What is God's Kingdom
What is God's Kingdom ? Matthew 5:3 Excerpt The kingdom of God is the major theme of Jesus’ teaching in the gospels of Matthew , Mark and Luke . This concept, expressed in various ways, had been a central part of Jewish religious aspirations for generations. At the time of Jesus , it was popularly anticipated as a time when the promises of the Hebrew scriptures concerning the place of Israel in God’s plan would be fulfilled in a dramatic way: the hated Romans would once and for all be driven out of their land, and the people would enjoy a new period of political and religious freedom, and self-determination. It is no wonder, then, that when Jesus emerged as a travelling prophet after his baptism and the temptations, and declared that ‘the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand’ ( Mark 1:15 ), people of all kinds showed great interest in what he had to say . This was what they were waiting for: a new kingdom of God that would finally crush the old...