus most certainly did preach and teach what can be called Biblical Christianity. Alleging most historians disagree is a meaningless claim that only shows that they have not carefully studied this matter in depth.
Muslim Moderator Response:
oh how are you. Its been a week or so and you haven’t responded to another post of mines. In which i highlighted that Jesus was preaching the Evangilian and not the Bible of today.
It clearly says in Mark in the English translation that Jesus was preaching the Gospel’s of The Kingdom of God (The Evangilian – Arabic Injeel). Its clear from that, what Jesus was preaching is not what the current Bible teaches. The Evagilian was sent to Jesus from God. The current Bible is mostly man made words. Words that men thought and wrote.
Thats a clear rational and logically civilised reasoning to the matter.
My Response:
Thank you for reaching out to me so we can continue our conversations. I enjoy reading and responding to your challenges and questions.
I have attempted to keep up with responses to my comments. If I missed replying to your comment(s), if I receive a notification I generally do answer. When an answer will take more time to research the subject carefully, it may take me more time to get back to you. But sometimes I lose track of the “notification” and I do not know how to get back to the discussion.
You are right that the Gospel of Mark states that Jesus came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God:
Mar 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
Mar 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Notice Jesus said at the start of His ministry that “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.”
Notice also that Jesus preached a message that required an action response on the part of His hearers: “Repent and believe the gospel.”
The message of Jesus that we are to repent and believe the Gospel still holds valid for us today.
The Kingdom of God is no longer (for now) “at hand.” The Jewish leadership at the time of the ministry of Jesus in Israel rejected Him and His claim to be the long-awaited and prophesied Messiah, but rather chose to crucify Him on the cross of Calvary, exactly as Jesus repeatedly predicted was to happen (Mark 8:31. 9:31. Matthew 16:21. 17:22, 23. 20:17, 18, 19. Luke 9:22. 18:31, 32, 33).
Jesus made a remarkable statement about the Kingdom of God that is recorded in Matthew 21:43,
Mat 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. (KJV)
Mat 21:43 And that, I tell you, is why the Kingdom of God will be taken from you, and given to a nation that does produce the fruit of the Kingdom. (TCNT, Twentieth Century New Testament)
Mat 21:43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. (ESV, English Standard Version)
Mat 21:43 “And so I tell you,” added Jesus, “the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce the proper fruits.” (GNB, Good News Bible)
Mat 21:43 I tell you that God’s kingdom will be taken from you and given to people who will do what he demands. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)
I have given this passage in five different translations to help bring out the meaning of this most important prediction of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Since the Jewish nation did not receive Jesus as their Messiah (John 1:11), the promised Kingdom of God was taken from them and given to people “who will produce the proper fruits,” to people “who will do what he demands.”
This is the fulfillment of Old Testament Bible prophecy found in Micah 5:3 and context. In Micah 5:2 the remarkable prophecy is given that the future Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, the city of David:
Mic 5:2 And you, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, the least among the families of Judah, out of you one will come to me who is to be ruler in Israel; whose going out has been purposed from time past, from the eternal days. (BBE, Bible in Basic English)
Mic 5:3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. (ESV)
The prophecy in Micah 5:3 tells us God will for a time “give them up,” which corresponds to what Jesus said, “that God’s kingdom will be taken from you and given to people who will do what he demands.”
When our Lord Jesus Christ returns at His Second Coming, He will rule the whole earth ever after from the Throne of David in Jerusalem, and be the King of Israel, as stated in Luke 1:31-33, as the Angel told Mary, the mother of Jesus:
Luk 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
Luk 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luk 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luk 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (KJV)
This is in fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant, the promises of which constitute “the sure mercies of David” (Isaiah 55:3):
Isa 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
The Kingdom of God is not understood correctly by most Bible readers today because they have failed to “search the Scriptures” (Acts 17:11) carefully to learn what the Bible actually teaches about this subject.