Kingdom 102: The New World Order
As I study God's Constitution (the Bible), I realize that as great as John the Baptist was, he still represented the old order. The arrival of Jesus the Christ inaugurated a greater period--the period of the Kingdom of heaven on earth. The Lord Jesus made this statement concerning John the Baptist: “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. Note what Jesus said "From the days of John the Baptist" the Kingdom had been "forcefully advancing" until its arrival with the Lord Jesus.
Prior to John, the Kingdom had never been present on earth in such a powerful, visible state as it was with the coming of the Lord Jesus. No one, from Abraham to John, clearly understood the Kingdom. I must say, very few understand the Kingdom concept. Back then they spoke about it and prophesied about it. They had little peeks into the future but never saw its manifestation in their time. Even though John the Baptist preached concerning the Kingdom, he really had some doubts concerning who the Lord Jesus really was. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” Jesus replied with the attributes of the Kingdom. Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” That alone should give us a clue that the Kingdom is power! As I stated earlier, even John the Baptist never accurately perceived the full implications of his own message. He witnessed its coming in the Lord Jesus, but never fully entered into it himself.
John the Baptist was an Old Testament representative with a New Testament revelation. The Kingdom was a new era, and John was passing away with the old. He never received the Holy Spirit, but John witnessed the Holy Spirit coming down at Jesus' baptism in the form of a dove. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” John was a man who stood in the middle, suspended between two dimensions of time. His voice was one resonating in the wilderness, preparing the people to enter into the new order. Once the Lord Jesus' public ministry began, John's ministry came to an end. John understood this clearly. Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” After that the Lord Jesus began proclaiming His message of the Kingdom after John was imprisoned. The old order had ended and the new order had commenced.
Matthew 11:11-14; 11:2-3, 4-6 Matthew 3:16-17 Mark 1:14-15
~~W.R. Luchie
Prior to John, the Kingdom had never been present on earth in such a powerful, visible state as it was with the coming of the Lord Jesus. No one, from Abraham to John, clearly understood the Kingdom. I must say, very few understand the Kingdom concept. Back then they spoke about it and prophesied about it. They had little peeks into the future but never saw its manifestation in their time. Even though John the Baptist preached concerning the Kingdom, he really had some doubts concerning who the Lord Jesus really was. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” Jesus replied with the attributes of the Kingdom. Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” That alone should give us a clue that the Kingdom is power! As I stated earlier, even John the Baptist never accurately perceived the full implications of his own message. He witnessed its coming in the Lord Jesus, but never fully entered into it himself.
John the Baptist was an Old Testament representative with a New Testament revelation. The Kingdom was a new era, and John was passing away with the old. He never received the Holy Spirit, but John witnessed the Holy Spirit coming down at Jesus' baptism in the form of a dove. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” John was a man who stood in the middle, suspended between two dimensions of time. His voice was one resonating in the wilderness, preparing the people to enter into the new order. Once the Lord Jesus' public ministry began, John's ministry came to an end. John understood this clearly. Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” After that the Lord Jesus began proclaiming His message of the Kingdom after John was imprisoned. The old order had ended and the new order had commenced.
Matthew 11:11-14; 11:2-3, 4-6 Matthew 3:16-17 Mark 1:14-15
~~W.R. Luchie
