14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14–15, NKJV)
The preaching of Jesus was radical, revolutionary, and redemptive. Those who envision Jesus as a soft spoken, mealy-mouthed professor of theology have woefully missed the mark. Undeterred by the imprisonment of John, Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom in Galilee (see Matthew 4:12-17). This passage is a big problem for premillennialists (those who believe Christ’s kingdom was not established in the first century). The kingdom of God is linked to gospel Jesus preached. If God withdrew the kingdom and substituted the church (as they say), then how can they be sure the kingdom’s gospel was not also withdrawn? Put another way, since the apostles preached the gospel from Pentecost onward, the kingdom Jesus said was “at hand” also arrived through the gospel they preached (Acts 1:6-8; 2:1-4, 33-41; Colossians 1:13-14). Jesus said His kingdom, which is not of this world, came during lives of His contemporaries (Mark 9:1; John 18:36). Will you accept the good news of the kingdom that calls you to repent and believe the gospel? We hope so. After all, that is what Jesus preached.
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